Bollington

October 27, 2021.

BOLLINGTON RECREATION GROUND, SMITHS' PIE SHOP, CHESHIRE HUNT HOUSE, HARROP BROOK, GRITSTONE TRAIL, ANDREW'S NOB, BRINK FARM, SPONDS HILL, KEEPER'S COTTAGE, BIRCHENCLIFFE FARM, SKELHORN STUD, LYME VIEW MARINA, THE MINERS ARMS AT FOUR LANE ENDS, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, THE VALE AT BOLLINGTON

Distance: 9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Dry with blue sky, cloud and blustery winds on high ground.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, John Jones, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney, Julian Ross, Dean Taylor, Dave Willetts, Cliff Worthington.

Apologies: George Dearsley (in Turkey), Keith Welsh (in Cornwall)

Leader: Beal. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Free car park overlooking Bollington Recreation Ground.

Starting time: 9.38am. Finishing time: 2.24pm.

A bumper crowd turned up for this walk when – as luck would have it – our leader Peter was buying a round of drinks to celebrate his forthcoming birthday. This misfortune was compounded when he chose a route which would take us to one of the most expensive pubs on our circuit. It would be churlish to accuse a distinguished journalist approaching his 73^rd birthday of making a schoolboy error. Instead we thank him for his generosity and wish him many happy returns of the day.

Before the start your diarist was helping to raise funds for servicemen by selling the latest fashion trend for dogs: hand-knitted collar poppies. Our photo shows Daisy Cunliffe – the Kate Moss of the canine world – modelling an example of what promises to be this year's “must have” accessory for patriotic pooches.

They are not exclusive to dogs. For just £2 you can buy one to adorn your pet pussy as a salute to Remembrance Day !

From the car park we made our way to the right of Bollington Recreation Ground, crossing the River Dean and climbing a flight of steps. At the top we turned right to reach the main road. We crossed and turned left walking under the aqueduct to call at the legendary bakery of a bygone era called F.Smith for freshly-made pies.

Continuing past The Cotton Tree and The Poachers on our right we took the left fork towards Pott Shrigley and then turned right up Hedge Row (27mins). This took us past Cheshire Hunt House on our left, now a series of homes which were once the site of The Cheshire Hunt pub.

Soon after we went left through a gate sporting the Gritstone Trail bootprint logo and followed a path which crossed Harrop Brook by a footbridge. At this stage one of our members became nervous when our leader announced we would soon be mounting Andrew's Nob.

For the uninitiated this is no more than a minor protuberance on the journey to Sponds Hill.

After a steady climb, with a wood on our left, we went through a metal gate and turned right to pursue a gentler climb. This brought us to a second metal kissing gate leading up to Andrew's Nob. Beyond the hill we reached a road (68mins) and turned right. As we passed Brink Farm on our left, a glance back to the gate behind showed a sign which was nothing less than a crime against the English language.

We turned right along the road until we reached a Gritstone Trail-marked footpath sign on our left (74mins). Across the valley on our right, the distinctive peak of Shutlingsloe peeped over the hills in the middle distance.

As we began our ascent of Sponds Hill Peter led us to a depression on the left of the path which has been a well-used shelter for sheep and hikers. Here we paused for Pietime (77mins). Continuing we continued our climb and as we approached the summit strong winds at our backs propelled us along.

After passing the Trig Point to our left we turned left to begin our descent, going through a metal kissing gate and heading straight down to reach a track with Keeper's Cottage on our right (119mins). We turned left and then turned right at a wooden public footpath sign (121mins)

The path then took us down to Birthencliffe Farm (129mins), which we passed on our right to reach a road (135mins). Here we turned right, passing a grass verge on our right before turning left at a green footpath sign (138mins). The path took us diagonally right through a field, followed by a series of stiles and gates which enabled us to skirt right around the Skelhorn Stud (144mins)

A track then took us down to Lyme View Marina where we crossed Bridge 18 over the Macclesfield Canal and carried on down the road (152mins). At a T-junction we turned right and The Miners Arms was on our left (154mins). It was here that Peter bought a round of drinks for the 14 of us with beer costing an eye-watering £4-15 for Timothy Taylor Landlord and Wainwrights' cask bitter.

A sketch of Yorkshireman Peter when he heard beer prices had been cut in the budget later that day.

Suitably refreshed we turned right out of the pub and retraced our footsteps to Bridge 18 of the Macclesfield Canal. We turned right along the towpath in the direction of Macclesfield with the waterway on our left (158mins)

The route back to Bollington was a straightforward march until we reached a converted mill on our left and a wooden footpath sign on our right marked Recreation Ground. This was just before Bridge 26A (213mins). We followed the path to the main road (216mins) where we turned right and immediately right again to retrace our earlier steps back through the recreation ground to our cars (222mins). From there we had a final drink in the Bollington Brewery-owned Vale Inn.

