Sutton Hall

 November 10, 2021.

SUTTON HALL, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, MACCLESFIELD GOLF CLUB, BOTTOM RESERVOIR, TEGG'S NOSE, MACCLESFIELD FOREST, TRENTABANK RESERVOIR, RIDGEGATE RESERVOIR, LEATHER'S SMITHY, MOSS LEA FARM, LANGLEY CRICKET CLUB, LANGLEY POOL, RIDGEHILL, JUDY LANE, SUTTON HALL

Distance: 11-12 miles.

Difficulty: Strenuous.

Weather: Early light drizzle, then mainly cloudy but dry,

Walkers: Andy Blease, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Hughie Hardiman with Rex, Alan Hart, John Jones, Chris Owen, Julian Ross, Dean Taylor with Tommy, Keith Welsh, Dave Willetts.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (everything apart from a plague of locusts), Peter Beal (having covid booster), Alastair Cairns (in Cromer), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Cliff Worthington (failed late fitness test)

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Sutton Hall car park, Gurnett, Macclesfield.

Starting time: 9.45am. Finishing time: 3.01pm.

We welcomed another debutant into the fold for this walk when Hughie's dog-in-law, Rex, joined us for a roller-coaster ride up and down the hills and valleys of Cheshire.

Light drizzle at the start soon disappeared and we enjoyed some spectacular scenery on a challenging route.

We had a flat walk at the start and a relatively even course to the finishing line. In between was a tough switchback journey up hill and down dale, passing three picturesque reservoirs on the way.

Two of our favourite watering holes, The Leather's Smithy at Ridgegate, and Sutton Hall, were also visited on what proved to be a mild day with a minimum of mud underfoot. These could turn out to be the best conditions from now until spring next year.

From the car park Chris led us out of the main entrance and on to the bank of the Macclesfield Canal opposite. With the waterway on our right we proceeded to Bridge 40.

En route we had an experience which was once unique to the Macclesfield Canal as we walked up a cobbled path before a bridge to reach the towpath on the opposite side.

When the canal was opened in 1831the barges on it were pulled by shire horses which had to be unhitched and re-hitched whenever the towpath switched banks. But the state-of-the-art-cobbles enabled the sturdy horses to clamber across without slipping and without waste of time.

We left the canal at Bridge 40 (23mins) and turned left into Black Road with a recreation ground on our right. At the end of this park we turned left up a cobbled street which ended at a T-junction where we turned right along a footpath (23mins). Following a green public footpath sign left we then dog-legged left and right to follow a path into the grounds of Macclesfield Golf Club (26mins)

After passing the Hollins Service Reservoir on our right (34mins) we turned right (35mins)

It was at this stage that our debutant dog Rex disgraced himself at the sight of sheep in the field. Given supercanine strength by excitement he snapped the lead attached to his name tag and reverted to the behaviour of his lupine ancestors as he chased the terrified animals. At some point the commands of Hughie brought Rex back to his senses and he stopped shame-faced in his tracks, allowing his guardian to re-attach the lead to his collar. Without a hint of irony Tom proclaimed “That is a shooting offence” as his free-range poodle Daisy wandered unleashed ahead.

The path brought us to a road (52mins) where we turned left, turning left again when we reached Langley Methodist Church (55mins). Another left turn into Holehouse Lane (59mins) brought us to the wall in front of Bottom Reservoir (62mins)

We turned left to enter Tegg's Nose Country Park where we had a choice of taking the longer gradual route to the summit or the shorter steeper version. Most of us chose the former path on the left but it seemed a tough test as we aimed towards the 1,246 feet summit. At the memorial bench to local girl Fiona McWilliam (1965-99), who died in a plane crash while learning to fly, we were reunited with our more rugged comrades and stopped for pies, port and breath (86mins)

Resuming we continued for a few paces before taking the second path on our right and began our descent, passing a free hillside library on our left.

Great care was needed as we made a steep descent along a slippery rocky path to reach a track where we turned left (103mins). We then followed a wooden public footpath sign for Macclesfield Forest and Shutlingsloe (105mins). We were now heading uphill again and forded a stream (111mins) before going left over a ladder stile marked with a green public footpath sign (115mins) to enter a field.

At the far side of the field we exited by a ladder stile (117mins) turning left and then swinging right in front of a farmhouse. We then took the first path on the right (120mins) through a metal kissing gate into Macclesfield Forest. After passing a ruined cottage on our left we went straight on passing a sign warning “Unauthorised Cycle Trail” (125mins)

We briefly exited the forest (143mins) and turned right. At crossroads we turned right (146mins) before turning left at a metal kissing gate (151mins) to re-enter Macclesfield Forest. Following a sign for Trentabank (153mins) we reached a road and turned right downhill(162mins). This took us past the visitors' centre on our left and the beautiful reservoir on our right (171mins)

We continued to a three-way junction and crossed it to go through a gap stile and turned right along a gritted footpath (174mins). This emerged on the road beside Ridgegate Reservoir.Another gap stile next to cars parked on our right enabled us to walk along a path parallel to the road overlooking the reservoir.

The path emerged opposite the entrance to Leather's Smithy (184mins) for pints of Hobgoblin or Deuchar's cask bitter. In some cases, it grieves me to tell you, girlie drinks and pots of tea were preferred.

From the pub we headed straight for the reservoir and took a path to the right of it. At a yellow arrow we turned right (187mins) to follow a public footpath over a footbridge across a stream

(191mins) before turning left at a metal kissing gate and then going through another similar gate to the right of Moss Lea Farm (201mins). We turned right and then went through a gate on our right to take advantage of the picnic tables at Langley Cricket Club (203mins)

After lunch we continued down the road until we reached a row of cottages on our left (208mins). At this stage eight of us opted to turn left whilst Dean and Dave opted to take an alternative route ahead. What follows is the story of the majority.

We proceeded to Langley Pool Angling Club and turned left round the pond before heading up steps and over a wooden stile (211mins). By walking uphill and crossing two stiles along the path we reached a road at Ridgehill where we turned right (219mins)

After passing Ridgehill Farm on our left (226mins) we turned left into Judy Lane. At the end of this lane we turned left (232mins) and reached a main road where we turned right towards Macclesfield (233mins). We soon turned left towards Sutton Hall Farm (239mins) and on our right was a wooden gate leading to Sutton Hall car park (240mins)

Seven of us then took refreshment at Sutton Hall, where our cars had been parked for more than five hours. At the risk of being castigated for mentioning it may I remind wanderers once again that it is considered poor form to use a pub car park for such a time and not spend money behind their bar.

Next weeks' walk will start at 9.40am from Derbyshire Bridge in the Goyt Valley near the Cat and Fiddle pub on the A537 Macclesfield to Buxton Road.. We hope details of how to get there will be forwarded later.

Happy wandering !