DANEBRIDGE, WINCLE, HAWKSLEE, GRITSTONE TRAIL, SUTTON COMMON, CROKER HILL, CLEULOW CROSS, BENNETTSHILL, BROOM HILL, WINCLE GRANGE
Distance: 11 miles.
Difficulty: Comfortable.
Weather: Dry, mainly cloudy with occasional sunshine.
Leader: Chris Owen. Diarist: Alan Hart.
Starting point: Side of road near Danebridge, Wincle, Macclesfield.
Starting time: 9.40am. Finishing time: 2.25pm
Because of the latest lockdown rules we were limited to two walkers for this ramble around the familiar landmark of Croker Hill and its distinctive BT Tower on Sutton Common. Therefore Chris took on the role of Samuel Johnson and I acted as James Boswell, his 18th Century diarist, as we set off together.
During our journey we became aware that three individuals seemed to be following us in the distance. They appeared to be Tom Cunliffe with his dog Daisy, Jock Rooney and Dave Willetts. This was confirmed when we returned to our cars and they admitted they had wanted their usual walk but had no wish to flout the new regulations.
Like Chris and I they must have seen the remarkable variety of wildlife we passed on a mild autumn day. They included the usual sheep, cattle, dogs and horses. In addition there were donkeys, a pair of pot-bellied pigs, and herds of deer and alpacas.
From Danebridge we walked uphill passing The Ship on our right before crossing a stile on our left at a wooden public footpath sign marked with a yellow arrow (4mins). We crossed a field, exited by a step-over stile and turned left along a lane, passing a house called The Bagstones on our right.
The lane took us through a farmyard and into fields leading to a tall wooden kissing gate designed to contain a herd of deer (32mins). We turned right and followed a path through fields which took us past Hawkslee Farm on our right (59mins) and a comic sign warning French passers-by to beware of the dog – Chien Lunatique.
Passing Kisswood Farm on our right (62mins) we climbed a ridge opposite Croker Hill to our left with a valley between. At 11am (80mins) we stopped to observe two minutes' silence to commemorate the 102nd anniversary of Armistice Day.
When we continued and reached a convenient drystone wall we stopped for Pietime (93mins). The path now led us down to the A54 road from Buxton to Congleton (95mins) where we turned left and soon right (96mins) at a metal kissing gate by the side of a wooden public footpath sign containing the Gritstone Trail bootprint logo.
The path took us to the BT Tower (108mins) which was built on Croker Hill in the 1960s and became an easily-recognisable landmark. It overlooks Congleton and on clear days you can see as far as Manchester and even Snowdon. Not today, however.
With the tower on our left we started to descend, taking the right path where they divided (112mins) and following the Gritstone Trail signs as we walked through fields, spotting a herd of deer in the distance, until we reached a road (150mins). Here we turned right for 25 yards and then headed right again uphill towards Kinder House. At a flight of steep steps we turned sharp left and climbed up to a path through a series of fields.
At a set of new posts handy for leaning against we stopped for a beer break (172mins). We continued our walk with the Croker Hill Tower on Sutton Common now on our right. As we did so we passed a herd of alpacas in a field a few feet away after they had been released from a farmyard pen (179mins)
The path took us through a farmyard (181mins) and beyond it we turned right over a cattlegrid towards Higher Pethills Farm (186mins) and immediately left through a metal gate at a path marked with a blue arrow. We emerged opposite Cleulow Farm (193mins) and turned right to reach a road at the entrance to Broome Farm (199mins)
Turning left along the A54 we passed Butterlands Farm on our right (201mins) and swinging right with the main road before turning right at a sign for Wincle (211mins). After 80 yards we turned right over a stone step stile, heading through a field, crossing a stone step stile (219mins) and a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow before passing Broomhill Farm on our right (235mins). By crossing two more stone step stiles we went through a copse (245mins). On the far side we stopped for lunch before continuing downhill and emerged at a road with The Ship Inn visible on our right (247mins). We turned right, passing the pub on our left and reached our cars (250mins)
Next week Tom will take the part of Johnson and I will resume my role of Bosworth as we meet at 9.40am in the car park above the Rose and Crown at Allgreave next to a hairpin bend on the A54. He intends to lead me via Lud's Church to The Roaches.
(Imagine a Mystery Tour where the coach driver is blindfolded)
Happy wandering !
Pictures by Alan Hart
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