Next week's walk will start at 9.35am from a lay-by just outside Whaley Bridge. To reach it head towards Buxton out of Whaley Bridge on the A5004 and the large lay-by is on your right just beyond the town boundary. The walk will head round Fernilee Reservoir and beyond before returning for a livener at The Shady Oak, Fernilee, at about 12.20pm

Happy wandering !

 

 

Edale

  

 

EDALE

 

October 20, 2021

 

 

CAR PARK ON ROAD BETWEEN BARBER BOOTH AND UPPER BOOTH, CHAPEL GATE, RUSHUP EDGE, LORD'S SEAT, MAM TOR, HOLLINS CROSS, THE OLD NAGS HEAD AT GRINDSBROOK BOOTH, COOPER'S FARM, BARBER BOOTH

 

 

Distance: 7.5 miles​​​Ascent/descent: 1,440 ft

 

Difiiculty: Moderate

 

Weather: Bright with one short shower

 

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney, Dean Taylor, Keith Welsh, Dave Willetts, Cliff Worthington 

 

Apologies: Alan Hart (caring duties), Tom Cunliffe (calf niggle), Hughie Harriman (weather wimp), Alastair Cairns (dentist), George Dearsley (Turkey)

 

Leader: Beal​​​Diarist: Beal

 

Starting point: National Park car park on minor road between Barber Booth and Upper Booth, Edale

 

Starting time: 9.44am​Finishing time: 2.02pm

 

 

 

Any Wanderers looking at today’s weather forecasts could have been forgiven for pulling the duvet back over their heads and writing the day off.

 

In the event eight of us decided to ignore the BBC and Met Office doom-mongers and were rewarded with a dry day with only one short shower worth mentioning and even some spells of sunshine.

 

We left the free National Park car park on the lane that leads to Upper Booth and headed right towards Edale. We soon went under a viaduct carrying the Manchester to Sheffield railway line and shortly afterwards crossed a stile on the right in to fields.

 

We crossed a track leading to Manor House Farm just before the farm buildings and crossed a series of fields by way of gates and stiles, with the bulk of Rushup Edge looming in front of us. 

 

We climbed slightly and reached a gate at the junction with a major track known as Chapel Gate, originally the main route between the Edale Valley and Chapel-en-le-Frith.

 

This track was once highly-regarded by four-wheel drive enthusiasts whose – at the time perfectly legal – activities caused widespread protests at the damage being caused. Some years ago after a legal battle that finished in the High Court, a ban was imposed and the track repaired.

 

We slanted right on a steepish climb up the track that cuts across the flank of Rushup Edge. We reached and ignored a green footpath sign on our right, pointing to Dale Head, and after this the slope eased (38 minutes).

 

After this the track bore gradually round to the left until reaching a junction with another track, where we turned left (50 min). This was the start of the Great Ridge, two-miles long and linking the tops of Lord's Seat, Mam Tor, Back Tor and Lose Hill.

 

A gentle climb, with some stiles, brought us to the ridge's highest point of Lord's Seat (1,804 feet). The summit is topped by a large Bronze Age burial mound or barrow, once fenced off to prevent interference but now accessible.

 

From here there were magnificent views, stretching along the ridge and, across the valley, over the massive Kinder Scout plateau, now free of the mist that had covered it at the start of the walk.

 

We started the gentle descent that led us to the road crossing at the pass known as Mam Nick, where pietime was declared in a copse of trees, and then up the stiffishclimb of the man-made rock staircase to the 1,695 ft summit of Mam Tor (115 min). It was here that the only real rain of the day struck, but lasted little more than 15 minutes and ceased by the time we started our descent.

 

The naming of the hill might commemorate a pagan mother goddess. Its summit was also the site of an Iron Age hill fort, the largest in the Peak District, much of the evidence of which has been removed by successive landslips that have sculpted the almost sheer southern face of the hill.

 

We continued downhill to reach Hollins Cross, a stone column that was once surmounted by a topograph, but now only has a plaque dedicated to Tom Hyett of the Long Eaton branch of the Ramblers. This dip in the ridge was once on the coffin track over which the dead were carried from Edale to the churchyard in Castleton, before Edale got its own church in the 17th century.

 

From here we descended steeply on a rough track to Hollins Farm, then crossed a road in to fields. We went through a tunnel under the railway line and soon crossed a stream to reach the village of Edale. More properly the named is applied to the whole valley and the village is actually Grindsbrook Booth.

