Ridgegate

September 27, 2023.

 

RIDGEGATE RESERVOIR, MACCLESFIELD FOREST, NESSIT HILL, SHUTLINGSLOE, CRAG INN  AT WILDBOARCLOUGH, PIGGFORD NATURE RESERVE, THE HANGING GATE AT HADDON FARM, BROWNLOW, THICKWITHERS, LEATHER'S SMITHY AT LANGLEY

 

Distance: 7-8 miles.

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous.

Weather: Dry and pleasantly warm with a gentle breeze stiffening later.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Mike Cassini, Mark Gibby, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Julian Ross, Cliff Worthington.

Apologies: Mickey Barrett (leg injury), Peter Beal (recovering from falling tree injuries), Alastair Cairns (weather forecast), Tom Cunliffe (touring north-east), George Dearsley (in Turkey), Mark Enright (w*^king), Dean Taylor and Dave Willetts (busy), Simon Williams (in St Ives)

Alternative walkers: Jock and Keiran Rooney with Milly.

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Lay-by next to Ridgegate Reservoir, 3 miles southeast of Macclesfield.

Starting time: 9.45am. Finishing time: 12.5

 

Perhaps it is time for the Wednesday Wanderers to ignore negative weather forecasts. Keep calm and carry on, as they used to say during Luftwaffe raids.

In recent times these predictions have become increasingly alarmist. Last week this walk was postponed because of fears of rain of biblical proportions and the threat we would be hit by the tail of a hurricane. The reality was that the Rooneys defied the doom merchants and enjoyed fine weather near Buxton apart from a ten-minute downpour. (They would have escaped this too if they hadn't been caught between tunnels on The Monsal Trail). The “gale force winds” were insufficient to embarrass a kilted piper.

This week we shortened the route in anticipation of a lunchtime deluge which never materialised. It transpired that we had changed our plans to escape five minutes of light drizzle.

With Ridgegate Reservoir on our right, we walked along the road, turning right towards Wincle and then heading left by a gate leading into Macclesfield Forest (5mins). This was the start of a steady climb uphill.

When we reached a six-barred wooden gate on our right (13mins) a sign warned us that this had now been designated as a route for mountain bikers.

Undeterred by the potential peril, our intrepid leader Chris led us unharmed up the trail. Just before we reached a wooden gate (23mins) we took a footpath on our left which brought us to the summit of Nessit Hill on our left (29mins) for the first of our spectacular views of the countryside below.

 

 From the hill, we looked down across the valley on Bottoms, Ridgegate and Trentabank reservoirs with the Teggs Nose plateau in the background. Dare I ask if it would be possible to reach this glorious vantage point without risking life and limb by ascending a narrow path designated for cyclists hurtling downhill at speeds around 30mph ?

Our view from Nessit Hill

 

After admiring the vista and regaining our collective breath we continued along the path towards Shutlingsloe, going through a gate and turning right along flagstones (40mins). 

 Approaching Shutlingsloe

 

 Because of its shape Shutlingsloe is ironically named “The Matterhorn of Cheshire” and it is the second highest peak in the county behind Shining Tor. (At 1,660 feet it is somewhat dwarfed by the 14,692 Alpine mountain between Switzerland and Italy)

 

 Our leader Chris decided to ignore the summit and was followed round the left shoulder of the hill by Mike and your diarist (50mins). A breakaway group turned right at a gate, then swung left to reach the Trig Point on the top. The A team, as I shall describe those who walked in the footsteps of Chris, encircled the hill on a track leading to a metal kissing gate (55mins)

A similar gate then led us across a footbridge (60mins). The path then led us to a lane (66mins) where we turned right. This brought us to a road (72mins) where we turned right to reach The Crag Inn at Wildboarclough. We stopped for Pietime (75mins) on a bench in its car park and awaited the arrival of the intrepid quintet.

Resuming, we immediately turned right at a yellow arrow to enter a field and follow the well-trodden path uphill through a series of gates. Several fields later we continued along a steeper path towards a drystone wall where we used a stone step stile to climb over it (103mins)

We turned left along a narrow lane with Piggford Nature Reserve on our right and joined a road emerging from our left (111mins). After passing Heron Crag on our left we turned right through a metal kissing gate at a green footpath sign (114mins).

This path took us through a wooden gate and across a footbridge (118mins) 

 

On our right was the home of George Osborne when he served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in David Cameron's Conservative government and represented the Tatton constituency.

 

We crossed a wooden stile (126mins), crossed a road and headed uphill through a wooden gate at a green public footpath sign (128mins). At another wooden gate we turned right then went left over a wooden stile marked with a yellow arrow (136mins) This path took us through a metal kissing gate where we emerged at a road with The Hanging Gate pub opposite (141mins). 

With our leader's permission your diarist then turned right along the road with the pub on my left on a direct route back to the cars in order to escape a deluge, which never materialised. What follows is a brief description of my route back to Ridgegate Reservoir. 

 

 

 The view towards Croker Hill from The Hanging Gate pub 

 

This narrow country road led mainly downhill as it passed Brownlow Farm and Thickwithers Farm before emerging at the southern tip of Ridgegate Reservoir and the lay-by where our cars were parked (171 mins)

After de-booting I drove the 500 yards north to the car park of the Leather's Smithy. 

 

Dating from the 18th Century the building was formerly a smithy which gets its name from William Leather, a local farrier who in 1821 obtained a license to sell ale and porter.

 

Here, drinking a pint of Steerage cask bitter at the eye-watering price of £4-75, I was soon joined by other members of our group who reported that Chris, having pointed them in the direction of the pub, had walked home. (He is having an alcohol-free period prior to tests on persistent groin pains later in the week. We wish him a speedy recovery)

 

Next week's walk will start at 9.40am from the free car park overlooking Bollington Recreation Ground on Adlington Road, Bollington (SK10 5JT). We will aim to walk in a figure eight climbing White Nancy and following the ridge into Rainow, returning along The Virgins' Path to The Vale Inn on Adlington Road (also SK10 5JT) for a bracer at about 12.15pm. From there we will embark on an experimental route to form a second loop and return to the car park around 2.20pm with the option of another drink in The Vale.

 

Happy Wandering !