Sunday 21 February 2010 – A Short Walk around Croft

Overnight snow made us think twice about a planned trip to the Peak District.  Instead, Sue and I chose a more local and easily accessed location in North Cheshire for today’s exercise.

We parked up, about 30 minutes from home, outside the Ranger cabin at Culcheth Linear Park.  This 1.5 mile stretch of bridleway follows the course of the Wigan to Glazebrook railway line, itself only twelve miles long, opened for freight in 1879 and for passengers five years later.  ‘Specials’ took racegoers to Haydock and trippers to Blackpool.

Beeching closed the line in 1968, following which the area became a muddy eyesore.  Since then it has been transformed into the pleasant amenity it is today.

We strolled under heavy clouds through an avenue of trees above the line of the railway, which is down to the left on the following image.
 

A lovingly crafted bench indicated how different this walk would be in summer.

After less than 1km we turned away from the rather soggy course of the railway, through pleasant farmland on well marked paths.

The footprints of a large group of unseen ramblers led eventually towards the welcoming aroma of bacon, emanating from this hostelry, which in true LDWA tradition (not that we are members, but it does provide an excuse) we strode manfully past.

The sun came out as our wander progressed along the North Cheshire farmland paths linking Croft with Culcheth.

We passed by fields of Fieldfare, under hawthorn canopies of flitting Redwing, whilst Buzzards lurked high on telegraph poles and oak trees.  Robins and Blackbirds flitted in the undergrowth, whilst Great Tits and Blue Tits sang sweetly from the hedgerows, keeping a wary eye out for the Magpies and Carrion Crows, who themselves observed the cooing Wood Pigeons in the woods and the scavenging Black-headed Gulls in the open fields.  House Sparrows and Chaffinches busied themselves amongst the hawthorn, whilst a lone Yellowhammer flitted elusively away, as did a rather noisier Grey Partridge.

A flock of 38 Pilgrim geese stomped around one of the fields (see slide show), but good images of all these birds remained elusive, so I resorted to the camera’s macro setting for a few pictures of the lichen that was flourishing on the bare hawthorn hedges that are just starting to come into bud.  Mr Google has helped me identify these as ‘foliose’ lichens, and I think the most photogenic was this Common Orange Lichen (see slide show for more).

This brought us neatly back to the car park at Culcheth Linear Park, after about 7 km and an hour and forty minutes. 

This would be an excellent venue for an evening walk, starting perhaps from the General Elliot.  So under the route overview shown below, I’ve inserted a brief description of the route.

As mentioned above, a fuller slideshow (26 images) has been uploaded here.

The Route
Start at the car park at Culcheth Linear Park (SJ 649 949), setting off NW into the park.
After about 700 metres go under a bridge, then after a further 200 metres turn left, up steps, following the sign towards Kenyon Lane, across fields.
Cross the lane and go ahead down the side of a field past a pumping station on the left. 
Follow the edge of the field to the left then descend shallow steps to a road.
Turn right, then immediately left, down the side of another field.
Turn left at the end of this field, then after a short distance turn right again, along a line of oaks to the next field boundary.
Turn left and continue along a low bank, past a solitary oak, reaching Heath Lane in Croft village.
Turn right and keep right onto Lord Street at the General Elliot pub.
Cross the road and turn left down Abbey Close.  Pass the entrance to Deacons Close then turn left down a narrow footpath under a canopy of hawthorn.
Climb a stile at the end and continue straight ahead across fields to join Lady Lane to the left of the church.
Turn left, then right after a few metres over a stile, immediately after a bungalow called Lane Side.
Follow the field edge over stiles to cross a small brook.  Shortly after this turn left and after a few metres reach a three-way signpost.
Continue straight on, with a hedge on the right, all the way to a metaled road, Glaziers Lane.
Turn left, then right at Wigshaw Lane to return to the start.

All this, updated for changes such as the disappearance of a row of electricity pylons (!), is from ‘Walks in North Cheshire’ by Jen Darling – published by Alfresco Books in 1994.

