Congleton

CONGLETON

Attendees: Andy Blease, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Mark (AKA Popkiss), Chris Owen, Dean Taylor, Dave Willet (s).

Course: strenuous start, remainder easy

Weather: wet

Apologies: numerous

Leader: Owen

Diarist: Owen

Given the weather conditions, there was a good turnout, eight in number and one dog. At the commencement Tom shared some sobering news, he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and will therefore be missing for some weeks whilst he has it ‘cut out’.

We set off along the A523 towards the Queens PH turning right opposite said PH by one side of the Bosley god botherer’s centre. We passed through a series of kissing gates downhill toward Bosley Wood Treatment which went ‘boom’ some years ago.  I am not sure what it currently does however there are a number of folks who scurry ‘hither and thither’ transporting ‘stuff’ between premises.

We turned right over a humpty back bridge and progressed uphill towards our objective scaling Bosley Cloud. At an unknown lane we turned left for some 150yds and crossed a stile into a long grassed field. Again uphill it caused our number to become ‘strung out’, however upon reaching the lane we allowed our number to regroup. I believe the house to our right was covered in ‘Grand Designs’ some years ago.

At the lane we went left, again uphill for about 300yds before going back on ourselves where we encountered a number of steps which enabled access to a gentler hill to the top of Bosley Cloud. There were Wallabies and Emu’s/Ostrich’s to our left. There were wild Wallabies (escapees from somewhere?) in neighbouring Rushton Spencer in the 1970’s.

No view, whinging from Mr Willet, still no view, we progressed following the Gritstone Trail towards Timbersbrook car park, whereupon it was agreed pie time should be postponed until a drier venue could be found.

We turned right out of Timbersbrook car park, there were no sign of the peacocks which are normally visible and we turned left through a farm crossing a number of fields where we turned right at a lane. 150yds we turned left and again crossed a number of fields before turning right arriving at Macclesfield canal where pie time was called sheltering under a canal bridge.

At this point it was decided we would/should curtail our wander given everyone was ‘damp’. Rather than go into the centre of Congleton we decided to follow Macclesfield canal in the opposite direction to reduce our wander by 3ish miles. Whinging was still audible, but ignorable. The canal, boring but flat was followed, still whinging, until reaching (Heinz varieties) bridge 57 where we left the canal going right to return to our cars some 1.5 miles further on via Bosley Wood Treatment works.

Some seven of our eight returned to Sutton Hall to enjoy ‘Lord Lucan’ and other inferior bitters.

Next weeks wander will commence from Ridgegate reservoir going over Shutlingslow stopping at the Ryles and returning to Ridgegate for a further wet at the Leather’s Smithy. Commencement 09.45hrs.