A Goat Ate My Menu

Last night seven of Andrew’s victims enjoyed the fourth of this year’s five ‘Deepest Cheshire’ walks.

We convened in the Swettenham Arms whilst the sky dumped a soggy blanket over the locality. Beer o’clock eventually came to an end and we had to decide what to do.

Plan A involved a walk from a couple of years ago on which Andrew had baled out due to wearing himself out on the recce!

Plan C involved a walk to the bar and back – rejected on the grounds that Andrew and I might quickly bore everyone to distractions with our recollections of serial visits to this place during the past fifty years or so.

Doesn’t time fly?

So, Plan B it was. A shorter route than Plan A, mainly along country lanes and firm footpaths ‘with hardly any deep grass’.

Tonight’s gang posed dutifully outside the hostelry.

The direct route from the Swettenham Arms involves a quiet lane with very little traffic. I wonder why?

As usual, Sue found a friend who preferred the greener grass ‘on the other side of the fence’, despite being housed in a field full of deep grass.

So, there would not be much deep grass?

By the time we reached the Black Swan, beyond a new equestrian centre construction site, everyone had wet legs and it was raining. Ideal conditions for popping into another hostelry. Sadly, the Black Swan in Lower Withington barred entry. Andrew lives in Lower Withington and is one of the residents responsible for the demise of this fine place. If the residents of the village had put as much effort into downing their pints as they do into curbing the speed of passing motorists, the pub would be thriving.

A good permissive footpath (well done, farmer) saw us home in to Messuage Farm and its friendly herd of goats. There were some menus nearby. We read one out to the attentive audience, who gave it a good lick (top photo, tongue blurred), before snatching the document and quickly reading it before eating it.

Hmmm…

By the time we had retraced our steps in intermittent drizzle to the Swettenham Arms, light was becoming scarce on the warm, damp evening, The pub appeared from the outside to be full of bikers, but we didn’t see much of them.

A visit to the lavender field was deemed essential, before we adjourned for rehydration activities, courtesy of Selwa, the generous pharmacist.

Here’s the route, though if it’s dry we would recommend Notchy’s 2014 route in preference. Tonight’s made for a sociable and entertaining little outing of 6.5 km with 32 metres ascent (although it seemed completely flat to me), taking a leisurely hour and a half. Thanks, Andrew.

The last of this year’s ‘Deepest Cheshire’ walks will take place on Thursday 18 August - Lower Peover – starting from The Bells of Peover (SJ 743 742) at 7.30 pm. All are welcome.