GM Ringway Day 8

 Stage 10 Newhey to Littleborough

Distance 16 miles

Weather : hot hot hot

Ravens, paraglider, buzzards, hot sheep, hot cows, kingfisher, perch

Loaded up with water, we set off from home and joined the Ringway route in Brushes Clough towards Haugh Square and Ogden and Piethorn Reservoirs. We walked around the reservoirs, accompanied by many, many DofE'ers in various stages of limping and sweating under their huge brightly-coloured covered rucksacks.

There was more of a breeze as we headed up on to the moors, following the paths through the grass and reeds up to the aerial on Windy Hill. It has been very dry this year so there was only a couple of tiny boggy bits.

The bridge over the M62 and stone flags of the Pennine Way lead up to Blackstone Edge, where we stopped at the shelter for a rest and very melty chocolate, before crossing the rocks and peat to the Aiggen Stone and down the steep slope of the Roman Road. There were stonechats and a rare sighting of a wild reed bunting in the bracken (in our experience, reed buntings are usually to be found troughing at the feeders in the garden.)

Down from the hill, we turned up a dusty lane towards Whittaker Golf Course and the delightfully named Owlet Hall. Through Cleggs Wood, we followed the stream to Hollingworth Lake, where the visitor centre toilets do indeed close at 4pm. The RSPCA is open until 5pm through so you can pick up a kitten even if you can't have a wee.

There were plenty of bikers and families enjoying the lakeside sunshine. We walked around the lake a short way (having been round many a time) and then joined the Rochdale Canal towpath. There were lots of fish in the canal, including a stripy perch and it was very hot as we walked into Littleborough and the train station to catch the train back to Rochdale then the tram home.

GM Ringway Day 7

Stage 9 Dobcross to Shaw

Distance 18 miles

Warm and humid

Insect bites: many

Kestrels, lapwings, swifts, swallows, chiff chaff, willow warbler, skylarks and more kestrels

We set off from home to join up with the GM Ringway in Dobcross, calling in at Albion Farm Shop and Cafe on the way for a gupping fry up. It drizzled slightly as we were eating but not heavily enough to make us want to leave the terrace and go inside.

Dobcross is very pretty but hilly and it was a steady up through the village and out on to Lark Hill. The track leads along the hilltop and then up on to Standedge and along the ridge above Castleshaw on the Pennine Way and Oldham Way. 

The route follows the Pennine Bridleway and pavements through Denshaw and up to Brushes Clough where it wiggles around and comes out on the path to Newhey above Julbilee Nature Reserve. We dropped down here and walked through Dunwood Park back into Shaw and then home.

It was a great walk, however most of these paths we know very well indeed so it was too easy to just switch off and not properly appreciate the scenery and landscape.

GM Ringway Day 6

 Stage 8 and a bit of 9: Broadbottom to Uppermill

Distance: 12 miles on route, 20 miles total walked

Ascent: 557m

Warm and sunny, breezy

There is a detour needed in Stage 8 because Chew Road down from Chew Reservoir to Dovestones is closed for the rest of the year for maintenance works. So we planned our own route around this, which shortened the walk a bit, but we also decided that rather than spend the an hour and a half it would take to travel by public transport at the end of the day we would walk home, which added about five miles, making it quite a long day.

We bought supplies in Manchester before getting the train out to Broadbottom, where the route leads along the Goyt Valley Way and Tameside Trail to The Hague, where there are some big fancy houses and a lot of signs. Some of the paths were quite overgrown with brambles, there will be plenty of blackberries here in a few weeks.

We crossed a stile and some open fields before joining a farm track that led on to the A57 in Hollingworth. We walked down to the roundabout and back up because of the heavy traffic, bit surprised there aren't any proper crossings for pedestrians here, but we made it. The path then led away from the road along a pretty tree lined path with lots of bees and butterflies enjoying the sunshine towards Mottram Old Hall grounds, where there are some picturesque stone cottages and a beautiful garden, along the wonderfully named Rabbit Lane and passed Hard Times Farm.

Going through a gate into sheepfields and out onto the moors, we had first lunch besides a drystone wall enjoying the views over Hatfield and Glossop, and the Snake Pass winding its way up to the horizon.

A rocky path edged with drystone walls winds its way up on to the moors, we saw stonechats, meadow pipets, phesants, grouse and a lot of sheep. 

