Friday 4 May 2012 – An Evening in Deepest Cheshire

The first of Andrew’s ‘Deepest Cheshire’ evening walks of the year took place on a fine if overcast evening, starting with a taste of ale at the Whipping Stocks Inn.

Mary, who is usually found on Tyneside, joined us for the evening, and we set of at a gentle stroll along a pleasant path through Ambrose Acre, heading towards the country pile that is Peover Hall.

Round the corner from the hall is St Lawrence’s Church. The original church was built in the reign of Edward III (1327-1377). The present tower was built of brick in 1739, and the nave and chancel were rebuilt in brick in 1811.

The words on this gravestone will be familiar to connoisseurs of such places.

Here’s the hall, a private house with one car outside…

The stables date from 1654 according to this lintel.

It’s a large building – the lintel is just above Mary’s head.

Further on, past an abandoned golf course that has been allowed to return to grazing land, Colshaw Hall’s entrance sports a nicely varnished sculpture produced from the stump of a felled tree.

The area is littered with expensively refurbished /rebuilt farmhouses, and we passed four vast swathes of lawn each sporting the double posts that Andrew recognised as being the goalposts of polo pitches.

Here’s just one of those pitches.

“How the other half live…” we chorused.

Beyond the opulent displays of obscene wealth, farmers were still working in the fields as dusk came and went, and we returned to the pub past another huge building that used to be a private house, Radbroke Hall, now home to some of Barclays Bank’s offices.

Here’s the route of our 9km amble through pleasant Cheshire countryside.  A pleasant and genial two hour stroll tonight.  Thanks go to Andrew for planning the route.

Thursday 9 August 2018 – An Evening Walk from the Whipping Stocks

Thursday evening saw us return to Deepest Cheshire for the latest in this year’s series of summer evening walks led by Andrew. Apparently one took place whilst Sue and I were sunning ourselves in Austria, and everyone got soaked. But not tonight. Richard and Jenny turned out with their friends, Paul and Helen, so it was a team of seven who set out on another fine evening on a good path across Ambrose Acre towards Peover Superior.

Beyond Eelcage Covert (the mind boggles!) we reached the church that is attached by a gateway to Peover Hall.

The house dates from before 1585 and was built for Sir Ralph Mainwaring. There have been frequent alterations, including the building of a stable block in 1654. In 1919 the Mainwaring family sold the house, and it was sold again to Harry Brooks in 1940. During the Second World War the house was requisitioned and used by General George Patton and his staff. The hall was also used as a prisoner of war camp, and as a resettlement home for allied prisoners of war and for English people repatriated after the partition of India. It was returned to the Brooks family in 1950. A wing built in the 1760’s was in poor condition and was demolished in 1964, taking the house from 21 to 11 bedrooms. Other modifications were made, including a new entrance. According to Wikipedia, Randle and Juliet Brooks currently reside in the Hall.

There’s a plaque above the door of the stable block built in 1654.

More information about this splendid old building can be found here.

Our walk continued past a chrysanthemum factory and along quiet Cheshire lanes to reach Sandy Lane – a pleasant track from which we could enjoy a pretty sunset.

After this pleasant hour and a half’s meander, we were back at the start, wondering what the place would have been like in our ancestors’ times.

Whilst whipping may still be allowed (there was no sign saying it wasn’t), Sue noted the sign below with envy. Apparently her NHS workplace could do with a similar notice…

Here’s our route, a pleasant 7 km amble with minimal ascent, taking an hour and a half.

Thanks go to Andrew for organising this outing. The next, and last of this season’s Deepest Cheshire summer evening walks, takes place next Thursday, 16 August, and starts at 7.30 pm from The Bells of Peover (next to the church in Lower Peover) - SJ 742 742. All are welcome.

Thursday 11 July 2019 - An Evening in Deepest Cheshire

 

Last night we were pleased to join Andrew, who emerged from a long standing cocoon to lead a short evening stroll in Deepest Cheshire.

