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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Thursday 7 October 2021

Macclesfield, Western Peak District, 07-11 October (Covid-rules permitting)

Travel 
Trains from Euston take from 101 minutes. Off Peak returns are available for departures before 15.00 and after 18.30 hours. Advance tickets are now available. Friday Morning is treated as Off Peak on Avanti West Coast, so you could get to the start of Friday’s walk with the 07.20 train (arrives 09.05) without paying through the nose! Just saying…
Macclesfield Bus Station is a 4 minutes’ walk from the train station, up an incline (as is the whole Old Town: up an incline).
 
Accommodation 
booking.com gives a good overview of most options in town, but does not include your cheapest and most central one: the Travelodge, 3 mins from the station. There are also two Premier Inns, but they are not in the Town Centre.
 
Food & Drink near the station: a couple of tapas places, a Scandinavian-inspired restaurant, a Thai, an independent Italian Bar & Grill, and a Pizza Express. Plus, loads of pubs with or w/o food service, takeouts, cafes etc. Large shops: Tesco Metro, M & S Foodstore…
 
Exposure to the Weather 
All the walks include some exposed stretches, Days 1 and 4 the most. As two of the walks depend on buses and the other two benefit from buses (for shortcuts), it is likely that there will be little flexibility in the schedule, regardless of how good or bad the weather is on the day. The North West is amongst the wettest parts of England.

 

The following is a preliminary schedule, with the sequence of walks largely determined by the bus schedules as they stand now and by pub/café opening times, with a walk from/to Macclesfield in principle best for departure day but not really possible on the current bus schedule. It is already known though that Leek – Macclesfield will be served by a different company from 6 Sep, so this may all change (timetable not yet available online).

Thursday 07 Oct 
Arrival, meet for a stroll to get to know the town with food and drink following?
 
 
Friday 08 Oct
SWC 383 Macclesfield to Buxton (via The Cat & Fiddle), 25.2 km, 971/805m ascent/descent, 9 out of 10 rating, 7 hours walking, with many options to shorten, mainly by using bus line 58 at the start or the end. Return from Buxton by bus line 58 (last at 18.06) [taxis won't cost the earth]. The walk: Dark Peak to White Peak via Tegg’s Nose Country Park, Macclesfield Forest, Forest Chapel, Bottom-of-the-Oven, Torgate Hill, Chest Hollow, The Cat & Fiddle, Shining Tor, Upper Goyt Valley, Berry Clough, Burbage Edge, Burbage, The Serpentine, Pavilion Gardens, Lower Buxton (town centre). Lunch pub and tea stops: yes.
 
Saturday 09 Oct 
SWC 381 Macclesfield Circular (via the Dane Valley), 28.9 km, 735m ascent/descent, 9 out of 10 rating, 7 ½ hours walking, with options to shorten, either by using bus line 14 at the start to Sutton Lane Ends and/or at the end from Langley, or by utilising an in-walk shortcut. The walk: Macclesfield Canal out of town, pastures, several medium high easy ridges with fine views over the Cheshire Plain and the surrounding mountains and moorlands; a long stretch first in then above the very scenic Dane Valley. Lunch pub and tea stops: yes. Plus Wincle Brewery’s taproom. 
 
Sunday 10 Oct 
SWC 382 Macclesfield Circular (via Tegg’ Nose and Kerridge Hill), 24.7 km, 866m ascent/descent, 8 out of 10 rating, 6 ¾ hours walking. This walk shares the start of the Macclesfield – Buxton walk for 9 km and for a full 15 km in its Extended Version. Therefore, the suggestion will be to take bus line 58 up to The Cat & Fiddle and walk the rest of the Extended Version of this walk, which is just short of 17 km long and mainly downhill. The walk: from The Cat & Fiddle to Shining Tor, Lamaload Reservoir, Dean Valley, Rainow, Kerridge Hill Ridge via White Nancy, pastures with views, Macclesfield Canal into town. Lunch pub and tea stops: yes. This leisurely day should help to regenerate energy levels for the big walk on Monday.
 
Monday 11 Oct 
SWC 380 Macclesfield to Leek (via The Hollins, the Bollin Valley with several reservoirs, Macclesfield Forest, High Moor, Shutlingsloe [aka The Cheshire Matterhorn], Wildboarclough, River Dane by Gradbach Mill, Lud’s Church chasm, the Roaches, Tittesworth Reservoir and Brough Park Fields Country Park), 27.7 km, 934/876m ascent/descent, 9 out of 10 rating, 7 ¼ hours walking, with options to shorten, i.e.: bus line 14 at the start to Langley or alternative endings for buses to Buxton and connections to Macclesfield. Return from Leek by new bus line X1 (timetable not yet available). The walk: as told in the completely over-the-top walk title. One of the very best SWC walks you will walk this year or any year. Lunch pub and tea stops: no (lunch) and yes (tea). A café for lunch only if the new bus schedule enables us to walk this on the Saturday or the Sunday.

 

Full walk posts will go up nearer the time, once the bus times have been confirmed.

11 comments:

Thomas G said...

the walks are now up on the website. thanks, webmaster!
just follow the hyperlinks from the post for more info, map, height profile, photos.

PeteG said...

The Travel Lodge does not do left luggage. Has anyone got a solution? Booking Monday night to give a shared storage room seems to be around £32?

PeteG said...

They've changed their policy, but annoyingly can only be contacted to check our hotel on a charging phone number.

"In England, where we have a dedicated luggage storage room, we will accept luggage. Please note that not all of our hotels have a left luggage facility so will be unable to offer luggage storage."

branchline said...

I'm planning to get the 7.20 train from Euston which will arrive at M at 9.05 on Friday 8th Oct. Will the walk be starting from the bus station on Friday?

Thomas G said...

no, from the train station, and with enough time left for you to drop off any luggage at your accommodation (assuming it's not miles away)

Anonymous said...

I hope to do some of these walks as they are only 7 miles away from my Mum s house

Jane

Thomas G said...

Walks now posted. Sequence of walks altered compared to this overview posting.

Thomas G said...

If anyone is interested in meeting on Thursday evening, I'll be passing the station forecourt at 18.30 to go for a stroll and a drink, and again at 19.30 to go for a meal.

Thomas G said...

All in: no injuries; 4 well to very well received walks; no rain whatsoever; a good group of people, mostly congregating for evening meals in small or large groups; a friendly host town and no known transport of other problems. Thanks for coming along.

Thomas G said...

...transport or...

Unknown said...

Many thanks to Thomas for an excellent trip, and to all for great company! Simon