Poynton

June 3, 2020.

POYNTON, LADYBROOK VALLEY, PARKGATE FARM, MIDDLEWOOD CROSSING, NORBURY HOLLOW, MIDDLEWOOD STATION, MIDDLE WOOD, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, JACKSONS' BRICKWORKS NATURE RESERVE, MIDDLEWOOD WAY, COPPICE CAR PARK, MINERS ARMS, WOOD LANE ENDS, COPPICE ALLOTMENTS, PRINCES INCLINE, POYNTON POOL

Distance: 10 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Overcast but dry.

Walkers: Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

Alternative walkers: Colin Davison and Lawrie Fairman.

Apologies: Peter Beal (arthritis tablets may affect lockdown rules), Andy Blease (plantar fasciitis in right heel),Tom Cunliffe (poorly), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (grounded by Covid rules),John Jones (flat-moving problems), Jock Rooney (grounded with Mary by Covid rules)

Leader and Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park next to Poynton Pool.

Starting time: 9.45am. Finishing time: 2.06pm.

The relaxation of the UK's lockdown rules which followed the Covid 19 pandemic enabled the Wednesday Wanderers to resume walking again in larger numbers. 

After 10 weeks of wall-to-wall sunshine it seemed a cruel blow when rain was forecast for our return to action.

However the weather gods smiled down upon us again as morning drizzle stopped moments before our walk started and we experienced no further rain throughout our journey.

Alternative walkers Colin and Lawrie, who chose to walk for six miles along The Roaches, were not so lucky. They were soaked by heavy rain but had the fitting consolation of spotting a pair of cuckoos.

Having spent the curfew weeks exploring new paths, hidden woodland and nature trails, your diarist was able to lead a ten-mile route which never took us further than three miles from our starting point. Coincidentally we encountered Julian's wife Dee and two friends towards the end of our walk.

Meanwhile Tom, who had rung your diarist a week ago to stress the importance of resuming our weekly wanders, cried off at the last minute because he didn't feel well !

From Poynton Pool car park off Anglesey Drive we walked away from the pool along a pathway between trees which ran parallel to the main road. This took us into Towers Road where we turned right (2mins). After 250 yards we turned left over a wooden stile by the side of a metal gate and headed towards farm buildings.

After passing cattle sheds on our left we reached a footpath sign and turned left towards Hazel Grove (17mins), going through two metal gates to enter and exit and field, then turning right. Before reaching a bridge across the new by-pass we turned right through a gate to the right of the path (19mins) and entered woods on the left bank of Lady Brook.

The well-trodden path reached a clearing where a sign indicated a right turn towards Poynton which we followed over a footbridge and wooden stile (25mins). The path then led us uphill into Park Gate Farm, where we turned left, with a showjumping practice ring on our left. Beyond the farm we reached Middlewood Road (31mins) with the level crossing to our left.

We turned right and after 30 yards followed a path on our right which climbed away from the road and then ran parallel to it before we took a left fork along a concessionary path to rejoin the road.

This brought us to Norbury Hollow on our left (43mins). We entered the grounds and followed the track as it swung right. To our left was a flight of steps leading us over the Manchester-Buxton railway line (45mins). The path on the far side took us through a wood to The Middlewood Way (49mins)

Opened in 1985 by celebrated environmentalist Dr David Bellamy, The Middlewood Way is an 11-mile linear park between Macclesfield and Rose Hill, Marple, for hikers, cyclists and horse riders. It follows the route of the Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway which opened in 1869 and closed in 1970.

We turned right, soon reaching Middlewood Station for passengers using the Manchester-Buxton railway line on our right (50mins). Here we turned left uphill to reach the Macclesfield Canal (60mins) and turned right with the waterway on our left. At the first bridge we encountered our quartet turned right (66mins) and followed a path which swung left, took us through a gate and emerged at the private entrance to a farm.

