MANCHESTER AND
SALFORD
Newsletter and Walks
No 11 – June 2012
SOCIAL EVENTS
Reminder of next two social events during
the summer months.
Wildflower and Fauna Walk
Lead by a Countryside Ranger (walk
approx 2 hrs)
Wednesday 20th June (meet at the
No.17 bus stop in Middleton Bus Station)
at 1.30 pm £2.00 per person
-------Annual quiz night
Chorlton Irish Club, 17 High Lane,
Chorlton, M21 9DJ
Friday 20th July at 8.00 pm Quizmaster –
Les Jones
Come on your own or as a team – great
prizes £4.00 per person
------Tickets for the above event can be
purchased beforehand by contacting
Chris Quinn, Mags Metcalf or Salle Dare –
contact details on the newsletter.
We hope to make a contribution to
nominated charities from the above
events
Manchester and Salford
Local Group
(M & S Ramblers)
great Middleton man. Sam Bamford (1788 1892) He was a weaver, writer and political
radical – best know for his role at Peterloo.
There are two guided walks, at 10am and
2pm visiting some of the significant sights
relating to Sam. Start at Middleton Arena.
Book in advance Dave Lees - 0161 643 6558.
Evening talk and music at Middleton Arena
Get tickets from the Arena 0161 662 4000
SOME OF OUR LOCAL WALKS
Many of our walks have included and
revealed some very interesting features in
the busy urban areas of Manchester and
Salford. These are just some of the great
walks we have already done :
Salford Trail – 54 miles of Salford’s Industrial
heritage
Irish Heritage Trail
in the City centre–
featuring some very interesting facts and blue
plaques
Local tips in Salford featuring the new million
pound digester!
Wythenshawe Park - This beautiful and
spectacular regional park is set in 109
hectares of open parkland, in South
Manchester and offers a diverse and exciting
variety of year-round leisure and educational
opportunities for all ages.
NEXT OPEN MEETING.
Tuesday 18th September 2012 @ 7.30 pm
Kings Arms , Bloom Street, Salford, M3 6AN
WEEKEND AWAY
Sat/Sun 13th/14th October 2012. Hartington
Youth Hostel. 2 great walks. Fantastic venue.
limited spaces available. Cost and booking
form out shortly. Watch the website.
SAM BAMFORD DAY WALKS.
On Friday 22nd June 2012 there will be
events to inform and celebrate the life of a
Ashton and Rochdale canals – including the
Etihad Stadium and Phillips Park
1
Mersey Valley - Covering many square miles
of open green spaces and featuring many
wildlife sightings, visitor centre and river
walks.
Nature Trails at Runway 2 - Manchester
Airport has opened a new public nature trail
that takes walkers through some of the 75
hectares of new woodlands and grasslands
created as part of Runway 2, as well as 97
wildlife ponds, three bat barns and the new
River Bollin tunnel.
Heaton Park - , covering an area 600 acres is
the biggest park in Greater Manchester, and
one of the biggest municipal parks in Europe
and has many interesting landmarks and
features.
Levenshulme – an inner city walk through
parks and newly developed areas.
Worsley Woods and Bridgewater canal –
always a great heritage walking area
Clifton Country Park - situated in the Irwell
Valley, Clifton Country Park is 48 hectares
of beautiful countryside in the heart of the city.
Dunham Park – NT property and canal walk
Why not take a look at our current walks
programme and join us. Mags Metcalf
GET WALKING DAY
Mags Metcalf
We had 2 walks on this national Get Walking
Day – one in Wythenshawe Park and the
other in Salford Quays. Both were reasonably
well attended, more were expected but it was
a very hot day.
Wythenshawe Park and surrounding areas
has always been a favourite with everyone
particularly at this time of the year. This 4 mile
walk took advantage of all the many wonderful
areas which features 3 grade 11 listed
buildings. This park received the Green Flag
award in 2011 for achieving the national
standards for park and green spaces.
