Collected Musings of a Hill Wanderer

As if to prove that long distance trails can be found anywhere, there is one in east Cheshire that passes not far from where I live. This is the 35 mile (56 km) Gritstone Trail and it starts at Disley before following the western fringes of the Peak District all of the way to Kidsgrove in North Staffordshire.

While it is possible to complete it in two days, spreading it over three days seems a sounder proposition. Suggested sections are shown by the overview maps listed below. They live on the website of Cheshire County Council who maintain the route; smart new waymarking signs have been erected recently so they are looking after it. There is a cloud hanging over the future if HM Government has its way: CCC and all borough councils are to be replaced by two unitary authorities for East Cheshire and West Cheshire. We’ll see how things go…

North: Disley to Tegg’s Nose

Central: Tegg’s Nose to Timbersbrook

South: Timbersbrook to Kidsgrove

The trouble with things local to you is that you don’t pay them the sort of attention that they would get if they were further away. As if to prove the point, my progress along the GT was far from concerted until very recently. That said, there have been longer walks along the route and ones that come to mind include: Bollington to Disley, Rainow to Sutton Common, Tegg’s Nose to Kerridge, Sutton Common to The Cloud (not far from Bosley or Congleton) and The Cloud to Kidsgrove. As it happens, there have been many other shorter ones where I followed it, particularly on the stretch between Kerridge and Sutton Common. In fact, it was a short stroll between Bollington and Kerridge that completed the trail for me. Yes, there are times when I do allow things to become that bitty…

Here are some details of the longer ambles:

Bollington to Disley

This was one of those first of the year strolls on January day with some snow on the ground. In fact, the thoughts of sunny skies with snow about could have been what tempted me out in the first place. In the event, the sun never did make it through the clag that abounded on that day. Field trekking was the order of the day between Bollington and Brink Farm and that seemed to take the longest, possibly because progress along a good track took me to Lyme Park felt a bit quicker. It was getting dark as I made my way from Lyme Park into Disley but I do seem to remember that skies had cleared by then. What I more keenly remember is my lazy testing of boots on a patch of ice: the result momentarily involved having my legs positioned above my hips. I need say no more…

Tegg’s Nose to Kerridge

From a start of year stroll to an end of year one, a sunny December afternoon tempted me to walk from my house to Tegg’s Nose and I drank in the views from there: Shutlingsloe was clearly visible in the winter sunshine. A spot of down and up progress took me by Rainow from where it was uphill as I made my way towards the White Nancy, a folly usually painted white that is one of Cheshire’s most famous landmarks. It used to be possible to enter it but vandalised put paid to that opportunity. Speaking of vandalism, someone must have thought it funny to paint the thing pink one time; it got a mention in the Macclesfield Express but the good people of Kerridge and Bollington were anything but amused.

Rainow to Sutton Common

A hot sultry August day saw me have grand designs on a walk from Rainow to Rushton Spencer. Everything was going fine as I plied my way from Rainow, navigational challenges being overcome as I went, until I started making my way up Foxes Bank and Sutton Common. Feeling less than 100% on Sutton Common itself, I decided to return home at that point and a little lie down was enough to restore order: Walking on hot sunny days is never the best plan but the prospect of pleasant weather still seems to draw me out. Another valuable lesson learnt…

Sutton Common to The Cloud

The walk actually started out from my house with variety of connecting footpaths being used to reach my starting point on the GT. The day was to be a hot and dry affair with the sun making its way from behind the clouds at times. This journey me round by Langley until I reached Foxbank Farm. However, my rendezvous with the GT was to be delayed as a result of subsidence on the way up to Sutton Common. So, more footpath and road tramping followed before I was reach the A54 and the trail in question, busily resolving any navigation uncertainties that raised their heads along the way. It was to some time before I left tarmac behind, though, as I enjoyed the views from the quiet Minn End Line before I headed back onto more foot friendly surfaces at Hawkslee. The off road hiking was set to continue, apart from crossing the A523 near Rushton Spencer, until I found myself on the private road leading to Raven’s Clough. Feeling the effects of my exertions on what was by now a hot and sunny August afternoon, I elected not to surmount The Cloud on my way to Congleton but to stick with the tarmac option. A short wait in Congleton preceded a non-too-long way home for a well deserved after walk rest.

