Bosley

 July 4, 2018.

BOSLEY, TIMBERSBROOK, BOSLEY CLOUD, THE GRITSTONE TRAIL, HOOFRIDGE FARM, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, CONGLETON TOWN CENTRE, CONGLETON PARK, CHESHIRE BREWHOUSE, DANE VALLEY, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, THE HARRINGTON ARMS AT BOSLEY

Distance:  12 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate apart from one long climb.

Weather: Blue skies and hot sun.

Walkers: Alastair Cairns, Steve Courtney, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Chris Owen and Julian Ross.

Apologies: Micky Barrett, Peter Beal, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, George Dearsley, Lawrie Fairman, Steve Kemp and George Whaites.

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Lay-by opposite The Harrington Arms at Bosley on the Macclesfield-Leek road.

Starting time: 10.15am. Finishing time: 3.20pm.

Chris’s search for a legendary leader’s badge took a serious setback on this walk before we had even come under starter’s orders.  When Colin learned the distance was likely to get into double figures, he made his excuses and left.

With the start delayed by Alastair getting caught in traffic on the M6 which even a Masserati could do nothing about, Chris compounded the acceptable loss of Colin by making a rushed start and shedding five more followers before we had travelled 400 yards.

Fortunately Chris is (comparatively) young and determined so we feel sure he will recover from the follies of youth and one day join the Wednesday Wanderers’ Hall of Fame alongside Lawrie. His fluorescent lime green shirt makes him a natural leader – but not when he is round a bend and out of sight !

The ongoing heat-wave might have made lesser men wilt, but we soldiered on gamely and enjoyed some lovely scenery as we criss-crossed the Dane Valley and admired the picturesque public park in Congleton. We also passed the site of a recent mill tragedy when four people died and three were injured in an explosion.

From the lay-by we headed towards Leek, passing St Mary The Virgin Church on our right and crossing the road to follow a green public footpath sign on our right (2mins). As Chris marched boldly forward, your diarist went back to ensure the five other members of our reduced party were following us. They were not and were vainly trying to keep up with a leader who was no longer ahead of them.

This was soon remedied and they retraced their steps  to follow the path which went through a metal kissing gate and under a railway tunnel to cross a bridge over the River Dane (15mins). We turned sharp left off a lane (27mins) and after 70 yards went right over a wooden stile (28mins) to cross a field.

We continued over wooden stiles to head for the ridge of Bosley Cloud which towered in the distance, reaching a lane where we turned left (36mins). After passing a house called Duke’s Well on our right we turned right at a wooden public footpath sign, heading up a flight of stone steps and passing a sign for Cloud Summit (44mins)

On reaching the Trig Point (50mins) we paused to catch our breath and admire the panoramic views before starting our descent (52mins) by following the Gritstone Trail marker. This led us down a path to a broken bench (60mins) where we paused for pies and port, plus sweeties and damson gin provided by our leader. We know how to live.

Resuming our journey we passed a wooden barrier and turned right (65mins) still following the GT signs. We turned right (67mins) and exited The Cloud (68mins) before turning sharp left down a flight of steep steps (72mins) to reach a road where we turned left (73mins). This brought us to a GT sign on our right where we descended steps (75mins) to walk through Timbersbrook Picnic Area (77mins)

As we exited the picnic area we passed the cleared site of Wood Flour Mills, where in July 2015 a massive explosion claimed the lives of four workers. The land was owned by Wood Treatment Ltd and the mill produced wood flour for laminate flooring.

The mill was built in 1927 and there were fires at the site in 2010 and 2012. A year later Wood Treatment Ltd was served with five improvement notices by the Health and Safety Executive. Four of them said the firm had “failed to ensure the risk from fire or explosion from gas tanks had either been eliminated or reduced.” Following inspections a few months later they were given a clean bill of health. Hmmm.

