Danebridge

September 18, 2019.

DANEBRIDGE, THE SHIP AT WINCLE, BAGSTONES FARM, HAWKSLEE FARM, BOSLEY MINN, SUTTON COMMON, SUTTON TOWER ON CROKER HILL, THE RYLES ARMS AT SUTTON, HIGH KINDERFIELDS FARM, WITHENSHAWE, PETHILLS, BENNETTSHILL FARM,  BROOM HILL, WINCLE GRANGE AND THE WINCLE BREWERY AT DANEBRIDGE

Distance: Ten miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry with early cloud giving way to sunny skies.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Julian Ross, Graham Stone, George Whaites.

Alternative walkers: Colin Davison and Laurie Fairman.

Apologies: Peter Beal  (touring Greek islands with wife), Alastair Cairns (walking in Little Longstone with wife),Tom Cunliffe (Algarve hols with wife), Hughie Hardiman (filial duties), Jock Rooney (seconded himself to B team)

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Danebridge, Wincle, Macclesfield.

Startingtime: 9.50am. Finishing time: 3.08pm.

With early cloud giving way to blue skies and sunshine this was a perfect way to end summer. We enjoyed drinks outside for possibly the last time in 2019 as colder weather starts to arrive on our shores. 

Chris led us to the summit of Croker Hill and the Sutton Tower radio mast which he once sat astride. This was an impressive feat although I venture to suggest on that occasion he did not walk to the tower from Wincle.

The undulating walk gave us a series of different views from various hilltops from where we overlooked Bosley Reservoir, Bosley Cloud, Macclesfield Forest and Shutlingsloe. Sadly three of our stalwarts had abandoned us to entertain their wives with holidays. Mark my words they will only come to expect it.

From Danebridge we headed uphill, passing The Ship at Wincle on our right and discovering it would be closed at lunchtime. Soon after the pub we turned left up steps by a public footpath sign and crossed a stile to enter a field (5mins). We exited the field by a stile and turned left, passing Bagstones Farm on our right (8mins)

The lane took us through a farmyard (23mins), which we left by a gate and carried on through a wooden gate (26mins) leading into a field. We kept to the right of a row of small trees and crossed a wooden stile into the next field (31mins). After going through a kissing gate we turned right (34mins) and went through a series of gates along the path leading to a T-junction (63mins) where examples of wooden owls for sale were on display.

We turned right passing Hawkslee Farm, where the owls had been carved and when we swung right uphill we could see the distinctive Sutton Tower on Croker Hill ahead of us. After pasing through a metal gate we stopped for pies and port (77mins)

Continuing we went through a six-barred gate (96mins) and reached a cattlegrid just before the A54 (98mins). We turned left along the main road and then right at a Gritstone Trail sign next to a metal kissing gate (100mins). We were now following the GT signs which led us to Sutton Tower (112mins).

This structure was built with reinforced concrete and stands 238 feet high. The radio tower was originally conceived as part of the 1950s “Backbone” chain to provide the UK and NATO with survivable communications in the event of nuclear war. It relays signals to Heaton Park in the north and Pye Green in the south.

With the tower on our left we began our descent forking right along the GT (117mins) through more gates until we reached a road and turned right (156mins). This brought us to The Ryles Arms on our left (161mins) where we found Colin and Laurie sitting outside at a trestle table looking suitably smug in the sunshine.

Leaving the pub we turned left uphill passing Kinderfields Farm on our right (164mins). At the sign for Little Pethills Farm we paused for lunch (178mins) while Chris plundered some overhanging plums from a nearby tree. We then continued along the road, through Withenshawe until we reached the junction with the A54 and turned left (191mins)

After a short steep climb we turned right along a road signed for Wincle (195mins) and then followed a green public footpath sign on our right (198mins). The path led us over stiles and through gates until we crossed a cattlegrid to reach a road to the left of Bennettshill Farm (209mins)

Turning right down the road we passed Wood Cottage Farm on our left (214mins) and Wincle Grange on our right (220mins)

This ancient building was once a grange of Combermere Abbey to whom the land was granted circa 1200. The present building may date from the 14th Century but the oldest visible features are probably late 15th Century. It is now privately-owned.

We walked downhill away from the building and after 100 yards turned right at a green public footpath sign across a stone step stile marked with a yellow arrow (221mins). The route was now downhill across a series of stiles which brought us back to the road outside The Ship Inn at Wincle (231mins)

We turned right to pass the pub and reach our cars (233mins). After de-booting we walked down to Danebridge and turned right to sit in the sunshine outside The Wincle Brewery. There were four of us by this stage and it is perhaps a sign of the times that we were drinking a can of coke, a cup of coffee and eating two tubs of ice-cream with not a pint of locally brewed real ale in sight.

Next week's walk will start at 9.30am from the free public car park overlooking Bollington Recreation Ground. It is intended to climb Kerridge and Teggs Nose before briefly visiting urban life at The Jolly Sailor in Macclesfield around 12.30pm. A final tincture will be enjoyed back at The Vale, Bollington, around 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !  

Wincle Brewery

Sutton Telecom Tower on Crocker Hill.

Wednesday Wanderers outside The Ryles