Christmas Wander and Lunch

 Hayfield Wander & Christmas Lunch – 18/12/24

Distance: 7.5 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Wet, Windy with Dry Spells

Cliff Worthington, Steve Brearley, Alan Hart, Andy White with Berta and Alastair Cairns.

Apologies: George Dearsley (high temperature), Mark Enright (marking papers) Chris Owen (recovering from playing golf)

Non walking drinkers: Tom Cunliffe, Simon Williams, Mark Enright, Chris Owen, Jock,

Leader: White: Diarist: Cairns

Starting point: The Sportsman – Kinder Road Hayfield

Starting time: 10:15. Finishing time: 1315.

This week's Wander presented significant logistical challenges from the start. The wanderers pre-Christmas Lunch walk was scheduled to commence at 09:40 from The Sportsman public house on Kinder Road, Hayfield.

Present at The Sportsman at the designated time were Alan Hart, Andy White, Steve Brearley, Cliff Worthington, and myself. Clearly the numerous cancellations and inquiries via WhatsApp created considerable confusion for Dean, resulting in his initial postponement of the start time to 10:00 and a subsequent inability to lead the group on the walk.

At 10:15, the group proceeded to Hayfield Village to locate our leader, however, despite visiting his residence, Dean and Tommy Taylor remained unavailable. Following a group discussion, it was decided that Alan Hart would proceed independently, following the Sett Valley trail to Birch Vale for coffee before re-joining the group at the Kinder Lodge.

The remaining wanderers proceeded to Twenty Trees via Kinder Road. From there, we continued to the shooting lodge, turned right along the edge of Kinder Reservoir, and proceeded to William Clough. Crossing the stream, we followed the marked path back towards Hayfield and The Sportsman Public House on Kinder Road where Cliff kindly provided Steven and myself transportation to the Kinder Lodge while Andy walked Berta home for a clean-up before joining us at the pub.

Upon arrival at the Kinder Lodge, we joined Chris Owen, Dean Taylor, Mark Enright, and Alan for refreshments where pints of Isobar IPA were enjoyed by all before proceeding to The Sportsman where we met up with Simon Williams, Tom Cunliffe and Jock . Dean was unable to join us for lunch due to him captaining his local snooker team later that evening. Dean's snookering activities did allow him to swerve the "kangaroo court" that was in session at the Sportsman, however he should know his crimes did not go unnoticed and he will be advised of court's findings in the New Year.

There is no walk planned for next Wednesday as it falls on Christmas Day, but there was talk of a New Year's day walk from Poynton Sports Club, further details will be provided in due course.

There will be no walk next Wednesday which falls on Christmas Day.

If there is to be a walk on New Year's Day would Jock Rooney kindly email me the details so I can circulate them to our group ?

May I take this opportunity to wish a merry Xmas and a happy New Year to all my readers. (Alan)

Manchester

Manchester City Centre Wander – 11/12/24

Distance: 8 miles

Difficulty: Easy

Weather: Dry

Walkers: Neil Millington, Andy Blease, Chris Owens, Mike Cassini, Keith Welsh, Mike Barrett, Clive Rothel, Steve Brearley, Alastair Cairns.

Apologies: Alan Hart (hospital appointment), Julian Ross (house guests) George Dearsley (Turkey),

Mark Enright (marking papers) Dean Taylor (speed awareness course)

Non walking drinker: Cliff Worthington

Leader: Cairns Diarist: Cairns

Starting point: Manchester Piccadilly Station

Starting time: 10:00. Finishing time: 18:30.

The planned murder mystery walk was unfortunately postponed due to Mr. Ross's prior commitments.

However, adhering to the wanderer’s motto “firm of purpose flexible in approach”, we proceeded with an alternative tour of Cottonopolis, exploring its lesser-known canals, green spaces, university buildings, and six pubs, two of which were formerly managed by the late, great landlord known as “Mad George” .

George also ran the Moonraker Club in Hanging Ditch and was the landlord of The Circus Tavern on Portland Street, The Sir Ralph Abercromby in Bootle Street, and The Town Hall Tavern in TiB Lane, where pictures of the famous and infamous who frequented his establishment adorn the walls.

After gathering at the "Victory over Blindness" memorial near Piccadilly Station, we followed a route down Lena Street, Dale Street, and the canal towpath near lock 85. During a previous walk, Julian highlighted a security camera and loudspeaker system used to deter homosexual activity. We observed the removal of this equipment, maybe a positive indication of evolving attitudes within Greater Manchester Police.

