Lyme Park and Rivington Pike- Two great local walks

12/13.2.14
Walking with; Gary

 
Whilst the traditional image of Manchester is one of grim industrialisation, one of the reasons I have made it my home is because of the superb access it offers to the great outdoors! On a good day I can be in Windermere in 90 minutes, Llanberis is not much further and I can be in Hayfield on my way up Kinder in 40mins traffic permitting. However even within Greater Manchester itself and the immediate surrounds there are a wealth of decent walking opportunities, Lyme Park has long been a favourite of mine but Rivington Pike was new to me and all the better for that.
I'd decided on a bit of navigation practice at Lyme Park having seen the forecast and decided that staying low was the smart move. There were a few dog walkers about but not many others daft enough to brave the elements, there were plenty of deer about including a couple of beautiful white stags. I headed out onto the moors and spent a couple of cold, windy hours working my way (generally) successfully from point to point before dropping down into the soggy shelter of Cluse Hay and eventually heading back towards the hall via the pool where Colin Firth/Mr Darcy ignited the fantasies of so many Jane Austen fans!
I'd some notion to head up to the Lakes on Thursday but time ran away me and when my indoor climbing buddy, Gary, suggested visiting Rivington Pike I decided to take him up on the offer. What a great decision, I can't believe I've never been before! The Rivington Terraced Gardens were built for Lord Leverhulme in Edwardian times and designed by Thomas Mawson and consist of a network of paths crisscrossing the hillside and encompassing follies, woodland and more formal oriental gardens. We followed the paths up towards the Pike weaving in and out of the follies including The Pigeon Tower before hitting the top and looking out on some fantastic views as far as Blackpool. It was pretty blowy on the top so we descended and headed over to Anglezarke Reservoir where we spent an hour wandering up to Yarrow Reservoir and taking in the impressive views. The Pike and gardens are a perfect spot for a wander and are clearly popular with the locals but provide a great opportunity to gain some height and explore the gloriously dilapidated follies of the Edwardian era.

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Dog Bite

So there I was meandering around Lyme Park working on my navigation and map work and trying to better understand contours and re-entrants and the like. I was approaching "The Cage" when a little yappy Terrier type dog came hurtling towards me and circled me twice before biting me on the calf. I have to confess I am not a fan of dogs at the best of times but this has done little to improve my perception of them or the owners who allow them to run loose without any control. The owner of this miscreant mumbled an apology and mentioned something about "the wind gets her excited....." but it's not really on, is it?

Another weekly wander or two..........

21/23.5.13
Walking with; Nobody

I love having the Peak District on my doorstep, it means when time is short or inclination is in lowish supply I can still get out and experience some of the finest countryside Britain has to offer without it really feeling like an effort....and so it was last week, two very different Peak District rambles, neither more than half an hour from home.
Tuesday morning, feeling a bit flat, I decided a gentle amble might lift the mood and headed to the undemanding territory of the Middlewood Way. A previous walk on this multi-use track, which follows the route of an old rail line from Marple to Macclesfield, had proved fruitful in terms of the profusion and variety of wild flowers http://www.comewalkwithmeuk.co.uk/2012/06/stroll-on-middlewood-way.html and this one was equally rewarding. Bluebells were starting to decorate the fringes of the path, as well as Forget-me-nots, Cow Parsley and Cranesbill. Bumble bees were dancing around the flowers and Orange Tip and Peacock butterflies were making the most of the patches of dappled sunlight cutting through the canopy. After twenty minutes or so I left the path and ascended to the Macclesfield Canal. I have a longing for the life of a narrow boat man and every time I see the immaculate barges, wood smoke curling from the chimneys and kettle on the hob I'm filled with an overwhelming urge to travel.....Dreaming, I pressed on deeper into the Cheshire countryside, there were male Pheasants in the fields, resplendent amongst the sheep and cows and a Kestrel hovered over head as I continued on to Lyme Park where I had lunch and watched a flock of Jackdaws tormenting one another. The Bluebells were out in force in Elmerhurst Wood and on emerging from the trees I regained the Ladybrook Valley Interest Trail before pottering back to my car refreshed in mind, body and spirit!
A couple of days later and I decided I was in the mood for some map work and a few more demanding miles. I parked at the Arnfield reservoir, on the outskirts of Tintwistle, and headed out across the Grouse moors towards Tintwistle Knarr. There were plenty of Grouse about, not to mention Curlews, and later on I saw a Peregrine, but very few people and progress was pretty quick up on to the edges above the chain of Longdendale reservoirs. As I left the edge the clouds which had been sitting on Bleaklow dropped and the short cross moor path to Lad's Leap was done in poor visibility. After a restorative cuppa I followed Hollins Clough North before making the Trig Point on Rakes Moss and continuing on to Chew Reservoir which I had only previously reached from Dove Stones http://www.comewalkwithmeuk.co.uk/2012/08/black-hill-via-holme-clough.html. Leaving the reservoir to the Canada Geese I followed the cliff top path above Chew Brook before striking off across Ormes Moor and eventually (after a few relocations) managed to make my way to the top of Ogden Clough. At this stage the sun came out!! Buoyed by the novelty factor I decided to lunch at Higher Swineshaw reservoir and after half an hour with the sun on my face ended up contouring round Lees Hill before enjoying more Bluebells in the Hollingworth Nature Reserve and eventually making it back to my starting point at Arnfield.
These two walks were very different in terms of scope, landscape and effort required, but I feel very lucky to have them both on my doorstep!

