05/05/13 - Cheshire Cat. And Fiddle.

Distance - 11.5 Miles
Geocaches - 8
Walk From - Trail Magazine May 1995

Shining Tor

Last night's practice for this year's longest hike involved consuming red wine and expensive cheese under a jet engine heater at chez Gould.  At least we did walk the mile home.  Although at times, we did consider flagging down a taxi.  A great night was had, but Sonia correctly got me home before I had too much cheese.

Today, I offered to fetch Ellie back from Manchester Uni, thus saving her from the trauma of public transport.  I consulted my extensive library of walks and found something suitable from a very old Trail magazine.  Looked just the job.

Up early and hit the M6, parking up at 9am, getting boots on and making the first of several back pocket calls.  Sat Nav technology on Windows phones is ace, but not when you are on "Pay as you Go".

I have avoided the suggested parking, as I want to hit the pub at lunch time and with only one climb left.  By parking at Lamaload Resevoir, I will walk for longer and hit the pub at 1pm.  Always thinking, me

There is one other car here, and the fella is soon coming back with whatever he has caught from the lake in a plastic bag.  We get into a conversation, which gets confused as he thinks I am a fellow worm dangler.  Talks about stocking levels, nibbles and bait fall on confused ears.

I head off, anti clockwise around the reservoir.  Cache within 10 minutes, guarded by two cute little lambs.  Then I drop down.  Then I climb back up.  This is a feature of this walk.  By the end of the walk, I will have ascended/descended 2816ft.  And my legs can feel every foot.  I really should have laid off the cheese last night.

First area of interest is the abadonded Higher and Lower Ballgreave farms.  Just loads of rusting farm equipment and ramshackle buildings.  Similar to most farms in fact.  I take a breather and get the camera out.

Glorious Blue Skies (in Worcesteshire when I left)

Wheels

Looking back to Lamaload - resting on another piece of farmland junk.

Leave this playground and continue for another drop down and climb up to Chapel House Farm.  This is in much better nick, and as expected, has it's own Church.  Two fellas on bikes offer me a morning grunt.

 

 

You can tell it is a church by the Cross on top

It's about this time I get the first view of Shutlingsloe.  This is an impressive (read, another bloody climb) hill that is known as the Matterhorn of Cheshire.  Its profile dominates both this walk and my future nightmares.

But first, I have a steep drop through the impressive Macclesfield Forest.  Its a load of trees in tight formation, near Macclesfield and offers great walking - taking down, down, way on down to Trentabank Reservoir.  There are another couple of caches to collect, including one at a place that makes a great stop for my favourite walking snack.  Malt Loaf.

By the power of Malt Loaf, I will attack Shutlingsloe

What goes down must go back up.  Its not as bad as expected, starting on forest trails and then opening up to moor land.  Its a popular spot, as once the flagstones are in situ, I join a procession of families all making their way up.

She's a bit of a looker

Its nice easy walking to the top.  I want to get a picture of the trig point, but this is proving too popular and is almost permanently covered in kids having their photo taken.  After taking a couple with me in it, there is a break in the traffic.

There are fantastic views in all directions from this great peak

Other people's kids booted off.

I admire the views for as long as is reasonable and head off to get the cache just off the summit. Love it when my efforts are rewarded with well hidden tupperware.  With some reluctance, I drop down steeply on the southern side, being able to see my next peak, Shining Tor, way in the distance.

Guess I will have to climb that next

Drop down and loop around north, passing the farm.  There is a cache guarded by a gaggle of Duke of Edinburgh adventure kids messing around on social media.  I have to wait, pretending to take photos of cows, before I can grab the most ingenious of the day.

To be fair, he was a very relaxed calf.  Happily lay down having a munch

The walk up Cumberland Clough is excellent.  More uphill paths, with a stream to the right and another abandoned cottage to the left.  When I am down on my luck, I know where I can go squatting.  Last Geocache of the day is found and then more, relentless uphill walking. 

But there is promise of a better future.  Paths meet at a T-Junction and for the first time, the pub is labelled.

If I leave no litter, can I go to the Cat and Fiddle

And there she is - way in the distance, flagged by a massive pole

From the amount of motorbikes and cars around the pub, I am expecting a massive queue.  However, the bikers seem content to sit around revving their engines and the cars presumably belong to people who have gone walking.

 

I am soon served.  I ask what beers are on offer.  I should have suspected the worst when the choice included Old Rosie's Scrumpy.  I take a pint of Cumberland Way.  Its not the greatest to be fair, even to a man that has been slurping plastic tasting camel back water for the last 4 hours.

 

 

Still the sit down was nice.

Head out and start to tackle the final climb of the day, in a bid to make me the highest man in Cheshire. Again. I have been here before, but this was pre-blogging days and I remember nothing of the views. Weird, for they are exceptional.

Nice Views over Cheshire

For me, the first Trig was much nicer

That's it for the climbing.  With increasingly stiff legs, I head down and keep on going down.  It's a nice sight to see the water where the car is parked and know that it's nearly done.



Just got to get around those trees and feet up time.

Get back in the car and its 3pm.  This gives me an hour to get to the mean streets of Didsbury.  The drive is as entertaining as the walk, with some seriously good views and hairpin bends to negotiate.

I hit the interestingly named village of Pott Shrigley and there are three adults and about half a dozen kids staring intently into the field.  I am genuinely fascinated by what has caught their interest and made them stop and stare.

Two massive pigs humping.