Tally-Ho! from Rainow, 21st Jan 2023

 

I arrived at the Robin Hood quite early for a gentle cross-country trot, as usual, following a trail of clumps of sawdust.

The weather was ideal for trail running: cool (okay, cold!) but bright – appearing even brighter because of the lying snow……you just can’t trust that lying snow.

I missed trail within the first couple of hundred yards (see the attached map of where I actually went), but soon got back on track. Losing trail is one of my strengths…..a gift you might say.

The trail led us north, by Rainow Low, and soon another opportunity was taken to lose trail.
A runner was catching me up, runners ALWAYS catch me up….and then pass me. The catcher-up was Vinnie, turbo mode.

We stuck together for a while, enjoying the lovely views whilst comparing notes.

Soon we came by Harrop Fold Farm which has great memories for me. My mate Crockett used to be the farm manager, he ran some excellent music and dance camping weekends here. Beer may also have been consumed. In quantity.

(Mostly) running NE in the direction of, but not as far as, Kettleshulme, we crossed Macclesfield Road, the B5470, before turning south and up Charles Hill and then followed almost a mile of lovely ridge.

Vinny was in camera mode – he does take some lovely photos.

All too soon we left the ridge to descend to Summer Close….was it here we came across the goat that thought it was a dog? I can’t remember. The goat was brought up with dogs and behaved like a playful puppy!

Losing height also meant we lost the sunshine, it became noticeably colder.

Around Crabtree Farm other runners appeared behind me, catching me up. It’s what other runners do.

Trail now headed west, along a bit of tarmac of Ewrin Lane, and into the setting sun.

We were now on final approach and descent to Rainow…..the ‘we’ was Eastwood and Wilson who caught me up on the Gin Clough track.

We rejoined Macclesfield Road for the last couple of hundred yards back to the Robin Hood, a nice hot shower, beer, and a nosh.

For Dawn and AlanR

It was a good day out: great route in good conditions, great company, and I even found most of the trail!

Then I called into the chippy on the way home.

Where we, well, where I went:

 

Just under 8 miles with around 1500’ of ascent.

Tally-Ho! Chinley Trail 8th October 2022

 

Another bright and remarkably warm day, given the weather forecast, saw the fine fellows of the Cheshire Hare & Hounds Tally-Ho! trail running club gather at the very fine Old Hall in Chinley for what promised to be another excellent run.

The hares, Ade and Tony (I’m in the money) Taylor, had plotted the day’s run.

Unusually this trail was marked by clumps of straw as well as the more usual sawdust…..this confused one or two of the hounds. Given the advancing years of one or two of the hounds such confusion is to be expected.

A pack consisting of Eastwood, Wislon, Brown ( not THAT Brown, the new one), Lost Markham, Fast Taylor, Doggy, and me, set off downhill (always an ominous start to a run) to follow the tarmac of a very quiet lane, across the railway by Brierley Green, then on tracks and footpaths to eventually cross Dolly Lane.

The pack soon caught up with some of the crocked club members who had decided to walk the route. They were off-trail, and were searching for the sawdust – although in all fairness the bright sunshine made it difficult to spot.

By this time Markham had been left behind, we warned the walkers to watch out for him and to make sure he didn’t get too lost.

The pack spread out over the next couple of miles of gentle ascent, either searching for trail or just easing off the pace.

At Over (the?) Hill Road we continued eastwards (eastwoods?) to the area marked on the OS map as New Allotments – a strange name for this rather inhospitable bit of the route.

 Burston, not at all very lost.

Turning north and then looping round by the disused quarries, Burston and I came across two runners coming towards us. We planned to stop them to see if they might be interested in the Club, but as the got closer it became clear that it was Jenks and Whitehead – they’d somehow lost the trail early on and ended up doing it in reverse.

A brilliant part of the route followed: over the edges of Chinley Churn and Cracken Edge – stunningly beautiful in the autumn sunshine. 

The descent by Cracken Edge was very steep, it was a shame to leave the lovely tops, but it had to be done.

 

The rather beautiful White Hall

Another ¾ mile or so got us back on to tarmac that soon delivered us back to the pub….where rehydration operations commenced.

 

The Abbeydale IPA being served was very good indeed – just a shame I was driving.

18 sat down to dinner in the dining hall. Those who’s eyes were bigger than their stomachs ordered puddings, whilst those who were, er, watching their figures, stuck to one very filling main course.

Thanks to Ady and Tony for another superb trail – a serious contender for Trail of the Season, almost as good as the New Mills trail ;-)

Thanks also to everyone who kept me company on the way round.

Where we went:

7 miles (ish), 1200’ ascent.

Tally-Ho! New Mills trail 24th Sept 2022

 

The sun (sort of) beat down on two runners as they set out, west, from New Mills Golf Club. Armed only with a map, some sawdust, and some shredded paper, they determined to lay a trail for Club members to follow a little later in the day.

The first few hundred yards were pleasantly flat and on a hard surface. Greetings were exchanged with dog walkers and golfers – who gave us a funny looks as we trundled along, leaving clumps of sawdust in our wake.

Descending to Brook Bottom, the track surface changed, becoming lumpy, stony, and a little damp & slippy in parts.

At Hague Bar our trail headed east, following the north bank of the R Goyt, crossing the Millenium Walkway by Torr Mills. This part of the route coincided with a section of the first Point-to-Point I took part in, which wasn’t a Point-to-Point at all, but a marathon length circular route from Hayfield.

 

The sun continued to warm us as we followed the Goyt Valley Way to the outskirts of Furness Vale. Here we turned NE, and headed uphill to go through a tunnel under the railway line.

We then followed a lovely path along Shedyard Clough, crossing Laneside road, and on to tarmac at Moor Lodge.

Sawdust Trail...they CAN'T miss that!

David in Trail Laying mode:

 

Heading north, and talking too much, we found ourselves in Birch Vale….not the intended route. This was a bit embarrassing – we’d only recced the route the previous week. Ho hum.

Turning back and uphill, obliterating the trail we’d just so carefully laid, we were soon back on the correct route which took us past Over Lea Farm, Birch Vale Cricket Club, and then down to the Sett Valley Trail where we headed west.

The rest of the route was identical to the last couple of miles of the Club’s 2022 Point-to-Point route: into the eastern outskirts of New Mills, north to cross the R Sett, then up by Tanpits Farm, through the lovely hamlet of Whitle and then following the R.o.W. across the New Mills Golf Club course and then finally, our objective, the golf club’s clubhouse.

A low turnout of 14 runners, but that didn’t detract from the fun of the day.

The club’s showers and changing facilities were put to good use, then thirteen sat down to a meal of pie & chips, followed by dessert.

After rigourous interrogation, Hon Pres Park proposed David Brown (aka David Hamilton, aka….well never mind) as a member, and was seconded by Vinny Jones.

My thanks to David for helping with the route recce and for successfully completing his apprenticeship as a trail-layer ;-)

Where we went:

8 miles, 1100’ ascent.

The GPX is (hopefully) HERE.

The Cheshire Tally-Ho! Hare & Hounds Trail Running Club