 

A booth was a farm building on land enclosed to keep livestock safe from wolves and the five in Edale - Upper, Barber, Grindsbrook, Ollerbrook and Nether Booths - would originally have been rented from the Crown by foresters or private landowners.

 

We turned right to reach The Old Nags Head (152 min), the pub that marks the start of the 270-mile long Pennine Way, and which is sadly on Alan's list of pubs committing the cardinal sin of leaving out an apostrophe where one should be.

 

Most of our party enjoyed excellent pints of the local Bradfield Brewery’s Farmers Blonde (again no apostrophe). Your temporary diarist notes that on an earlier visit two years ago the same beer raised eyebrows by selling at £3.90 a pint (he knows this because it was his birthday). Despite the passage of time and the current turmoil the price had risen to only £4. We were treated by Andy, celebrating the arrival of his second grandchild Jessie Jane, to whom glasses were raised.

 

From the pub we bore right through the entrance of the Cooper's camp site and along a track towards a farm, just before which we crossed a stile on our left and followed the path through fields and a succession of countless gates.

 

This brought us to the road at Barber Booth, where we turned right and immediately right again to retrace our steps to our cars (193 min).

 

Next week’s walk will start from the car park (free) opposite Bollington Recreation Ground in Adlington Road. Our planned route has been amended after finding the Robin Hood at Rainow now does not open Wednesday lunchtimes, but Chris will lead us on a route ending with refreshments at the splendid Vale Inn in Adlington Road.

 

Happy wandering!

 

 

 

Poynton

 October 13, 2021.

POYNTON SPORTS CLUB, CIVIC HALL, POYNTON BROOK, HOPE LANE, WARDS END, MINERS ARMS, LYME MARINA, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, THE COPPICE, MIDDLEWOOD WAY, THE BOAR'S HEAD AT HIGHER POYNTON, PRINCES INCLINE, POYNTON SPORTS CLUB

Distance: 8-9 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cloudy, Mainly Dry with some Heavy Drizzle.

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Jock Rooney, Julian Ross, Dean Taylor with Tommy, Keith Welsh, Dave Willetts and Cliff Worthington.

B walkers: Terry Jowett and Barry Williams.

Alternative walkers: Colin Davison and Laurie Fairman.

Non-walking drinkers: Tom Cunliffe, Carl Fletcher, Tony Job, John Owen and Geoff Spurrell.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (family trip to Scotland), Tom Cunliffe (caring duties), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Gibby (swollen leg), John Jones (hospital appointment), Iain Macfarlane (business meeting)

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Poynton Sports Club car park.

Starting time: 9.42am. Finishing time: 2pm.

Could it have been the venue ? Was it the (inaccurate) forecast of dry weather ? Or might it have been the lack of hills on a largely flat walk. It is hard to resist the obvious conclusion that the promise of free food and drink once again proved to be an irresistible incentive for the Wednesday Wanderers.

One debutante even came all the way from Texas to claim his pint as your diarist celebrated two birthdays. The first was my milestone 75^th birthday in October last year when the best-laid plans had to be scrapped because of last-minute tightening of covid restrictions. The second was my latest birthday.

It was good to see some cherished old faces as well as the new ones as 21 of us made appearances. Laurie and Colin were joined by Terry and Barry when the main peloton stopped for a livener at the noon opening of The Boar's Head. Then recent heart attack victim Geoff and long-term absentee Tony arrived at our final destination.

The record turn-out was completed when Tom turned up with two of our fellow adventurers from bygone days, John and Carl. The former, who now lives in Texas with his American wife, is the older brother of Chris.

And let's not forget the return of Tommy Taylor, the Italian mastiff who in doggy terms is now a teenager. He kept a watchful eye on us at all times.

Tommy when he was a puppy. His owner's head has been cropped to avoid embarrassment over the camp shorts

It was a memorable occasion and my thanks go to our outgoing club manager Zak Watson for doubling up as head waiter and chef, providing us with a tasty hot meal.

From the car park we turned left on to London Road North and soon turned left again along Park Avenue, passing the dental surgery on our left. At the end of the cul-de-sac we dog-legged left then right to pass between the library on our left and Priorsleigh Medical Practice on our right. At Waitrose supermarket we turned right, crossed Park Lane and entered Bulkeley Road. This soon becomes Clumber Road, at the end of which is a T junction with Dickens Lane (12mins)

Directly opposite is a public footpath between houses. We followed this to another T junction opposite St Paul's Primary School. Here we turned left and then right into Tapley Avenue. At the next T junction we turned left for 15 yards and then right to follow a footpath leading to Poynton Brook (20mins)

Turning left with the brook on our right we continued along the footpath as it followed the course of the brook until we reached a footbridge on our right. We crossed this, went though a gate and entered a field where we turned right passing a post with a yellow arrow (30mins)

This led to another footbridge which we crossed and headed straight ahead across a field to reach a square metal gate. We went through the gate and turned right towards a fence before heading left with the fence on our right. The path took us to a footbridge leading to Hope Lane, where we turned left (40mins) passing Brookside Farm on our right. Just after Clayton Greaves Farm on our left we reached a wooden footpath sign on the left (45mins) and followed it through a narrow footpath.