Some Evening Walks

This is by way of a reminder to some readers, and to make other newer readers aware…

Sue and I enjoy short evening walks from time to time, mainly in South Manchester and about 2 hours in duration, usually starting and finishing at a convenient hostelry.  They start at 7.30pm, and this year’s are mostly on Thursday evenings, commencing this Thursday at the Midland in Marple Bridge.

Details of all these walks are included on our walks programme published on www.topwalks.com, the evening walks page being here.

You’ll find it’s a very small group (usually just 3 or 4 of us), but some of our newer readers may I think (I know) be quite local, so it would be great if you could join us on some of these strolls.

A Penny for the Guy, Mister?

The residents of Dornbirn certainly seem to know how to celebrate bonfire night, even if they are nearly nine months early.

Or should that be ‘over three months late’?

Saturday 20 February 2010 – The Altrincham Circular

I last did this walk on 1 October 2007.  It was the subject of my first blog entry, many postings ago.  (855 actually!)

JJ had suggested latching on to the Long Distance Walkers Association (LDWA) for today’s saunter, so we duly assembled at
9 o’ clock outside Timperley Metro Station, which is a mere two minute walk from our house, but somewhat further for Mick and Gayle, who travelled all the way from near Burton-on-Trent for this rather urban perambulation around Altrincham.

By the time we had hi-jacked a passer-by (Andrea, on her way to post a letter) there were 15 of us in a merry group that could have done with a scythe to clear the path along the eastern side of the Bridgewater Canal.

It then became easier, as we crossed playing fields and progressed through an assortment of ginnels and alleyways, before arriving at the secluded path known as the ‘Boggart’.  The guide book to this walk, produced in 1989 by the Workers’ Educational Association, describes ‘The Timperley Boggart’ path as ‘one of those backwaters that invite exploration – dark, enclosed, mysterious and twisting.  It is the last tangible remains of an ancient route that once connected the Roman Road, near Sale, to Timperley and beyond.’ 

A shame then, that we discovered this path to have been ‘gated’ by the council, and as we possessed neither a key nor a ladder we were obliged to divert briefly from the ‘classic route’.

Soon afterwards the busy A560 road linking Altrincham with Stockport was crossed, and we entered an increasingly rural environment as we passed serenely down Brooks Drive, another ancient thoroughfare that is not blighted by motorised traffic.

Somewhere along the drive, we lost Sue and Andrea, who were keen to say hello to the lady in our local deli.

Meanwhile our leader, John, strode on (there is a reason for the journal of the LDWA being named ‘Strider’) past the posh Indian enclave leading to Hale Road, then on through the more modest mansions of Hale Barns, eventually reaching the banks of the River Bollin, where a tea break was in order (ordered?).

Fudge brownies were distributed (by a lucky coincidence I had exactly 13 with me) and drinks were supped.  It was 11 o’ clock.  Some folk ate their lunch.  Perhaps a wise move, as halts on LDWA excursions seem to be few and far between compared with my ‘normal walks’.

Mick and Gayle searched in vain for a geocache.  The footbridge that led into more pleasant Cheshire countryside, and my previous incarnations of this walk, was declared to be ‘off route’, so a second geocache that I had thought we would pass would no longer be encountered, as we were to follow the classic but rather more urban version of this walk, through Hale and Bowden, where the Executives of Tomorrow were being taught some basic business techniques.

As we approached the main A56 road, we descended once more to the River Bollin.  It was very, well, slithery.  JJ was most relieved to emerge unscathed.

After passing a pub (JJ exercised restraint) and rejoining the more rural route option the path crossed a farm track that is muddy even in the height of summer.  Today it provided ankle deep slurry…

…or was it waist deep slurry?

Yes, our esteemed leader gave a brilliant imitation of a hippo writhing in a shallow river of mud on a soggy day.

Actually, it was a sunny day, but chilly.  Most of us wore gloves all day, and we (ie walk-leader John) couldn’t be bothered to disrobe sufficiently to be allowed in to The Swan with Two Nicks (“whinge” – JJ), so we trudged on down the muddy track to Dunham Massey, where the pump house looked quite attractive in the afternoon sun.

It was after 1.30.  Time for lunch!  Now we knew the wisdom of butty eating at ‘elevenses’!

