Poynton Pool

December 18, 2019.

POYNTON POOL, WOODFORD ROAD, HAPPY VALLEY, BRAMALL HALL, BRAMHALL, THE LADYBROOK AT BRAMHALL, HAPPY VALLEY NATURE RESERVE, BRAMHALL HIGH SCHOOL, BIRCH HALL HOUSE, PARK LODGE, VICARAGE LANE, POYNTON, AND POYNTON ROYAL BRITISH LEGION CLUB

Distance: 7 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry with sunny spells and cloud.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns with Daisy, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, George Dearsley, Laurie Fairman, Alan Hart, Jock Rooney with Tip, Dean Taylor, George Whaites.

B walkers: Phil Burslem, George Fraser, Tony Job, Terry Jowett, Ken Sparrow and Barry Williams.

Non-walking drinker: Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Mark Gibby (daughter ill), Hughie Hardiman (mother died), Chris Owen (in Manchester plotting a route for Jan 3) Julian Ross (domestic duties), Graham Stone (dental appointment)

Leader and Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Poynton Pool car park off Anglesey Drive.

Starting time: 10.20am. Finishing time: 2.17pm.

After a “Harty” breakfast enjoyed by 18 walkers we assembled by the side of Poynton Pool for a joint photograph before the A and B teams set off in different directions. This is the account of The Dirty Dozen – 12 A-teamers and two dogs – who encountered occasionally muddy conditions on our journey to Bramall Hall.

In sharp contrast our B team colleagues appeared unsullied when we met them again for a livener or two at The Ladybrook. It was the first official visit of the Wednesday Wanderers to this traditional pub and it brought a broadly favourable reaction.

Among the A team was George Dearsley, our blogger, who recently lost his wife suddenly from a suspected heart attack at their home in Turkey. Although he had made an appearance at our Christmas lunch a week earlier, this was his first walk with us in more than a year and he proved that the delights of Turkey had not impaired his fitness.

It was only when your diarist returned home that he read an email from Hughie Hardiman, sent first thing that morning. He apologised for his absence because his mother had died the previous Saturday and he was suffering from a heavy cold. We send our deepest sympathy to Hughie for the loss of his dear mum and hope he makes a speedy recovery from illness.

Considering Christmas was only a week away the weather was quite pleasant for this new walk which was predominantly flat and inevitably involved some time in suburbia.

From the car park we only ventured 50 yards along the right bank of Poynton Pool before turning right down steps and crossing London Road North to reach a revolving gate on the far side of the road. This took us along a footpath with a nursery horse-jumping school in the farm on our right.

Crossing a footbridge we continued as the path swung right passing a field full of dogs and their owners enjoying a training session.

We went through a metal gate (9mins) and followed a path to the left of a man-made channel under the new by-pass through which Lady Brook flowed. The path swung left away from the water  and uphill until the new by-pass became visible. Then we swung right at a yellow arrow (11mins) to a more rural setting as we passed a lane of houses as it meandered through the countryside.

On reaching Woodford Road we turned right (16mins) in the direction of Hazel Grove and then turned left over a wooden stile by the side of a public footpath sign (17mins). The path, with trees on our right, had become muddier than usual because of recent heavy rain. At the far end of the field we crossed in quick succession a wooden stile, a wooden footbridge and another wooden stile (27mins) to walk along the right bank of Lady Brook in Happy Valley.

Keeping to the right bank we emerged at the end of a road. (47mins). We walked along this to reach the main road at Jacksons Lane and turned left towards Bramhall roundabout, passing the Brookdale Theatre Club on our right (54mins). We then used two pedestrian crossings to reach the far side of Bramhall roundabout and enter the grounds of Bramall Hall (56mins). With Lady Brook now on our right we walked up a gentle slope following signs for lake and parkland (58mins) before climbing steps on our left to reach the hall itself (65mins) for a photo opportunity.

