Bollington

August 1, 2018.

BOLLINGTON, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, ADELPHI MILL, ENDON HOUSE, KERRIDGE RIDGE, RAINOW, PEDLEY HILL, THE ROBIN HOOD AT RAINOW, LOWER BROOK FARM, BOLLINGTON RECREATION GROUND, THE VALE AT BOLLINGTON

Distance: Eight miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Warm with cloud and sunshine.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Colin Davison*, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart and Chris Owen.

Apologies: Micky Barrett and Steve Kemp (yachting off coast of Turkey), George Dearsley (living on mainland Turkey), Lawrie Fairman (preparing for knee operation), Julian Ross (w*^king), George Whaites (domestic duties).

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Free car park overlooking Bollington Recreation Ground.

Starting time: 9.30am. Finishing time: 1.56pm.

If we had known Peter was returning after his annual summer narrow-boat adventures we might have chosen a different venue for this walk through familiar territory. With Lawrie a long-term absentee, we have been struggling to find routes which we can accomplish in the absence of our tried and trusted leaders.

Uneasy lies the head which wears the crown and we lesser mortals are always reluctant to accept the poisoned chalice of group responsibility. In the words of Joni Mitchell, you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.

So with Peter back in the fold, we can look forward to some Peak District countryside which lies within his area of expertise, starting with next week’s walk from Ashford-in-the Water. Meanwhile, despite the loss of Colin* to exertion within the first hour , we enjoyed fine weather, fine ale and fine company.

After a brief excursion to our favourite pie shop, we reassembled on the right bank of the Macclesfield Canal (30mins) which we had reached by steps at the aqueduct over the main road into Bollington. After passing Bridge 27 with the water on our left we reached the Adelphi Mill on our right (36mins).

This is now the home of many local businesses. It was built as a cotton mill between 1851 and 1856, when it opened, by brothers Martin and George Swindells. Adelphi is the Greek word for brothers. The steam-powered mill with its distinctive octagonal stone chimney received raw cotton from Liverpool via the Macclesfield Canal and the finished product was despatched by the same waterway.

In 1898 it amalgamated with other Bollington Mills to become The Fine Spinners and Doublers Association. It converted to become a silk-throwing and winding mill in 1948, became part of Courtaulds and closed in 1970.

We left the canal at Bridge 28 (39mins) crossed the canal and  followed a path which swung right up to a road where we turned right (46mins). A few yards further we turned left into Higher Lane (47mins) and passed Endon House with its distinctive clock on our right (52mins). A few yards beyond the house was an easily-missed footpath sign indicating a flight of steps where we turned left (53mins)

This steep flight brought us out on a road (55mins) where we learned that Colin* had turned back exhausted. Soldiering on without his cheery banter we turned left up a path alongside a quarry (60mins) which took us to the ridge which gives its name to Kerridge Hill (66mins). We turned right with views down to the picturesque village of Rainow on our left and the less attractive Hurdsfield Industrial Estate on our right.

This estate is the home of AstraZenca’s manufacturing and packing facility. This Anglo-Swedish multi-national pharmaceutical company, with headquarters in Cambridge, employed 60,000 people worldwide in 2017 and had a net income last year of $US 2.868 billion. It was founded in 1999 through the merger of Swedish firm Astra AB and the English Zeneca Group. The Zeneca Group itself was formed as a result of the break up of I.C.I (Imperial Chemical Industries), which employed some of the Wednesday Wanderers’ founding fathers.

We followed Kerridge Hill to its Trig Point (75mins) and began our descent through a series of metal kissing gates until we reached a road in Rainow where we paused on steps for pies, port and wine gums (88mins). Resuming we turned left along the main road and turned right uphill just before we reached a public phone box and a bus stop. At the top of the cul de sac we followed a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (91mins) into a field.

We crossed a ladder stile and turned left over a double stile (106mins), while Tom and his miniature poodle opted for a more direct route to the pub. Our main group crossed wooden stiles on either side of a lane by a cattle-grid (109mins) and went through a wooden gate on our right. A wooden gate marked with a yellow arrow (111mins) brought us to a wooden footbridge (114mins) which we crossed and went over a ladder stile (115mins)

We continued uphill to reach a stone step stile (117mins) which we crossed and turned left. Reaching the main road (122mins) we turned right and continued along it until Pedley Hill changed its name to Church Lane. By now we had caught up Tom and his bitch. Turning left into Stocks Lane (126mins) we reached The Robin Hood at 11.50am (129mins)

Although the doors were open and there was a party of seven waiting to order lunch, we were asked to wait outside with them until the clock struck 12 noon. Inside the Wainwrights was on good form at £3-20, although it was noticed that Tom ensured all his colleagues had bought pints before he was willing to risk one.

(Though the early bird catches the worm, it’s the second mouse which gets the cheese !)

Suitably refreshed we left by turning right out of the pub car park instead of going back via Stocks Lane and The Virgins’ Path. We paused for lunch at a bench (134mins) with a view across the valley to Kerridge Hill and White Nancy. Continuing we passed Lower Brook Farm on our left and turned left (137mins). We turned left again at a footpath sign through a metal kissing gate (149mins), passing through a series of gates and a bridge over the River Dean (157mins)

We then turned right and passed a derelict mill on our right before reaching a pond on our left and turning right at The Crown (167mins) along Church Street. At the end of the street we turned left (170mins) and walked along the main road until we reached the path leading down to Bollington Recreation Ground (177mins). This took us back to the cars, where those who could de-booted and walked to The Vale. Pints of White Nancy and Long Hop at £3-30 were deemed to be in good order.

Next week’s walk will start at 10am from outside The Bull’s Head at Ashford-in-the-Water on the A6 east of Buxton. Peter will lead for 5 miles arriving at The Cock and Pullet, Sheldon (worth a visit for the name alone) at precisely 12.30pm and we will return a further three miles to The Bull’s Head, Ashford, at exactly 2.30pm (No pressure Peter)

Happy wandering !