On the Salford Quays sculpture trail we were
able to see 4 sculptures which depicted life
during the thriving docks era. This area has
now been transformed into one of the
country’s
most
prestigious
waterside
developments. The walk continued on along
the Manchester ship canal towards the city
centre into the new Spinningfields area of
Manchester
FOOTPATH CLEARING
Salle Dare
After a really wet and cold April and early
May, on what seemed like the first decent
Sunday for ages a group of about 15
Ramblers got together to try and clear
footpath 135.
The first part of the footpath runs from Mount
Road alongside Nico Ditch, a Mediaeval
defence, to Wembley Road towards Gorton
Education Village (what we used to call
schools “back in the day”). The path then
continues behind some houses alongside
Nico Ditch and here the footpath is very
overgrown and had loads of rubbish and fly
tipping. We must have cleared about 100
bags of rubbish which Andrew Bennett and
Mike Lyons took to the tip. We cut back
vegetation on about half of the path and
cleared a good way through but then some of
the house holders came out and objected so
we could not continue.
There is a debate to be had about what to do
next. The Area Footpath Officer (AFO) has
already issued the Council with a notice – a
section 56 of the Act – which requires them to
pen up the path. The council responded by
proposing to extinguish the path (remove it
from the definitive map) using s116 of the act.
This the AFO would oppose but we need to
consider as an Area whether it is worth
fighting this case in the light of the bad
publicity it would bring us and in truth most of
the people who were involved in clearing the
path could see that while it would be nice to
have it opened there is little discernible need
for it since it runs parallel to a perfectly good
road. This may not be as interesting to walk
along but in terms of cost to the Council in
either fighting the case or clearing the path,
and to the Ramblers in fighting the case, we
do need to consider the best way forward. I’ll
keep members informed of what happens
next.
coverage, which gave a boost to rambling and
the ongoing campaigns for access.
Photos from the launch in Edale.
But the good news is we can get a working
party together so watch out for more footpath
clearing parties.
UPDATE on fp135. The Council have agreed
to finish the job we started and the Ramblers
have withdrawn the court case. . This marks
the beginning of a new relationship with
Manchester City Council. Over the next few
months we would like to get a team of people
who would take a few footpaths and check
them once a year so we can keep on top of
the vegetation and litter and report any major
obstructions. The next step is then to get the
Council to put all the paths people use in
Manchester on the Definitive Map (the legal
basis for all footpath work) which offers some
protection for the future. So good news all
round and thanks to everyone who helped.
KINDER TRESPASS
WALKING ELSEWHERE
The Tongariro Crossing
The Tongariro crossing in the middle of the
North Island of New Zealand is a 19 km trek
across a volcano (yes it is still active and the
signs on the campsite advising you what to do
in the event of a warning siren do not provide
much comfort). However the day we decided
to do it the volcano decided to continue its
slumber.
We’d booked transport to take us to the start
point from the campsite and bring us back
from the end point. It was a small coach with
about 20 people. We’d asked about maps but
no-one had one for sale “you’ll be fine – you
don’t need them”. We tried to explain that
walking in rough terrain without a map in
England is regarded as highly irresponsible
and dangerous. “You’ll be fine”.
8 am we get on the coach with the others, all
of whom have good clothing and rucksacks.
The driver asked us our age (and I was
tempted to lie but he explained it was in case
we didn’t make it to meet the coach at the end
of the trip).
As you know in April the Ramblers with
others marked the 80th anniversary of the
Kinder Trespass with a week of celebrations.
Despite some torrential rain the events went
well and there was multi media national
When we get to the start point we realised
why you don’t need a map. There were about
50 coaches disgorging hundreds of people
(800 people a day do this trek in summer) and
we just followed in the line. (I don’t know how
the first people in the queue knew where to
go). Some were not properly dressed with
thin clothes and nothing much in the way of
protection or decent footwear – but we saw no
corpses so they must have survived it.
The Trail took us across barren volcanic rock
and lava flows with some scrubby vegetation.
