Styal

 October 12, 2022.

THE OLD SHIP AT STYAL, STYAL CROSS, BOLLIN VALLEY, CHAPEL WOODS, KINGFISHER BRIDGE, OXBOW BRIDGE, GIANT'S CASTLE BRIDGE, AIRPORT INN, MORLEY GREEN, NEWGATE NATURE RESERVE, LINDOW MOSS, LINDOW COMMON, THE KING WILLIAM AT WILMSLOW, BODDINGTON PLAYING FIELDS, THE CARRS, QUARRY BANK MILL, STYAL COUNTRY PARK

Distance: 10+ miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Weather: Mostly dry and bright with occasional drizzle.

Walkers: Micky Barrett, Andy Blease, Mark Gibby, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Dean Taylor with Tommy, Keith Welsh, Simon Williams.

Apologies: Peter Beal, Alastair Cairns, (domestic duties), Tom Cunliffe (preparing to move house), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Enright (w^*king), Hughie Hardiman (leg injury), Julian Ross, Dave Willetts, Cliff Worthington.

Non-walking drinkers: Colin Davison and Laurie Fairman.

Leaders: Micky Barrett and Chris Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Road outside The Old Ship Inn at Styal.

Starting time: 9.34am. Finishing time: 2.05pm.

The start of this walk was a cross between a rural idyll and a Royal Marines commando exercise. In the most picturesque of settings, we endured a roller-coaster ride of climbs and descents as we successfully negotiated a difficult route along the lovely Bollin Valley.

It has never been an easy course because of the twists and turns of the river which can be disorientating as you find yourself first on one bank and then the other. Past failures were a useful guide as Micky and Chris managed to rise to the challenge and emerge triumphant. Not without some anxious moments.

The River Bollin

The second hour of the work involved a rather tedious hike through suburbia but we were rewarded with a surprise visit from Wednesday Wanderers' living legend Laurie Fairman, when we reached The King William in Wilmslow. He defied doctors' orders to sink a pint and demonstrate his independence of Geordie spirit.

Laurie under interrogation from Mark and inspection from Tommy

For the return journey we were soon back along the banks of the Bollin in the Cheshire countryside as we passed the historic Quarry Bank Mill on the return journey.

From the road outside The Old Ship we headed uphill and turned left at a sign for the Methodist Church, passing a thatched cottage on our left before dog-legging left and right to continue (1min). At the first path on our right marked with a red arrow we turned right and reached Styal Cross on our right (3mins)

Styal Cross was originally located at Cross Farm, Styal. Around 1860 it was moved to Holly Lane where it stood until 1980 when it was demolished by a runaway lorry.

The base, thought to be medieval, was rebuilt. The upper column remained a truncated stump until 2010 when the cross was restored to its original state.

Styal Cross

We turned left toward Chapel Woods taking the right fork marked with a red arrow and then turned left to walk down and cross a metal bridge (6mins). After heading up steps on the far side we turned right and crossed Kingfisher Bridge (10mins) and then Oxbow Bridge (17mins) before turning left and heading first up and then down steep flights of steps before walking along duckboards.

At a T-junction (26mins) we turned right and crossed Giant's Castle Bridge (28mins) before turning left up a flight of steps. No sooner had we stopped climbing than we went down another flight of steps to cross a footbridge (32mins), then passed a wooden bridge on our left to follow a red arrow with the Bollin on our left (40mins)

Ignoring a path on our right with a red arrow (47mins) we continued to keep the Bollin on our left as we left the woods and turned left across a bridge. On the left was The Airport Inn, formerly The Valley Lodge Hotel where Thursday night discos were once popular with ladies of a certain age.

Crossing the main road we turned left and proceeded until we reached Morley Green Road (61mins) where we turned right. When we reached a pair of benches on the village green at the end of the road (71mins) we stopped for pies and damson gin kindly provided by Chris.

Resuming we crossed the T junction to follow a green public footpath sign by the side of a lane marked “Except for Access.” Where it forked we went left (77mins) and entered Newgate Nature Reserve (82mins). We forked right (84mins) and reached a lane where we turned right (86mins)

This brought us to a junction where we carried straight on ahead with Sylvia Cottage on our right (89mins). After swinging left (92mins) we turned left before a farm (96mins), crossed a footbridge and then turned right (98mins). We crossed another footbridge and turned left (102mins)

After forking right towards woods (106mins) we turned left at a path leading into them (107mins). On reaching a T-junction we turned right (110mins) and soon began to approach the outskirts of Wilmslow. After passing Don's DIY store on the right we turned left into Moor Lane (115mins). Just before we reached The Farmers Arms on our right we turned left into Buckingham Road (128mins)

At its end we turned right (135mins) then headed left just before Water Lane Clinic to enter Hale Road (141mins). Turning right into Hawthorn Park (142mins) we then turned left just before Wilmslow Conservative Club into Kennerley Road. At its end we turned right (145mins)

With the HSBC ahead we were now in the heart of Wilmslow's shopping centre. We turned left, passing Waitrose on our right and then turned right uphill to reach the rear entrance of King William (This may be a treasonable offence one day !)

Inside (151mins) we found Colin and were soon joined by Laurie, who has been having chemotherapy treatment. He has lost some weight but was in good form.

Suitably refreshed we turned left out of the pub and crossed the busy roundabout to head left passing a church on our left before turning left into Boddington Playing Fields (154mins). Beyond the playground we turned right with the Bollin on our right and walked through an area known as The Carrs.

This comprises 70 acres of a picturesque linear walk linking Styal Country Park and Dean Valley. It was bought in 1935 by Wilmslow Urban District Council to mark the jubilee of George V.

We crossed a footbridge and turned right following a sign for Lindow Common (161mins) before pausing for lunch under the shelter of a tree (164mins). Continuing we ignored one bridge on our right and carried on until we reached Twinnies Bridge (176mins) which we crossed to enter a car park on the left.

Following a sign for Styal with the Bollin now on our left we went through a metal kissing gate (178mins) and crossed Heron's Pool Bridge (184mins) before reaching Quarry Bank Mill on our left (193mins)

This was a former cotton mill built in 1784 by Samuel Greg, where adults and children worked 72 hour weeks until 1847 when a new law made such long working weeks illegal. The National Trust now uses the mill as a museum.

Beyond the mill we turned left (197mins) towards Styal, then turned right (200 mins) to reach the road from where we had started (202mins). A short walk right brought us to The Old Ship on our left (203mins)

As most of the Wednesday Wanderers will be in Turkey from October 18-26 no walks for October 19 and 26 have been planned. Those not taking part in that adventure should liaise with each other to make any arrangements in the absence of our international formation drinking team.

Happy wandering !