Wednesday Wandering: Sutton Hall

SUTTON HALL, BISHOPS CLOUGH, SUTTON RESERVOIR, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, BOSLEY LOCKS, BULLGATE LANE, NORTH RODE, RODE GREEN, THE HARRINGTON ARMS AT GAWSWORTH, DANES MOSS NATURE RESERVE, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, SUTTON HALL

Distance: Ten miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Mostly dry and sunny.

Walkers: Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Dean Taylor and George Whaites.

Alternative walkers: Colin Davison, Laurie Fairman and Jock Rooney.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett, Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe, George Dearsley, Mark Gibby, John Jones, Julian Ross.

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Sutton Hall car park.

Starting time: 9.41am. Finishing time: 2.58pm.

A new set of restrictions due to the Covid19 pandemic may have been responsible for the low turnout on this long but mainly flat walk. Those who did sally forth were rewarded with mainly dry and sunny conditions. We also had a stroke of luck because the one heavy shower fell while we were sheltering under canvas in the pub's beer garden. It was decided to minimise the effects of the ensuing delay by having a second pint. On such occasions sacrifices have to be made.

It was also an opportunity to test the implementation of the latest lockdown rules and we were pleased to report that no subterfuge was needed and no problems were encountered as we sat around a table together to drink our beer. Who could have imagined we would be so pathetically grateful for such small mercies.

Thus we were able to maintain the finest traditions of the Wednesday Wanderers by doing our bit to keep Britain's pubs in business. When our great grandchildren ask us what we did to save our heritage we four can say with hands on hearts “We did our very best.”

From the car park we passed Sutton Hall on our right and followed a path leading to a wooden gate. We exited the grounds here and turned left with the River Bollin flowing on the right below the road. When we reached the main road we turned right (2mins)

We turned right into Symondley Road (10mins) after passing Sutton Ex-Servicemen's Club and at the end of the road we followed a public footpath sign for Bishops Clough (13mins). We went through two metal kissing gates before dog-legging left and right round a bridge across a stream, enabling us to follow a footpath next to the stream now on our right (19mins)

This brought us across a road to Sutton Reservoir, also known for reasons lost in the mists of time as Turk's Head Reservoir (27mins) on a path to its left. At the far end, with the path now heading right, we took a sharp left turn downhill (34mins) and followed this path to the main A523 Macclesfield-Leek road (38mins)

On the far side was a wooden bridge 48a which led us to the bank of The Macclesfield Canal. We walked along the towpath (39mins) with the waterway on our left. As we were doing so we were parallel with the A523 and passed The Fools Nook pub, which has been closed for several years and is now up for sale. It has probably served its last pint.

During a light shower (58-62mins) we took shelter under Bridge 50 until the rain stopped before pressing on to Bosley Locks for Pietime (86mins)

There are 12 locks at Bosley which alter the level by 118 feet. They are the only locks on The Macclesfield Canal which opened in 1831 and runs for 26 miles from its junction with The Peak Forest Canal at Marple and the Hall Green branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Commercial traffic continued until 1954. The North Cheshire Cruising Club, founded in 1943 and based at High Lane, became the first such club on British waterways. It campaigned vigorously to keep local canals open for leisure use and in 1965 The Macclesfield Canal was designated as part of The Cheshire Ring.

After refreshments we left the canal and turned right down Bullgate Lane. Where it swung right and became Shellow Lane (92mins) we carried straight on into Park Road. This soon became a track which passed a lake on our right at North Rode. The lake had a spectacular giant plughole into which overflowing water dropped to a stream below.

After crossing a cattle grid we headed immediately left through a field of characteristically docile Highland cattle towards farm buildings. Before reaching them we swung right and followed a concrete path (111mins). We crossed a series of three wooden stiles to reach a road (120mins) where we turned right.

This brought us to the hamlet of Rode Green and the end of Pexall Lane. We continued ahead (122mins) through a metal kissing gate. Another similar gate and a series of four wooden stiles enabled us to cross fields until we reached a fishing pond (140mins) where our quartet turned left.

Two more metal kissing gates brought us to a road (154mins) with Gawsworth Parish Church on our right. We turned left and reached the Harrington Arms on our right (158mins). We were warmly welcomed and led to a table in the beer garden covered by a giant marquee. At the bottom of the garden we saw five greenhouses which had been converted into dining units.

Pints of Robbies' Dizzy Blonde cask bitter were in excellent form at £3-50 and the staff were both efficient and friendly.

After avoiding a heavy shower we retraced our footsteps up the road, this time passing the church on our right and a statue of Sir Robert Peel, founder of Britain's police force, on our left. We entered a field through a metal kissing gate (169mins) and went through four more to reach a road where we turned left (183mins)

Where the road swung left we took a footpath straight ahead for the Danes Moss Nature Reserve (187mins). We followed a sign right towards the reserve and paused for lunch (192mins)

Continuing our journey we crossed a railway bridge over the Manchester-London line (203mins). We reached The Macclesfield Canal at Swing Bridge 47 and turned left (206mins) with the waterway on our right. We left the canal at Bridge 44 (228mins) within sight of the entrance to Sutton Hall car park.

After reaching our cars (236mins) and de-booting, we enjoyed pints of Lord Lucan cask bitter for £3-80.

Meanwhile the alternative walkers met at Clough House Farm car park below Cumberland Clough and walked for nine miles to Three Shires Head, Gradbach and over Cut Thorn Hill.

Next week's walk will start at 9.30am from the car park near the entrance to Poynton Sports Club. This is your diarist's birthday celebration walk, although the nature of that celebration will very much depend upon the rules applying by next Wednesday. (We live in such exciting times). It is intended to reach The Boar's Head at Higher Poynton around 12.30pm and return to the sport club at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !

Pictures by Chris