Continuing our journey, we proceeded along Minshull Street, Portland Street, New York Street, and Faulkner Street, where we stopped to admire the Paifang Arch which was unveiled in 1987 by Manchester City Council to thank the Chinese population for their huge contribution to the city. The arch was built in China before being dismantled and shipped over in three containers. The Chinese Imperial arch in Liverpool is the biggest in Europe, however, in this case size does not matter!

Manchester had their Chinese arch thirteen years before Liverpool unveiled theirs. Manchester has the  second largest Chinatown in the UK behind London and the third largest in Europe.

Leaving the Paifang Arch, we continued to Nicholas Street, Portland Street, and Sackville Street, where we were greeted by a pub called the Thompson’s Arms, the rainbow coloured exterior letting us know we had entered Manchester’s Gay Village. Turning left into Richmond Street, we viewed a mural featuring notable Manchester figures, including Emmeline Pankhurst, Quentin Crisp, Anna Phylactic, Foo-Foo Lammar, and Alan Turing.

Buttocks clenched the wanderers proceeded down Canal Street to Sackville Gardens, where we observed the Alan Turing statue. Turing was an English mathematician and computer scientist widely acclaimed as being a founder of modern day computer science. Working at Bletchley Park Turing greatly helped end WW2 in the allies’ favour by the use of his Enigma decryption machine. 

Engraved in a bench on which the statue sits is the text ‘IEKYF RQMSI ADXUO KVKZC GUBJ’. This is the enigma machine encoding of the phrase “Founder of Computer Science”. It is fitting that Alan Turing sits here because on his left is the University of Manchester, his alma mater, while he looks out toward Canal Street and the Gay Village.

From Sackville Gardens we crossed Aytoun Street before turning down Cobourg Street to Granby Row and the Vimto Monument. In 1908 The UK Government passed a law restricting the number of bars and pubs and while most of the country were is dispair a Mancunian named John Noel Nichols spotted a gap in the market for a soft drink. Nichols wanted to invent a cordial that was so good that people wouldn’t want to drink alcohol again, very strange. Vimto is so popular it is reported to sell six bottles a second and is on sale in 50 countries worldwide.

Heading back to the Rochdale Canal we followed the towpath passing the former Hacienda nightclub before reaching Catalan Square. Walking past Barca, a bar and restaurant formerly owned by Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, we explored the area known as Castlefield, named after the Roman fort, that once stood here. Railway viaducts now chop up the Roman site, but the Victorian engineers and architects acknowledged the existence of the Roman heritage by embellishing their viaducts with castles.

Leaving Castlefield our route took us past the Manchester Science and Industry Museum, crossing Deansgate, St. Peter's Square, and the Midland Hotel, where the first Rolls-Royce collaboration occurred. Following our departure from the Midland Hotel, we proceeded to the John Rylands Library, located on Deansgate.

Frequently described as Manchester's Taj Mahal, the John Rylands Library is a Neo-Gothic structure possessingthe architectural character and ambiance of a church. Its captivating features, including sculptures, stained glass,and arches, establish it as a uniquely charming building, unparalleled in Manchester.

John Rylands, born in 1801, was a prominent cotton merchant in Manchester, achieving the distinction of becoming the city's first multi-millionaire. Upon his death, he bequeathed the largest estate ever inherited by a non-aristocrat to his wife, and it was she who commissioned the construction of the library as a memorial to her husband, it opened in 1900, two years after his passing.

Our route then took us from the Rylands Library toward the Northern Quarter via St Ann Street, by Chapel Walks and Market Street for lunch at the world famous Kabana curry shop. On our arrival at Castle Walks, we made a pit stop stop at Sam's Chop House, where our new wandering companion (and fellow Silverdale resident) Neil Millington, a retired dentist from Middlesbrough, generously purchased pints of J.W. Lees bitter for all of the assembled wanderers. Upon reaching the Kabana, we enjoyed an excellent selection of vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries, all of which received positive feedback.

Post-lunch, we refreshed ourselves at the Millstone before continuing to the Sir Ralph Abercromby (where we were joined by Cliff Worthington), the City Arms, the Broad Oak, and the Circus Tavern,

before returning to Piccadilly Station for our respective train departures and I think it fair to say a jolly good day was had by all.

Next weeks “Christmas Lunch” walk will start from the Sportsman on Kinder Road in Hayfield, at 9.40am.

High Lane

  

December 4, 2024.

