Easter Weekend - Day 4

Distance : 10.7 miles
Ascent : 370m
Weather : Rain, easing, then heavy

Today's weather forecast had been quite concerning, but as it happened it wasn't that bad. Light rain eased off, until we were almost home, then the heavens opened.

We started along the Biddulph Valley Way again, enjoying the old railway way line path, which by now had some big puddles as it rained most of the night but was easy going and there were lots of birds including a bullfinch. Reluctantly, we left that path and, following the Gritstone Trail, turned off up a lane towards a farm. Before the farmyard, the path crossed a field and led into muddy woods. Here it was very muddy, however our mud tolerance has been adjusted and we splashed happily through. Ok, maybe not happily.

The path exited the woods onto a track, that gradually climbed up to Mow Cop, in cloud, along muddy but rocky paths that are more like what we are accustomed to, and along a road for a short while where there were lots of laybys where people cosy in their cars can enjoy the views. Leaving the road we followed a misty, snow lined wood path to the top. At the top there was a bench that we didn't stop at, as although I imagine there there are occasionally lots of views up here there weren't any today but it did make for an atmospheric visit to the castle. We also stopped to admire the Old Man of Mow, which is very erm geological.

Coming down off the hilltop we followed a straight grassy waterfall of a path that was a little slippy in places but did clean the mud off my shoes. The cleanish shoes lasted a while as the towpath along the Staffordshire Canal was paved nicely, but too soon became less gravel and more muddy, then grassy and very muddy. We past the boat with the best name, The Snooty Coot, and were soon near Kidsgrove, swapping to the Trent and Mersey Canal, then leaving the canal at the train station to catch the imminent train back to Manchester.

Easter Weekend - Day 3

Distance: 18.5 miles
Ascent : 750m
Weather : overcast
Slips: 1 and frankly that's a miracle
Curlew, Kestrel, Treecreeper, Squirrels

Another comfortable night, and another gupping big breakfast. We were off just before ten, and avoided being mown down by a tractor with a big spike on the front, disappointing to the nearby buzzards.

Before long we had been accosted by two lots of Ramblers, one clutching a torn out page from an AA Road atlas asking the way to Teggs Nose and another asking if we'd seen some of their party. The mislaid Ramblers were about 50m ahead, if that. Things quietened down for a while, we walked through Macclesfield Forest on pleasant paths, with birds singing and the sun shining through the trees. Leaving the forest, along the road as some footpaths were closed due to storm damage, we entered farmland complete with slippy mud, edged with holly, gorse and brambles. A bright white treecreeper was spotted.

We stopped briefly on the way up Croker Hill for some Easter mini eggs, lest the Easter Bunny get angry. We haven't seen any bunnies yet, the one I thought I saw turned into a squirrel. Up on Croker Hill there were curlews, skylarks and pippets singing and we met Millie the very excited spaniel. Croker Hill has a large telecoms tower on it, visible from home (well almost, you can see it from the top of Bishops Park) and it looks quite impressive from afar. Close up, not so much. We walked past aerials and down a grassy slope on the other side.

The next high top of the day was The Cloud, which is about 3 miles away as the crow flies. We are not crows. The Gritstone Trail loops around, first along a hill top lane then through sodden fields with flooded areas, over grassy slopes with muddy gates, along grassy meadows with muddy duck board bridges and by the side of disused canals with ankle deep muddy banks.

Once up on The Cloud, it turned out to be a proper gritstone heath, complete with trig point and a toposcope. The way down was along a muddy rocky path, with sticky out rocks and tree roots. A group of lads was messing about in the stream, much to the obvious disgust of one of their group who's black Nike Airs are never going to be quite the same again. Crossing a few (wet, muddy) fields brought us on to the Biddulph Valley Way, which is a disused railway that, most unusually, seems to be both solid and dry underfoot and leads directly to the place you want to go. We followed this into Congleton and then it was just a quick walk into town.

Easter Weekend - Day 2

Distance: 20 miles
Ascent : 1000m
Weather : overcast
Types of mud: all of them, except glorious
Barely seen creatures : stoat, fox, big brown bird

After a very comfortable night and a fine breakfast, we were set off just before 10am. There was some early excitement of horse mud as we dropped down the hill into New Mills.  I won who got mud highest on trousers competition.

