Poynton Pool

POYNTON POOL, HIGHER POYNTON, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, LADYBROOK TRAIL, LYME PARK, LYME CAGE, LYME HALL, DEER PARK, BOAR’S HEAD AT HIGHER POYNTON, MIDDLEWOOD WAY, LADYS INCLINE AND BULL’S HEAD AT POYNTON.

Distance: Nine miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Early cloud giving way to blue skies and sunshine.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Chris Corps, Nigel Crank, Tom Cunliffe, Colin Davison, Alan Hart, John Laverick, Julian Ross and George Whaites.

B walkers: Tony Job, Ken Sparrow, Geoff Spurrell and Mike Walton.

Apologies: Peter Beal (narrow-boating), George Dearsley (w*^king), Lawrie Fairman (Hungarian hols), Jock Rooney (w*^king in Turkey).

Withdrawal of apology: Colin Davison (not sailing after all).

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Poynton Pool car park off Anglesey Drive.

Starting time: 9.38am. Finishing time: 2pm.

We welcomed another newcomer to the Wednesday Wanderers on an ideal day for walking. Chris Corps made his debut, stepping straight into the A team, and appeared to find no difficulty in keeping up with a brisk pace.

This gave us a good turnout of eight A walkers, and we soon had one over the eight when we encountered a marooned mariner en route. 

The ideal walking weather also produced perfect drinking conditions and we ended the day on a high note when Barbara and Sally Bromley once again produced two platters of sandwiches as a goodwill gesture. They hope to see us again. They surely will.

Poynton Pool was once an attractive feature in the estate of Poynton Hall, the home of Lord Vernon, who was lord of the manor. In 1850 Bagshaw’s Directory described Poynton as a compact village near the Macclesfield branch of the London and North Western Railway.

In 1841 it contained 152 houses and 854 inhabitants on 2,400 acres of good, well-drained land. “Its subterranean wealth far exceeds that on the surface,” the directory declared, following the discovery of rich seams of coal beneath the farmland. Although much of the coal was worked out at the start of the last century and its 71 pits closed down, Poynton continued to grow because of its proximity to Manchester (20 minutes by train for commuters) to the north and to the spectacular countryside of the Peak District to the south and east. It now has a population around 16,000.

From the car park we crossed Anglesey Drive and walked between the trees separating London Road North on the left from its houses on the right. This brought us out on Towers Road, where we turned right. After passing South Park Drive on our right we reached a bungalow on our right which was once the site of Towers Hall, from which Towers Drive derived its name. Like Poynton Hall, it has long been demolished, but one interesting remnant survives.

By turning left through a kissing gate (10mins) to join a public footpath, we soon reached a mound on our right. This hid a flight of steps down to a grilled door on the far side which had once been the entrance to “The Ice House” – a cool storage facility for the family and servants of Towers Hall.

We continued straight ahead through a series of fields via gates and stiles until we emerged at The Macclesfield Canal (42mins) and turned left along the towpath. At the first bridge across the canal (Bridge 13) we turned left to go back over it and there encountered Colin (47mins).

He explained that his catamaran trip across the North Sea to Holland scheduled to start on Monday had been postponed for four days because the boat involved was blocked by another vessel and could not reach any water to start its journey. Colin joined our group and before you could say “Hello sailor!” he was issuing orders.

For anyone who falls into obvious traps such as iced-over canals, it may have seemed cruel to lead Colin up the garden path, so to speak, but he does bring out the worst in your diarist. After crossing the bridge we rounded a World War 2 pillbox to follow the towpath with the canal now on our left. After 100 yards we reached a wooden footpath sign on our right and followed it into woodland which is part of the picturesque Ladybrook Trail.

The trail in turn crossed the Manchester-Buxton railway line (69mins) before leading us by a footbridge and a ladder stile into Lyme Park (72mins). Our journey had taken us gradually uphill, but now came a steeper ascent as we turned right at the entrance hut and made our way up to Lyme Cage (90mins).

By now the clouds were clearing and the sun was shining as we paused for pietime overlooking the countryside and landmarks below. Resuming, we walked down from Lyme Cage and passed the entrance to Lyme Hall, the ancestral home of the Legh family for more than 500 years until it was handed over to The National Trust in 1946.

It was decided to make a brief detour round the deer park, to the left of the hall, first passing the lake where Mr Darcy emerged with dripping breeches to melt the hearts of not only Elizabeth Bennett but also the millions of Jane Austen fans watching the series on BBC back in 1995. Continuing, we saw a herd of fallow deer grazing and sunbathing to our left before making two right turns to bring us back to our homeward route.