The path brought us to a gate leading to a right of way through the owner's drive at Wards End Old Farm. At the end of this drive, with Ward End Garage on our left, we crossed a wooden stile and headed diagonally right through a field, emerging on Moggie Lane (55mins)

We turned left and after 120 yards as the road turned left at a bend marked with black and white chevrons we turned right up a track. Fifty yards before we reached a sign marked “Private No Turning” we turned right to follow a public footpath which led us between fields of horses over stiles and through gates until we reached a T junction. On our right was The Miners Arms where we paused for pies and port (70mins) at the benches outside.

The Miners Arms (sorry, no apostrophe) is a reminder that Poynton was once the home to hundreds of miners removing more than a million tons of coal from dozens of pits. The earliest record was in 1589. The land was ultimately owned by Lord Vernon and when a mining lease expired in 1832 he took over the business.

His heirs reaped the benefits for 89 years until 1923 when the pits ceased to be economically viable.

By the time we finished Pietime a light drizzle had become annoyingly heavy but once again your diarist's waterproof trousers worked their magic. The simple act of unpacking them and putting them on is often enough to drive the rain away.

With the pub on our right we turned left uphill to reach Lyme Marina and The Macclesfield Canal (75mins). Turning left with the waterway on our right we walked along the towpath from Bridge 18. A few yards beyond a footbridge and by the side of a wooden bench we turned left and followed a path downhill by the side of The White House (90mins)

On our right we descended a flight of steps and crossed a wooden footbridge to enter a valley. At the far side the path climbed past a house on our right to reach a road (95mins). We turned left for 30 yards then crossed to enter The Coppice car park. Opposite us was an open gateway with a pair of wooden falcons carved on the top of the poles.

One path on our left led down and another on our right went up a flight of steps. We took the middle course with trees on our right and a valley below. After 200 yards we turned left and descended steps into the valley, reaching the bottom where water flowed from a tunnel underneath The Middlewood Way (105mins)

We climbed up steps back to The Coppice car park and turned left along the Middlewood Way. Unfortunately Jock, who had stopped to siphon the python, lost sight of us. Unhappily, with odds of 50-50, he backed the wrong horse and headed south but his absence had been noted and a text message brought him back on course.

Meanwhile the main group had arrived at The Boar's Head in Higher Poynton and were waiting for the doors to open at noon. The rest of us arrived shortly afterwards (122mins) to enjoy pints of Timothy Taylor Landlord at an eye-watering £4-50 a pint.

After exchanging greetings with Barry, Terry, Laurie and Colin we continued by leaving the pub and crossing to the steps leading down to the former Higher Poynton railway platform on The Middlewood Way. We turned left in the direction of Marple until we reached the bridge marked “Princes Incline” (135mins). This path, which once took coal from the pits down to the heart of Poynton, led directly down along roads and paths, crossing Towers Road before emerging in Woodside Lane. It then continued to London Road North where we turned left (175mins) and reached the sports club on our left to deboot and enter the clubhouse (180mins)

Left to right: Chris, Andy, Carl, John and Terry

We were soon joined by the other walkers and non-walking drinkers to enjoy pints of Wainwrights' cask bitter at £3-15 and chilli con carne with rice, chips and naan bread.

Next week's walk will start at 9.45am from Upper Booth car park, near Edale. To reach it leave the A 6 taking the A625 in the direction of Castleton. After about five miles turn left at a sign for Barber Booth. Look out for a sign for Upper Booth and turn left, going underneath a railway viaduct before reaching the free car park on your left.

Happy wandering !

Dean Row

 October 6, 2021.

DEAN ROW, HANDFORTH, VICAR FARM, BOLLIN VALLEY TRAIL, MOTTRAM HALL GOLF COURSE, BULLS HEAD AT MOTTRAM ST ANDREW, LEGH OLD HALL, WOODEND FARMHOUSE, LOWER GADHOLE FARM, THE ADMIRAL RODNEY AT PRESTBURY, BOLLIN VALLEY TRAIL, PRESTBURY WATER TREATMENT PLANT AND THE UNICORN AT DEAN ROW

Distance: 10.56 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Sunny and dry.

