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.