For this walk, Nellie and I ventured out of the County for a change, heading over the border into Cheshire to delve into Macclesfield Forest. Riddled with routes for walkers, horse riders and cyclists, these vast wooded slopes are situated on the western side of the Peak District, rising up to the moors. Rather interestingly the National Park border cuts pretty much straight through the middle.
It was early morning on a weekday, there were free spaces in the car park and paths were quiet. I doubt if it is the same at weekends though as this is an adventure playground for all ages! Only occasionally did we come across anybody else, and most were walkers with their dogs.
I parked in Standing Stone car park where after a little time spent searching, I gave up on the hunt for some prehistoric menhir or giant upright stone. However, on the sharp corner of the nearby bend in the road I did come across a large flat rock carved with a memorial inscription to Walter Smith (1872-1949), a historian of Macclesfield and lover of the countryside. There was a quote from Burns which read ‘We clamb the hills thegither’.
Nellie and I headed off on the bridlepath which took us behind Shuttlingsloe, known as the Cheshire Matterhorn, which rises to 509 metres above sea level. Its name is believed to originate from the celtic Shutta tribe who lived on the lowe or hill.
Following this elevated rollercoaster gravel track was a journey of visual delights as every so often there were incredible snapshot views of distant vistas. Most of these vantage points were significantly marked by perfectly positioned benches. It could have been a very slow walk had I taken advantage of a sit down at each one!
The track ebbed and flowed between patches of dense, dark, mysterious woodland then areas scarred with matchstick remains, presumably as a result of forest fires in recent years. Macclesfield Forest is described as being a working forest owned by United Utilities with mainly pine tree plantations, some of which have now been harvested. However, there are also broad leaf trees and areas of existing natural woodland that date back to when this was the Royal Forest of Macclesfield, an ancient hunting reserve. 990 acres of the forest are designated as being a Site of Biological Importance. Way down in the bottom of the valley are four reservoirs that provide drinking water for Macclesfield.
The track passed a derelict old dwelling known as Ferrister on the flank of Buxtors Hill. Once a working farmstead, its windows are now blocked up and its outbuildings reduced to rubble.
It was a glorious spring day with birds singing all around and I also heard a woodpecker hammering away at its new season, ‘grand design’ eco-home. Most wild flowers are still to make an appearance this year, but I did come across a patch of pretty little coltsfoot with their daisy-like flowers and striped stems. There were also clusters of delicate yellow primrose.
Nellie and I continued on the bridleway over Nessit Hill and on towards Thickwithers, a lovely old name that probably originates from some equine term. Then, after admiring distant views toward the Staffordshire Moorlands we began to descend, eventually arriving at a lane. Here we turned right to follow the ‘footpath only’ route to Trentabank where there is a car park and information point.
It is said that a huge heronry is located at the side of Trentabank Reservoir which contains more than 20 nests. Ornithologists evidently flock to the area to observe these and other interesting and sometimes rare birds.
From Trentabank we set off along a path through the trees to avoid walking beside the road, following a series of fingerpost signs for Standing Stone. At several points we passed little pond like pools of water, and a couple of them were heaving with oodles of dotted blobs of freshly produced frogspawn.
The path crossed and re-crossed Standing Stone Road before heading steeply back up to the car park.
Sally Mosley
FOOTNOTE BY NELLIE: I’ve had another weird encounter with nature. Me and mum were walking along a woodland path when I saw a strange little creature striding out across in front of me. I went up to have a sniff at this hairless, lumpy bumpy skinned creature with bulging eyes but no tail. It had winky wonky legs that ended in long fingers. I wasn’t going to hurt it but I was intrigued to know what it was. Suddenly it crawled into a depression in the verge and tried to hide. Mum said it was a toad in the hole, but that’s strange because it didn’t look like a tasty sausage to me! Big smiles, Nellie xx
