On Saturday four intrepid explorers met up
at Stockport station to venture out into the salt plains and marshes of
Cheshire. Well actually it was John, Linda,Sue and Tracy setting out on a walk along
the Trent & Mersey Canal.
We alighted at Lostock Gralam and it was
all of about an hour before our first refreshment stop : scones with jam and cream kindly provided by Tracy. This
was in a delightfully sylvan setting between Northwich and Middlewich.
We made it to Middlewich before our first
pub stop : the delightful ‘Big Lock’. This was accompanied by the first of
several light showers which gave Lindaand Sue the chance to show off their snazzy
umbrellas.
It was an entertaining day with plenty of
action on the canal, with lots of boats coming and going with the many locks on
this section; and everyone very friendly.
We had a further stop at Sandbach at ‘The
Commercial’, a wonderful old fashioned type of an establishment, before moving on
via ‘The Broughton Arms’ (very busy) and
finishing up at ‘The Red Bull’ in Kidsgrove. We had a tasty meal but had to jog back along the canal, just in time to
catch our train. It was a full and enjoyable day and we’re already planning the next
stage : Kidsgrove to Macclesfield.
John H
Stockport Walking & Outdoor Group 