Blossoms Lane and “George Best’s House”

Introduction

Cal wanted to crack on with her decorating work as we prepare her mom’s former home in Bramhall for letting. Despite the rain, I fancied some fresh air and took a lovely walk in the local countryside.

The journey is 10 minutes each way.

The walk was 3.8 miles, with little in the way of elevation changes, so a nice Sunday stroll.

I completed the walk in an hour and a quarter.

This is a good walk for dog walkers, just the first short stretch and last mile requiring the lead.

The walk is on OS Explorer Map 268.

The walk starts at postcode SK7 1EH with easy roadside parking on Milverton Drive.

Spath Lane to Chester’s Croft

If parked in Milverton Drive, the route turns right onto Moss Lane then across Hall Moss Lane and left into Spath Lane. This was a familiar route for my children to walk with their grandfather. It is bordered by a ditch, usually dry but occasionally filled with “plenty-water” the name the kids gave it! Today was a plenty-water day.

At the end of the lane is the pleasant Chester’s Croft residential mobile home site. There are open fields across the ditch.

The ditch and path meander around Chester’s Croft before heading up to the bridge over the A555 near the A34 junction.

A555

Over the bridge the wartime prefab Ministry of Defence offices are in sight. I’m still not sure what goes on there!

I turned left here, along the cycle / foot path by the main road. The wild flowers are lovely here, so nice, and surprising that the Himalayan balsam has yet to colonise.

Derelict Farms

I did a U-turn onto the long driveway which leads to the MoD and the total Fitness site. At the 90 degree left bend is a derelict cottage, one I’ve tracked as it disintegrated over the last 40 years.

Where the road turns right I went straight on. Here is a large farm, also derelict for decades, extremely dangerous, and, in summer , hidden by overgrown vegetation.

Opposite, the Charolais cattle herd is framed by an oak tree and backdrop of the Peak District hills, shrouded in mist and cloud today.

Total Fitness

A path to the right down the side of the derelict farm leads to a field with views across to the Total Fitness gym, formerly the North West Regional Tennis Centre, and before that, WW2 aircraft hangars.

I went through the gate and then left on the mown strip leading to the model aircraft flying field.

It was now raining…. hard! I should have stayed on the public footpaths as shown in green dashes on the map,. My route was direct but the tracks were strewn with soaking wet nettles, ferns, and brambles collapsed under the weight of rainwater. I battled on, but was wet through on reaching the road at Blossoms Lane. In the dry, it’s a lovely woodland walk!

Blossoms Lane

I turned left into the lane, past the former turkey farm on the right, and on to the lovely farm cottage at the junction of the road joining from the right.

As I continued ahead I passed the kennels and stables, the horses and donkeys being out in the fields.

I intended to take the short cut over the stile and down the path on the left, but it was now just too wet.

So I pressed on along the road, reaching “George Best’s house” at the corner. This was the “playboy pad” George had built when he moved out of digs in his Man Utd playing days. The house’s tiled facades have now been overclad with brickwork and a pitched roof has been added, so it looks completely different, but will forever be known locally as George Best’s house! The absence of security in the original pictures is gobsmacking.

A left turn here and the walk is soon completed.

For anyone local, this is a lovely walk with hidden surprises.

And Finally…..

This song matches the time frame of George Best’s house, and the mood of the walk today!