We crossed a bridge over a stream and turned left at the GT sign (81mins) later following footpath signs left towards Pool Bank Mill. From here we followed GT signs through fields and through the yard at Hoofridge Farm house (95mins)

On the far side of the farm we headed diagonally right through a gate-sized gap in the hedge and made for the corner of the field where we crossed a wooden stile (100mins). Our group crossed a wooden stile marked with a white arrow (101mins), went through a metal gate with a yellow arrow, turning right and reaching Bridge 72 of the Macclesfield Canal (104mins)

The Macclesfield Canal was opened in 1831 and later acquired by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Company. It was used to transport cargo, mainly coal, until the 1960s when commercial trade fizzled out. Now it is used by pleasure boat owners for recreation.

We walked along the right bank on the canal until Bridge 76 (117mins) where we switched to the left bank and crossed an aqueduct (122mins). We left the canal at Bridge 77 (125mins) and headed down a path directly opposite a plaque giving a brief history of the canal  (126mins). We left the footpath (133mins) to turn right at a yellow arrow and cross a field to reach the edge of a housing estate (137mins).  Walking along Moody Street we avoided a left turn into the main commercial district and continued past the bus station on our right (141mins).

 Beyond it was the Bear Grills Cafe. This was a subtle piece of wordplay. For the benefit of the uninitiated, Congleton was once dubbed Beartown because they used the money being saved to buy a Bible to buy a new bear. Apparently on market days the old bear couldn’t be bothered to rise to the bait during the bear-baiting proceedings and needed to be replaced. The name Beartown stuck through subsequent centuries and with the fame of adventurer Bear Grylls spreading through his TV appearances, the temptation of the cafe owners must have been too great to resist.

Moody Street became Market Street and across the main road beyond traffic lights was Worrall Street (144mins). We turned left out of Worrall Street (146mins) and headed for Congleton Park. We passed an open air swimming pool filled with parents and children on our left before entering this pristine park (149mins) full of floral displays, neatly maintained lawns, a rugby pitch and a bandstand.

After passing this on our right (154mins) we exited the park left through woods with the Dane on our right. By crossing a barrier on our left we had a short cut left through a small industrial estate to reach the Cheshire Brewhouse (161mins) to enjoy pints of Barnaby Fair at £3-20 at the shaded trestle tables outside.

Having slaked our thirsts we proceeded with the river on our right. We crossed the river by a bridge and headed left through a housing estate (167mins). When we reached a T-junction we headed diagonally left to go through a blue and yellow barrier with gates to restrict vehicle access (169mins). Crossing a soccer pitch we turned right at a children’s playground (174mins) and entered another housing estate.

The roads we walked along were called Malhamdale and Wharfedale  - but sadly  the 1970s houses were in sharp contrast to the open spaces of the beautiful Yorkshire dales after which they were named. Just after Wharfedale Road on our right we turned left at a green bridleway sign (180mins). Where the path divided we forked left and headed up steps to reach Bridge 65 (182mins) of the Macclesfield Canal for our homeward journey.

With the canal on our right we continued to a shady spot and stopped for lunch (186mins) before proceeding to Bridge 57 (220mins). Here we left the canal and crossed a wooden footbridge (224mins) marked with a blue arrow. After crossing a road bridge over the Dane we turned left (231mins) and retraced our earlier footsteps back to the main Macclesfield-Leek road (242mins). We turned left and reached our cars to de-boot (244mins). Chris was seen entering The Harrington Arms but the remainder of the party headed home.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park of The White Horse pub in Disley, where we have the permission of landlady Annie to park. The walk is a little over 8 miles passing Bollinhurst Reservoir and going through Millenium Wood up to Black Rock, returning across the A6, along the Peak Forest Canal, up to Hague Bar and The Fox at Brook Bottom for a bracer shortly after noon. We will return passing Strines Station back to Disley for a final pint at The White Horse at 2pm.

Please share cars where possible and save room for a pint at our final destination as a courtesy for the parking permission.

Happy wandering !