We chomped in the shelter of the yard, outside the impressive mansion that was donated to the National Trust by the 10th and last  Earl of Stamford.  It was opened to the public in 1981 after five years’ restoration.  It must have been left in a poor state!

Our hike progressed.  Beyond Dunham Town and its Big Tree, leader John shot off over a stile in the direction of Dunham Golf Course.

Others (you can see JJ lagging at the back, for example) were bemused.

“Surely we should be heading 40 metres to the left?” someone remarked.

Quite a few of us, actually, muttered this under our breath.

But John was off and away.

There was no stopping him.

“We must visit the brewery some other time, perchance” the congregation chorused.

“Whinge” said JJ. (Or words to that effect.)

Anyway, the stately trees beside the golf course were, as always, very photogenic.

Beyond here, suburban roads led down to a narrow bridge over the Bridgewater Canal, and thence to the Bay Malton public house.  Needless to say, we passed straight by this hostelry (“whinge” – JJ) which apparently now masquerades as a Thai restaurant.

The pleasant, if rather urban and litter strewn, towpath led us directly towards Timperley, until the circular nature of the route necessitated a turn off the towpath shortly beyond the Linotype clock tower which pretty accurately disclosed the time as 3.41.  The first image uploaded to this blog, on 1 October 2007, was a picture of this clock tower which, coincidentally, I passed at 3.41 on that day.

Strange.  I always seem to pass this clock at the same time of day!

The industrialists of Altrincham don’t want ramblers encroaching onto their property…

…but we found our turn soon after this, and romped through the streets and alleyways of Broadheath, then over a disused railway with its rails intact, and through a new housing estate at Stamford Brook, before completing the day’s circuit by way of Sinderland Brook, Woodheys Clough, Baguley Brook and the towpath of the Bridgewater Canal.

We walked quite briskly today, for 30 km, with an estimated 200 metres of ascent, taking about six hours excluding stops.  That would be a tad quicker than Mr Naismith’s pace.  LDWA pace, in fact – good training for all of us who are preparing for long walks.

“Missed a few pubs, but we’ll be fitter than those two slobs who are going scuba diving in the fens with Miss Whiplash” quipped JJ (under his breath, but I heard him!).

I’m sure I heard him…

As Gayle reports (here), there wasn’t much time for photos today, but the few that I took can be viewed on a Picasa slideshow here.

Finally, I do apologise to any delicate minded person who may be offended by any of the wording of this posting, in particular the industrialists of Altrincham.

Wednesday 17 February 2010 – A Great British Ridge Walk – Number 18 – The Little Dale Horseshoe by Scope End to Hindscarth and the Littledale Edge to Robinson descending via High Snab Bank

Graham and I drove up to the Lakes on a brilliantly sunny morning.  So sunny in fact that I missed the turn to Portinscale, as a result of which we found ourselves at the wrong end of a single track road that was being resurfaced.  We should of let Bruno drive as he is probably better at it than me, but sadly he wasn’t available, having already been pressed into service by a Pie Man.

Anyway, we strolled down to the appointed rendezvous at Chapel Bridge in Newlands where we were pleased to find that the Pie Man and Bruno had acquainted themselves with Gayle and Mick, whom they had never met before.

“We recognised the dog!” quipped Gayle.

(I suppose the Pie Man does look like just any other old hobo – there were a few of those around today.)

Graham and I therefore arrived late, somewhat uncharacteristically, and were informed by Bruno:

“You will, of course, have your pay docked or you can make up the time on Christmas Day, whufwhufwhuf” – Just a little Canine Toilet humour, I suppose…

And so, in blazing sunshine and slowly melting frost we embarked on the Little Dale Horseshoe, or, as its known in Bill Birkett’s Book “Great British Ridge Walks” – The Little Dale Horseshoe by Scope End to Hindscarth and the Littledale Edge to Robinson descending via High Snab Bank (draw breath…)

Which is what we all did.

I have to report that the fell top conditions today were nothing less than superb – easy underfoot with a thin cover of new, specially fluffy snow, blue skies, light winds, big views. Big, big white views.