The suggested route diversion is to take the low level alternative route along the Pennine Bridleway but we decided to continue on along Ogden Clough to Bowerclough Head (appropriately marked on the map as Wilderness) and then take the path over to Alphin Pike and descend from there. We have walked up that way a few times and knew it to be steep but manageable. We followed the escarpment edge, stopping for second lunch above the Wimberry Rocks, listening to the tooting of the golden plovers. The path down is now quite wide and rocky, having become far more popular in recent years. Near the bottom we joined the Oldham Way, and then the Pennine Bridleway into Greenfield. 

Stage 9 begins here along the Hudderfield Canal, which was looking alarming lacking in water. The ducks were standing up in it.  There were a million squirrels and a cat having a nap. We left the canal just before Dobcross and made our way along the Delph Donkey Track, stopping for a rest and a chocolate bar before tackling the last hill of the day. In total, including the walk to the tram stop and across Manchester, we've walked about 20 miles today.

GM Ringway Day 5

 Stage 7: Marple to Broadbottom

Distance: 9 miles

Snoozy geese, snoozy cows, squeaky kestrel, swifts, house martens, nuthatch, blackcap

Unidentified fish: 1

After a large second breakfast we caught the tram into Manchester and train out to Marple, gettingthe joint tram and train tickets. The shortest route between St Peters Square and Picadilly station isn't walkable at the moment because of work on the tram lines so we are going via Princess Street and Canal Street.

From Marple station the path was rather overgrown to start with but we decided to brave the plantlife, and the path soon widened out into a pleasant path through woodland and up some worn stone steps up to the canal tow path at Lock 7.

It was a very picturesque walk, over (then under) the Marple canal aqueduct, which is the highest in England apparently, and then through farmland and woods, besides the bubbling River Etherow. We passed some pretty shops in Compstall and then walked around Etherow Country Park which is very pretty and very popular, especially with the ducks and geese.  After walking around the park we took the lane out of the village, passing some lovely houses, missing the turn off along an overgrown footpath and carrying on along the bridleway and through a farmyard. We didn't see the promised chickens but we did see a giant Pingu.

The route winds its way up the hillside along wide farm tracks with fine views over the drystone walls towards the peak district, then crosses Werneth Low golf course and into the Country Park. We visited the toposcope near the war memorial, and then a second toposcope in what seems to be a disused carpark on the other side of the hill. 

Grassy fields lead down into Back Wood and steep muddy paths down to emerge onto what looks like someone's drive but is part of the E2 long distance footpath. Passing some fancy houses, one with a very pretty rose garden, and then some rather dangerous looking dye vats, we took the sharp (unmarked) turn off up to the railway platform at Broadbottom. A train to Manchester was just pulling in so we hopped on.

GM Ringway Day 4

Stage 6 Strines to Marple

Distance: 8 miles

Weather: warm and windy

Willow warbler, goats, bunnies, curlew, swallows.

At the end of yesterday's walk, I discovered the sides of my legs were covered in angry red rashes where I'd brushed against some plants, so today was wearing knee length socks to try and prevent more contact. I never wear shorts while out walking but was surprised it was so bad through my trousers. At least it wasn't as hot today.

We bought joint tram and train tickets, which was slightly more expensive than getting them separately but meant we didn't have to worry about which train back to catch. There wasn't quite enough time to get brunch in Manchester, so we bought Co-Op meal deals at the station before getting the train out to Strines. The gap between the train and the platform is especially big here, quite the jump down, but it is a pretty station and very proud of its connection to The Railway Children, the nearby tunnel and viaduct being the inspiration for the story.

Leaving the station we walked up a steep cobbled lane into Brook Bottom, passing the Fox Inn (which was open and serving nice-looking lunches) and up the hillside, up and along a pretty byway, and up into woodland, emerging out on to a heath with a trig point at 327m.

We followed a green lane edged with dry stone walls over Mellor Moor, stopping for a windswept lunch and a meet and greet with a friendly but nervous alsatian dog. There was a short section of road walking and then lanes and rocky paths down into the wooded valley and along a very pretty river with little bridges and the viaduct.

Coming up some steep steps and crossing the road, we were on to the Peak Forest canal towpath again, with narrow boats and a million geese, before heading into Marple beside the flight of locks to the station. At the station there was much confusion about when (if) the train would be arriving due to a points failure at the next station out but all was well as the train just arriving from Manchester turned around and headed back to town.