The Cloud to Kidsgrove

A short bus ride dropped me off sooner than I expected and I was about to continue along the road to get my bearings when a friendly gentleman put my mind to rest. My walk was starting in Eaton and I was using the Dane Valley Way to reach where I left the GT on my previous journey along its length. The DVW is yet another of Cheshire’s longer distance paths and actually begins in Derbyshire, Buxton to be more precise, before it reaches the source of the said river and follows it to Middlewich in the centre of the county. Once I overcame my navigational doubts – there was another a little further on from my starting point that was soon answered without any inconvenience to anyone else, it was uneventful hiking all of the way to the slopes of The Cloud. It is not a very high hill and it slopes were soon ascended and the top was ablaze with flowering heather and panoramic views were in ample supply. I even took some lunch atop it with the sounds of silage making percolating up from below.

Having got away from the delights of The Cloud, I dropped down to Timbersbrook, where a former industrial site is now a delightful woodland park. a spot of field crossing took me on to the bed of the former Biddulph-Congleton railway. After a short stroll along its level length, I was to leave it for a climb up Congleton Edge on my way to Mow Cop. Again, views over the Cheshire Plain were offered in abundance. Having an older edition of OS Explorer 268 with me, I had to keep my concentration up since it showed the GT terminating in Mow Cop. Though I still broadly knew where I should have been going, I kept my eye out for any helpful waymarkers; there was no problem as the authorities have been dutiful. I reached Scholar Green and picked the first of the canal paths that were to take me all of the way to Kidsgrove train station; Kidsgrove is where the Macclesfield Canal meets the Trent & Mersey one.

It was a successful end to a day that began with somewhat doubtful looking skies that produced a dusting of rain as I neared The Cloud. Though cloud abounded, the day remained dry from then on and the sun was able to make its appearance at times. even so, the temperatures never truly exceeded those suitable for walking.

Your choice of walking footwear can be as individual as it is important. Choosing footwear that is unsuitable for you or the terrain that you are crossing can bring a hike to a premature end. For instance, I remember a tale of someone who attempted the West Highland Way in trail shoes with the shoes’ footbeds replaced with insoles and had to bug out at Crianlarich following several days of misery; replace the original footbeds removed much of the shoes’ foot support and padding. On the other end of the scale, there is another story told of a WHW walker who had to cry out early because his boots were not well broken in.

Traditionally, hiking footwear has meant boots offering copious amounts of foot and ankle support with waterproofing to keep those feet dry in boggy terrain and there are those who consider any challenge to this orthodoxy to be heresy. That hasn’t stopped others asking if you really need that Gore Tex lining when leaving it out allows for more breathability and feet that are less sweaty. There are even outdoors folk who rate drying ability above waterproofing. Sandal fans like Chris Townsend will no doubt appreciate this thinking. Moving on to foot support, questions have been asked about the amount of support that footwear really needs to supply; the faith of Innov-8′s Wayne Edy in the biomechanics of the foot comes to mind on this one. On a more conventional, I remember Walking World Ireland’s Andy Callan opining that foot support was more important than waterproofing or ankle support, which seems to sale up the middle somewhat.

One thing that can answer all of these types of questions is the type of walking that you do. Of course, that consideration starts with the terrain that you frequent. The requirements of dry dusty trails in the U.S. are very different from boggy hill tracks in the Scottish Highlands and the contrast between the tow path of the Macclesfield Canal and the side of Tryfan is equally as stark. Fitness (a very dangerous word following outbursts in the OutdoorsMagic forum…) and experience also come into the frame.

