Introduction
The overnight rain had passed ang it was sunny and breezy as I headed south for a simple walk up to Mow Cop, which is situated to the east of Biddulph.
The walk is in East Cheshire, though the border with Staffordshire runs along part of the path and through Mow Cop itself.
Ackers Cross at Moreton is a 40 minute drive down the A34 from Cheadle Hulme.
The walk is 5.7 miles with 425 feet of ascent.
It took 3 hours to complete, with no stops.
The walk is pretty good for dog walking, the first half being in woods on good tracks, and the last mile on the canal towpath. There is a road section before the canal, but they are very quiet lanes.
I walked in an anti-clockwise direction.
The walk is on OS Explorer Map 268.
I parked on the roadside by the canal, postcode CW12 3PB, What 3 Words //cheer.heat.tips
Ackers Crossing, Moreton To Mow Cop
I left the car and walked to the road bridge over the Macclesfield Canal.
I walked through a subway below the west coast mainline and immediately began the ascent on a track in dappled sunlight.
Soon, the route entered a field with grazing cattle, which were subject to a warning by an OS Maps app user who had designated the way as passable. So in I went, and the cows were disinterested in my presence.
The Cheshire plain now stretched out behind me.
Great Moreton Hall stands out proudly in the near distance.
The hillside is covered in dense ancient woodland, most of which is dedicated as a Nature Reserve, and inaccessible to the public. This path is the only way through it, and it is beautiful, with not a rhododendron in sight!
When I emerged onto a field, I was stunned by the view north to Sutton Mast (see header picture), and east to Jodrell Bank and beyond.
At the top of the hill, I decided to take a short detour to my right to look at the stone monolith that is TheOld Man Of Mow, and then on to the 19th century folly, Mow Cop Castle.
Old Man Of Mow And Mow Cop Castle
Both are well worth seeing, and offer some spectacular views.
Gritstone Trail To Macclesfield Canal
The walk north follows The Gritstone Trail long distance path, with view west, and also east out over the Staffordshire town of Biddulph.
I was surprised to find the gorse in full bloom.
After a short road section, I crossed several fields, another of which contained cattle, again showing no interest in me.
I traversed the edge of another wooded clough and reached a track with some isolated properties. One had an eyecatching weather vane.
Another path followed a the edge of a stream.
And next I reached the country lanes that led me to the canal.
The ducks had gathered for a communal early siesta!
This stretch of canal has some lovely waterside plants.
And the boaters were happily chilling as they cruised by.
Apart from the canal and the area around Mow Cop these were all new paths for me, and this is a lovely medium length walk with lots of interesting views. Give it a go!
And Finally….
I was a huge Dire Straits fan back in the day, and I was recently alerted to this live version of Sultans Of Swing from 1992. The song as it’s familiar ends at about 4 minutes 40 seconds, and is followed by a joyous 9 minute instrumental outro. Ignore if it’s not your thing, but I love it!
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