A Canalside walk from Marple Bridge

10.5.14
Walking with; Ruthy and Rach

  Sometimes in this world of highest, longest, fastest and furthest where the walking blogosphere is filled with tales of derring-do as packs are hefted across the wilds of Scotland, one forgets about the simple pleasures afforded by a gentle stroll amongst the plants and birdlife of Spring. Sometimes, simply putting one foot in front of another and meandering aimlessly along a towpath or two can bring a kind of quiet satisfaction unburdened by superlatives. Any walk that contains encounters with a Kingfisher, Grey Wagtail, numerous families of Mallards and Canada Geese and the odd Moorhen can't fail to please and this canalside ramble certainly did just that.
  We left Marple Bridge and cut onto the Peak Forest Canal in the midst of the Marple Locks. The walking was easy, the weather was short, sharp showers interspersed with brighter intervals and in the first mile we already had a Kingfisher and Grey and Pied Wagtails to our name. This innocuous patch of path is actually part of the E2 route, a trans-European path running from Galway to Nice, a distance of over 3000 miles, it's also part of The Cheshire Ring Canal walk which comes in at a more manageable 98 miles and might make a good project for a long weekend! We followed the path towards Strines before crossing beneath the canal at Stanleyhall Woods and following the lane towards Ridge Fold where we cut cross country and hit the Macclesfield Canal which is also part of the Cheshire Ring. We mooched and meandered back to the confluence of the two waterways and from there onto The Midland http://www.midlandmarplebridge.co.uk/, where the beer, the chips and the welcome were enough to gladden the heart and remind one of the joys of such simple pleasures as a canalside stroll followed by a pint.

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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