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A Canalside amble

15.11.12
Walking with; Nobody

A combination of family weddings and man flu have meant not much in the way of walking lately and, on the rare occasion I've been free, not a great deal of energy to climb tall, pointy things. The beauty of walking however is, of course, you can do it anywhere, and there is a lot of pleasure to be gained from doing little more than strolling along a canal tow path and drinking in the beautiful Autumn colours of the Cheshire countryside!
Setting off from Hawk Green I was soon on the banks of the Peak Forest canal communing with the ducks and the geese and keeping pace with the odd long boat puttering by trailing wood smoke! Overhead there were two gaggles of one hundred plus Canada Geese heading South honking away as they went and the hedgerows were alive with Robins and Finches. The canal which opened in 1796 was once a major industrial route used to transport limestone from Dove Holes but today seems to be the habitat of Cheshire set dog walkers! I passed the Higgins Clough swing bridge before the path swung away from the canal and into Disley. Disley has two of the "golden" post boxes to represent the husband and wife Paralympian gold medalists who live in the village, Sarah and Barney Storey.
I headed into Lyme Park for a bit of lunch and to make the most of the beautiful Autumn colours under the bluest of skies before continuing on through increasingly muddy fields towards the Macclesfield canal, putting up a magnificent male pheasant on the way.
There was nothing spectacular about today's walk, but neither did there need to be. I can't wait to head back to the Lakes next week (man flu permitting!) but it won't be long before a pleasant amble along a canal will be on my agenda again!

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A Lyme Park Loop

12.4.12

Walking with; Nobody

When I first moved to the North West one of the first places I visited was Lyme Park and it's remained a firm favourite ever since whenever I get the itch for a few miles. The house itself is the largest in Cheshire and is Grade one listed. It was built in the latter part of the 16th Century and modified in the 1720s by Giacomo Leoni and then by Lewis Wyatt in the 19th Century. The Legh family gave the house to the National Trust in 1946 and more recently it found fame as the "Pemberley", Mr Darcy's house in the BBC adaptation of "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen.

I started out in Disley and made my way towards the Park before beginning the slow ascent towards The Cage, originally built as a hunting lodge and commanding 360 degree views including a herd of Fallow Deer. Bypassing the house I started out on The Gritstone Trail and climbed steadily through Knightslow Woods and out onto Park Moor. The path leads up to the Bowstones, remnants of an Anglo-Saxon cross before following a ridge with beautiful views across the Peak District. It was clear and I could see snow on the slopes of Kinder as well as views all the way to the distinctive profile of Shutlingsloe in the South. It was muddy underfoot but the walking was easy and there were plenty of new lambs and a couple of buzzards to keep me entertained. I dropped down towards Pott Shrigley and then started another climb up Bakestonedale Moor which had great views across to last weeks walk on White Nancy and the Kerridge Saddle. Dropping down past Moorside Quarry I continued down to re-enter Lyme Park at the West Gate and climbed the track through Pursegate Woods which had a few late bluebells and a plentiful supply of Wild Garlic coming through and making the lower half of the track smell like an Italian restaurant.

It started to rain as I reached the carpark and I was regretting my decision not to park on site, but as I pottered on towards Disley I was rewarded with some fantastic views of the stormclouds hovering over Kinder which made the last half mile in a torrential downpour almost worth while!

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