We wiggled though the village on the wiggly Sett Valley trail, then ignored some footpath closed signs to visit the hydro Station and accompanying industrial stonework that was very impressive along the gorge that led round to the Millennium walk way. This was also impressive, although a little bit gerty tummy inducing. Back on solid ground we tried to identify a bird, possibly a peregrine and visited the Swizzles factory, where there was a definite sugariness to the atmosphere.

We walked along the canal for a while, turning off in Disley and up a lane by a  church and onto the Gritstone Trail. As Rob later commented, it is less the gritstone trail and more mud. So. Much.. Mud.

After some mud, we already along a rocky lane to the east gate of lyme Park where there was a proper track and some red deer snoozing by a wall. The Parkland by the house was fairly busy, and we called in at the wheelwrights cafe for lunch.

After lunch we walked through the park and up onto the moors, seeing a curlew and tried to id some hills back towards home to the north but it was too cloudy. On Spondon hill we throught there was a bit heap of gravel but it was the lime stuff they use on fields.The moorland became sheep grazing land which became fields. All muddy. We veered around farms and lanes, through mud and more mud, some deep, some slippy, some deep and slippy and walked up on to White Nancy's Hill and followed the ridge, hoping it would be easier going.

Up on the higher ground, there were sheep fields, heavily pregnant but not quite lambing yet and into open moorlands  with kestrel and buzzards overhead. The views towards Croker Hill weren't making it seem any closer. We left the fields and joined a road just at the Teggs Nose visitor centre.

Time tea rooms shut: five
Time we arrived: five

We had a sit down and tepid tea on a picnic table near the car park and then walked to The Nose.

After looking off the edge of the Nose, we walked down the side of the Nose to the reservoir at the bottom of the Nose. Leaving the Gritstone Trail, we walked up the steepest road in the world through Macclesfield Forest and then up some more. Then down a green lane that actually was ok before arriving at the Stanley Arms. Here we have made ourselves at home and eaten an enormous amount of food.

Easter Weekend - Day 1

Distance: 14.5 miles
Ascent: 500m
Weather: quite bright, pleasant
Mud: plentiful
Tunnels: many
Ducks: fancy

We caught a convenient (although slightly stinky) train to Stockport and then walked through the town centre trying to follow the signs for the Trans Pennine Trail. After a bit of a detour to view Sainsburys car park, we crossed the motorway and the joined the path alongside the river Goyt.

A buzzard was flying overhead and we saw long tailed tits and robin. The wildlife count was pretty good today, but we have had several issues so far with things like rucksack straps breaking, holey shoes and a dodgy charger. The Midshires Way ends in town too but isn't quite so well signed. As the paths part ways the small signs are more noticeable.

Coming into Vernon Park we saw jays, a scruffy looking kestrel and a bumble bee. The garlic is now up, carpeting green underneath the trees and beginning to smell, there was lots of slippy mud under the trees too. And also not under the trees. The path follows the edge of the river, where there were lots of mallards, mandarin ducks mf and also a kingfisher. There was more mud through woodland, ok apart from when the path went down hill steeply, then it was quite slipsome.

Leaving the park's woods we joined the Alan Newton Way (past the sewage treatment works - our noses have had quite the treat today) which we followed to Chadwick Chapel park, where there was a hill. The route has apparently been gradually ascending all day but this was quite a noticeable up. In the woodland we saw a nuthatch and emerging into farm land there were a couple of fieldfares.

Along the Peak Forest Canal we heard a buzzard overhead and a woodpecker nearby, and saw some coots, tufted ducks, cormorant, Canada geese, swans, moorhen, grey wagtail,  and a warbler of some kind. We had lunch by the aquaduct near Marple, which is currently being repaired. There was more work being done on the canal farther along, well needed judging by the amount of canal wall that is in the canal rather than alongside it. We left the canal and followed the Goyt Way for a while back next to the river.

A green lane that was unsuitable for motor vehicles led us onwards and upwards into Derbyshire. We crossed New Mills Golf Course, ringing the bell as requested, and then followed the lanes to the Pack Horse Inn.