Sutton

 March 22, 2022.

Sutton, Crocker Hill,A54, Hollins Lane, Ryles Arms, Gritstone Trail, Ridge Hill, Langley Pond, Goneville Estate.

Distance: Nine miles.

Difficulty: Strenuous start: easy finish.

Weather: Mainly sunny and dry with fluffy white clouds.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Mark Enright, Martin Evans,

Christopher Owen, Keith Welsh, Dave Willetts, Thomas Cunliffe. Michael Barrett, Peter Beal, Julian Ross, Clifford Worthington.

None Walking Drinker Hart.

Apologies: Huey Hardiman, Covid. Jock and Kieren Rooney, unspecified.Simon Williams, Hospital Visit.

Leader: Owen.

Diarist: Ross.

Starting point: Sutton Hall

Starting time: 9.34am. Finishing time: 2.09pm

As the bakers dozen of wanderers gathered in the car park of Sutton Hall Mr. Cunliffe gleefully broke the news that a new diarist was required as neither himself or Mr Beal were prepared to complete the task.

There followed a scene from Monty Python Gumbys as all the 11 wanderers looked at their feet, shuffled uncomfortably and said nothing. This naughty school boy situation continued for what seemed like an eternity with the imposing figure of Mr Cunliffe staring at each walker in turn. ( He is a big man but much out of shape) Realising how uncomfortable this situation was for the more illiterate and shy members of the group I volunteered. The atmosphere lifted immediately with smiles replacing anguish and shouts from my one time friend Mr Barrett such as “ I bet he sais things like, we progressed in an orderly fashion”, Or “ We walked in an easterly direction” All greeted with howls of laughter.

As this discussion was taking place, our leader was seen to be striding off towards the front entrance of Sutton Hall, obviously tired of the tedium of debate.

The happy group followed and turned left on to Bullocks lane, proceeding in a westerly direction for several hundred yards before taking another left over a wooden style and followed the public footpath towards Walker lane where we

turned left passing the Tunnicliffe Tea House and Life Style Store. A short distance later we turned right into the adjoining field towards Symondley Road where we took another right towards Sutton reservoir. With the reservoir on our right we took a sharp left towards Hawkshead Quarry, past Croker House and then a steep climb took us up to the gritstone trail.

At this stage the group was becoming stretched out with the Hayfield Massive ahead and the big yet out of shape Cunliffe at the rear. The group waited for the tailenders to catch up and it was noted that the unfortunate soldiers training on the Brecon Beacons in July 2013 passed away after suffering heat stroke partly due to the advanced party waiting for them only to restart marching once they caught up without allowing them to rest.

This was met with guffaws of laughter and it was suggested that we set off once his head came into sight. This plan was duly executed as is the way of the wanderers.

The steep climb continued up to Croker Hill summit at 1325ft where the group finally waited for the tail enders.

The tower at the summit is part of the British Telecom microwave network. A Network of point-to-point microwave radio links in the United Kingdom, operated at first by the General Post Office, and subsequently by its successor BT plc. From the late 1950s to the 1980s it provided a large part of BT's trunk communications capacity, and carried telephone, television and radar signals and digital data, both civil and military. Its use of line-of-sight microwave transmission was particularly important during the Cold War for its resilience against nuclear attack. It was rendered obsolete, at least for normal civilian purposes, by the installation of a national optical fibre communication network with considerably higher reliability and vastly greater capacity.

BT remains one of the largest owners of transmission and microwave towers in the UK. The most famous of these is the BT Tower in London, which was the tallest building in the UK from its construction in the 1960s until the early 1980s, and a major node in the BT microwave network.

During his previous working life Mr Owen has worked on the tower and has remarked that from the top you can see f****ing Heaton Park tower.

Mr Owen is now on the staff at Winkle Primary School. Part of the schools vision is to develop happy and courageous children who shine in all that they say and do.

Mr Owen is known affectionately by the pupils as the tall man who swears a lot. He does not appear on the school website.

The group descended along the gritstone trail towards the A54 where a grassy knoll was found and Pie Time declared at 11.08hr.

At this stage Mr Beal offered to lend your unexpected but enthusiastic diarist a pen and paper. A bit late perhaps.

Mr Beal was sporting a Tilley Hat. These retail at about £46 and are renowned as being able to be passed through the digestive system of an elephant and be wearable again after a rinse under the tap. When questioned about what he considered to be the unique selling point Mr Beal stated that if the owner wrote their name and address in the hat, then lost it. The manufacturer would sell the owner a new one at half price. An inspection revealed that no name or address were recorded in this hat. Mr Beal however stated that his wife had most probably definitely recorded the required details in her hat. Mr Beal declined Mr Cunliffs suggestion that he report his hat lost but state his head had grown somewhat and provide a larger half price hat to Mr Cunliffe.

The group continued towards Hollin Lane turning right and arriving a short time later at The Ryles Arms where the beer was said to be in good form and enjoyed on a sunny patio next to the car park.

A short time later we were joined by Mr Hart who seemed in good spirits despite having suffered a horrendous blister due to wearing wellington boots that were too small for him. This injury had prohibited him from walking on the day in question.We wish him well in his recovery and assure him that photographs of the injury posted on watsapp were not necessary as the majority believed him.

On leaving the hostillery we turned left through the carpark up a short hill and once again joined the gritstone trail looping left back towards Hollin Lane.

Turning right we followed the lane to a footpath on our right that took us to

Ridge Hall Farm. Crossing Meg Lane we continued to Cock Hall Lane and turned left towards Langley and onto the Goneville estate to the rear entrance of Sutton Hall.

A final drink was partaken in the sun drenched yard.Judging by the red glowing heads of some walkers a Tilly Hat may be a good investment though other cheaper versions are available.

Next weeks walk will be in Eyam on Hawk Hill Road. The three words address is mass.ordeals.quality. Any questions can be directed to Mr Cunliffe via watsapp.

Happy wandering