Introduction
Today may be the last day of the searing heat we’ve experienced this last week, and with a tennis match to play this evening, I chose a shortish, none too strenuous walk in lovely countryside.
It’s a 30 minute drive from Cheadle Hulme to Bosley.
The walk was around 5.5 miles, and took 3 hours 15 minutes plus 30 minutes for lunch.
The walk is mixed for dog walking as the farmland involved some stiles. Bosley Reservoir and the canal are great though., as is most of the farmland, being on tracks.
I walked in a clockwise direction.
The walk is on OS Explorer Map 268.
I parked on the roadside, Station Road, just off the A54 where it crosses the Macclesfield Canal at Bosley Locks, postcode CW12 2PD . What 3 Words ///ordinary.bowhead.incorrect
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0
Macclesfield Canal To Bosley Reservoir
I joined the canal at Lock 5 of the Bosley flight, which comprises 12 locks in all.
I stopped to read the interesting Information Board describing the unusual water saving construction and operation that is included in the design of the lock flight. A full lock is half emptied into, and retained in, a side pool, where it can be subsequently reused to fill the bottom half of the empty lock.
On the opposite bank of the canal, a pair of lapwings had made their home.
I left the canal at the top of the lock flight, having seen no boats along the way.
I walked up the road and then crossed the A54 to make my way up to Stonyfold. Here, there is a caravan site with 50 mobile homes hidden in the trees. A quick search reveals No. 47 being available to buy for £195,000! It’s a lovely spot.
Crossing the hillside, the skyline is dominated by Sutton Mast, looking down on the splendid colour of the rhododendrons on the farmland just across the way.
Approaching The Hollins I got my first glimpse of Bosley Reservoir.
Bosley Reservoir
The reservoir was built in 1834, an, along with nearby Sutton Reservoir, it feeds water into the Macclesfield Canal, and is thus owned by The Canal and River Trust.
The first close-up of the reservoir comes from the A54, fortunately not too busy today.
Joining the path, I was immediately entranced by a great crested grebe, fishing in the shallows.
A little later I noticed the grebe take off and fly along the water into the strong headwind.
The path around the reservoir is lovely,, ancient woodland, but sadly being overgrown with rhododendrons, beautiful though they are at this time of year.
I came across a recently fledged juvenile blue tit, and one of its parents, which was anxious at my presence as it waited to feed its chick.
And in other fledging news, I came across a growing family of goslings with their parents.
At the dam, the views west to “The Cloud” opened up.
Bosley And The Macclesfield Canal
I crossed the farmland below the dam, and made a short walk up the A523 to Bosley and North Rode Parish Church, which I’ve never noticed before when I’ve driven along here.
More farmland followed, until I came to a short tunnel beneath the long-disused Macclesfield to Leek railway line.
At the road I crossed over the River Dane, and took the bridleway over a long field, meeting the river again at the other end where the aqueduct which takes the canal over the river is visible through the trees.
I made my way up and over the canal, stopping to look along the waterway and up to Sutton mast.
Around the corner, is lock 12 at the bottom of the Bosley flight, and it was now clear why the upper part of the flight had had no boats using it. Clearly the flight is closed as the lock undergoes maintenance work, pictured here from beneath another disused railway bridge.
And so, I made my way up the locks to my starting point at No. 5, pictured from below the A54.
This is a lovely, easy walk with plenty of points of interest along the way.
And Finally….
I came across Milburn for the first time recently, though they’ve been around since the noughties. They are from Sheffield and there are distinct similarities to The Arctic Monkeys in their work.
This is What Will You Do (When The Money Goes)?
Be First to Comment