Cobden Cross

 COBDEN CROSS

 

 

 

December 22, 2021

 

 

DISLEY RAILWAY STATION, HAGG BANK LANE, HIGGINS CLOUGH SWING BRIDGE,  PEAK FOREST CANAL, ROMAN BRIDGE, WINDYBOTTOM FARM, GREENCLOUGH FARM, BROAD CARR, THE BANKS, COBDEN CROSS, BLACK LANE, CASTLE EDGE FARM, SHAW FARM, FOX INN AT BROOK BOTTOM, STRINES, PEAK FOREST CANAL

 

 

 

Distance: 9 miles​​Ascent/descent: 1,490 ft

 

Difiiculty: Easy. One sustained climb

 

Weather: Dull but dry. Cold

 

Walkers: Peter Beal, Micky Barrett, Andy Blease, Hughie Hardiman, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney, Julian Ross, Keith Welsh

 

Non-walking drinker: Alan Hart. Non-walking, non-drinking e-biker: Colin Davison

 

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (isolating), Alastair Cairns, Mark Gibby, Dean Taylor (all domestic duties), Dave Willetts (Tenerife), John Jones (quarantined in Madeira), George Dearsley (Turkey)

 

Leader: Ross​​Diarist: Beal

 

Starting point: Car park at Disley Railway Station

 

Starting time: 9.35 am​Finishing time: 2.14 pm

 

 

 

Today’s walk around the Goyt Valley was distinguished by the leadership debut of long-standing Wanderer Julian Ross. Whether he has avoided this duty in the past or simply never been called on – who knows? Anyway, it has to be said: the boy done good. His route-planning and punctuality were spot-on and he failed to lose anyone (except for Jock, who bailed out in favour of another beer to keep non-walking drinker Alan company at the refreshment halt).

 

If Julian’s progress continues he should soon be able to formally enrol on the Wanderers’ Leadership Training Programme, subject to the usual rigorous background checks and written examination of course.

 

There was a somewhat complicated start when Chris’s delayed arrival saw Julian and Hughie wait for him while the remaining six of us set off at a leisurely pace. We crossed the busy A6 and turned right towards the Dandy Cock pub. Just before it we bore left down a lane, under a railway bridge and turned left up Hagg Bank Lane. This brought us to the Higgins Clough swing bridge on the Peak Forest canal.

 

Here we loitered for some ten minutes until our companions arrived, when we turned left along the canal in the direction of Marple (22 minutes). We followed the towpath for a mile-and-a-half as far as bridge 21 (48 min) where we bore right on a track that took us down to the New Mills to Marple road. We crossed this and descended on a bridleway that brought us down to the River Goyt.

 

We bore left on a path here and soon reached the Roman Bridge – which is nothing to do with the Romans but a 17thcentury packhorse bridge (60 min). We crossed the bridge and climbed to a track where we turned right.

 

With the fast-flowing River Goyt on our right we continued along the good track, passing under a viaduct carrying the Manchester to Sheffield railway line, and then the splendidly-named Windybottom Farm. At a junction of tracks just beyond Greenclough Farm, we bore left (82 min) at the start of a steady climb of some 650 feet.

 

We bore right at the next junction and at another crossing took a steep, stepped path skirting the farm buildings of The Banks. This brought us to a tarmaced lane, with the prominent landmark of Cobden Cross just above and ahead of us.

 

Pietime was postponed until we reached the Cross and sought shelter in a depression in the rocks just below it (100 min). The cross – also known as Mellor Cross – was erected on March 27, 1970, by Marple Council of Churches. In December 2015 a storm toppled the top upright section, which revealed rotten woodwork.

 

A £25,000 appeal by churches and the local communities funded a new structure, made of timber-cladded galvanised steel and set in a steel cradle. It is apparently guaranteed by its constructors for 500 years. A plaque on the cross records that the replacement was erected on July 16, 2018. It sits at 1,079 feet above sea level.

 

We resumed along Black Lane, the track running to the left of the cross and at a junction turned right. This brought us to the end of a tarmaced lane where we turned right, soon turning right again to Castle Edge Farm. A gate and stile on the left brought us to a path through a succession of fields that eventually came to a stile leading in to the yard of Shaw Farm (144 min).

 

We took a track ahead and soon turned left over a stile, where the path descended sharply to a bridge over a stream. We climbed up on the other side to then descend on a stepped path that skirted some smart houses before reaching a drive that emerged opposite the Fox Inn in the hamlet of Brook Bottom, a long-standing refreshment halt of the Wanderers (159 min).

 

Waiting to meet us here was Colin, having travelled there on his electric bicycle. He wisely declined to join us inside the pub as the following day he was meeting our old chum Laurie Fairman, who has been somewhat in the wars recently. We asked Colin to convey all our best wishes to Laurie, who apparently is making a good recovery.

