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 75th 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.
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 !
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