Tuesday 5 December 2023 - Shutlingsloe

                                         Ridgegate Reservoir and Tegg's Nose

On a dull morning I parked by Ridgegate Reservoir and enjoyed a brisk(ish) circuit in Macclesfield Forest, featuring Shutlingsloe. I've been here many times before - see here for some of those visits, so today's record is just by way of annotated pictures. Click on any image to access a slideshow.

After rounding the reservoir, with its resident cormorants busy drying their wings, the path winds upwards through the forest above Trentabank

Just beyond the forest limits, remnants of a recent snowstorm lined the path

I was catching up with another group who were ambling to the summit

From the summit, a view across Wildboarclough to Shining Tor, capped by mist

A brisk, cold breeze ensured that visits to the summit were fairly short

I soon returned to the stile at the foot of the final climb, with the other group just ahead

I took the path that is normally very boggy but which was frozen solid today, whilst the other group returned to the good track at the edge of the forest.
Here's my view back from the stile that maks the end of the boggy ground

A coffee break was taken in view of the three nearby reservoirs

Sunlight beamed down on my view ahead to lesser heights

The view towards the Cat and Fiddle indicated some vaguely unpleasant conditions in that direction

Some highland cattle had to brave knee deep mud to access their winter provisions

The path back through Macclesfield Forest is delightful

I soon reached the Leather's Smithy - very busy today, and had a brief chat with John before making my way home

Today's walk was 10.5km, with 375 metres ascent, taking 2 hours 40 minutes,

including a couple of coffee breaks