Bruno led the way magnificently.  “Come on, come on” he barked in his most clipped sergeant major’s voice, as he hauled his lumbering charge (The Pie Man) up the steep ascent to Scope End.

It was a lovely winter’s day, so we were all happy to amble on at a fairly pedestrian rate, stopping frequently to admire the views north towards snow-capped Skiddaw and Blencathra.  As a result we failed to shake off Bruno’s faltering charge, who continued to heave his way up the hill, muttering darkly something about ‘Beta Blockers’, ‘The Cardiac Nurse’, ‘Penking Out’ and ‘The Stairway to Heaven’.

“I’d be quicker if I ate fewer pies” he confirmed.  “But it wouldn’t fit the image” barked Bruno.

Here, the Happy Band, having ascended to about 700 metres, approaches the summit of Hindscarth.

The views from Littledale Edge were magnificent, with the gleaming snow laden roofs of Honister Mountain resort shining brightly before a backdrop of Great End and the Scafells.

To the south the twin summits of Kirk Fell flanked a spectacular new glacier – named by Bruno - “Wuf Mer de Glace de Kirk Fell Wuf” – I think that’s what he called it, anyway, his voice was muffled by the lumps of snow that kept winging in from the direction of Mick.

By and by we enjoyed a second lunch stop on the summit of Robinson.  After all, there were shortbread and brownies to be demolished.  Mike said he had 10kg of pies.  Bruno said “He ate them for breakfast!”  S’pose it was just as well they weren’t produced.

And so, we descended by High Snab Bank – the icy/slippery rock steps providing some excitement and entertainment, especially for Mike, who was planning a rocky landing, but managed, in the end to slither off in a fairly undignified skittering and dithering semi-frantic series of lurches and scrapes.

(The slide show reveals more.)

Afterwards, we repaired to the Coledale Inn at Braithwaite for a short period of reflection and recuperation and, maybe the odd sniftah.

This was a superb walk – thanks to everyone who came for joining in the fun.

Other versions of this walk will shortly be appearing can now be found on Gayle’s blog and on Mick’s blog (WOW!) and have also been posted to The Pie Man’s blog.  Are four versions enough, or should we get Bruno and Graham to write their versions?!

The Pie Man’s prediction that ‘the accounts will all be different this time’ is not quite accurate, as I have stolen some of his carefully crafted content.

You should of known this would appen. Innit?

We did 11.5 km and 800 metres of uphill. See map. We went clockwise. Bruno went clockwise and anti-clockwise and described various inner circles too… we know a song about this..

 

A slide show will appear soon is here, and the next walk in this series will be on Tuesday 2 March (or Wednesday 3 March if the forecast is better) – it’s Route 12 – The Greenburn Horseshoe – starting 10 am in Little Langdale Village – NY 316 034. It’ll take about 7 hours and includes Wetherlam and Swirl How.

PS Welcome “The Odyssee”!

In the meantime there’s the ‘Altrincham Circular’ – 30 km from Timperley Metro Station – 9.00am on Saturday 20 February…

A Short Trip to Loch Lomond

We wouldn’t have made it without the efforts of the ground crew at Philadelphia airport last Tuesday night (was that really a week ago!), so they deserve a mention.

I’d already spent eight hours at the airport (planned, that’s life) by the time we were called to board US734 to Manchester, at 8.45pm.  It was on time.

“You are lucky, it’s just started to snow”, joked the ground staff.

The snow quickly became a blizzard, and the Airbus A330 trundled off to be de-iced.  I’d never seen this process before, so watched from the window, when the snow permitted.

A brown liquid was sprayed powerfully over the wings.  It cleared the snow.  But unfortunately by the time the fuselage was reached the snow had settled thickly again at the end of the wing.

“You can see what is happening” announced the pilot.  We weren’t going anywhere.

Time passed.

“We are going to try again” – it was the pilot on the tannoy.  This time there was a little more success, until the process stopped, abruptly.

“The runways are all closed” observed the pilot.

Snow ploughs could be seen in the distance.  Lots of them.  Very active.  But the snow was thicker now, and forecast to last into the following day.  Even the locals were resigned to spending an uncomfortable night at the airport before going home…

“The roads will be a nightmare tonight, and the airport will be shut tomorrow.  We are going nowhere soon”, was the gloomy prognosis.