 

We assembled outside The Whipping Stocks on the A50 near Knutsford.

 

Soon we were storming along the footpath beside Radbroke Hall.

 

This is a 'polo zone'. Richard decided he wanted to 'pull', forgetting that he needed white jeans, a broad white belt, and willing punters. Also forgetting quite a bit more than that... Never mind, Richard. At least you tried!

 

Pleasant paths drew a clockwise line on Andrew's map. Outside Peover Cottage, an owl winked as we went past and the overcast sky started to leak.

 

We dodged around Peover Hall, passing various antiquities that have featured on these pages in the past, as the rain tightened its grip over everything bar the sun, which is pictured through the deluge at the head of this posting.

 

Beyond the hall, there's a good track back to the Whipping Stocks. This 2 km track used to be the driveway to the hall before the age of the motor vehicle..

 

Despite the slow walk - Andrew is trying to recover from a hip problem, we were back at the A50 and the Whipping Stocks shortly before the sun finally adjourned for the day.

 

Thus, we adjourned to the pub for an hour or so after this pleasant 6 km stroll with virtually no contours - apart from a few stiles - to trouble anyone....

 

Here's the route:

 

Thanks to Andrew for organising this little reunion of 'The Famous Five'.

Friday 28 July 2023 - An Evening Walk around Peover Hall

Congratulations go to Andrew for organising an evening walk - the one and only for this group this summer, although Sue and I have been on several of SWOG's evening walks.

Sue and I assembled at a random layby in Deepest Cheshire, together with Graeme, Jenny, Bridget, Richard and Andrew, for a 4.6 km stroll in the pleasant Cheshire countryside. On an overcast evening we trudged at 'Andrew pace' to cross and re-cross the Peover Eye, a stream that rises nearby and makes its way to the River Weaver.

After a while, we reached the entrance to Peover Hall, where poor light levels precluded any further photos.

Here's the route, it took us about an hour and a half, then we adjourned to The Crown in Goostrey for beer and wine.

And crisps (thanks Graeme).

Friday 5 June 2015 – Buttercups in Deepest Cheshire

This was the first of four ‘Deepest Cheshire’ evening walks organised by Andrew.

Six of us turned up early, intending to enjoy a pre-walk tipple at Sam Smith’s Olde Park Gate Inn. It’s not the first time that our planned rendezvous in Deepest Cheshire has proved to be drier than expected!

There was a minor conflab re our route, but I’m sure Andrew had it planned to a high degree of precision.

This is the map they were looking at….

We were soon strolling along the good path by Foxfield Wood, on a lovely sunny evening.

Jodrell Bank rose above the flat landscape, as on many most of Andrew’s excursions into Deepest Cheshire.

One of Cheshire’s principal crops just now appears to be Buttercups.

The light was starting to fade as we crossed a footbridge over the Peover Eye that eventually runs into the River Weaver.

Towards the end of our walk we passed the locked gates of the private mansion that is Peover Hall.

Lengthening shadows heralded a cloudless sunset.

The Whipping Stocks (a hostelry) was beckoning, hence the blurred figures in the evening light, with the hall in shade behind us.

Here’s our 8 km (5 miles) route, all on good paths and quiet lanes, taking well under two hours.

Well, that was a good way to spend an evening. Unfortunately I can’t get to the next three walks on Andrew’s programme, but he and Sue will be there to well anyone who cares to join them. Details are below:

Thursday 25 June
Deepest Cheshire (2) - starting at 7.30pm from the Bird in Hand, Knolls Green, Mobberley (SJ 803 795).

Thursday 16 July
Deepest Cheshire (3) - starting at 7.30pm from the Crown Inn, Main Road, Goostrey. (The one furthest from the Church, SJ 778 700.)

Thursday 30 July
Deepest Cheshire (4) - starting at 7.30pm from the Egerton Arms, Chelford (SJ 807 752).