Knutsford

July 10, 2019.

KNUTSFORD, TOFT, ULLARD HALL FARM, HUCKNALL FARM, PLUMLEY MOOR, SMITHY GREEN, THE IMAGINATION TREE, THE BELLS OF PEOVER AT LOWER PEOVER, ST OSWALD'S CHURCHYARD AND STEVE KEMP'S HOME IN KNUTSFORD

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry and warm, mainly cloudy with some sunshine.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Graham Stone and George Whaites.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (attending hospital), Peter Beal (narrow-boating), Alan Duckworth (fishing), Hughie Hardiman (Irish hols), Julian Ross (Cornish hols)

Leader: Fairman. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road outside Steve's house at 3, Parkfield Road, Knutsford.

Starting time: 9.49am. Finishing time: 2.17pm.

The joy of seeing our wounded comrade Steve Kemp was somewhat marred by the misfortunes which befell two other Wednesday Wanderers. At the start of the walk we received a late apology from Mickey, who had to attend hospital after a delayed reaction to surgery. Then Mark received a message that his 21-year-old niece had been attacked and injured by a knife-wielding intruder at her student digs in Fallowfield.

These incidents cast a shadow over proceedings but failed to detract from the affection which we felt towards Steve as he awaits further hospitalisation. Our sincere thanks to him and his charming wife for their hospitality.

Laurie devised a new walk for the occasion and we are indebted to him for finding a route past some of the area's loveliest homes in an attractive rural area.

Knutsford is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday Book as Cunetsford (Canute's Ford) following a visit from Canute, who reigned as king of England from 1016-35 and later as king of Denmark, Norway and part of Sweden. According to local tradition he blessed a wedding and forded the River Lily or Birkin Brook. 

From Steve's house at the Macclesfield Road end of Parkfield Road we walked to the other end of the road, crossing a main road to follow a green public footpath sign (2mins). 

To the left of the path was a blue plaque dedicated to Richard Harding Watt (1842-1913) glove merchant and builder who lived here from 1895. His series of unique buildings transformed the townscape of Knutsford.

Incidentally in 2005 Knutsford was named as the most expensive town in northern England to buy a house.

The path brought us to a T-junction where we turned left and had to wait five minutes while a lorry tried to manoeuvre backwards up a narrow drive. We swung right and reached a road at the the end of Croft Lane (13mins) where we turned right to reach a main road. We crossed this and turned left, passing Beggarman Lane on the right before turning right at a green public footpath sign (19mins)

The path took us through two metal kissing gates and an old Dutch barn on our right (27mins). We crossed a farm lane by two more metal kissing gates and went over two wooden stiles (33 and 35mins). Another gate took us through Ullard Hall Farm (39mins) after which we swung left (47mins) and passed Hucknall Farm on our right (51mins)

On reaching a wooden crate on the right of the path, Laurie declared Pietime (65mins) where we also enjoyed port and damson gin distilled and kindly distributed by Chris. We continued along Plumley Moor Lane before turning right at a green public footpath sign (66mins) to enter a field and keep a hedge on our right. Two metal kissing gates enabled us to reach Middlewich Road and turn right (69mins)

At Smithy Green we turned left along Broome Lane (72mins) and found The Imagination Tree on our right, a cleverly-sculpted trunk with doors, windows and a cannon. Beyond it was a wooden carved eagle. At the sign for Free Green Lane on our left we turned right (82mins) and continued ahead where Foxcovert Lane became Mill Lane (88mins)

We turned right into a field at a path marked with a yellow arrow (93mins) and crossed a wooden stile before turning right (98mins). After passing a primary school on our right we reached a crossroads and followed a sign for the Bells of Peover some 50 yards away. Due to the speed of our front-runners we had arrived at the pub at 1150am (108mins) and were obliged to wait outside at trestle tables until we heard the welcome sounds of the door being unbolted at noon. Pints of Dizzy Blonde were enjoyed in the sunshine at £3-85 a pint.

The Bells of Peover was opened as the Warren de Tabley Arms in 1839 and takes its current name from the adjacent Church of St Oswald (where Laurie is a bell-ringer). The church was built in 1269 and has a Norman sandstone tower. 

In the early months of 1944 Generals Eisenhower and Patton made plans for the Normandy Invasion (Operation Overlord) during lunch at The Bells of Peover.

We left the pub and walked through the churchyard and then headed to the right of a row of cottages along Church Walk. A bridge took us over a river called Peover Eye. We exited Barrons Brow and turned left (113mins). At the end of Free Green Lane we turned right (116mins) passing Smithy Green on our left. To the right a farm fence had been used as an artistic display for models of humans and animals.

After passing a house called Glengarry on our left we turned left through a metal kissing gate (122mins) into a field. We exited by another metal kissing gate and a wooden stile (126mins) before dog-legging left and right into another field. The path brought us to a wooden footbridge(133mins), where Laurie's pole got caught in a hole and brought him to his knees (not for the first time in his life !) Happily he avoided injury.

After the bridge we turned right into a field, keeping a row of trees on our right. We crossed two wooden stiles (142 and 145mins) following a green public footpath sign and finding ourselves retracing our footsteps of the morning. After passing through a wooden gate by the side of a wooden stile (150mins) we stopped for lunch.

Resuming the walk we followed a Footpath sign and a pair of metal kissing gates to return to the main road and turn left (165mins). We turned right into Leycester Road and left into Croft Lane (170mins) before turning right up an enclosed path (174mins) which emerged opposite Parkfield Road. We reached the cars (178mins), de-booted and enjoyed the food and drink kindly laid on by Steve and his wife.

Next week's walk will start at 9.40am from the car park of The White Horse at Disley, where we have the permission to park from landlady Amy. The walk will head up to Bollinhurst Reservoir, through Millenium Wood, up to Black Rock, down to cross the A6 and reach The Peak Forest Canal, before heading up Hague Bar to The Fox at Brook Bottom around 12.10pm. We intend to return via Strines Station and the canal to return to The White Horse for further refreshment at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !

 (l to r): Chris Owen, Laurie Fairman, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Steve Kemp, Alastair Cairns, Graham Stone.

Imagination Tree