Walkers: Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Chris Owen, Julian Ross, Keith Welsh, Cliff Worthington, Mark Gibby, Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (having his flue cleared), Peter Beal (car in for service), George Dearsley (Turkey), Jock Rooney (Isle of Mann), John Jones (vacation),Dean Taylor (vacation), Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart (taxi duties)

Leader: Tom Cunliffe

Diarist: Cairns.

Starting point: Rear car park of The Unicorn at Dean Row, Handforth, Wilmslow. Starting time: 9.30. Finishing time: 2.35pm.

A blue sky and warm sunny stayed with us for the duration of this pleasant “ white stiletto” walk along the Bollin Valley, which despite its reputation for being a bit of a mud bath proved to be in reasonable condition for the time of year.

This week we were joined by Cliff Worthington yet another graduate of the Bramhall walking academy. Cliff was giving his latest knee joint replacement its first outing of any distance since it was fitted last December, hopefully he did not suffer any ill effects from his endeavours and will now be joining us on a regular basis. (Julian / Keith I don’t have Cliff’s email address so if possible please forward a copy of this report to him and provide his email address for future communications)

From The Unicorn car park, we turned right for 100 yards and then turned right again at the roundabout. After 200 yards we turned right yet again at a public footpath sign and followed the track to Vicar Farm where the farmer and his friends seemed amused by the sight of our number being led by a little black poodle Daisy aka Fang. Ducks and geese scattered as we walked through the farmyard and crossed a wooden stile before heading to the right and downhill.

On reaching a rebuilt farmhouse on our left, we turned right following yellow arrows and emerged through a metal kissing gate at a road next to a bridge over the River Bollin. We turned right over the bridge and immediately left at a sign marked Bollin Valley Way. This took us along the right bank of the river, up a flight of steps and across a farm track.

 

A wide path with hedges each side took us to the left of a mansion and towards Mottram Hall Golf Course. The public footpath kept us to the left edge of the course, passing a soccer training pitch and at one stage leaving the ground to walk by the side of a wood before we re-entered the grounds and crossed the course. We exited the grounds to the right of a substantial cottage and followed a lane down to a main road.

We crossed with The Bulls Head pub on our left and went down Priest Lane for 50 yards before turning left at a sign for Rose Cottage. After 20 yards we turned left again at a wooden public footpath sign and followed paths leading through bushes, over stiles and to the left of a pretty pink cottage before reaching a flight of steps where pie time was called.

From here we walked for 20 yards and turned left back to the main road. Diagonally opposite to the left we followed a driveway which took us past Legh Old Hall on the left. At the end of this cul de sac there was a yellow arrow on a passage on our left which led through a field. We crossed a stile on our left marked with a yellow arrow and crossed fields to emerge at Woodland Farmhouse. We walked to the right of the building and swung right again at Lower Gadhole Farm where the public footpath led us through a series of paddocks and stables. We proceeded to reach a bridge over the River Bollin, which we crossed and turned right along the Bollin Valley Way.

As we reached the outskirts of Prestbury Julian noticed a sign outside the local primary school advising motorists to “take care when parking you could put a child’s life at risk”, after some discussion we agreed it was unclear if the information was provided as a warning or an opportunity. We continued into Prestbury, turning left at The Village Club and entering the rear of The Admiral Rodney (ooh er vicar) where most of us enjoyed Robinsons Unicorn or Dizzy Blond at £3-80 a pint. Unfortunately, Tom’s favoured tipple (Unicorn) was not only the first out of the barrel, but in his professional opinion was “flat and on the turn”. After sharing this information with the landlord Tom returned with a Dizzy Blond which he reported to be “on good form and always goes down easy”, I will leave you to ponder the branding opportunities Robinsons could develop from this description of their product.

Leaving the Rodney behind we retraced our steps back to the right bank of the River Bollin but instead of re-crossing the bridge we carried along the once picturesque riverbank. Unfortunately, due to heavy erosion this particular section of the riverbank has seen better days but, in our opinion, still made more favourable viewing than the Prestbury Water Treatment Plant to our right.

After passing the treatment works, we paused for lunch before continuing to a footbridge on our left which we used to cross the Bollin and re-enter Mottram Golf Course. From here we retraced our footsteps back to the car park to deboot before retiring to The Unicorn for further refreshment.

Next week’s walk will start at 9.40 from the front car park of the Poynton Sports Club. Alan Hart will lead us on new walk via the Boar’s Head at Higher Poynton before returning to the Sports Club where in celebration of his birthday he has most generously laid on luncheon and some beers for attending wanderers.