8 Swoggers set off on the walk from Bakestonedale Road just north east of
Pott Shrigley after I had commandeered Howard’s car to make the transport work.
Unfortunately, my co-recce buddy Denise was unable to come along due to a night
out in sunny Southport. Bob Whittall was impressed by my plan,
especially as I was able to guide everyone across a muddy field without getting
bogged down. It was a bit of a dull day so no spectacular views, but quite good
ones. In the end no photos were taken. After the descent from Charles Head, a little
interlude at The Swan in Kettleshulme punctuated the walk. Denise and I had
made a bit of a mistake on the recce, thanks to the incorrect instructions in
the walking guide. We did it right this time, with quite a steep ascent up
Sweet Hill to the tops of Sponds Hill, where the path descended after a fairly
level stretch to the start point. The
finish was quite early, 2.30pm, which was not so surprising, as Denise had been
making heavy weather of the recce because she had only just got over pneumonia.
It was lovely to see Jackie and Mark after a long absence. They had been having
a weekend in Buxton, so thought it was a good walk to join. Approx 7.5 miles