We turned right at a gate between parked horse boxes and entered the Jacksons' Brickworks Nature Reserve (72mins). As we passed several shallow ponds which are the home to great crested newts, dragon flies and visiting birds Julian stopped at a hide and revealed that in ten seconds he had spotted two kingfishers and an otter. If he had lingered another few seconds he would have seen a rare courtship ritual between a kangaroo and a unicorn.

We returned to The Middlewood Way and turned left (80mins). This took us, choosing the higher paths, to the former Higher Poynton Station platform outside The Boar's Head (97mins) where we stopped at a picnic bench for pies, port and delicious home-made damson wine provided by Chris.

Continuing we soon turned left up steps and entered a sports ground (98mins) where soccer matches are normally played. 

Heading towards the left corner we reached steps which took us to the bank of the Macclesfield Canal (103mins). A right turn along the towpath took us along the right bank of the canal until we reached a gap in the hedge (111mins) where an easily-missed footpath led downhill.

This took us past a house on our left and a sign on our right for Higher Poynton (113mins) which led us down into a wooded valley and back up again to Coppice Road (119mins)

We turned left and then right into Coppice car park. A pair of carved wooden birds on the top of posts marked the entrance to another hidden woodland valley. We kept to the higher right fork, exited by a wooden gate and turned immediately right (122mins) past The Coppice Boarding Kennels and Cattery. At a T junction we turned left (124mins).

The lane took us past houses on our right to a green footpath sign on our left (134mins) where we turned to cross a wooden footbridge. At the far side of a stream we turned right with the trickle of water on our right, then headed left up a flight of steps. This brought us to a T-junction where we turned right for 15 yards before going left over a stile (139mins)

The series of enclosed footpaths was easy to follow providing you take the left fork at the only option. We emerged over a wooden stile at a road by the side of The Miners Arms on our right (151mins). Here we rested before starting the homeward journey (161mins)

We walked back with the pub on our left behind us and continued to the end of the road and public footpath signs. We turned left with Woodlane End Old Farm on our right (168mins) and followed a path with another hidden wooded valley on our right. The path took us back to the footbridge (179mins) we had crossed earlier and we retraced our footsteps back over it.

On the lane at the far side of the bridge a green sign diagonally to our right indicated a path into a field. We aimed for a lightning tree and went past it to the right of a pond before crossing a wooden stile on our left (183mins). A scarcely discernible path across a field led us to another wooden stile which we crossed and walked through a field with a row of trees on our right.

This took us over a stile between houses to Coppice Road (189mins) which we crossed and followed a footpath to Coppice Allotments on our right. We turned right at a path passing more allotments until we reached a wooden gate and turned left (190mins). One our right, almost obscured by threatening nettles, was a wooden stile (191mins) which we crossed to enter the left of a field.

Within 80 yards we had crossed three more wooden stiles – two forward and one to the left – which brought us into a field and a well-trodden path. We exited by a wooden stile and then went through a metal kissing gate to enter another field with stables on its right (198mins). Two more kissing gates enabled us to exit the field and we emerged at the junction of Anson Road and Middlewood Road.

Crossing Middlewood Road we headed uphill to reach the golf course as the track levelled off (204mins). After taking a left fork we turned left (209mins) along Princes Incline. 

Just before reaching Towers Road we were approached from the opposite direction by Dee Roach and two of her friends. They had just started their walk as we were coming to the end of ours. The meeting and chat (212mins) was put down to coincidence although Julian was advised to check his clothes and equipment for any electronic devices.

After crossing Towers Road we carried on down Princes Incline (214mins) until we reached the main road (226mins) and turned right. A brief right turn into South Park Drive (227mins) and a left turn took us on to the footpath leading alongside Poynton Pool. With the water on our right we passed a pair of coots and six of their young (cootlets ?) receiving swimming, diving and begging lessons. At the end of the lake we reached the cars (240mins)

Next week's walk will start at 9.40am from the car park at Brabyns Park, Marple Bridge. Please bring your own refreshments as required and resist the temptation to hug or kiss.

Happy wandering !

a tree-filled valley

Julian, George and Chris

a new family of coots.