For my walking, I have tended to stay with the conventional thinking and use boots most of the time. My walking does range from good tracks to boggy terrain to craggy slopes so a general purpose boot is what I tend to choose. What has brought all of this to mind is my discovery of a hole in the Nubuck uppers of one of the Salomon boots that have been my mainstay over the last few years. It shouldn’t surprise you to hear that water ingress has been experienced as a result. However, I have noticed wetting out as well and would be rejuvenating the Gore Tex lining with the likes of Nikwax were it not for the hole. In addition, the other boot was letting in water too so I was on the market for replacements.

That brings me on to another potential point of discussion: buying outdoor footwear over the internet. I must admit that I have done it but there is a lot to be said for going to a well stocked shop and that is what I did on this occasion. The shop that got my custom was the Manchester branch of Cotswold. I popped in on the muggy damp day that was last Sunday and spent a spot of time inspecting their selection. The Scarpa ZG10′s caught my eye so I got help from the shop staff with their fitting. To my surprise, I was told that I needed UK size 9½; and there I was thinking that it was only Salomons where you needed to go at least a size larger than your normal shoe size (I take 8′s). The width fitting seems good and my heels are held securely with plenty of ankle support. There is some space about the toes but that stops them getting bashed on my way down hills. The Vibram soles look designed for the job too and the rubber rand about the uppers look as if they could deal with the rough stuff too. The other advantage in going to a shop is that a spot of boot care advice is on offer too. The Scarpa’s weren’t cheap so I plan to look after them.

However good the fit is, any boots are going to take time to break in and, despite the leakiness of the boots that are being replaced, I am not going to rush things. For one thing, I have an older pair of Salomons that look tatty but I never remember them to leak (they were retired before that could have happened) and I am planning to press these into service for any forthcoming outings. In fact, I took them out for a recent ramble over the Gritstone Trail between The Cloud near Congleton and Kidsgrove with a walk in along the Dane Valley Way from Eaton was the warm up. The old clobbers did that job well.

I suppose that I could use trail shoes but I’d rather the security of boots. That said, I have been using trail shoes from Columbia and Salomon on walks on paths and tracks near home, where I go a little more lightweight anyway. I might even try them further afield where I can be sure that I am crossing less challenging terrain.

As promised, here is a report of my visit to Scotland’s West Highlands the week before last. Yes, there has been a delay in the post coming but that seems to be a trend in outdoors blogging these times. Yes, other distractions intervened…

A disappointing July had me gagging for a few days away and a promise of at least some fine weather was enough to see me head north. Things started well but the weather headed downhill thereafter. Nevertheless, it didn’t stop me getting in an ample amount of walking and I reluctantly left to head south after what was in a myriad of ways a very successful break from the rat race.

Thursday

An overnight journey took me to Bridge of Orchy to walk my penultimate section of the West Highland Way. When I arrived, I found Bridge of Orchy basking in sunshine and captured some scenes both on film and on memory card. After crossing the A82 and passing under the railway, I picked up the track that was to take me south to Tyndrum. As luck would have it, cloud soon rolled in and conspired with various masts and electricity poles to reduce my photographic activities.

The hubbub of the A82 became scarcely audible as I passed Beinn Dòrain and there were teasing views up Gleann Ach’-Innis Chailein and Glen Coralan. Perversely, it was after this that the weather began to cheer up again with the cloud melting away again. The noise of traffic on the A82 became a more permanent feature while the slopes of Beinn Odhar were crossed; it did made me wonder if there were better routes for the WHW than to squeeze through a pass alongside a railway track and a busy road. The sun stayed out and the views behind me towards the Black Mount and the likes of Beinn Dòrain remained excellent: there was an abundance of camera activity as a result.

Tyndrum was too excellent an excellent refreshment opportunity to miss and I took advantage of the Green Welly Stop for a spot of lunch. It was soon back to shadowing the A82 again; thankfully, the noise was less pervasive than it was north of Tyndrum. The glorious appearance of the Crianlarich hills made me wonder if southbound was the right direction for once: they certainly looked better than their more rounded Tyndrum counterparts. As I proceeded along Strath Fillan, I followed the WHW as it crossed over and back across the A82. The final crossing saw me heading up steep slopes, a heavy price to be paid by tired legs and an argument in favour of the usual northbound itinerary. The views that opened out did provide some compensation for my exertions before I dropped down to Crianlarich for a night’s stay in the SYHA hostel and a spot of refuelling at the Rod and Reel pub. It was a long day spent covering twelve miles of trail.

