Category: Outdoor Activities
A journey from peak to plain
5th August 2009 The mixture that has been the weather during the last few weeks may or may not have made the boffins in the Met Office look a little foolish, to say the least. More seriously, it is having an adverse impact on many Irish dairy farmers following what was for them a less than ideal winter; the combination of high feed and fertiliser prices, low grass growth due to sodden ground and a collapse in the price of milk is proving the undoing of many otherwise sound businesses and even may provoke an exodus from the industry yet. In these constrained times, alternatives are rare, so forestry is coming out in the wash as one option because of the possibility of E.U. funding. It leaves me wondering if that could turn out a good thing for walkers, but only time and progress regarding access will tell on that score. Nevertheless, calling these times interesting would be an understatement...
That predicament puts into perspective any moaning that there has been about those unfulfilled dreams of sunshine holidays at home. As one sunseeker put it to me about enjoying Britain all year around, sunbathing isn't much of an option away from the summer months, and I only can agree. It also rather explains very well the traditional fixation with getting a summer with copious amounts of warm sunshine. Thought the greyness can irritate, those of a more active inclination always have the option of wrapping up warm for the cold and using waterproof clothing if they desire to face the rain. A mixture of sunshine and light showers is more than bearable but calling quits becomes a less easy inclination to fight off when the rain turns heavy and incessant.
Regardless of being equipped to deal with what the weather puts your way, I still find the possibility of some dryness much more amenable, and last Saturday week didn't fail to supply exactly that. It was a merry counterpoint to the near pervasive wetness that has so dominated July's weather. Casting my eye over the weather forecast map of Britain, the idea of hiking from Grasmere to Borrowdale by way of Grasmere Common and Greenup Edge came into my mind. In the event, circumstances did not allow for this, so I stayed local to enjoy a pleasant afternoon's and early evening's walking along a mixture of thoroughfares as I wandered through some Staffordshire and Cheshire countryside.
A train to Kidsgrove got me to the start of my trek, and the first task was to get out of Kidsgrove to Mow Cop, a village divided between Cheshire and Staffordshire. Following the Gritstone Trail as it followed canal towpaths before heading east on a mixture of road and footpath walking might have been the clearer option, but I chose to muddle my way across Kidsgrove instead. While that may have taken longer than might have been liked, I now know better and got to crossing fields in due time anyway. My journey even took me through some corn fields as Mow Cop was made to grow ever nearer.
The final stretches of the way to Mow Cop Castle were over tarmac, and I took the chance to linger awhile on those upward slopes. Clouds packed the sky, so sunshine was spotty, so it looked like photographic ambitions of making photos of the aforementioned erstwhile summerhouse were to come to naught. However, the decision to hang about on National Trust property was rewarded when the sun got through to light up the Castle, built by a former resident of nearby Rode Hall. It is a well-known landmark round these parts, but there's more to that to Mow Cop, as you'll realise if you ever come by a free leaflet produced by the Mow Cop Resident's Association with Heritage Lottery funding to promote their Heritage Trail. A read of the said document should reveal that a lot is packed into what looks for all the world to be a small, inconsequential spot. The Castle might be visible from as far away as Siddington and Marton, but an afternoon or day long visit should be well spent if you put in the effort.
Making my way north from the Castle brought me to my turn for the South Cheshire Way in the sight of the Old Man o' Mow, an artefact left behind after quarrying works came to an end. Downhill progress took me through damp pasture and into Hanging Wood, where mud simply was unavoidable, hardly a surprise after the preceding weather. If anything, I should have encountered more mud than I actually did, but that may be a consequence of the quality of the land that I was crossing. Beyond the wood, it was onto pasture frequented by curious cattle who were quickly left after me when I found a good track that took me to Acker's Crossing and with an underpass taking me across the West Coast Mainline too.
A snippet of tarmac bashing landed me on the banks of the Macclesfield Canal. The plan was to follow the South Cheshire Way around by Little Moreton Hall until I met the Mersey & Trent Canal near Thurlwood. In the event, an absence of waymarks, well turned up turf and unpromising stiles gave me the wrong impression, so I stuck with the canal towpath to pass Ramsdell Hall and pick up a more promising right of way that escorted me to Scholar Green.
More road walking awaited before a crossing of the A34 took me off-road again on a driveway that changed to a narrow path between two overgrown hedges. Another minor road crossing ensued as I picked my way through the fields, one a grain field, to the south of Rode Hall. After passing through Bratt's Wood, I needed my navigational wits about me to make up for a waymarking malfunction to reach the aforementioned Mersey & Trent Canal. Knowing that I was less likely to come into conflict with a landowner given the time of day and my being out of sight of any habitation may have meant that I could go direction finding with a certain confidence that was found lacking earlier in the day.