On one side was the wonderful cone of Mt
Ngauruhoe – which is scree and very painful
to climb (so we were told) and we crossed the
saddle between that and Mt Tongariro.
Some of the impressive sights on the route
were the Red Crater - and it is bright red with
a huge black gash in it - and the Green and
Blue lakes – the colours come from chemicals
in the water not reflections from the sky and
they are so vivid. We stopped (along with
about 200 other people) by the Green lakes
for lunch and were very polite when people
asked us to take their photos in front of the
lakes – Germans, Japanese, Koreans,
American, Chinese, Spanish and English. . All
this made you forget the smell of rotten eggs
from the steam which gushed out of the
ground all around.
There was a sign every kilometre on the
ascent (which was about 1000m) and for most
of the descent, but after 16k we did not see
any and began to think we had got lost as we
came down from the barren volcanic peaks
through ever more dense vegetation – but
couldn’t imagine how since there is only one
path. We just didn’t see anyone till we almost
got to the bottom (where did all those other
people go?).
At the end of the trail there were so many
coaches in the car park that not all of them
could get in and there seemed to be hundreds
of people sitting and lying about in the sun
while coach drivers were coming up to all the
groups calling out the name of the company.
It was a hard walk and fascinating scenery but
the experience was unlike anything I have
ever done in Europe. Salle Dare
We need articles for future editions - good if
you can do short (or longer) article about
walks you have enjoyed –it can be in the UK
or a holiday abroad. Also reports of walks you
have done with our group would be good.
Photos as well even better
GET THIS BY EMAIL, QUICKER, MORE
INFO, SAVES CASH
We would like to have as many members as
possible on our email list If you haven’t yet
please phone us with your email address
0161 839 3865 or email Margaret Metcalf at
margaretmetcalf58@hotmail.com
Committee - Position, Name,
Address and e-mail
Chair: Salle Dare, 33 Brundretts
Road, Manchester ,M21 9DA
salle_e_dare@yahoo.co.uk
Secretary: Mags Metcalf,
83 Blackburn Street,
Salford, M3 6AS
margaretmetcalf58@hotmail.com
Treasurer: Mike Lyons, 20 Darley
Ave, West Didsbury, M20 2YD
mikelyons@btinternet.com
Walk Co-ordinator: Maggie
Smith, 118 Manchester Road,
Swinton M27 5FQ
maggie.smith400@btinternet.com
Membership Secretary: Alan
Moffatt, 57 Winnie Street,
Moston M40 9LP
alan@moffatt6310.fsnet.co.uk
Footpath Officer Salford
Chris Clark, 15 Gleaves Road,
Eccles, Manchester M30 0FU.
clark.christine27@yahoo.co.uk
Website Administrator
Helen Grady
121 Atwood Road M20 6JW
phone
861 8491
839 3865
445 0826
794 3565
947 0273
788 8144
434 0887
07533 651
250.
helen@tinhat.eclipse.co.uk
Newsletter Editor
Margaret Manning
62 Grange Rd M21 9WX
mmanning@ntlworld.com
Social Secretary
Chris Quinn
20 IrkVale Drive, Chadderton
OL12TW
c20kew@googlemail.com
861 8390
633 9167
Current Walks programme
We hope to see you on some of the walks. If you have any questions about the walk, please contact the leader or check
the website. www.manchesterandsalfordramblers.org.uk
There’s always a warm welcome for new walkers on our walks
However if you haven’t been on walks with us before and want to meet up with someone to travel to the
walk please contact Maggie Smith Walks Co-ordinator –see details above.
Also please watch the website for any changes to the walks programme.