From the car park outside the kiosk and with the hall on our right, we turned left and followed the road round to the right. We forked right again to skirt the wall and headed downhill out of the park. Still going forward and still descending, we crossed the bridge over the Macclesfield Canal, passed the Nelson Pit museum on our right and reached the Boar’s Head on schedule at 12.15pm (146mins).

Here we enjoyed pints of Black Sheep, Thwaites or Wainwrights’ cask bitter at prices from £2-92 to £3-20. The B walkers had just pipped us to the bar from a stroll which had left Tony with a sore ankle. After the A Team had departed, three of them headed on a direct route to the Bull’s Head while Tony made his way by bus.

Meanwhile the main party walked back from the Boar’s Head to The Middlewood Way, which we joined and headed in the direction of Marple before stopping (152mins) at a bench for lunch. Resuming, we left at the first exit by going right and then left over a bridge leading into Green Lane.

We turned right along Green Lane, ignoring the first footpath on our left which would have led us to The Anson Museum. At the next footpath (162mins) we turned left and headed steadily downhill until we entered Woodside Road. At the end we joined the main road between Macclesfield and Hazel Grove and turned right.

We reached The Bull’s Head (189mins) at 2pm and enjoyed draught Bass and two other cask beers at £3 a pint. Barbara and Sally Bromley did us proud with two platters of home-made sandwiches.

This has raised the bar considerably for next week’s walk, which finishes at The Lantern Pike. At the time of writing Tom and your diarist are examining the logistics of an A team walk from Edale up along Kinder, ending in Little Hayfield, possibly starting with a train from New Mills Central station.

When arrangements have been finalised, you will be notified.

  

Poynton Pool

POYNTON POOL, PRINCES INCLINE, HOCKLEY, WARDSEND, MINERS’ ARMS AT WOOD LANES, MACCLESFIELD CANAL, EASTWOOD END CARAVAN PARK, WOODEND FARM, REDACRE HALL FARM, THE BOAR’S HEAD AT HIGHER POYNTON, MIDDLEWOOD WAY, ANSON ENGINE MUSEUM, PRINCES INCLINE AND THE BULL’S HEAD AT POYNTON

Distance: Nine miles.

Difficulty: Easy.

Weather: Cold but dry with sunny spells.

Walkers: Mickey Barrett, Tom Cunliffe*, Colin Davison, Malcolm Halley, Alan Hart and John Laverick.

B walkers: Tony Job, Peter Morrall, Ken Sparrow, Geoff Spurrell and Mike Walton.

Apologies: Peter Beal (hiking in Yorkshire dales), George Dearsley (w*^king), Jock Rooney (w*^king in South Africa), Julian Ross (w*^king indoors), George Whaites (visiting friends in Devon).

Leader: Hart. Diarist: Hart.

Starting point: Car park off Anglesey Drive next to Poynton Pool.

Starting time: 9.34am. Finishing time: 2.22pm.

We have seen the daffodils and the new-born lambs already. But a sure sign that spring is really on its way at last came with the unveiling of Malcolm’s knees. While the rest of our group were swathed in several layers of winter clothing, Malcolm was kitted out for the Costa del Sol in shorts which made the rest of us shiver. Southern softies are clearly tougher than they seem !

In the absence of our experienced leaders, Lawrie and Peter B, and with Colin still serving the last week of his suspension for previous follies, it fell to your diarist to set the route. As you know I do this with a freestyle approach which abhors any gadgets (compasses) or flappy things (maps).

Once again I am happy to report that this optimistic, shambolic method saw us through to a successful conclusion – although there was one early casualty beyond our control.*

After setting off along the bank of Poynton Pool, where we admired the swans, Canada geese, mallards, coots, waterhens, great-crested grebes and a heron, we walked along London Road North for 50 yards before turning left and then taking the footpath to the right of houses up Princes Incline.

When we reached the top at Towers Road (26mins), Tom received a phone call from wife Stella informing him that he had left The Lantern Pike at Little Hayfield with the keys to his pub’s various doors in his pocket. So he was obliged to abandon the hike, retrace his footsteps and drive back home. Stupid boy !

After crossing Towers Road diagonally, we took an unmade road leading to a footpath which brought us on to Davenport Golf Club’s grounds (36mins). We followed the right of way across a fariway and then turned right downhill to exit the club.

Opposite this exit was Anson Road, which we crossed into but took the path to the right leading over a stile into a field with stables on its left. We crossed a series of stiles which brought us out on Coppice Road (47mins). Opposite was a footpath leading to Coppice Boarding Kennels and Cattery.