Friday

A drizzly start to the day greeted me when I arose. Crianlarich SYHA is a self-catering hostel so I braved the weather to head to the train station’s cafe (which usefully opens at 07:30) for a spot of breakfast. It didn’t take too long the drizzle to peter out but skies remained cloudy and I decided that a start from Inverarnan was a better proposition than the sterner test proffered by the alternative: retracing my steps up the hill that I had descended the previous evening. The coach journey that this change of plan necessitated only cost me £1.50; I don’t think that I have ever bought a cheaper ticket from Scottish Citylink. I disembarked at the Drover’s Arms and made for Beinglass Farm, retracing steps that I made on a hike at the end of May until the point where I headed north along a good track.

I carried on up Glen Falloch with the hubbub of traffic never far away until I crossed under the A82; the roar of the Falls of Falloch tried in vain to drown out the din though their sight was beguiling. They would have looked better had cloud cover not been as comprehensive as it was. Like the day before, the cloud curtailed any used of my camera and, on a sunnier day, the profusion of pylons would have presented challenges for photo composition: I prefer to see hills devoid of these distractions in my pictures. Still, the day remained largely a dry one with only isolated light showers perturbing this dryness.

Later on, I got tangled up in groups of walkers and mountain bikers (should the latter have been using the WHW?) heading the same way. All parties were friendly but I was happy to let them continue ahead of me so that my stroll could be a more relaxed affair. My taking of lunch near the A82 underpass was the perfect opportunity to allow this to happen.

Once on the west side of the A82, I soon lost the traffic noise and progressed along a good track that took me to the end of my WHW. The ascent was gradual affair, just what I needed. The sun came out too but was no where near as dominating as it was on the previous day. Nevertheless, views of the Crianlarich hills still entertained. A boggy tramp down Bogle Glen returned me to Crianlarich to await a coach heading to Fort William, my base for the next two nights. I had it in my head to catch the 14:30 but this changed to the 16:30. About 16:45, a Citylink coach did stop but that had no ticket machine onboard so I had to await its partner travelling after it. I was informed that it was 10-15 minutes away but that developed into nearly 45 minutes. I don’t blame the drivers because they are at the mercy of traffic conditions, after all.

There was no sign of sun when I got to Fort William so I made my way to the Cruachan Hotel where I was to stay for two nights. A spot of tidying up preceded my getting food at the Ossian Hotel. This is a quiet spot in an otherwise busy town and provided what I asked of it; I have simple requirements. A stroll along the sea "front" returned me to base for the night.

Saturday

Another wet morning awaited me when I arose and caused some confusion in my mind as to what to do. I did try to dry up but the success rate wasn’t brilliant. Eventually, I began to envisage a walk from Invermoriston to Fort Augustus along the Great Glen Way. A missed coach sent me back to my original plan: a spot of recce around Kinlochleven.

It wasn’t so promising when I got to Kinlochleven but I donned the waterproofs and headed for Loch Eilde Mor. The wet conditions were a good test for my newly acquired Harvey map of the area; another post may have something to say on the Harvey versus OS comparison. My journey was to take me up the steep side of Meall an Doire Dharaich and some scrambling resulted. I have to say that wasn’t my intended approach but I soon reached the good track that was my attention. Thankfully, things were drying up all the while, even if the atmosphere was distinctly muggy and midge-friendly. The summits of Am Bodach, Na Gruaigeachan and Sgurr Eilde Beag were all hidden in cloud and I am sure that other hills of that height in the Mamores were similarly afflicted; they were most likely not the only ones, either. That said, the hills separating Loch Leven from Glen Coe did seem clear. I continued to the half way point along Loch Eilde Mor before returning to Kinlochleven, having convinced myself that a return in sunnier and fresher weather was in order. However, I left myself a lengthy wait in the rain in muggy sleepy Kinlochleven and the midges gave me more grief than I have had from them before. They weren’t the only antisocial beasties about that evening: some drunken young ladies delayed the bus by 15 minutes with their antics. Once on the bus, peace began to return even if some of the midges didn’t find their way back out for a good part of the journey to Fort William.

