Sutton Hall

March 6, 2019.

SUTTON HALL, COP MEADOW, SUTTON RESERVOIR, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, BOSLEY LOCKS, NORTH RODE MANOR, RODE GREEN, HARRINGTON ARMS AT GAWSWORTH, GAWSWORTH HALL, DANE MOSS NATURE RESERVE, MACCLESFIELD CANAL AND SUTTON HALL

Distance: 9-10 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy, mainly dry with a brief shower and some light drizzle.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Alan Duckworth, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney with Tip, George Whaites and Lee Whittaker.

Recovering invalids: Colin Davison and Lawrie Fairman.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (Antipodean hols), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (having endoscopy), Hughie Hardiman (filial duties), Julian Ross (paternal duties)

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Sutton Hall car park, Sutton, near Macclesfield.

Starting time: 9.45am. Finishing time: 2.45pm.

Forecasts of showers throughout the day failed to deter another large group of Wednesday Wanderers, who, unlike last week, were not attracted by the promise of free food and drink. In fact we stayed mainly dry, dodging one soaking by the popular pastime of sheltering in a pub, and finishing our walk moments before rain of biblical proportions fell on the Macclesfield area.

En route we encountered our first lambs of spring and a host of golden daffodils while learning some history of our Industrial Revolution.

We also welcomed back to our ranks Lee Whittaker, making his annual appearance, and Andy Blease, who recovered from a blistered toe during his debut last week. Another relative newcomer, Alan Duckworth, left us shortly after Pietime at Bosley Locks so he could fly to Thailand later in the day.

We wish him bon voyage and we also send our best wishes to Mark Gibby, who was having an endoscopy to check his digestive problems. In the past Mark has also had a colonoscopy and informs me he prefers it down his throat rather than up his rectum (not the precise word he used). We should also spare a thought for another wounded comrade, Steve Kemp, and hope he, too, is on the road to recovery.

From the car park of Sutton Hall, once the ancestral home of Lord Lucan, we walked to the end of the drive and turned left, turning left again to cross a wooden stile by the side of a green public footpath sign (9mins). We exited this field over a similar stile and turned left, passing a cottage ironically named “(Still) The Old Poor House.” (14mins)

Chris led us right at Cop Meadow (18mins) where, at the end of the road we followed a green public footpath sign for Bishops Clough (21mins). We went through two kissing gates to walk along the right side of a stream, then went left over a bridge and turned immediately right so the stream was now on our right (27mins)

A kissing gate (29mins) and a wooden footbridge (31mins) brought us to a main road which we crossed to follow a footpath to the left of Sutton Reservoir – a lake which is also known locally as Turk’s Head Reservoir. At its end we swung left down a bank and left the footpath by a metal kissing gate to reach a main road.

We dog-legged left and right to cross the road and Bridge 48A to reach the bank of the Macclesfield Canal. We turned left (45mins) with the water on our left and began a two-mile walk along the towpath, under five bridges before arriving at Bosley Locks (93mins).

Here a plaque informed us that the Macclesfield Canal, which was completed in 1831, was 26 miles long linking the Peak Forest Canal at Marple with the Trent and Mersey Canal at Kidsgrove. Designed by Thomas Telford and engineered by William Crosley, the 12 locks at Bosley adjust the height of the canal by 200 feet.

After pietime, accompanied by a choice of rhubarb or damson gin kindly supplied by Chris, we turned right along the road and crossed a bridge over the main Manchester-London railway line to enter Park Road. This led us to a gate leading to North Rode Manor (100mins). We followed the path with a lake on our right before turning left through a gate (104mins)

This took us through a field of handsome Highland cattle who stared at us benignly while keeping a watchful eye on Tip and Daisy. We reached a path and turned right (109mins) along it to go through a farmyard and enter a field by a metal gate next to a wooden stile (118mins). We exited the field by another metal gate next to a wooden stile, reached a road and turned right (121mins), passing Swallow Cottage in the hamlet of Rode Green.

