Getting ready to shelter from the rain.
On Congleton Edge.
Part of Congleton Edge.
A Buttercup meadow seen from a tree when we were sheltering from a heavy shower,
North east of the Nick i' th' Hill.
Looking towards Beeston and the Clwydians from the Cheshire's Close viewpoint.
The Old man of Mow.
Our first view of Mow Cop Castle.
Mow Cop Castle from the South.
Looking North east from the masts at Mow Cop.
Berwyn Sheep near our start point.
Walk stats: Distance: 9.1 miles. Climb:1041'.
Time: 5 hours 54 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.0 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.5 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn and Mike.
We started the walk from a lay-by on the Congleton Road North east of Mow Cop and will probably use this on future occasions when we visit this area.
We set off in sunshine, tackling the marshy area North of Cheshire's Close. At least we got the difficult route finding and boggiest part of the walk over first. No problems here this time finding the way across, although we didn't follow the path as it was on the OS map, but it was the one where many feet had previously gone.
It started to rain as we approached Nick I' th' Hill, when we decided it was time to put on our waterproofs. This heavy shower was enough for a young lady on a horse to invite us to shelter in barn by the stables. We declined her kind offer and headed across Congleton Edge.
It rained gently on and off for the next hour or so, and as we started aong the Staffordshire Way, we were hoping for a sheltered spot preferably with a bench.
Thankfully just before the Southern end of Whitemore Nature Reserve we came across a pic-nic table with views towards Congleton Edge. Even better the rain stopped and we had a pleasant half an hour having lunch in sunshine without having to have waterproofs on.
After lunch, waterproofs were required as intermittent showers continued for about another hour before we could remove them for the rest of the walk.
As we arrived back at the car the Sun was shining, so we continued the walk to visit Mow Cop Castle before retracing our steps back to the car.
Birds seen or heard today included: Carrion crow, Common pheasant, Common buzzard, Willow warbler, Meadow pipit, Black-billed magpie, Collared dove, Common whitethroat, House sparrow, Common swift, Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Blackcap, Goldfinch, Barn swallow and Winter wren.
Overall this was a good walk and the weather was much better than most forecasts had suggested.
We stopped at the Farmers Arms at Kelsall, where Mike enjoyed a pint of Weetwood Bitter and I had probably the worst cup of tea that I have ever tasted! Moral of the story - stick to the bitter!
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