GM Ringway Day 3

Stage 5 Middlewood to Strines

Distance: 8 miles on official route, 12 in total

Weather: very warm

Skylarks, buzzards, bunnies, deer

We took the train back to Middlewood station and carried on along the lane through the woods, where there were lots of flies and cyclists, turning off to join the Macclesfield Canal towpath and into Lyme Park. It was hot and sunny, with skylarks singing above and grasshoppers chirping around us. We stopped at the visitor centre and then sweated walked up in front of the house and over the grassy hill by The Cage tower.

Leaving the park we had to cross the very busy road and then up into a hilly wood of holly and rhododendrons  until we reached the level ground of the Peak Forest canal towpath. This is part of the E2 European long distance path, from Ireland to the South of France but we thought we'd leave the other 3000 miles for another day. We did decide to extend today's walk by an hour to avoid the rush-hour trams from Manchester, so stayed on the canal side path for a while longer before taking a wooded path with many many steps down to the River Goyt and back up (with some additional up) the other side of the valley following the Goyt Way and the Midshires Way to Strines railway station.

GM Ringway Day 2

Stages 3 & 4 Didsbury to Middlewood

Distance: 14 miles

Nuthatch, long tailed tits, swifts, buzzards, parakeet, thrushes, fox, squirrels

Insect bites: a few

Dogs: a million

We got the tram to Didsbury and followed the path along the tramlines, detouring into the village to have breakfast, and joined back up with the route along busy roads lined with nice houses. We got a bit lost in the leisure centre car park but found a footpath through some woods near to the entrance to the golf course and followed that until we met up with the track. It was very warm and humid, and quite nice to be under trees. Coming out of the woods into parkland at Bramhall Hall we had a sit down on a bench by a big pond. Bramhall Hall is being renovated at the moment and was covered in scaffolding and plastic sheeting, and the grounds were covered in children having a school day out and dogwalkers with a million dogs.

The path goes through parkland, woodland and grassy meadows before crossing a busy road and entering Poynton Park. It was definitely clouding over and becoming even more humid, we had a sit down and ordered our train tickets for the way home. From the park we walked through farmland with lots of sheep and big fancy houses. The last bit of the days walk was along a narrow wiggly road that has no pavement to Middlewood Railway station, which is basically a platform in the middle of a wood. We stood in the shade under the bridge and waited for the train, listening to some confused kids on bikes up on the path above us who had called their parents for directions.

GM Ringway Day 1

Stages 1 & 2 Manchester to Didsbury

Distance 13 miles

Weather: warm

Whitethroat, heron, goldcrest, reed warbler

Squirrels: just 1

Insect bites: 1

The GM Ringway is a new 200 mile walk that goes around all the boroughs of Greater Manchester, in 20 stages. It actually passes not far from where we live, but we decided to follow the official route starting in the city centre but change things up a bit to avoid duplicating routes and join some of the stages together to make the walks a bit longer and reduce transport.

Using the tram we arrived in St Peters Square and headed towards Bridgewater Hall and on to the Bridgewater Canal towpath through Castlefield. The canal was lined with ox-eye daisies and campion flowers, and graffiti. We left the canal near Old Trafford football stadium and walked (via Tesco) to Old Trafford cricket ground, and through the streets to Longford Park where we stopped to meet the goats and chickens in Pets Corner. From here the walk is distinctly less urban - going through woodland and parkland of Moss Fields, Ivy Green and Chorlton Ees.

At Sale Water Park we decided against having icecreams (due to icecream disappointment when we were last here nine years ago...) and didnt make use of the plentiful benches,  but walked on to join the path alongside the River Mersey. The path follows the riverbank except for a short stretch thoough a golf course (where the right of way is a narrow fenced in path next to an overgrown hedge and stinging nettles) and then we were back on the river until we reached the Fletcher Moss botantical gardens (the cafe looks very fancy here) and into Didsbury.

RSPB Leighton Moss

Trains: Rochdale to Silverdale, changing at Preston/Lancaster 

We spent two days at RSPB Leighton Moss, staying for the starling murmerations at dusk. The reserve is only a short walk from the station, although we did go over to the coastal hides as well. There aren't any pavements or footpaths that join the sites which is a shame but the road isn't too busy and it was fine.

On day 2 we had time in Preston to walk around Avenham park down to the River Ribble, reminiscing about our Lancashire Way walks.