The Gritstone Trail (South) 27/2/11

Hardly merits a blog entry does this walk but as its part of a LDP (Long Distance Path), it qualifies, just….

Just a quick day walk for the sake of something to do and to work off the hangover from the night before.  N’s over ambitious plan of doing the middle section of the Gritstone (20+ miles) didn’t materialise, so the ‘easy option’ of the Southern Leg it was.  A long boring ramble along the disused railway line (Biddulph Valley Way), up and over Congleton Edge, Mow Cop, then along the canal (also very boring) into Kidsgrove.



Crap Map



I think of the whole route, about 1/4 a mile was paths I'd not been on before.  Dull with a capital D.

Despite a reasonable forecast, the weather was shite, with persistent rain for the first couple of hours, followed by a hail storm whilst on top of Mow Cop (ouch).

New Carving in Congleton Park (A bear, apparently)

Told ya it was boring

First sighting of the Gritstone Trail after ½ an hour or so on the BVW….

Somewhere near the Castle Inn

A lot of the route was extremely boggy, which bit of “Grit” and “Stone” this long distance path was supposed to be, who knows!...

Shit Tip

Shit view from Congleton Edge

A donkey blocking the path up to the radio mast on Mow Cop.



Shitty Donkey



It was just before this point, whilst having a piss in the woods, I noticed a small Tupperware box poking out of the undergrowth, a geocache. Log book duly signed I continued on my merry way.  However on longing my entry on http://www.geocache.com/, its not even listed  - weird.

Another for the collection of photos of “phallic rocks”…

Old Man of Mow

And a little later on, the castle itself which dominates the South Cheshire Skyline.  Its not a castle at all, but a folly, an ornament to pretty up the view from Rode Hall.  Those 18^th Century millionaires were crazy folk!

Mow Cop Castle

There’s quite a marked difference in colour between the Macclesfield Canal and the Trent and Mersey Canal leading into Kidsgrove.  Why?  Do I look like I care?

Journeys End

The Bluebell at Kidsgrove is a gem of a pub, highly recommended…

http://www.bluebellkidsgrove.co.uk/

So just under 10 miles walked in 3 ¾ hours.  Fairly uneventful, but me Ginsters chicken and mushroom slice was good.