Bramall Hall is a Tudor mansion with its older parts dating back to the 14th Century. Extensions and improvements were added in the 16th and 19th Centuries by the families who owned it.

The manor of Bramall is first described in The Domesday Book of 1086 when it was held by the Massey family, Normans who had accompanied William The Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. From the late 14th Century it was owned by the Davenports who built the present house and who remained lords of the manor for about 500 years.

In 1877 they sold 2,000 acres to the Manchester Freeholders' Company for housing development. The hall and its remaining 50 acres were sold by MFC to the Nevill family of industrialists and in 1925 it was bought by John Henry Davies.

Ten years later the hall and land were acquired by the local authority, Hazel Grove and Bramhall Urban District Council, which became part of the current owners, Stockport Metropolitan Council under reorganisation in the 70s.

After pausing to drink coffees in the cafe, admire the outside of the hall and its surrounding lakes, parks and woodlands, we walked along a different path back to the entrance at the roundabout (72mins) and turned right to cross the roundabout by two different zebra crossings to reach the start of Fir Road (74mins). We followed this until we reached The Ladybrook on our right (76mins) and found our chums from the B team already ensconced.

An impressive display of alternative cask bitters was available, although your diarist made the schoolboy error of ordering a pint of Tetleys' without checking whether it was the first out of the overnight pump (it clearly was!)

Suitably refreshed we retraced our footsteps to the end of Fir Road before swinging right at the roundabout and heading uphill to our right to enter a small grassy area with steps leading up to an elevated road with houses on its right (81mins). At the end of this road we crossed (84mins) into the gap stile at the entrance to Happy Valley Nature Reserve.

This time we were on the right bank of Lady Brook until we reached a plaque for the nature reserve describing the flora and fauna on view (89mins). Here we took a path uphill on our right which brought us out on a road to the right of Bramhall High School (94mins). We turned left and followed this road as it swung right beyond the school before turning left into Lytham Drive (98mins)

Within yards on our right was a green public footpath sign which we followed along an overgrown passage between the backs of houses. It brought us to a countryside lane where we turned right (99mins). We passed Birch Hall House on our right (111mins), also passing an enclosure containing goats, some strangely coiffeured ducks or geese with plumes of down on their heads. There were also a pair of turkeys no doubt wondering how they would be spending Christmas.

When we reached Woodford Road above the new by-pass we turned right (116mins) and then sharply left to follow a path running alongside the A555. At a metal kissing gate we turned right (120mins) to go through a field, crossed a wooden stile and reached a lane where we turned left (124mins)

Passing Park Lodge on our right  (125mins) we continued over a bridge and followed a restricted byway sign which ran alongside Glastonbury Drive (134mins). At its end we went diagonally right into Vicarage Lane and followed it back to London Road North by the side of The Bull's Head (142mins).

We turned right, going straight over the double roundabout towards Macclesfield before turning left after The Purple Pakora into Georges Road. Poynton Royal British Legion Club was on our right (149mins) and we once again had a choice of cask ales, some brewed in the cellars below by Poynton Brewery.

Next Wednesday is Christmas Day and no organised walk will take place. However Tom has organised and will lead a walk  at 9.40am on January 3rd from the layby next to the entrance to the quarry at Topley Pike on the A6 out of Buxton opposite the Monsal Trail car park. He intends to arrive at The Church Inn, Chelmorton, shortly after noon and return to the cars at about 2.20pm, from where there will be the option of a drink at Wetherspoons in Buxton.

On Wednesday, January 1, Jock and wife Mary are hoping to lead a mixed walk starting at 10.30am from Poynton Sports Club car park.

On December 27 Chris will be leading a walk at 10.00 from Piccadilly railway station, exploring Manchester's canals, rivers and favourite pubs, pausing for lunch en route at The Cabana curry house. The meeting point is under the station timetables.

Happy wandering !

Team photo

Ducks....or maybe geese?

Bramhall Hall

Another team photo

Bramhall Hall in the distance