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Regular Club Meetings were still cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
27th August 2020 – Walk – Willington
[Report by David Howard]
Then there were 8……
I am pleased to report that we were joined by David Hartshorn and Andrew Allen for the first time since we were locked down on this excellent walk led by Johnson M. As ever Mike took pleasure in testing us with a 5 mile walk up hill and down dale.
We started at The Boot Inn, Willington and climbed Primrose Hill via a delightful little hidden valley obliquely as ‘Little Switzerland’, ascending to a height of 150m, affording us grand views across to North Wales, even on a grey and threatening day. From there we descended along The Sandstone Trail into a valley set aside for equestrian events, before crossing the A556 to King’s Chair, alongside Hangingstone Hill. At the head of Stoney Lane a coffee stop was held by a damson tree adjacent to the gate of a cottage, where we were encouraged by the charming Gloria, the lady of the house, to help ourselves to the fruit. Sadly there were only wind fallen ones left, as big and ripe as they were they did not appetize.
On the return leg, back past the opposite end of the equestrian park we climbed Urchins Kitchen through Primrose Wood, where we met the cavalry, well 8 or 9 riders, before descending back to the Boot Inn for a pint and lunch al fresco before the rains came again.
Thanks Mike for a good testing walk.
20th August 2020 – Walk – Peover Heath
Six go on a walk again.
Six club members congregated in the car park of The Dog Inn, Peover Heath to have our first walk away from the immediate Knutsford area since lockdown in March, with of course the welcome return of the traditional pub lunch. We reprised a walk pioneered by Anthony Whitworth on the 21st November 2013. When, thanks to Jim Flett and his meticulous records and the reporting of Dick Warwick, 19 went on the long walk, 6 went with George Tyror on the short walk around the polo grounds and a further 5 joined the walker’s for lunch. Wow! Even if we could have attracted those numbers we wouldn’t have been allowed under the current curfew.
For the record the walk was still 4.5 miles up past the polo field and helipad at Oakfield Manor, past Bowden Bank Farm and around the north-side of Lower Moss and south past the luxury wedding venue of Colshaw Hall, back along more polo fields belonging to Merrydale Manor, another luxury wedding venue. Was there an overt message in all of this? As we returned to Chelford Lane, the walk leader – David Howard decided to test how awake the squad was by deliberately taking a wrong turning. Pleased to report he was put right in the blink of an eye. Some walkers were getting desperate to get back to The Dog. Which when we did get back, 5 pints of Weetwood, 1 pint of Guinness and 6 excellent lunches were demolished.
Thanks Anthony it’s still a cracking walk.
6th August 2020 – Walk – Mobberley
Really there should have been 7 on the walk but Scott graciously stayed home to prepare the lunch time ‘sausage up’ so we didn’t breach whatever the regulations maybe. Colin led us on the walk that took us around all facets of Knutsford. Briefly we started in Legh Road, turning north-east onto Gough’s Lane across the A537 past Booths Hall along the entire length of Pavement Lane and into Mobberley. From there along Smith’s Lane past the industrial works to pick-up the North Cheshire Way, evidently popular with dog walkers, crossing the railway past the sewage works and up past the Parkgate Industrial Trading Estate before wending our way through Cross Town and back to Legh Road.
Where, yet again Scott generously entertained us to beer and sausages in his garden, thank you to him and Judith for their hospitality and to Colin for recce’ing and leading the walk.
But a large raspberry goes to the reporter for forgetting to take any pictures! Duh!
Please note there is no walk planned for the 13th as there is to be a zoom IT meeting.