Wednesday Wandering: Torkington

December 11, 2019.

TORKINGTON PARK CAR PARK, HAZEL GROVE GOLF CLUB, OAKFIELD FARM, MIDDLEWOOD WAY, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, KITLING RIDGE (FORMERLY THE ROMPER), BARLOW WOOD, GOYT VALLEY, ROMAN BRIDGE, THE ROMAN LAKES, PEAK FOREST CANAL, THE RING O' BELLS AT MARPLE, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, GOYT MILL, MARPLE GOLF CLUB, STOCKPORT GOLF CLUB AND THE WILFRED WOOD WETHERSPOONS AT HAZEL GROVE

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry with blue skies for first two hours; steady rain for last hour.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Tom Cunliffe, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney and Dean Taylor.

Leader: Beal. Diarist: Hart.

Alternative walkers: Colin Davison and Laurie Fairman.

B walkers: Tony Job and Barry Williams.

Non-walking drinkers: George Dearsley, Ken Sparrow, Geoff Spurrell and George Whaites.

Apologies: Mark Gibby (caring for sick daughter), Hughie Hardiman (filial duties), Graham Stone (dental problems)

Starting point: Torkington Park Car Park.

Starting time: 9.47am. Finishing time: 2.10pm.

This was our annual pre-Christmas walk which ends with a festive lunch. There was an encouraging turnout in the face of adverse weather forecasts and we were pleased to be joined at the end by four non-drinking walkers. Three of them had dragged themselves from sickbeds to attend and it was especially good to see our Turkey-based blogger George Dearsley following the recent tragic death of his wife Carolyn.

A predominantly flat route nevertheless gave us excellent views from Marple Ridge at Pietime, although some of our group were seen to shed manly tears as we passed a much-loved pub nearby called The Romper which has been converted into a des-res.

Rain had just started to fall as we reached the shelter of the Ring O' Bells at Marple, but it was still persisting down when we left and continued to do so for the rest of the day and night.

From the car park we headed across a soccer pitch, crossed a bridge over a stream and walked over another soccer pitch to reach an alley on our right (5mins). This led us into a housing estate where we turned right and then left down another alley. At the end of this we turned right and then left into Sandown Road (7mins)

At a footpath (9mins) we turned right following the route through two tunnels and then forked left where the path divided. We reached a lane and turned left (13mins). This brought us through Hazel Grove Golf Course to its clubhouse on the right (19mins). We followed a series of yellow arrows across the fairways and crossed a wooden stile to exit the course (27mins)

We dog-legged left and right towards Oakfield Farm (28mins) and then turned left on to The Middlewood Way (30mins). At steps on our right (37mins) we turned right and went through a wooden gate to cross a field. A succession of three wooden stiles took us to a metal gate (47mins) which brought us to a main road.

Crossing it we followed a wooden public footpath sign for the Macclesfield Canal (49mins) which we walked down towards and crossed by a bridge (53mins). We swung right and then as we turned left we passed a house on our right with an impressive wooden sculpture of Gandalf, the wizard from Lord of the Rings, in its front garden.

As the road swung right, we went straight ahead through a metal gate (56mins). After going through a wooden gate we entered a field which had been churned into a quagmire with mud and worse coming up to our ankles. On the far side of the field we followed a farm-track past Beeston Park Lodge on our left (72mins)

At the end of Ridge End Fold on our left, where once stood The Romper, was Kitling Ridge. We swung left past it into Hollinwood Lane (74mins) where we paused in glorious sunshine for pies and port (78mins)

Continuing we walked downhill and crossed a bridge over the Macclesfield Canal (82mins) and swung right downhill. We reached and crossed a main road (86mins) to enter Barlow Wood and head down to the bank of the River Goyt (88mins). Turning left with the river on our right we soon reached Roman Bridge, crossed the river and turned left to reach a viaduct (96mins).

This handsome structure was completed in 1865 and supports the Hope Valley railway line which runs between Manchester and Sheffield. Next to it is a sluice built by Samuel Oldknow to power the water wheel at Mellor Mill, which was destroyed by fire.

By the viaduct we turned left following a sign for the site of Mellor Mill, following the lane as it swung left and right over the Goyt (109mins). We emerged on Lakes Road (114mins) and crossed into Oldknow Road (116mins) and followed the road over the Lower Peak Forest Canal (119mins)

Turning left into Lockside we passed a flight of locks on our left and turned right at Bridge 1 to walk along the left bank at the finish of the Macclesfield Canal (124mins). We exited the canal at Bridge 2 and joined Colin and Lawrie in The Ring O' Bells (126mins) for pints of excellent Robbies' Unicorn or Dizzy Blonde.

It was still raining when we left the pub and rejoined the Macclesfield Canal at Bridge 2, this time walking with the waterway on our left in the direction of Macclesfield. We passed Goyt Mill on our left by the side of Bridge 3 (137mins). After another 100 yards we turned right (139mins) to enter Marple Golf Course, crossing the fairways and exiting to cross The Middlewood Way (151mins)

Crossing a wooden stile and a wooden footbridge (158mins) we entered the grounds of Stockport Golf Club – our third course of the day !

We went straight across the fairway and headed to the left where a yellow arrow indicated the route to the exit which we reached by a wooden stile (168mins). Reaching a road we turned right (180mins). This brought us to the junction with Torkington Road, where we turned left (187mins).

While some turned left at the traffic lights to de-boot in the car park, others turned right for 300 yards and reached the Wilfred Wood Wetherspoons on the left of the A6 at Hazel Grove.

Here we joined the B walkers and non-walking drinkers for a wide range of food and drink.

Next week all our walkers are invited to your diarist's home from 9am onwards for the pre-Christmas breakfast of bacon butties and mince pies accompanied by mulled wine.

We expect to leave at 10am for a walk along The Happy Valley into the grounds of Bramhall Hall.

A livener will be available around 12.15pm at The Ladybrook pub in Bramhall. At the time of writing your diarist is still seeking a dog-friendly licensed establishment in Poynton where we can have a final drink around 2.20pm.

Happy wandering !