 

The Robinson’s Unicorn (£3-80) was declared on good form by no less an authority than Micky and extra drinks were ordered, by which time Alan arrived to join us, having been on caring duties, following his recent return from Barbados.

 

Our route back from here was familiar. We turned right out of the pub and immediately right down a bridleway that descended with a ravine on our right to reach Strines on the New Mills to Marple road. We crossed this and took a track ahead that soon ascended and climbed steps on the right to bring us back to the Peak Forest Canal (189 min).

 

From here we retraced our steps to reach the Higgins Clough swing bridge, which we crossed to climb back to Disley and our cars (205 min).

 

Next week’s walk, lead by Chris, will start from Sutton Hall, Sutton Lane Ends, near Macclesfield, at 9.40am, calling en route at the Harrington Arms in Gawsworth around 12.30pm.

 

Happy Wandering and a very Merry Christmas to everyone!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bosley Cloud

  

Bosley Cloud

 

December 15, 2021

 

 

BOSLEY LAYBY, BUGLAWTON, CONGLETON, TIMBERBROOK, BOSLEY

 

Distance: 12miles​​Ascent/descent: Unknown

 

Difiiculty: moderate

 

Weather: bright and sunny, thick heavy cloudy later on

 

Walkers: Cliff Worthington, Alastair Cairns with Daisey, Dean Taylor, Dave Willetts, Andy Blease, Jock Rooney, Julian Ross, Daisey Cunliffe with Tom

 

Apologies: everyone else

 

Anointed Leader:Chris Owen; Leader by Proxy: Daisey Cunliffe​Diarist: tom Cunliffe

 

Starting point: Layby opposite Harrington Arms Bosley

 

Starting time: 9.40am​Finishing time: 3.00pm approx

 

Today’s wander should have been led by Chris, sadly Chris was taken in to hospital the previous evening with his dodgy ticker, came as quite a surprise to me as I’d always thought his chest cavity was home to a swinging brick.

 

Happily, our incapacitated friend was released the followingand having spoke with him on the phone I can reassure theWW fraternity that his colourful language convinced me he was back to normal, Happy Days!

 

In his absence, Chris asked to me take the reins for this walk, in the end daisy volunteered.

 

Setting off from the layby we made our way to the path that runs alongside Bosley Church. Following a well-worn path we took our normal route up to the factory where there seems to be a man permanently sited power-washer plastic crates, he’s there every time we’ve done this walk and with a cheery smile and nod of his craggy featured head we marched on. 

 

The two resident greyhounds among our number, Dean andDave were far enough head to initially dictate the route and, on this occasion, they errantly chose a path to off our rightin the direction of the Macclesfield Canal. Ordinarily we would expect to be emerging from this path on our return leg, however, I considered a reversal of our normal direction(clockwise to anticlockwise) would be an interesting alternative. And so it proved to be, as we took wrong turnupon wrong turn on more than one occasion. But, with typical WW resolve and fortitude we reorientated ourselves and eventually stumbled on a footbridge which crossed the Macclesfield canal in the direction of Timbersbrook and with relief (to some) we were able to miss out the Congletonconurbation and its marauding itinerant shoppers.

 

Unfortunately, our favoured pub in Timbersbrook, the Wagon and Horses is now permanently closed. Another one bites the dust!

 

Unperturbed, we sallied forth with the prospect of a thirst quencher at our wander’s end in the Harrington Arms keeping our spirits up.

 

Taking our normal prescribed wander in the opposite direction proved most enlightening as we climbed the Cloud from the west starting off with a series of steep, but verysteep steps, which punishingly drained the blood from my burning thighs. On reaching the Cloud summit we tarried a while and were treated to some breath-taking views……..marvellous!

 

Descending the Cloud to the east, we headed down hill for the remainder of the walk back to our motors.

 

As our two greyhounds were first back, Dave wandered over to the Harrington Arms only to discover our nominatedwatering hole was closed…..bugger. It was decided to get in to our cars and reconvene at the Legh Arms in Adlington……..mistake…….no hand pumps……only euro fizz. Today was my birthday treat, albeit two weeks late as Ihadn’t wandered since the actual day, and so the round was on me. 

 

Next week’s Xmas Bash Wander should have been a sight-seeing tour of our great city taking in some of the interestingmurder sites as investigated by our WW friend Julian whilst a senior member of our local constabulary and to enjoy the culinary delights of the much vaunted Kabana, unfortunately, the rapid expanse of Omicron has persuaded our group that so close to Xmas this would be a foolishventure and that we should postpone our Xmas bash for another date in the new year when things have settled down.

 

Therefore:

Next week’s walk will start at 9.30am from Disley railway station where Julian will lead the WW over to the Fox at Brookbottom and hopefully return.

 

Happy Wandering!