 

HIGH LANE VILLAGE HALL, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, MIDDLECALE FARM, PLATTWOOD FARM, ELMERHURST WOOD, LYME PARK, GREEN FARM, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, MIDDLEWOOD WAY, THE BOAR'S HEAD AT HIGHER POYNTON, JACKSONS BRICKWORKS NATURE RESERVE AT MIDDLEWOOD, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, THE BULL'S HEAD AT HIGH LANE

 

Distance: 8.7 miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Dry, mild, mainly cloudy with occasionally sunshine.

 

Walkers: Peter Beal, Andy Blease, Clive Rothel, Steve Brearley, Alastair Cairns, Mike Cassini, Mark Enright, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Julian Ross, Keith Welsh, Andy White with Berta, Simon Williams and Cliff Worthington.

Alternative walkers: Jock Rooney with Milly.

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Apologies: Tom Cunliffe (domestic duties), Mark Gibby (in Wales)

Starting point: High Lane Village Hall car park, off Windlehurst Road, High Lane, Disley SK6 8AB.

Starting time: 9.40am. Finishing time: 2.35pm.

 

Although rain of biblical proportions was forecast for later in the day the prospect of a dry morning and early afternoon encouraged a bumper turnout for this comfortable walk. The absence of any challenging hills may also have persuaded two of our wounded comrades to step up their recovery programme.

Chris and Mike appear to be well on their way to full fitness again after their respective operations and we were delighted to see them turn out in our main group. Hopefully there will be no further setbacks for these stalwarts.

 

From the car park we walked away from its entrance, passing the village hall and a children's playground on our right before going through a gap in the hedge to reach the bank of the Macclesfield Canal. We turned right with the waterway on our left and walked along the towpath through a tunnel beneath the A6.

At Bridge 13 (20mins) where a Second World War pillbox has been disguised with a collection of ornamental knick-knacks, we turned left to cross the canal and headed up the lane, passing Middlecale Farm on our right. We turned left at a T-junction (23mins) aiming for Lyme Cage in the distance and then turned left again at Plattwood Farm (35mins)

The tarmac lane swung first right and then left, then right again as we went through a gate into Lyme Park (52mins). After 50 yards we went right over a wooden ladder stile and entered Elmerhurst Wood (54mins). 

 

 Exiting Lyme Park to enter Elmerhurst Wood

 

 

 

    We followed a track through the wood

 

 

A well-trodden path took us across a pair of footbridges to a stone step stile over a wall to return to Lyme Park with the distinctive Lyme Cage above us 200 steep yards away (69mins). Turning right along a footpath we reached Lyme Park cafe on our right and continued to reach a building set with tables and chairs for Pietime (79mins)

 

 

 

 

Resuming we passed the lake on our right and the car park on our left with Lyme Hall itself emerging on the left.

 

                      Lyme Hall

 

With the hall on our left we turned right across a cattle-grid and swung right again at decorative rocks. A few yards later we turned left along a dark gravel path (88mins). After 250 yards we turned right (91mins) and started to descend a path of well-trodden grass to a wooden ladder stile.

After crossing this we went right over a wooden stile and followed the footpath signs through Green Farm.

At a T-junction (97mins) we turned right towards Green Farm House. Opposite the house we turned left downhill (98mins). Just before a farm we turned left at a footpath marked with a yellow arrow (101mins) and followed this path through a metal kissing gate until it emerged through another gate into a field.

Turning left downhill we reached the Macclesfield Canal and crossed it by a footbridge (106mins) 

 

Proposals for building a canal connecting Macclesfield with the national network were first documented in 1765 but it was not until 1824 that the scheme came to fruition. Under the leadership of engineer Thomas Telford it was completed in 1831. It was 26 miles long running from Marple and the Peak Forest Canal in the north to Congleton and the Trent and Mersey Canal in the south.

In 1846 the canal was bought by the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. It continued commercially until 1954 and might have closed. But vigorous campaigning by the North Cheshire Cruising Club kept this and other canals open as a leisure facility.

 

 

 

 

On the far side of the footbridge we turned right with the canal on our right but immediately headed left away from the towpath along a path which headed downhill. A footpath to the right is temporarily closed (for two years!) because of a damaged footbridge. We walked for 50 yards past this to another footpath where we turned right and exited the woodland by a stile.

Turning right along a road we reached The Coppice car park on our left and here joined The Middlewood Way. We followed this until we reached picnic tables and benches set on the railway line which was once Higher Poynton station. We climbed left before the bridge and emerged opposite The Boar's Head (122mins) 

Here we enjoyed pints of Wainwrights and Timothy Taylor Lanlord cask bitter, pots of tea and other girlie drinks. We were joined by Jock and Milly who had been walking along the canal towpath.

Suitably refreshed we left the pub, crossed the roadbridge diagonally opposite and turned left down steps to reach the Middlewood Way. We then headed north towards Marple under two bridges then turning off diagonally right beyond the third bridge to enter Jacksons Brickworks Nature Reserve (149mins). After exiting we turned left through two gates to head through fields towards the Macclesfield Canal.

 

                      Homeward bound

 

We reached the canal back at Bridge 13 opposite the decorated pill box we had passed earlier. Turning left with the canal on our right we retraced our earlier footsteps to the rear of The Bull's Head on the A6 at High Lane. While sober citizens headed back to their cars, Peter and your diarist had one for the road.

We then went back to the canal, turned left under the tunnel and immediately left through a gap in the hedge to the playground. Here we turned right and then left to reach our cars.

 

 

Next week's walk will start at Piccadilly railway station, Manchester, with wanderers meeting at 10am at the Victory Over Blindness statue just outside the main entrance. It will involve a tribute to a famous Manchester landlord and character known universally as “Mad George” in which we will visit the city centre pubs where he was licensee.

These were The Douglas, The Moonraker Club, The Abercrombie, The Town Hall Tavern and The Circus. Of these The Douglas has been demolished and replaced by the FA soccer museum. We have discovered this is only free to Manchester ratepayers so many of us may feel the £16 entry fee (£14 online) is too steep. (20% discount for groups of 10 or more). Please make your feelings known.

Visits to the other pubs will be interrupted by a call on the legendary curry house, The Kabana, 52, Back Turner Street, Manchester M4 1FR for lunch.

 

Happy wandering ! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Furness Vale

  

November 27, 2024.

 

THE SOLDIER DICK AT FURNESS VALE, RINGSTONES CARAVAN PARK, WHALEY MOOR, HIGH PEAK SCHOOL, LYME PARK, LANTERN WOOD, LYME HALL, LYME CAGE, RED LANE, THE WHITE HORSE AT DISLEY, PEAK FOREST CANAL, NEW MILLS, FURNESS VALE MARINA

 

Distance: 9.5 miles.

Difficulty: Easy to moderate.

Weather: Dry with cloudy start becoming brighter.

 

Walkers: Peter Beal, Clive Bothel, Steve Brearley, Hughie Hardiman, Alan Hart, Julian Ross, Andy White with Berta.

Alternative walkers: Mike Cassini, Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Jock Rooney with Milly.

Apologies: Andy Blease (D-I-Y duties), Alastair Cairns, Mark Enright (w*^king in Kuala Lumpur), Chris Owen and Jim Riley (recovering from ops), Dean Taylor (entertaining family), Keith Welsh (in Cornwall), Simon Williams (chauffeuring duties)

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Outside The Soldier Dick150-152, Buxton Road, Furness Vale SK23 7PH.

Starting time: 9.40 am. Finishing time: 2.15pm.

 

This used to be known as The Phallic Walk, starting at The Soldier Dick in Furness Vale and calling at The Dandy Cock in Disley before returning. Sadly the Soldier Dick is now closed and being sold at auction, possibly never to return as a pub. Furthermore we have now switched our allegiance in Disley to The White Horse, where the new landlord and landlady have given us a warm welcome. So The Phallic Walk may have reached a premature evacuation.

The route itself remains, however, and on this occasion we enjoyed excellent weather  as we hiked across moors, through a wood and alongside a canal, passing historical sites and buildings during our journey.

There were seven wanderers at the outset and we were joined by three comrades at The White Horse. They had opted for shorter walks, as some recovered from injury. 

 

From our assembly point outside The Soldier Dick The Magnificent Seven walked alongside the A6 towards Buxton for 80 yards before turning right into Yeardsley Lane. At its end we turned right just before the entrance to Ringstones Caravan Park (7mins) and followed a track which later swung left towards a farm. 

Proceeding through a metal gate with the farmhouse on our left and stables on our right (13mins) we followed the track to another metal gate which we went through and turned right, walking through a field with a drystone wall on our right. We crossed a wooden stile (22mins) and then a second stile brought us to a road (26mins)

 

Turning left we walked along the road for 100 yards before turning right to follow a green footpath sign for Bowstonegate. The path brought us to a wooden stile (35mins). Instead of crossing it immediately we walked downhill a few yards to an ancient rock called The Dipping Stones.

             Julian, Steve, Hughie, Andy (with Berta), Clive and Pete 

 

In the late 1660s, when Europe was gripped by a plague known as The Black Death, this was where men desperate for food for their infected farms or villages would leave coins soaked in vinegar as a disinfectant. Healthy neighbours would leave food in return for the money.