On reaching the canal, I had a decision to make. Looping back to Kidsgrove's train station was one option, but the option of spending some of the evening hours extending my stroll to Wheelock proved too tempting. Thus, I plied the towpath, marvelling at the number of locks that I was passing. The village of Lawton-gate was passed without delay, while Thurlwood offered the chance to relax awhile in the company of swans and ducks. From there, I took to a steady pace to shorten the distance to the M6, under which I was to pass. Farm machinery was in action in the fields for the harvesting of silage and what I believe to be oil seed rape, but I am no expert on the latter; the sight of a working forage harvester rather than a combine is what is sending my thoughts this way. The activity was a reminder that agriculture continues to bustle if not flourish in some places, even if it is suffering in others.
After passing under the M6, the hubbub of traffic and farm machinery was left behind me for quieter parts. Wheelock turned out to be very near at hand, as I found myself making light work of the remaining distance on a pleasant summer's evening with patchy sunshine. My destination isn't the largest of places and its situation on the Cheshire Plain means a less dramatic aspect than that at Mow Cop, but it remains a pretty spot nonetheless. Having a direct and regular bus connection played a part in my deciding to finish there. In hindsight, I suppose that I could have stayed there a little longer, but my mind was set on getting home, and the next bus came at a good time to end a day that was far from wasted by my exertions.
Travel Arrangements:
Direct train from Macclesfield to Kidsgrove and bus service 38 from Wheelock to Macclesfield.
Finding dry weather over the weekend
3rd August 2009 In marked contrast to July, I seem to have got in a proper hill walking outing right on the first day of August. It was a case of first deciding that I was going somewhere and then finding a dry spot on the weather map. That took me on a train journey to Machynlleth in Wales by way of a wet Wolverhampton. More specifically, I ended up walking what might be termed a Cwm Cau horseshoe and that took me over Cadair Idris. Starting and finishing at the Minfford Hotel meant that I ended up avoiding Dolgellau, a perhaps more usual starting point but with a longer walk in to the hills, too. When I finally begin to get the lead out with my trip reports, I'll tell you more about the escapade but a good day was had with a cap of cloud keeping both sunburn and heatstroke at bay. That might have limited the photographic output but there was still plenty of that too with the sun coming through at times.
Yesterday saw me pulling out the bike for an afternoon run around Macclesfield. Given that I was (and am) still feeling the effects of Saturday's exertions in my legs, steeper inclines were avoided on a spin that took in places such a Siddington, Marton, North Rode, Oakgrove and Sutton. The weather was reminiscent of what I enjoyed in Wales the day before so it wasn't unsuited to a spot of activity. Some roads like the A537, A34, A54 and A523 had their fair share of traffic but Cheshire has its allotment of quiet country lanes too. They can be both narrow and twisty so keeping so being alert in readiness for the occasional car is always clearly in order. Even so, sufficient opportunity for relaxing progress was on offer and the surroundings were resplendent to boot.
All in all, the weekend made an excellent start to August (and autumn? Well, some are wondering...) so long as you picked the right spot. It has been a bank holiday one in Éire and Scotland so I hope that they were able to make something of it. July hasn't been so kind to us so the only hope is that the predicted mixture of rain and sunshine allows some drier interludes for enjoying the countryside at this point in the year and there's a bank holiday weekend for England and Wales at the end of the month.
Signs of autumn
26th July 2009 July has been a quiet month for me on the hill wandering front. Between having other things that need to done and not being enticed by the current mix of damper weather, getting out of doors has tended to be a largely bicycle-borne affair. Thoughts of enduring endless power soakings have helped to turn my mind to other things but the opportunity offered yesterday by a dry sunny interlude from the water was too good to miss. Ambitions of heading to Cumbria for a trot from Grasmere through the fells to Borrowdale had been entering my mind. However, circumstances were such that the idea needed to be parked for another time and I opted for a more local stroll instead. That took me from Kidsgrove in Staffordshire to Wheelock in Staffordshire by a round the houses sort of route that I'll describe in another posting.
