Words by Pete, Photos by Butty & Pete
Crew: 3 sheds, TJ, Butty, El Pres, Pete
Pub : Dunc, Lee, Kersh
Weather: Very good
Route: Ecton Avenue, Spring Hill, Hurdsfield Road Swanscoe lane, Lidgetts lane, half bridleway , Rainow Jumper lane, Billinge Quarry, Jumper lane, Oakenbank, Spuley lane, Pott Shrigley, Long lane, Stypersons, Canal – The Vale
Notes:
It had started as a Butty plan to re-use an innovative route from five years ago (almost to the day) ….and it went that way for a bit before it turned a bit slack .
The Ecton Ave “track” to Springhill is now classified as bridleway …now that, in my book , is progress . No ranting from random blokes who object to cyclists enjoying life – it’s now a fully legal bit of singletrack .
Butty suggests we need to investigate the quarry at B*****e H*ll ….so we sneak up the tarmac entrance to find a place barely big enough to turn a van around, a dangerous looking rock wall and…what looks like the bastard offspring of a night of nookie between a Heathrow Lock-up garage and a Cold War era bunker.
The popular conjecture is that it used to hold explosives at some point in the past.
We return to jumper lane and then make a joyous traverse of Oakenbank. Then onward via Pott Shrigley to Styperson Woods . Food Ops El Presidente is once again to the fore. The Vale’s Dial-a-pie service is engaged.
Logistics sorted it’s now down through the woods via diverse routes (or should that be roots ??) …passing lippy dirt digging yoof who have carved out more berms at the top end. Just after passing the Yoof I happen upon a slightly older lad walking his dog and actively picking up and bagging the litter strewn about the woods. I stop to enquire more and he explains he lives just below the woods and regularly clears up the bottles and cans etc (presumably associated with the Yoof …but that is all allegedly, m’lawd.). My heart gladdened by such willing care for our environment in one so young , we head via the Butty towpath route to the Vale.
It’s too full inside so it’s alfresco dining, pies all around and a tasty but moderate (3.7!) vale pint called Inception. Dunc arrives slightly later than expected after we had confused him with an initial plan to visit the poachers. Another pie is hastily ordered.
Lee and Kersh join us as the light fades and we improvise table lighting with the presidential full beams and an upturned pint glass. As numbers dwindle the Aoe is formed …whisky ops skill fully executed by his excellency President Palmer.
And a short ride home for some. Marvellous!