Introduction

The weather forecast was poor, so I intended to give it a miss this week. However, with just a few squalls of rain around I decided to risk getting out and about, and elected to stay local.

A nod here to Joe and Denise McGrath who led a walk on this route for me and Cal sometime last year.

It should be said that new paths, and a new bridge are now in place, which are not yet on the OS mapping app, and the last section of path along the river back to Vernon Park is now closed, at least semi-permanently.

The weather was cool and cloudy, and it rained lightly for a while, but down in the valley it was not too windy, and I even saw the sun, briefly, at one point!

The drive is about 15 minutes from Cheadle Hulme and the 4.5 mile walk took 2 hours to complete.

For dog walkers, the walk is perfect – no roads after the first 200 yards, just fenced tracks and parks, and a river to splash in, if you must!.

The walk is on OS Explorer Map 277.

The start is in the lower car park of Vernon Park. To find this, leave the M60 at Portwood, junction 27, and follow signs to the B6104, Bredbury. At the junction with New Bridge Lane and New Zealand Road the Park Inn (SK1 2PG) is on the corner – Continue on the B6104 and the car park entrance is about 100 yards along on the right hand side.

The Industrial Section…..And A Horse!

Leaving the car park as I’d driven in, and turning right I crossed the River Goyt by the B6104 road bridge before turning right following the new path / cycle route sign.

The iconic Pear Mill, which in summer is home to a pair of peregrine falcons, is visible for much of the walk, and here it is very close, though the view of the pear will be better towards the end of the walk.

The field opposite the mill is home to this friendly horse.

That New Bridge

It doesn’t have a name but here it is being installed last year… and today. It is designed to create traffic free access from the town centre to Bredbury.

My route passed by the bridge and on past the Electricity Sub-Station. It’s a massive site, and I wondered how big does a sub-station have to get to become a station!

Alan Newton Way

After passing Bredbury Hall Hotel a right turn leads onto Alan Newton Way. The board relates the fact that Alan was the first person born and bred in Stockport to win an Olympic medal, bronze in the 4000m Team Pursuit in 1952.

The path continues along the fertile river valley with farms, horses, and the delightful Goyt Hall.

Jim Fearnley Bridge

Beyond the hall, I soon turned off the path, with a nod back to Pear Mill, and headed down to the river and the Jim Fearnley bridge. A bit of Googling has failed to identify who Jim Fearnley was, but it’s a beautiful place near the point where Poise Brook enters the river.

A buzzard was sat on a dead tree that’s fallen into the river, and just visible opposite the beach on the picture above left. It saw me first, so I didn’t get a picture, but I’m sure it was looking down and dreaming of being an osprey!

The Woods

The next stretch of this walk is a beautiful stroll along a woodland path, rising from and falling to the riverside. It’s a well trodden route, but very quiet today.

Woodbank Memorial Park

After passing Offerton Cricket Club’s pretty riverside ground, the path eventually reaches the lower part of Woodbank Park. I wandered down to the riverside, and the broad weir.

My route hugged the river, passing the new bridge, a river’s width from where I’d been earlier!

Now I was on the opposite side of the river to Pear Mill, with a great view of the pear-shaped tank that gives it its name.

The rampant Himalayan balsam is dying down now, but further along the bank it is joined by an unusual plant which looks like bamboo!

At this point, sadly the old path along the river to Vernon Park is closed and I have to turn sharp left, then up the bank to emerge in the upper part of Woodbank Park, then walk round to the boundary fence where Vernon |Park adjoins, and there is a well kept rose garden.

From here, it’s steeply downhill back to the car park, including the famous steps which are much easier down than up!

This is a lovely, interesting dog-friendly walk so close to the town centre. Highly recommended.

And Finally….

Last week’s gig featured both the Kaiser Chiefs and Razorlight. Last week I included the Kaisers, so here’s the classic Somewhere Else from Razorlight.