For information contact - Mags Metcalf 07947 864 534 Please bring a packed lunch/drink on walks
Day
Date
Saturday
June
16
Saturday
June
30
Tuesday
July
10
Saturday
July
14
Crumpsall and Blackley
Saturday
July
28
Long walk 12 m - Wild Bank,
Godley - strenuous
Tuesday
August
14
Aug
25
Chadderton, Tandle Hill
Saturday
Walk Description
All walks circular unless
stated. Short walks 5/6
miles. Long walks 10/12
Longer walk
Kinder –
Woolpacks & Jacob’s Ladder
8 miles - strenuous
Whaley Bridge, Eccles Pike,
Bugsworth Basin and
Navigation Inn for lunch,
Peak Forest
Hazel Grove area Stockport
Long walk Bleaklow &
Wainstones
Strenuous moorland walk
taking in site of an aircrash.
Tuesday
Saturday
Sat
Tuesday
w/e at YH
Sat
M/c &
Salford
AGM
Sat
Tuesday
Sept
11
Sept
15
Sept
29
In case of bad weather a
shorter walk is arranged.
Sale Water Park
Irlam/Davyhulme including
ferry crossing –if available.
Blackleach Country Park,
Walkden M28
Meeting Place and time. All walks
start at 10.30 unless otherwise
stated.
Walk leader and
contact details
Piccadilly 9.45 train to Edale
Meet at Edale Station 10.30. Limited
parking in Edale
9.30 Picc for 9.52 train to Whaley
Bridge or 10.40 Whaley Bridge
Station
Bob Lenihan /
Kevin Murphy
07852113971
John Ireland
07966 490 216
9.52 train from Piccadilly arriving
10.13 at Hazel Grove or station car
park 10.30
Abraham Moss Metrolink, Crumpsall
Bus 89, 149 from Mc and 151, 154,
53
Godley Train Station
10.18 train from Piccadilly arrives
Godley at 10.35
Mills Hill Train Station, Oldham Rd.,
Middleton
Meet at turning circle beyond factory.
at top of Shepley St, Old Glossop
Grid Ref: SK046949. Park on street.
Car share available – contact Maggie
Smith. Could meet train – 1 mile
from start. Phone Maggie or Stewart.
9.48 train from Piccadilly arrives
Glossop 10.18.
Sale Metro Station
Janet Cuff
431 7654
Layby, just past Barton Airport,
Liverpool Rd (A57) Irlam
37 bus from Piccadilly to Blackleach
Country Park, Hilltop Rd. off Bolton
Rd. Walkden . Meet in car park
Richard
Cleverley
Stewart
Ramsden
0771 444 5118
Chris Quinn
633 9167
Stewart
Ramsden
0771 444 5118
Dave Barcroft
860 4564
Bob Lenihan
07704 671 664
Mags Metcalf
839 3865
Oct
9th
Oct
13/14
Oct 27
To be arranged
Prestwich Forest Park
See website for details and
booking form
Prestwich Metrolink
Nov
10
Chorlton, South Manchester
short walk followed by AGM
at pub
Chorlton Meadows
Meet Bowling Green Pub, Chorlton
Green, where AGM will be held after
Kevin Murphy
07852 113 971
Margaret
Manning
861 8390
Nov
13
Clayton Vale, Medlock Valley
Clayton Vale visitor centre, Edge
Lane, Clayton Bridge. Bus 217, 218
Chris Clark
788 8144
Hartington YH Derbyshire
Mags Metcalf
This means that access should remain in places you love like Sherwood
Forest, the New Forest
Longer walks in the area programme
Interested in going on other longer walks? Manchester Associates Rambling Club offers members
walks of around 8 - 10 miles in Greater Manchester and the surrounding counties on 3 Sundays a
month, and runs a coach trip to areas like Cumbria, North Yorkshire, North Wales or Derbyshire
once a month. Membership is only £3.00 per year, so if you want to know more ring Simon
Cleverley on 0161 860 0350 or email Simon on spcleverley@gmail.com. We'll give you more
information about coach trips and the regular weekly walks in our newsletter.
If in your 20s and 30s longer walks also run by the Manchester and district walkers (MAD walkers)
a local group of the Ramblers for people who live in and around the greater Manchester area
http://www.madwalkers.org.uk/
Ramblers members can also go on walks with any other local group