Turning left at a metal kissing gate (123mins) we entered a field where we saw a flock of sheep with their recently-born lambs. The path led us through a series of gates and stiles, between two ponds and in the direction of the tower at Gawsworth Parish Church. We reached a lane (157mins), turned left and reached the Harrington Arms on our right (159mins)  

Colin and Lawrie were sitting outside at a wooden table as this traditional Robbies’ pub was packed inside with a cycling group having their regular monthly lunch. Our two colleagues left as light drizzle turned to rain while the rest of us took shelter inside the standing-room-only hostelry. The Dizzy Blonde cask bitter at £3-40 was in excellent condition.

Suitably refreshed we went back uphill towards the church, passing it and Gawsworth Old Hall on our right. To the left of the hall was a statue of Sir Robert Peel.

The statue was bought at the end of World War 11 by the owner, Raymond Richards, whose son is the current owner of the hall. It had been the home in the 16th and 17th Centuries of the Fitton family and in the summer months it stages open air concerts and plays on a lakeside lawn, while guests bring hampers filled with their own food and drink.

Peel’s statue was bought from Peel Park, Salford, where Sir Robert, was the MP. Born in Bury, he served as Home Secretary under the Duke of Wellington.  He was twice Prime Minster in 1834 and 1841. Although a Conservative Member of Parliament, Peel often introduced liberal policies which he had previously opposed.

The son of a wealthy textile manufacturer, he gained double firsts in classics and maths at Oxford before being elected at the age of 21. He reformed working hours for women and children in factories; repealed the Corn Laws to make food cheaper; ended laws which penalised Roman Catholics; and cut tariffs to stimulate trade (As a temporary measure to replace lost revenue he introduced income tax at a rate of 3%)

But Peel (1788-1850) is best remembered for founding the police force, and giving them their nicknames of “bobbies” or “peelers.”

After passing the church, the hall and a fisheries on our right we went through a metal kissing gate to enter the right side of a field. We exited the field by a similar gate and reached a road where we turned left (185mins). Where the road swung left we reached the start of a public footpath and paused for lunch (190mins)

Continuing we followed the footpath and turned right towards Dane Moss Nature Reserve (193mins). A flight of steps took us over the main railway line (203mins) and back to the Macclesfield Canal by Bridge 47 (206mins). We turned left with the water on our right and left at Bridge 44 (230mins)

A left turn took us back to the entrance to Sutton Hall, where we de-booted and chose from a selection of cask ales in the cosy atmosphere of this excellent pub-restaurant.

I regret to inform you that The Robin Hood in Rainow no longer opens on Wednesday lunchtimes so future walks from Bollington will need to be planned with this in mind.

Details of next week's walk below.

B Team Walk

Walkers: Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Ken Sparrow, Geoff Spurrell and Barry Williams.

Phil Burslem (awaiting a new knee), has had the op postponed for a second time. First postponement was because of an emergency situation at Wrightington hospital, the second was a blamed on a poorly surgeon. Op now deferred to last week in March. Walk this week was a triumph for careful planning. We caught the 9.44 am 394 bus from the Rising Sun to Marple, and walked through the park to the canal, across the viaduct to Chadkirk and after elevenses, to the Hare and Hounds at Otterspool for Hyde’s Original. After a beer break and another walk via Marple Hall school, we hit the Marple road to board a 383 bus for Marple  centre,though it could have been either of two buses due within 5 minutes. Lunch was taken in the sun outside The Bulls Head, followed by Robinson’s inside. There is no 394 bus back to the Rising Sun at 2.14, so we got the 3.14, and arrived back at Hazel Grove for the heaviest shower of the day.

Photos by Alan Hart

This is a statue of Robert Peel outside Gawsworth Hall.

Highland Bull

Daisy and Tip lead the way along the Macclesfield Canal towpath

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from the car park of The White Horse at Disley with the aim of heading up through Lyme Park to reach The Soldier Dick at Furness Vale around noon to knock the froth off a couple of pints. We intend to return along the Peak Forest Canal for a final pint in The White Horse at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !