Ridgegate

 March 13, 2024.

RIDGEGATE RESERVOIR, MACCLESFIELD FOREST, SHUTLINGSLOE, CRAG INN AT WILDBOARCLOUGH, PIGGFORD NATURE RESERVE, THE HANGING GATE AT HADDON FARM, SMALLHURST FARM, THE RYLES ARMS, LOWERHOUSE, GRITSTONE TRAIL, LEATHER'S SMITHY AT LANGLEY

Distance: 9 miles.

Difficulty: Moderately strenuous.

Weather: Cloudy and mainly dry: mild with short shower.

Walkers: Andy Blease, Alastair Cairns, Mike Cassini, Colin Davison, Alan Hart, Chris Owen, Jim Riley with Flossie, Simon Williams, Cliff Worthington.

Alternative walkers: Tom Cunliffe with Daisy, Jock and Keiran Rooney with Milly.

Apologies: Micky Barrett (South American hols), Peter Beal (foot injury), Mark Enright (w^*king), Mark Gibby and Hughie Hardiman (monitoring Cheltenham Races on TV), Dean Taylor (shopping with wife)

Leader: Owen. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Lay-by next to Ridgegate Reservoir, Sutton, Macclesfield, near Leather's Smithy pub in Clarke Lane, Sutton SK11 0NE.

Starting time: 9.50am. Finishing time: 2.30pm.

Former police officer Jim Riley brought a new recruit to this walk in the shape of Flossie, a winsome two-year-old cocker spaniel, having previously introduced us to his other spaniel Jasper.

As he approached a stile near the end of the walk, Jim remarked: “ As long as she has a ball in her mouth I know she won't jerk me off.” Now we don't like to be judgemental in the Wednesday Wanderers and the complicated relationship between dogs and their owners is nobody else's business. However, this does seem to be a situation which needs monitoring and other dog owners are hereby warned.

Jim Riley with Flossie

Chris led us on this popular walk and your diarist was pleased to note that on this occasion he decided not to defy an instruction that one of the climbs through Macclesfield Forest was specifically designed for mountain bikers only. This meant we were denied the spectacular views over Ridgegate from Nessit Hill but for once this was a price worth paying for the sake of safety.

Rain had been forecast to fall from noon and it duly obliged at 12.15pm with a sustained light shower. This caused Colin, who had not brought any waterproofs, to divert back to his car and drive to The Ryles Arms where we were already ensconced.

Our shepherd Chris, who had been fretting over his scattered flock, was relieved to discover that the lost sheep had been found. So Chris emerged without a stain on his escutcheon (which must have been a huge relief).

In the Ryles Arms, we joined Tom and The Rooneys who had been on a brief alternative walk.

They started from Ryles over to the SW edge of Ridgegate returning in a circular pattern.

Ridgegate Reservoir

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 been designated for mountain bikers only. We ignored this path and carried on uphill, turning right at a footpath sign. The path continued uphill through a gate (40mins). By now Alastair had already turned right to head for the summit.

Because of its shape Shutlingsloe is ironically named “The Matterhorn of Cheshire.” At 1,660 feet it is somewhat dwarfed by the 14,692 Alpine mountain of that name between Switzerland and Italy.

As Alastair climbed towards the Trig Point the rest of our group took the easier option and went straight on to walk along the left shoulder of Shutlingsloe, hearing the distinctive sound of a curlew in the valley to our left below as we went through a series of gates and over a footbridge.(70mins). The path then led us to a lane (72mins) where we turned right.

This brought us to a road (80mins) where we turned right to reach The Crag Inn at Wildboarclough and stopped for Pie time (82mins) in its car park. This pub has long been closed on weekday lunchtimes and there have been rumours that the latest owner wants to sell water, discovered in a well beneath the property, rather than beer.

This appeared to be confirmed to some extent by a sign indicating the pub was only open for 4 hours a week - surely worth an entry in the Guinness Book of Records !

A sign of the times ?

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). We crossed the road, lamenting that this once favourite half-way house for thirsty Wednesday Wanderers was no longer open on Wednesday lunchtimes.

We went past the front door of the pub on our left with its separate toilets to our right, and reached a gate on our right marked with a yellow arrow. As we did so we gazed nostalgically at the picnic tables which commanded idyllic views across the valley.

View across the valley from The Hanging Gate

The path took us through another metal kissing gate and down a flight of steps to a road where we turned left (145mins). After 20 yards we turned sharp left uphill then turned right towards Smallhurst Farm (148mins). It was at this point that Colin went AWOL.

As we reached the impressive farmhouse we walked to its left following a footpath sign (150mins). It took us down steps and across a footbridge. We crossed a broken wall by the side of a ladder stile and through two metal kissing gates (155 and 159mins).

On reaching a wooden stile we turned left (162mins) to reach the rear of The Ryles Arms (163mins). Here we enjoyed a choice of three cask ales priced at £4-50 a pint.

Suitably refreshed we retraced our footsteps to the lane leading to the back of the pub before turning right at a Gritstone Trail marker (164mins). After going through two metal kissing gates (166 and 171mins) we walked through a wooden gate, climbed a stone step stile and reached a road (180mins)

We dog-legged right and left to follow the GT marker and go through a wooden kissing gate and then a farmyard (188mins). Continuing to follow GT markers through metal kissing gates either side of a lane (194mins)

Nearly home with Tegg's Nose in the distance

Another metal kissing gate brought us to a track where we turned left (199mins)

We went right through a wooden gate and crossed a wooden footbridge over a stream (203mins) The path then emerged on the banks of Ridgegate Reservoir. We turned left along the bank before reaching Leather's Smithy (211mins) on our left.

Dating from the 18^th 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 the Timothy Taylor Landlord cask bitter was an eye-watering £4-85 a pint.

                     Route taken by alternative walkers 

Next week's walk will start at 9.40am from the free car park overlooking Bollington Recreation Ground, Adlington Road, Bollington SK10 5JT. It will be a figure-of-eight walk heading first towards Rainow and aiming to return to The Vale at Bollington SK10 5JT at about 12.20pm for a bracer before returning to the same pub for final refreshments around 2.30pm.

Happy wandering !