Introduction
In this incredible heat, I decided the altitude and the shelter of the trees made a short walk in Macclesfield Forest the only sensible place to wander today.
The temperature was a mere 29 deg C at the car park, 35 deg C back down in the suburbs.
Macclesfield Forest is a 35 minute drive from Cheadle Hulme.
The walk is just 3.4 miles with 650 feet of ascent .
It took 2 hours to complete, plus half an hour for lunch and another 20 minutes picking blackberries!
The walk is fantastic excellent for dog walking, being almost totally on forest tracks.
I walked in a clockwise direction.
The walk is on OS Explorer Map OL 24.
The road that links the two car parks (see map below) was closed today, and so I actually started from the Standing Stone Car Park (on the right), postcode SK11 0AR, What 3 Words ///flannel.recur.restore
The High Section
I crossed the roads and set off in the direction of the nearby Shutlingsloe Hill.
There is a splendid view down to the reservoirs below.
The track meanders along the hillside, then drops down toward a ruined building. The trackside was awash with blackberries, so I sopped awhile.
Then, the track heads back uphill to an area where, seemingly just a couple of years ago the conifers were felled. Replacements are growing fast!
The sky was filled with house martins and one isolated old dead tree was being used as a resting perch between forays hunting insects.
The distant hamlet of forest Chapel was floating in a sea of straw, dotted with greenery!
The Low Section
I took the track down from here, through the thick conifer wood to my lunch spot.
Trentabank Reservoir was a beautiful and surprisingly full oasis.
After collecting another punnet of blackberries in my used lunchbox, I took the roadside trackback up the hill. The road being closed to traffic today made this especially pleasant!
Back To The Car
I left the road and climbed the path up the opposite hillside. There’s a lot of open land here where conifers have been felled, and native broad-leaved trees are growing.
A right turn took me back into the conifer woods with occasional openings to enjoy the view..
As I returned to the carpark, mine was the only vehicle. The closed roads and extreme heat had gifted me a personal forest!
This route proved that a short walk can be as rewarding as a mammoth hike, when you’re in a place like this!
And Finally….
This week, I discovered The Menzingers, an American indie band. Their new album is called Everything I Ever Saw, and this track is Better Angels.
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