It surprised everyone when the captain announced that the ground staff were to attempt de-icing for the third time.

With an even stronger jet, and green liquid this time, the de-icing held its own against the blizzard, and after agonising minutes on the runway whilst snow seemed to be building on the wings, we finally made a desperate but successful bid for the freedom of the air.  I think everyone was most impressed with the efforts that had got us there, and not at all bothered about being a few hours late.

The following day’s flights had been cancelled by the time we reached Manchester.

After an hour at home to recover (or was that to pack for the next trip?) the journey to Balloch was benign by comparison, though the delayed flight meant that we had to enjoy a lovely sunset from a traffic jam in Glasgow rather than from the shores of Loch Lomond.

Thursday dawned clear and bright.  The snow capped summit of Ben Lomond gleamed at us from the window of the apartment that we were sharing with Dave, Maggie and Ellie.

It was irresistible, but only Ellie and I were fit enough to attempt the ascent, so by 11am we had driven round to Rowardennan and were striding up the icy ‘tourist’ path, whilst Sue and the others were enjoying a more sedate experience near the shores of the loch.

There had been a hard frost, as explained by these ferns.

The edge of the loch was framed by ice, though the warm sun had melted most of that by the time Sue took this picture.

Meanwhile, Ellie and I could look back to the southern shores and islands of Loch Lomond, with the high rise dwellings of the city of Glasgow clearly visible through the glaring sunlight beyond the loch.

The path rises gently out of Rowardennan.  This may be one of the easiest Munro summits to attain, but it was entirely appropriate for this day out with my niece, who had never previously set foot on a Scottish mountain.

Way below the snow line we encountered a river of ice, soon after which crampons were donned.  We could have managed without, but they did make life easier, and I was keen to test my new 150gm ‘Yaktrax’, whilst Ellie was keen to wear any old crampons (mine, for example).  They both worked well, and we happily made it to the summit by 2pm.

It was sunny and still.  A lovely winter’s day.

The summit ridge looks quite Alpine from some angles, but is very benign on a day like today.

The Ptarmigan Ridge looked easy enough, but Ellie had never used an ice axe and decided she would prefer to return by the tourist path we had used in ascent, so we made do with this fine view to the north western shores of Loch Lomond, with Ben Vane and Ven Vorlich in close attendance, providing the foreground for an array of peaks.

A slide show, covering the entire short trip, will follow.

Thursday 11 February 2010 - 2.pm - Ellie's First Munro

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Where am I now?

Hello All
I know some of you like these little quizzes!
So which city can I see in the distance today (that's a very big clue)?


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Monday 8 February 2010 – Winding Down

Sadly, this was my last day in Gatineau Park for this year.  On a beautifully sunny Monday morning I yomped around a 16 km circuit from P10 in about an hour and three-quarters, stopping briefly at Huron Cabin for lunch.

I had considered the above photo to be just another snapshot, but Ken assures me it is a proper ‘photograph’, having been deliberately composed to include the chickadee on the bird feeder as its focal point, and to demonstrate the absence of any skis on the rack outside the cabin (very rare).  “I would have placed my red skis on the rack, to show that I was the only visitor” says Ken.  A good point!

Anyway, someone had been there as it was toasty inside, with a roaring fire.  I did my duty and shoved on another few logs, as others would surely want to toast their sandwiches here today, being as it was minus 10C outside, with an icy breeze.

The main trails seemed to me (though I’m not an expert in such matters) to be well groomed today, though #1B was in its usual unkempt state, but had perhaps had its icy surface loosened by the passage of a snowmobile.

The trail up the Khyber Pass, shown below, was lovely and pristine, having clearly (even to my untrained eye) been ‘machined’ shortly before my arrival.

So that’s it folks.  That’s all from Gatineau Park for the time being.  The blue skies have been much appreciated, but tomorrow I embark on a 20 hour journey to get home. 

So the next posting will be from Timperley.  Or will it, I wonder?