 

We returned to the stile and followed the path across Whaley Moor. After climbing a ladder stile (46mins) we reached a gravel track and turned right (51mins). This took us past High Peak School on our right. This is an educational establishment for children with behavioural difficulties.

 

Until 14 years ago it was The Moorside Hotel, a popular venue for weddings and anniversaries, and where legendary soap actress Pat Phoenix held her farewell party for Coronation Street colleagues when she gave up her role as Elsie Tanner in 1984. It was also the hotel where Manchester United manager Tommy Docherty had extra-marital trysts with club physiotherapist's wife Mary Brown. The affair cost him his job.

 

The track reached a road which we crossed (55mins) and headed uphill passing Hill View Farm on our right (58mins). Beyond this substantial house in a stunning setting we reached a green public footpath sign (62mins) and turned right.

 

 

The footpath led us over two wooden stiles to a stone step stile (70mins). We crossed this and immediately on our right crossed a ladder stile which took us into Lantern Wood in Lyme Park. In the trees we stopped for pies and port (72mins).

Resuming we followed the path out and kept left within the wood until we intercepted a major path and turned left along it. This soon brought us to The Lantern on our right (85mins)

 

This is a belvedere (structure built to take in a view) comprising three storeys, the top of which is a spire which dates from 1580. The folly resembled a lantern in shape and is a Grade 11 listed building.

 

                       The “Lantern” which gives Lantern Wood its name 

 

We then followed a path downhill, swinging left to a gate and following the path as it passed the former stables on our left and emerged outside Lyme Hall.

 

Lyme Hall was first built in the 16th Century on land granted to Sir Thomas Danyers in 1346 for his valour at The Battle of Crecy. The land passed by marriage to the Legh family who owned it for more than 500 years. It was given to The National Trust in 1946 by Richard Legh to pay death duties.

 

From outside the hall car park we turned right uphill to head for Lyme Cage, a landmark which can be seen for miles from every direction. This started life as a hunting lodge. It later became a useful lookout post for poachers, who could be held in a locked room (the cage) before they were brought before magistrates for punishment.

From Lyme Cage, which is known to have existed in 1580 and been rebuilt in 1737, we headed downhill towards the entrance hut with Bollinhurst Rerservoir on our right and the village of Disley to the north below.

 

 

 

                    Looking down on High Lane and Disley 

 

We continued towards the park's entrance hut (122mins) and turned right to exit the park and start climbing Red Lane. This brought us by a right fork to the grounds of St Mary's, parish church of Disley. Instead of walking down to the church we took a path right behind a bench which brought us by a footbridge to Ring O' Bells Lane.

On our right was the former pub sign showing a set of church bells. The pub itself is now a Friends' meeting house. We turned left down the lane and soon reached the back door of The White Horse on our right (140mins). 

The pub was taken over earlier this year by Geoff and Diane Broomfield. Diane, the cheerful landlady, welcomes dogs and hikers, as she pulls pints of Robinsons' Unicorn or Citrus cask bitters. Her hubby Geoff slaves over a hot stove in the kitchen where he is the chef. I can vouch for the quality of the food. Unusually, the pub's diners and customers with thirsts but no appetites are treated equally well.

 One of the pub's eccentric clients 

 

 

From the front door of the White Horse we turned left to reach the main  traffic lights, crossed the road and turned right towards Buxton. Just before we reached The Dandy Cock we turned left and went under a railway bridge before swinging right. We turned left at Sherbooke Road and headed down to The Peak Forest Canal.

On reaching the waterway we turned right along a path in front of houses and ascended a flight of steps to reach the canal bridge. We walked over it and turned left to go under the bridge and reach the towpath with the canal now on our right.

Keeping the canal on our right as we passed the aromatic Swizzels' sweet factory in New Mills on our left we reached Furness Vale Marina.

 

                   A commercial passenger boat on the Peak Forest Canal

 

Here we exited at Bridge 31 before turning right to cross the bridge This took us over the level crossing to the A6 with The Soldier Dick diagonally on our right (215mins).

 

Next week's easy walk will start at 9.40am from High Lane Village Hall, off Windlehurst Lane, High Lane SK6 8AB (Turn off the A6 at The Horseshoe traffic lights). We will be walking along the Macclesfield Canal before heading towards Lyme Park again but visiting other parts of it via Platt Fold Farm and Elmerhurst Wood. We aim to reach The Boar's Head, Shrigley Road North, Higher Poynton SK12 1TE for a bracer around 12.15pm. There will be the option of further refreshment at The Bull's Head, Buxton Road,  High Lane SK6 8BH, at about 2.15pm.

Happy wandering !