We followed this path past the hidden Merton Hall on our right and kept straight on at a footpath crossroads. After passing some elegant houses on our right with woodland to our left in an area called Wardsend, we turned left at a public footpath sign down steps to a footbridge crossing a stream (61mins). At the far side we turned right and reached steps leading upwards to a lane.

We turned right for 20 yards then took a path on our left (65mins) which led us alongside fields to emerge at a road with The Miners Arms at Wood Lanes on our right (72mins). We walked past the pub (it wasn’t yet open) and turned left to cross the Middlewood Way by a road bridge and reach the Macclesfield Canal (78mins). Two benches were conveniently placed next to Bridge 18 for Pietime to be declared.

The building of the Macclesfield Canal was approved by Parliament in 1826. Construction, under principal engineer Thomas Telford, began in Bollington and was completed in 1831 at a cost of £320,000 raised by shareholders. The canal runs 26 miles from Marple, where it joins the Peak Forest Canal, through 12 locks at Bosley to the Hall Green branch of the Trent and Mersey Canal near Kidsgrove. It is one of six canals which form The Cheshire Ring.

It can accommodate boats 72 feet long and 7 feet wide. Although commercially successful initially, the arrival of railways led to its demise. In 1846 the canal was leased to the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway. 

This became the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, which became the Great Central Railway, and finally, in 1922, ownership passed to the London and North Eastern Railway prior to nationalisation of the railways in 1948.

Barges continued to use the canal commercially until the 1960s, since when it has been used almost exclusively for pleasure craft.

Resuming after sharing our sandwiches with geese and ducks, we walked in the direction of Macclesfield with the canal on our left, passing Lyme View Marina and exiting over Bridge 19 (88mins) to the far side.

A public footpath marked with a yellow arrow took us through Eastwood End caravan park to Woodend Farm, where we turned right along a path and then left at another yellow arrow (93mins). We crossed a wooden stile and turned left (98mins). Another wooden stile brought us to a lane where we turned left towards Redacre Hall Farm.

We crossed a wooden stile to enter a field by a permissive path (111mins) which brought us back to the canal at Bridge 17. We crossed the bridge and turned right along the towpath (118mins), now heading in the direction of Marple. The canal became an aqueduct as it crossed the road from Poynton to Pott Shrigley beneath us.

This took us to Lord Vernon’s Wharf at Higher Poynton (133mins). We are indebted to Mr Barrett for the information that the word “wharf” is an acronym derived from the words “Wares House at River Front.”  You never stop learning when you’re a Wednesday Wanderer.#

We left the canal by turning left after the bridge and heading downhill past the public toilets at the Nelson Pit Museum, which gives a history of Poynton as a mining village. After crossing the road bridge over The Middlewood Way, we reached The Boar’s Head at Higher Poynton (141mins) seven minutes ahead of schedule.

This afforded some of us the rare chance of three quick pints of Black Sheep cask bitter at £2-93 a time before we resumed our journey. We went back to The Middlewood Way and headed along it in the direction of Marple before stopping for lunch at a bench (153mins). 

Continuing, we exited at the first opportunity by turning right and then going left over a road bridge. This brought us to Green Lane, where we turned right.

At a public footpath sign just before a house called Broad View (157mins), we turned left, passing the Anson Engine Museum on our left (160mins). This lies on the site of the old Anson colliery and is the result of a labour of love by Les Cawley and Geoff Challinor who began collecting old engines as a hobby. It contains a working display of early internal combustion engines for enthusiasts.

After passing the museum and a badger sett on our left, we reached Anson Road and turned right (165mins). At the bottom of Anson Road we crossed on to the drive leading to Davenport Golf Club and retraced our footsteps back to Princes Incline (192mins).

We walked downhill to reach London Road North (203mins), turned right and entered The Bull’s Head on our left (206mins).

Various cask bitters were in good form at £3 a pint, and Sally-Ann Bromley kindly provided two platters of sandwiches “as a goodwill gesture in the hope that we’ll see you again.” She certainly will.

The B walkers arrived some 40 minutes later, having assembled at Poynton Sports Club for a walk along the Ladybrook Valley to Bramhall Park. After refreshments in The Ladybrook at Bramhall, they had taken a circuitous route back which resulted in them completing some seven miles and “feeling knackered.”

Next week’s A walk will start from Brabyn’s Park at Marple Bridge at 9.30am where Colin will again attempt to lead us on a route which hopes to reach The Ring o’ Bells at Marple around 12.15 pm with final drinks at The Royal Scot, Marple Bridge, around 2.20pm.