Sunday

I awoke to another grey morning but, as the day wore on, it seemed as if Scotland was trying to make up for the previous day with the sun battling to get through the clouds without having a massive amount of success. However, this was certainly enough to make me wonder if I was going home prematurely. My resolve remained with me though and I started for home with the 13:00 coach to Glasgow. From there, it was on to Crewe by train and a bus got me back to Macclesfield. I had left Scotland having completed the West Highland Way and with ideas for future excursions. It wasn’t a bad trip at all and I have some more ideas for walks on any return. No, the midges don’t deter me easily.

A few days ago, the last of the outstanding rail franchise competitions got decided: the east coast intercity franchise. There was a time when I would have been sorry to see the end of GNER because they were a good train operator and I never had any real trouble with them. Nevertheless, seeing National Express succeeding it isn’t necessarily that bad a thing. After all, they came good with Midland Mainline and the "one" services certainly don’t hit the news like those run by First Great Western. First’s Great Western debacles preclude them from any shortlist in my opinion though their ScotRail and Transpennine Express services seem to be well run. Let’s see what NatEx does; at least, they have a pedigree. It’ll be a pity to see the GNER trappings disappear though…

The last few weeks have seen me quiet on the blogging front. Having to restore a PC to working condition after its having gone belly up on me was certainly a contributor to this state of affairs. A trip up to Scotland also took me away from the world of computing and refreshing it was too. While a full report for the trip will remain for a further post, the fact that I finally finished the West Highland Way during the visit up north brings me nicely to the subject of this one. In the same spirit, I have also walked nearly all of the Gritstone Trail with only a tiny section about Bollington to do of an evening.

My progress along both trails typifies my previous approach to walking: decide a location for a walk and use part of a long distance trail for all or part of its length. That is probably more true of the Gritstone Trail than the WHW. The latest installments along the former, for which trip reports are planned, had me heading south over the sections between Sutton Common and The Cloud and then from the latter all the way to Kidsgrove, the southern terminus of the GT. Its northern end, Disley saw my boots very early on in the story of my attentions when I hiked from Bollington in murk with the remains of January snows on the ground. Walks between Rainow and Sutton Common and from Tegg’s Nose to Kerridge have taken me over the rest of the length while I have followed its course on many other rambles too. Its being local to me has meant that I have been on it a lot but, rather perversely, it has also dissuaded me from completing the thing thanks to the walking attractions (or distractions?) offered by other locations.

My progress along the WHW has been a little more deliberate than the GT though the direction of travel has been something of a movable feast: having to go a good way away does concentrate the mind a bit more. My final section took me between Inverarnan and Crianlarich while the previous day saw me head south from Bridge of Orchy and overnight in Crianlarich. A through-hike at the end of May took me along the shores of Loch Lomond on my way from Inverarnan to Drymen. A February outing took me from Milngavie to Drymen after a three year hiatus which followed a pleasant hike between Glen Coe and Bridge Orchy. The previous summer saw me head over the Lairig Mor between Kinlochleven and Fort William twice: my holiday plans were blighted by the weather the first time and a return set the world to rights. On neither occasion along this part of the WHW was the weather truly nasty but glorious late August weather was a wonderful accompaniment to the second outing and a world away from the cloudy but dry July day of my previous encounter. Largely cloudy skies were in attendance on the trek between Kinlochleven and Glen Coe the previous summer and sun was not particularly successful in its attempts to come and show off the landscape at its best.

While on the subject of long distance trails, my progress along the Pennine Way has stalled but this year’s multi-day treks along the West Highland Way are good practice for its northern reaches. It won’t get completed this year but opportunities may well proffer themselves before 2007 comes to an end; I still have to walk between Gargrave and Haworth. Other long distance trails await as well: the tamer Great Glen Way, the wilder Southern Upland Way… The list goes on.