Bollington

BOLLINGTON, WHITE NANCY, KERRIDGE RIDGE, RAINOW, BULL HILL LANE, BRINK BARN, WALKER BARN, THE ROBIN HOOD AT RAINOW, SUGAR LANE, FLAG COTTAGE, THE VIRGINS’ PATH, INGERSLEY VALE WATERFALL AT WAULKMILL FARM, THE CHURCH HOUSE INN AT BOLLINGTON

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Tough start but then easy.

Weather: A crisp, dry winter’s day with blue skies and sunshine.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Lawrie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Steve Kemp and Chris Owen.

B walkers: Phil Burslem, George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Jock Rooney with Tips and Barry Williams.

Under-equipped: Ken Sparrow (Arrived without boots).

Apologies: George Dearsley (in Turkey) and George Whaites.

Starting point: Church Lane, Bollington, near The Church House Inn.

Starting time: 9.47am. Finishing time: 2.03pm.

After some poor turn-outs in January it was thought some of the Wednesday Wanderers had made New Year resolutions not to come out walking. But a crisp winter’s morning with the sun beaming down from blue skies brought out 16 hikers. This would have been 17, but Ken forgot his boots and failed to come under Starter’s Orders.

There was a delay because your diarist was unable to start his car after a cold frosty night. Would-be passenger Hughie retrieved his car and saved the day. It proved to be a celebration of bygone times with the orgasmic pies from the F.Smith Bakery once again available and The Robin Hood at Rainow open again on a Wednesday lunchtime.

Both The Robin Hood and our final stop, The Church House Inn, were the beneficiaries of unexpected trade from 16 thirsty hikers. You may be surprised to learn that some of our group were sipping soft drinks instead of supping beer. I will not embarrass them here by revealing names.

From the road outside the Church House Inn, we walked up Church Lane and turned left by The Crown at the T junction. We passed the mill pond and the tree full of bird boxes on our right then turned sharp right at a green public footpath sign (7mins). This was the start of a steep climb to reach White Nancy (23mins), the well-known and easily-recognised landmark on Kerridge Ridge.

This building was erected in 1815 to commemorate the victory of the Duke of Wellington over Napoleon at The Battle of Waterloo. It is believed that the white mare which hauled the bricks and materials up to the ridge was named Nancy and gave the folly its title.

At one time it had a circular bench inside and a window overlooking the hills and valleys outside. But the window and doors have long been bricked in and painted over – white of course.

After pausing for breath and photos, we walked along Kerridge Ridge through a series of metal gates and stiles until we reached the main road through Rainow (58mins). It was decided to have an unscheduled Pietime so those of us with such provisions could strike while Smith’s pies were still hot, or at least lukewarm. The port was deemed a complementary accompaniment.


Photo by Tom (Cartier Bresson) Cunliffe, showing great awareness of the "contre jour" genre.

The following pictures by Colin

Continuing we turned right along the road for some 80 yards. Opposite Brae Cottage (59mins) we turned left up stone steps at an easily-missed public footpath sign. The path took us to the right of a field until we reached Bull Hill Lane and turned right uphill (63mins). At the T-junction at the top of the hill we turned left for 50 yards and then turned right at a wooden public footpath sign containing the Gritstone Trail logo of a yellow arrow and a footprint (71mins)

We headed uphill, crossed a wooden stile and stopped for our second Pietime (75mins) accompanied this time by damson gin and chocolate orange segments kindly provided by Chris.

Suitably sustained we turned left and crossed two stone step stiles (80 and 84mins) to go through Brink Barn (86mins) and pass the sign for Walker Barn on the road to our left (90mins). We reached the main road, crossed it and turned right, passing a house on our left which was once a pub called The Setter Dog.

We turned left at a green public footpath sign (94mins), soon following a yellow arrow on our left to leave the farm track and reach a wooden stile which we crossed and turned left (97mins). This path took us through a farmyard (98mins) before we turned left over a wooden stile (102mins). By keeping to the right of the field, we crossed a ladder stile on our right (105mins) and turned left  following a well-trodden path downhill to a road (110mins)

After crossing the road we headed down to a farmhouse, turning left and passing it on our right before crossing a wooden stile (112mins) and a wooden footbridge (115mins). We then ascended through a field to a stone step stile where we turned left along a track (119mins). This brought us to a main road where we turned right into Rainow (124mins)

By carrying straight on into Stocks Lane, we passed the medieval wooden stocks on our right (126mins) and reached The Robin Hood (128mins), where the Wainwrights’ cask bitter was in excellent condition. However the landlady broke the world record for time taken to top up a pint, leading your diarist to accuse his comrades of hiding his beer. Apologies all round.

Our colleagues from the B team were already well established by this stage, explaining with some glee that they would have had an even stronger contingent if Ken had not arrived sans chaussures de marche. They described their journey to the pub, which involved long bus rides and short walks.

On leaving we retraced our footsteps down Stocks Lane, turning right into Chapel Lane and right again into Sugar Lane (130mins). We turned right yet again at a wooden public footpath sign pointing behind Flag Cottage where we followed a flagged path behind a row of cottages (133mins)

This brought us to our familiar route back to Bollington along what is known as The Virgins’ Path or The Brides’ Path. It was given this nickname from the days when Rainow had no church, and brides-to-be had to walk with their fathers through muddy fields to reach the nearest church in Bollington. Obliging farmers lay down flags through the fields, many still visible, to avoid the brides having to sully their white dresses and so besmirch their reputations.

The path brought us to the picturesque Ingersley Vale Waterfall opposite Waulkmill Farm where we stopped for lunch (149mins). Resuming, we passed the derelict mill on our right and reached The Crown on Church Lane, turning right and reaching the cars to deboot (163mins) and enjoy more pints of Wainwrights in The Church House Inn.

Next week’s walk is popularly known as The Phallic Walk by those with smutty minds. It will start at 9.35am outside The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale, where roadside parking is available. We intend to head uphill to enter Lyme Park just short of Bowstones, before descending to Disley for a livener in The Dandy Cock at about 12.15pm. We will then walk back along the Peak Forest Canal, aiming to reach The Soldier Dick at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !