Macclesfield Walk Route: Rainow, Lamaload, Walker Barn

Start: Rainow village, on the B5470. Length: 4 miles (6 km). Difficulty: Medium

1	Leave the village on the bridleway adjacent to the River Dean. If you have parked near the church, walk down the hill and the bridleway is on the left. Or, from the Rising Sun pub, walk down to the bottom of the hill, back uphill for a short distance and the bridleway is on the right. The bridleway is unmarked, but leaves the main road between Pedley House and Pedley Cottage.
2	Follow the bridleway past Thornsett Farm to the left. Further on, there is a sign "Private Keep Out" - this refers to a path off to the left, which you should ignore. The bridleway then crosses a bridge over the River Dean just before some farm buildings.
3	Before reaching the farm buildings, take the path which bears left (marked by yellow arrows). Pass through a gate, then another gate to the left of a tree. This takes you to the left of the buildings. Go through a gate and turn left along the bridleway, away from the farm buildings.
4	After only a short distance, bear right away from the bridleway, up a footpath that goes uphill. There is no clear path here up this grassy field, but you should aim just to the left of the house at the top of the hill (Snipe House Farm).
5	Climb over stone steps to reach the tarmac road at Snipe House Farm, and turn left along the road.
6	Follow the tarmac road down to the United Utility works at Lamaload Reservoir.
7	Turn right up a footpath just before the water works to reach the Reservoir Circuit path.
8	Turn LEFT to follow the Reservoir Circuit, which crosses a rough road to follow a wide footpath uphill.
9	Bear left off the wide footpath towards the top of the hill, and continue to follow the Reservoir Circuit signs.
10	After passing through a gate, bear right to a small wooded area. Cross a stile into the wooded area. The path eventually passes some United Utility buildings on the left and goes uphill again, where the Reservoir Circuit reaches a lane.
11	Turn right along the lane (Hooleyhay Lane), which runs parallel to the eastern shore of the reservoir, and follow it for the full length of the reservoir.
12	Eventually the Reservoir Circuit footpath leaves the lane to the right, downhill into a wooded area. This path is also marked as a "Concession Link Path".
13	Follow the footpath downhill, cross the River Dean (which feeds the top of the reservoir) over a footbridge, and uphill again.
14	After emerging from the wooded area, turn right along a bridleway.
15	Having passed an old barn, turn left up a footpath which leaves the Reservoir Circuit bridleway. There is a Peak and Northern Footpaths Society sign here (No. 315), signposted to Walkers Barn.
16	Walk uphill to the corner of a small plantation - the footpath here is not clear. Keep straight on and follow the footpath uphill, with the plantation on your left, to the top corner of the plantation. Keep straight on still, to follow the footpath straight across an open field to a wall.
17	Cross the wall over stone steps, and keep straight on along the footpath which follows a wall to the left.
18	Soon there is a fork in the grassy path. Take the right fork, along a path which goes over a footbridge, over a wall, follows a wall to the left, over another wall, then across a driveway.
19	Walk straight across the driveway and continue over an open field. Follow the footpath over 3 wooden stiles, and then over a wall.
20	The footpath now forks, take the right fork down towards Vale Royal Farm. Before reaching the farm, follow the footpath which passes to the left of the farm buildings. The path then bears round to the right and meets the concrete driveway to the farm.
21	Leaving Vale Royal Farm behind you, walk up the concrete driveway. Shortly a footpath takes a sharp right downhill away from the concrete driveway.
22	The footpath goes downhill, with an old stone wall to the left, and crosses a stream. The footpath then turns left, over a stile, and follows the side of Gulshaw Hollow. The footpath eventually turns into a bridleway, which passes beneath overhanging trees before reaching Hordern Farm.
23	Walk between buildings at Hordern Farm and follow the driveway.
24	Soon, the driveway bends round to the right. Continue straight on here over a metal ladder over a wall, following the Gritstone Trail in the direction of Rainow.
25	The path runs between two walls, over a wall (stone steps), and follows another wall (on the left). After crossing over a wall (stone steps), bear right (with a wall to the left). Pass through two metal gates.
26	After passing through a kissing gate, you meet a lane. Bear left and follow the lane down to the main road. Turn right down the main road to return to the starting point.