Bollington

BOLLINGTON RECREATION GROUND, HOLE IN THE WALL HERITAGE STEPS, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, KERRIDGE RIDGE, RAINOW, BULL LANE, WINDYWAY HOUSE, TEGGS NOSE COUNTRY PARK, LANGLEY,  MACCLESFIELD GOLF COURSE, THE JOLLY SAILOR IN MACCLESFIELD, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, MIDDLEWOOD WAY AND THE VALE AT BOLLINGTON

Distance: 11miles.

Difficulty: Mainly moderate with some strenuous climbs.

Weather: Dry, blue skies and sunshine. 

Walkers: Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns with Daisy, Steve Courtney with Luna, Alan Duckworth, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (too much climbing involved), Peter Beal (in Cotswolds), Tom Cunliffe (hospital appointment), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (filial duties in Ripon), Hughie Hardiman (in Houston), Mark Kean (Bali hols), Lawrie Fairman (seeking gentler climb), Jock Rooney with Tip (unhappy with route choice)

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Bollington Recreation Ground car park.

Starting time: 9.30am. Finishing time: 3pm.

In 18 years of Wednesday Wandering, this is the first time the day has started with a fight in the car park. We were still putting on our boots when hostilities broke out between two of our favourite bitches, Daisy and Luna. It seemed their barks were worse than their bites as the skirmish quickly ended but the two animals kept a wary distance for the walk which followed.

Alastair defended Daisy by explaining that she had been traumatised in her youth after she was attacked by a black Labrador which resulted in a permanent kink in her tail. I think a simpler explanation is that Daisy is a Jack Russell terrier, the bravest of breeds with a notoriously short temper. It may well be that Luna gave her a funny look.

This was a new route devised by Chris when we were trying to find alternatives to The Robin Hood in Rainow as a mid-walk watering hole when starting and finishing in Bollington. (One of our regular haunts, the pub does not open now until 4pm on Wednesdays)

Clearly from the apologies given, this new journey did not meet with universal approval, although most of the eight participants enjoyed the views and the spring sunshine. We managed to reach the heart of Macclesfield without spending much time in its suburbs and were rewarded with excellent pints of draught Bass in a traditional pub steeped in historic memorabilia.

From the car park we walked to the right of the recreation ground with the River Bollin on our right. When we reached the main road we crossed and turned left for a few yards before climbing a flight of steep stone steps on our right which a plaque informed us were The Hole in the Wall Heritage Steps (5mins).They brought us to the Macclesfield Canal, where we turned right with the waterway on our left and walked under Bridge 27.

We left the canal at Bridge 28 (18mins) and followed a gravel track which swung to the right. At Higher Lane we turned left (25mins) and passed to the left of a house with a clock on its wall. On the left is an easily-missed flight of steep stone steps (30mins) which took us to a road. Here we turned left (33mins) for 50 yards and then turned left again towards Bridge House. This was the start of another stiff climb which brought us to Kerridge Ridge (40mins), from where we had magnificent views of Rainow in the valley on our left and less picturesque views of the Hurdsfield Industrial Estate on our right.

We turned right along the ridge, passing the Trig Point (50mins) and reaching the main road (65mins) where we turned right. After 60 yards we crossed to the left and went up a flight of stone steps to enter the right side of a field. This brought us to Bull Lane where we turned right (71mins)

At the end of the road we turned left and immediately right at a wooden public footpath sign by a flight of steps (80mins). The footpath then went over two wooden stiles, two metal kissing gates and a wooden gate before emerging at a road opposite Windyway House.

This is a kennels and behind a gate at the front was a demented dog, part collie, which barked and wagged its tail with equal ferocity while running round in tight circles in a frenzy of excitement. Daisy and Luna stared at their crazy canine cousin in disbelief.

We turned right for 100 yards then headed left into Teggs Nose Country Park, where we enjoyed pies, port and samples of Chris's home-made damson gin at a picnic table (99mins)

Continuing we followed a concessionary bridleway down a rocky path, taking a right fork towards Langley Car Park (110mins). This took us between Teggs Nose and Bottoms Reservoirs, passing Rock Cottage on our right and a pond on our left (129mins). At a road we turned right, passing St Dunstans pub on our right (131mins) and Langley Village Hall (137mins) before turning right at a metal kissing gate by a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow.

The path took us through two metal kissing gates and over a stream (145mins) before we turned left at a green public footpath sign for Macclesfield (151mins)

The route took us through Macclesfield Golf Club until we emerged at a track opposite a house called Pin High, where we dog-legged left and right to follow a footpath downhill (170mins). At a lane we turned right again downhill (172mins) and crossed The Macclesfield Canal to reach a road. Here we turned left (174mins) and crossed the road to then cross a recreation ground and emerge at St Peter's Church, Macclesfield. After crossing the main railway line we turned left at the Storm Brewing micro-brewers (182mins), crossing the Bollin before turning right into Sunderland Street with The Jolly Sailor on our left (184mins)

Several cask ales were available at this old pub where your diarist has often joined the Sunday lunchtime crib school. The draught Bass at £3-50 is like nectar.

Turning right out of the pub door we took the first road left and crossed the traffic lights over the road to Leek (189mins). After passing The Wharf on our right we also went past the former Hovis factory before joining the right bank of The Macclesfield Canal at Bridge 37 (196mins)

When we reached Bridge 35 (204mins) we paused for lunch before continuing along the towpath. We left the canal at Bridge 30 (228mins) and turned left to join the Middlewood Way towards Marple (230mins). We crossed a main road following a sign for Higher Poynton (250mins), passing a collection of artistically placed rocks called The Festival Labyrinth and continued along The Middlewood Way until the Bollington Recreation Ground car park appeared below on our right. We swung back to our cars to deboot (261mins) before making our way to The Vale for pints of White Nancy and Bollington Best cask bitter.

Next week's walk will start at 9.30am from the car park of The White Horse at Disley, where those who become customers later have been given permission to park by landlady Amy. We intend to reverse a route normally starting at The Soldier Dick in Furness Vale by heading uphill through Lyme Park and heading east across the moors to The Soldier Dick, arriving for a bevy around 12.15pm. We will then return along The Peak Forest Canal to Disley, expecting to return to The White Horse at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering ! 

Pictures by Alan Hart

Pie Time at Teggs Nose

Crib table at The Jolly Sailor

Picture by Colin Davison

Lawrie, Jock and Tip

Distance: 6½miles

Difficulty: easy apart from the arduous going

Weather: perfect Spring sunshine

Walkers: Laurie, Jock, Colin, Tip

Since his recovery from severe back pain, Jock barely qualifies for the Knacard but we welcomed him to our number. In return he regaled us with tall tales and opinions on how the world may be set to rights.

Route: Rowarth, Ayton farm, Ludworth Moor, Far Coombes, Coombes Edge, Cown Edge Way.