Suffice it to say for now that the sights of well berry-laden rowan trees (or mountain ash if you prefer) along with ripening corn in the fields is a reminder that autumn is at hand. The colours of the leaves may not be changing for a while yet but the fruits are ripening and blackberries are already there to be had along with other fruits that I cannot name because my knowledge of botany isn't what it might be. Seeing nature's larder becoming stocked to the level that I have seen it is a reminder of a country saying whose verity is hard to verify: masses of fruit on trees and bushes is a harbinger of there being a cold winter ahead. The logic behind this is that nature provides in plenty to tide birds and such like over a period of want. To my mind, it belongs in the same category as the forty days of rain following St. Swithin's day with there being some truth in that from a meteorological standpoint. Apparently, the weather can get locked into a pattern around this time of year, be it dry and sunny or, as we are having it, wet and rainy. To whose wishing their life away, the latter outcome is a distinct disappointment but others among us will realise that there is more to the year than the months of July and August. Of course, that's little comfort to those wandering to save the year's harvest even if a mixture of sunshine and showers does help with the ripening of corn; bringing in wet grain doesn't pay as well. We all can only hope for a drier interlude while making what we will of what we get.
On dealing with the prospect of rain
21st July 2009 For all of the Met Office's optimism, this summer feels anything but special at the moment with its mix of sunshine and hefty showers. The current cooler conditions may suit me rather better than the sort of temperatures that some would desire but repeated heavy dumps of rain do nothing for the motivation either. With preparation, you certainly could walk in these conditions but the question arises as to how much pleasure would be gained in so doing. Even I admit that the prospect of repeated heavy soakings causes me to consider indoors activities instead. That's exactly what happened last Sunday when I chose clutter clearance over going out and about. Saturday was the better day but there were things that needed doing, such as getting my bike repaired. Since that was done (professionally, I'll add), I have been out on local roads while the rain stayed away for long enough. Yesterday's offering of rainless wads of clouds allowing some sun to come through was the cause of many going out on their bike around lunchtime though things were far quieter when I got to get out on mine after work.
When it comes to going out on wet days, I am always after some dryness to offset the wetness and, even better, to help me dry off. Last August, I embarked on my Scottish island hopping escapade hoping for a little sun among any grey wetness only to be granted a goodly number of sun-drenched days instead. Looking for a little had earned me a lot on that occasion but yearning for a steady improvement after a damp start can prove fruitless too as I found with two trips to Argyll. Then, the rain ended up becoming an irritating nuisance so my buses back to civilisation were very welcome when they came. Whatever preparedness there might have been with regard to gear and experience did nothing to take away from the fact that, when there is no pleasure anymore, it is time to exit. Those who were walking along the West Highland Way in torrid conditions last autumn might know how that feels.
In contrast, there was a time when grey mornings might have kept me at home; using it as a device to allow other important stuff to get done was all very fine but it went far too far. Now, when things look mixed, I take to looking to see how things might develop over the course of a day. Only for that, we might never have got to the hills around Gougane Barra or the cliffs about Kilkee while I was in Ireland last month. It pays not to be too picky, even if trying to discern how things are going to go over the course of day is tricky when television news is all that's available to you.
With all that in mind, I am casting an eye towards the weekend. Right now, it looks promising so I may get in a longer outdoors outing rather than snatched evenings as has been the way recently. Of course, any predictions of fair weather need not become reality and I don't need to be told that, especially after a hike took me among clag-bound and damp Cumbrian fells when they were supposed to be clear. Forfeiting a yomp over Fairfield seemed all the more sensible when I later saw the route that I was planning to take on a clear sunny day. However, you have to live in hope...
An evening stroll
14th July 2009 With all of the computer goings-on (there have been some confidence-deflating mishaps this year) and the need to give my house a good tidy (it is that time of year for me), I wasn't able to get away for a longer outing over the weekend. So, I opted for a more freestyle amble on Sunday evening than is my wont. Anything that allowed me a short break could not be dismissed.
Very unusually for me, maps were left at home as I explored the greener ways, many of them off-road cycle paths serving local schools, around Macclesfield town. Most of them were metalled, but one took me on an about-turn through muddier terrain. Opting to stay on better known thoroughfares after that, I followed the road towards Gawsworth before turning left onto a quiet lane that took me right around that village. The number of times that I have visited the place might explain how I knew my way around so well.
While I was minded to stay on tarmac all the way until I joined the Macclesfield canal near Oakgrove, memories of a previous wander about the area caused me to take a chance and leave the road again to test my memory. It didn't fail that test as I found my way to and through Danes Moss wood, a Wildlife Trust reserve and part of a cutaway peat bog, to a crossing over the troubled West Coast Mainline to reach the aforementioned canal.
That was followed until Gurnett where a towpath closure caused me to follow roads from there back home; I think that the closure is due to a collapsed wall, but it will continue until early October anyway. Though devoid of sunshine, the evening had been fine and pleasant, and it would have been foolish to dismiss its possibilities. It is the longer hours of daylight that allows quieter strolls like the one that I enjoyed, making something of the torpor of summer after the wondrous rush that was spring.