I can’t finish this without thanking Ken and Helen for their wonderful hospitality, and saying hello to the numerous other friends and acquaintances who have helped to make this trip so enjoyable.

Au revoir – until next year, when I hope that Sue will be fit enough to make the trip.

A Weekend at the Algonquin Eco-Lodge

Helen, Ken and I have just returned from a sunny weekend at the Algonquin Eco-Lodge together with five members of OHOC (Ottawa Hostel Outdoors Club) and about 20 other sundry punters. 

A fuller report will be added to this posting in due course, and may be of interest to those considering visiting the lodge.

The lodge has its pros, and its Cons.

For the present, suffice to say we enjoyed a pleasant weekend.  The lodge’s accommodation was fine and the food was mostly adequate, as were the ski and snow shoe trails.  The quite well groomed ski trails were rather limited in length, as was the snow shoe route.

Thanks go to Tim for organising the weekend.  Thank you, Tim.

Thursday 4 February 2010 – The Lonely Road to Lusk Cabin

Today dawned brilliantly sunny, but by the time I’d driven out to P17 (Wakefield, again) it had clouded over and was a chilly minus 12C.

Today I was on my own for a longer ski, starting up trail 52, past Brown Cabin.  I soon encountered the uncommunicative school children that Helen and I saw yesterday.  I couldn’t get a word out of any of them, though their teacher was friendly enough.  I think he has a tough job.  I was saddened by the gloomy looks on the faces of these kids – some of those at home in the UK would die for the opportunity to do what they are doing, and passing strangers in the UK (in Timperley, anyway) would probably receive a “Hello Mister” in response to their greeting.

Ah well.

After gaining the summit of the long hill that was littered with these prone, snow covered children, I emerged into an area of pristinely groomed trail.  It seemed that I was the first person along it after the groomer, so it was all nicely ridged, without any trace of the usual ugly slashes caused by skate skiers.  A delight to ski along.

Turning right at the junction with trail 50, and nicely warm by now (I’d succumbed to the usual cool hands earlier), I glided effortlessly down to Lac Philippe and soon passed the reason for the trail being in such excellent condition.  The groomer driver smiled back.  The pace slowed as the trail now had last night’s 3-4 cm of fluffy snow on its surface.  I wasn’t complaining though; it was enjoyable, easy going along a trail that has often seen unexpected incidents due to ‘twigs’ and ‘leaves on the track’, both of which [for those readers in the UK] can result in falls.

Past Philippe Cabin I turned down the ungroomed trail to Lusk Cabin, one of my favourite places in the Park.  It’s pictured above.  Five French speakers were toasting their sandwiches on the hot stove.  I added mine and chatted to one of them.  My memory turned briefly to recall the legend of the lost skier of Lusk Lake, but that’s another story.

The sun reappeared, and the afternoon was another ‘blue sky’ experience.

On leaving the cabin I was surprised to see the grooming machine arrive – its first venture along this trail for some time, I suspect.  So I had the pleasure of being the first person along the freshly groomed trail, all the way back to the junction with the Taylor Lake Loop.  Whilst sorely tempted to ski the loop, I decided to return to P17 via the Philippe parking lot (P19) and then by trail 53, which was still not groomed, but with last night’s snow was a delight to ski down.

I like trail 53; it has pleasing sections through open country reminiscent of the CSM (Canadian Ski Marathon) route.  Such sections make a welcome break from the tree lined forest roads that house most of the trails in the park.  Not that I’m complaining.  I enjoy them all.

Back in the trees, the route undulates  and weaves to join the shorter route from Philippe, trail 51, and head up and down long straight sections for the final 4 km back to Wakefield.  Not being an adrenaline junkie, I love the long, flowing downhill sections where you can just relax and glide gently downhill.  It’s great.

Apart from the school children, I saw only 10-20 people on the trails today.  It was very quiet.  But the conditions were excellent for skiing this gentle 30+ km route in a bit less than 4 hours, excluding the long lunch break at picturesque Lusk Cabin.

Sue, who didn’t make it over here this year, would have loved this ski – I missed her more than usual today.

There will now be a break in transmission for a few days, as we set off early in the morning for a weekend at the Algonquin Eco-Lodge.