Length: 28.9 km (18.0 mi) [shorter and longer walks possible]
Ascent/Descent: 735 m
Net Walking Time: ca. 7 ½ hours
Toughness: 9 out of 10
For the Morning Shortcut: 09.05 Bus Line 14 from the Bus Station, direction Langley (arrives Sutton Lane Ends, Church House Inn at 09.18)
For the Full Walk: 09.15 Start at the Train
Station
Varied
walk, through pastures and wooded valleys and along some ridges, with many
fascinating views of the Cheshire Plain and across to the surrounding high
moors and gritstone ridges in the westerly Dark Peak area.
Leave
the town along a section of the Macclesfield Canal with its Roving Bridge and
up along the Bollin River valley onto Ridge Hill and continue through rolling
pastures and up onto Croker Hill, the ridge separating the pastoral landscapes of
wooded valleys and grazing pastures of the westerly Peak District from the
Cheshire Plain. After a short descent, you follow the Gritstone Trail up to and along the Wincle Minn (ridge) – or
alternatively through the tight wooded Greasley Hollow part of the Shell Brook
valley – to then follow an
enchanting stretch of the Dane Valley upstream (shorter and longer options come
into play around here) for lunch in Wincle.
From
lunch, follow the Dane Valley at an elevated level further upstream towards the
high moorlands, then return to Macclesfield up the tributary valleys of the
Clough Brook and the Highmoor Brook, to scale up to the watershed to the Bollin
Brook Valley. You follow a quiet lane along a ridge with more splendid views
before descending through pastures and past one of the reservoirs feeding both
Macclesfield and its canal.
Pass through Langley village and go up one last
rise: The Hollins, the hill overlooking Macclesfield.The
route bursts with bluebells in season in dells, glades and cloughs and on
hillsides and verges.
Several
walk options make for a variety of shorter, longer, higher and lower
routes.
Walk options:
Bus Line 14 (Macclesfield – Langley, about hourly Mon-Fri, every two hours Sat) enables a start in Sutton Lane Ends (cut 3.1 km and 60m ascent). From
Macclesfield, alight at the Church House stop in Sutton Lane Ends. Walk back for about 100m to a four-way road
junction by the Church
House Inn opposite on the
left and pick up the directions on page 5 at the single asterisk *).
An Alternative Routing
early on
follows the Macclesfield Canal for a slightly longer stretch and then follows
Hollin Lane, this is overall a little easier to walk
An Alternative Routing in the morning avoids the rise
up onto Croker Hill and its exposed ridge and follows the Rossen Clough
instead. This cuts 800m distance and 70m ascent.
An Alternative Routing
mid-morning descends into the scenic but
mud-prone Greasley Hollow instead of following the very quiet tarmac lane along
the exposed ridge of the Wincle Minn.
A pre-lunch Shortcut off the
Greasley Hollow route direct to Wincle cuts out a scenic stretch up the Dane
Valley to Danebridge. This cuts 2.4 km/1.5 mi and 20m ascent.
A pre-lunch Extension follows the
Gritstone Trail all the way into the Dane Valley and turns upstream along the
Dane Valley Way for a longer stretch. This adds 1.6 km/1.0 mi and 20m ascent.
Bus Line 14 enables a finish in Langley (cut 3.6 km/2.4 mi and 95m ascent). The last bus from Langley Church
runs at 17.27.
Elenvenses/Lunch
Ye Olde
King’s Head Gurnett. Located 2.4 km into the walk.
Church
House Inn Sutton. Located 3.2 km into the walk.
Wincle Beer Company Dane Bridge, Wincle. Wincle Beer is located 17.2 km (10.7 mi) into the
walk, on the banks of the River Dane. Open 10.00-16.30.
The Ship Inn Wincle. The Ship Inn is located 17.6 km (10.9 mi) into the walk. Open
all day every day. Food served 12.00-14.30. A 16th century country
pub.
Tea
4 pubs on or
just off route, between the lunch stop in Wincle and Macclesfield.
Numerous
options in Macclesfield; some of the ones
on the route are mentioned in the pdf. T=swc.381
1 comment:
The forecast had warned of low fog and clouds to lunch but had also promised sunny breaks later in. That was kind of true. On the first ridge we certainly were still in low clouds, so much that from the base of the BT Tower on Croker Hill we couldn't see its top. That kind of low visibility sharpens the attention though for the beauty of smaller things, like dewdrop-covered cobwebs. Down and up onto the second ridge, the Wincle Minn. There we could see the valleys below at least and even some of the hills nearby, just before descending into the Shell Brook valley. 3 then took the extension for a longer stretch in the Dane Valley, and were rewarded with the sound of rutting stags from across the valley. We passed the rest of the group at the Wincle Brewery taproom, where they were ensconced in the garden. On to the Ship Inn for excellent lunch. Some of the brewery types also joined us there. By now there were a few specks of blue sky visible, here or there, but not quite where we were.
Never mind, the views from the elevated path in the Dane then the Clough Brook valleys were fantastic, especially when Shutlingsloe and the surrounding moorlands were bathed in the sunshine. On up to the third and final ridge where we had probably 50/50 blue sky/clouds. All stopped at The Hanging Gate pub, to drink in the views from the terrace overhanging the Bollin Valley, before the descent into the valley and a last hill before getting back to Macc around 6. W=low-clouds-lifting-slowly-some-sunny-breaks-later n=16 (incl. 1 off the 7.20 from Euston, respect!)
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