Mangalonga

Sunday 10 August 7 miles

Jane and Hilary

We travelled to Ludlow, we had to go further south to come back to park at the Ludlow Rugby Club.

We signed in and picked up some crisps and water.

We started the walk going along the road and crossed the bridge over the River Teme to climb up the hill.

Stop One - Whitcliffe Forestry Office - Quiche and Beer

Stop Two - Mary Knoll - Welsh Pork Bap and Cider

Stop Three - Nissen Hut - Lemon Meringue Cheesecake and Raspberry Ripple Icecream and Cocktail.

Back to the Rugby Club was Stop Four - Cheese and Biscuits and Beer 

Then it was back to the car and we headed for home. 

A Minshull Meander

Wednesday 6 Aug 5.25 miles

Donna, Jane and Hilary 

A Cheshire Life walk from 2024 

From the Badger pub we turned left, then right at the roundabout on to Cross Lane and across the bridge over the River Weaver. At a sign reading ‘Woodmeadow’ we turned right past the cottage  into riverside fields. We couldn't see the River Weaver as there was so much balsam growing. We followed the path through the trees and went over a couple of footbridges. 

The path led upwards towards the canal and in places there were open sections which gave views of the countryside. Just near a canal bridge we climbed a stile on the left to join the Shropshire Union Canal towpath, and we turned left here. We saw only a few boats on the canal, we thought the Trent and Mersey Canal from Middlewich to Kidsgrove being closed due to low water was the reason there were fewer boats than you would normally see in the summer. We passed under Cross Lane at bridge 14, and went past Minshull Wharf, a former canal warehouse and cottage with exotic gables.  We continued along the towpath bridges 15, 16 and 18, and there were plenty of blackberries growing here. 

At bridge 19, we went under the arch then climbed the steep bank to a gate. Here we turned right and headed across the field. On the far side we crossed a stile in the hedge and crossed the next field to a metal gate by a cattle trough. We followed the edge of the wood, over another stile to the River Weaver and followed it for a short distance to a concrete footbridge.The river didn't look very deep.

We decided to stop here for lunch finding some shade under a tree. There had been animals in this field as there were dung heaps in places so we had to find a clear space. At the gate at the bottom of a hedged farm track we thought the gate was locked to start with until Hilary realised that the chain holding the gate could be unlocked. We followed the track up out of the valley and onto the road. The road continued past Lea Green Villa Farm. Fortunately we ignored the fingerpost by the entrance to Lea Green Hall, as when we got to the main road we discovered the path was closed. 

We continued along the lane past Home Farm mobile home park. There was a man strimming the long grass by the entrance, he made a comment about 'the good, the bad and the ugly' as there were three of us, but I don't to whom of us he was referring!!! 

At the B5074, we turned left and followed the road with care for the mile back to Church Minshull, we tried to walk quite quickly but stepped onto the verge as the cars went by. We were able to step off the road onto a grass path by some houses and then we used the pavements. At the roundabout we turned right past the church back to the Badger. 

We went to the Aqueduct Marina and the Waterfront Café for tea, coffee and a yoghurt covered flapjack, water and icecream. The marina has created a lovely covered outside space where we sat.

 

Get Together

Sunday 27 July

Birthday get together - Wollerton Hall Garden 

Lunch and a walk around the garden.

Swinford Mill and Manley Old Hall

Saturday 5 June 6 miles 

Tracey, Donna and Hilary 

The walk is from the Goshawk Pub.

Get together

Wednesday 28 May

Birthday get together - Afternoon tea at Carden Park.

The usual sandwiches, quiche, scone and cakes and some with bubbly.

Astbury Mere

Saturday 17 May

Carol, Hilary, Donna and Tracey

Lumb Brook Valley

Wednesday 23 April 7.3 miles

Jane, Tracey and Hilary

We parked at the car park on Stansfield Drive rather than on the road by the Grappenhall Heys Walled Garden. From the carpark we walked to the crossing place across Witherwin Avenue. Then followed the footpath going around the outside of the sandstone garden wall.

We continued on the surfaced path going between the houses and the newly turning green avenue of trees. Then going across fields and past the Grappenhall Cricket Club. We crossed Broad Lane, walking along a path going towards the village.

At Church Lane we turned right to walk through the village over the cobble stones towards Grappenhall Bridge. We did try to look inside St Wilfrid's Church but there was a service going on so we had to miss out. 

By the canal bridge we turned right onto Canal Side, and the sign said leading to Australia Lane. As I had looked at another walk that went to Australia Lane so I automatically lead us to the lane and took the path across the fields. It is only after we had walked a bit of a way down  this path that I realised we should be walking through a wood and we weren't, so we had to return to the correct path.

We found the right direction through Grappenhall Woods to the wizard, then along Broad Lane to Hall Lane that lead into the woods. We should have gone left as we saw the ponds but there wasn't an obvious path so we went only slightly too far by going straight ahead. As we came to a more open space and houses I knew we had gone too far. The path, now to the right, was much more obvious from this direction. The wavy footpath continued through the woods, and we followed the new fence that had been put up, maybe new houses are going to be built there.

Reading the instructions more carefully might have been useful, as again we continued straight on as we chatted, but we went over a stream and I wasn't sure that was correct so we stopped and realised we had again gone slightly too far. Tracey got out her phone using the Pokémon Go App and we were able to see the paths more clearly than on the ground. So we went in the correct direction, meeting

Lumb Brook Road. We were able to walk on the verge until we came to the path opposite some cottages which would take us to Green Lane.

We decided it was lunch time but there wasn't anywhere we could stop on the narrow footpath, where the footpath met Green Lane we decided to sit on the grass and the stile to have our lunch. We listened to the birds singing.  It was a bit cool under the dappled shade of the trees so we moved on.

Walking a bit further down Green Lane we turned into Ford's Rough and followed the winding path along the wooded valley, with the stream to the left. When we reached a road, we turned left over the bridge then right through an A-frame barrier into the Dingle woodland. The Dingle offered us a lovely walk through the bluebells and the celandines. The meandering stream added to the beauty of the place and the new green leaves with the sun shining through them made for a pleasant walk.

We walked past housing until we reached Dale Lane, here we turned into The Millennium Green. Following the almost straight path ahead to Lumb Brook Road we turned left. When we came to the kissing gate for Parr Wood we walked though the wood, around the houses and back to the walled garden.

We wandered through the Grappenhall Heys Walled Garden, there were some people working in the garden, some were volunteers working with the head gardener. Digging the weeds out of the soil looked like quite a task. Some vegetables were already in the ground and the trees were full of blossom. We walked through the garden and looked at the large fish in the ponds. 

Then made our way back to the car. Our 5.5 mile walk turned into a 7.3 mile walk!!

The Hollies was an easy choice as we were passing. We had hot chocolate, two teas, carrot cake and coffee and walnut cake.