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Walk from Ridgegate Reservoir to Croker Hill

The walk starts and ends at the Leather’s Smithy pub, which may be found a short distance beyond the village of Langley. By car, take the A523 Leek road south out of Macclesfield. Turn left at traffic lights and follow the signs to Langley, bearing left after going under the canal. Bear left again at the church, following Main Road then Clarke Lane. After a short distance uphill past Bottoms reservoir, the Leather’s Smithy is on the left. There is car parking available at the side of the road adjacent to Ridgegate reservoir just beyond the Leather’s Smithy.

 

Fact File
Distance: 7 miles (11 km)
Terrain: Lanes, footpaths and bridleways. A short climb up a field to Higher Sutton, and a longer climb up Croker Hill.
Maps: OS Explorer Map 268
Start: Leather’s Smithy pub, Langley.

 

Route Guide

This circular walk involves an easy climb up to Higher Sutton, a longer (but fairly gentle) climb up to the top of Croker Hill, and then back via an easy set of paths and lanes to the Ridgegate reservoir.

The first part of this walk makes use of the Gritstone Trail. The trail is waymarked with yellow discs with a footprint inscribed with a 'G'.

Refreshments and toilets are available at the Hanging Gate pub in Higher Sutton, and at the Leather’s Smithy pub where the walk starts and ends. Strong shoes or walking boots are essential. Four hours should be allowed, to include a few stops.

View to Croker Hill from Ridgegate reservoir View to Croker Hill from Ridgegate reservoir - it looks a long way from here! Photo by Neville Bester

The Leather’s Smithy is situated next to Ridgegate Reservoir. The highest point of the route is the summit of Croker Hill. Here is a photo from the dam at the end of Ridgegate Reservoir, looking towards the transmission tower at the top of Croker Hill. It looks a long way off from the start of the walk, but it is less than 3 miles as the crow flies, and is a fairly gentle climb for the most part. The walk will take you along the Gritstone Trail for most of the first part up to the summit of Croker Hill.

 

Hanging Gate Hanging Gate at Higher Sutton - with wonderful views across the countryside below. Photo by Neville Bester

From the summit of Croker Hill, the views across the Cheshire Plain make the climb well worth while. After Croker Hill, the walk returns to Ridgegate reservoir past the Hanging Gate pub. The Hanging Gate is an old Drovers pub, licensed for over 300 years. The pub sign is a hanging gate with the legend 'This gate hangs here and troubles None. Refresh and Pay and Travel On'. After the Hanging Gate, the walk heads back to Macclesfield Forest, then along forest paths to the Ridgegate Reservoir.

 

Directions

1 From the Leather’s Smithy pub, cross directly over the road and follow the footpath which is adjacent to the dam at the end of the Ridgegate reservoir.
2 Bear left at the end of the reservoir and then turn right along the footpath where a sign indicates “To Gritstone Trail”.
3 This path descends via a series of stone steps, across a wooden footbridge, and up to a lane.
4 Turn left along the lane. Now follow the Gritstone Trail signs (a footprint inscribed with a 'G' on a yellow arrow), which lead you to the right of the house at the end of the lane.
5 The Gritstone Trail is clearly marked, and crosses several fields, past farm houses, over stiles and through several ‘kissing’ gates. At one point it crosses a narrow lane. There is no need to describe all of the directions here, as the Gritstone Trail is clearly marked. Eventually the Gritstone Trail leads you up a footpath through the middle of a field, across a stone wall and onto a road (Meg Lane).
6 Turn right along Meg Lane briefly, then left to follow the Gritstone Trail again, along a bridle path.
7 The Gritstone Trail now descends across fields, passes through a kissing gate, and follows a path to the left of a hedge. Then it descends across an open field towards some buildings. Pass to the left of the buildings (past a little pond), then cross a lane.
8 Follow the Gritstone Trail as it follows the right hand edge of a field, and down to some more buildings. Pass to the right of these buildings, and emerge onto a road (Hollins Lane).
9 Turn right along the road for a short distance, until it passes over a stream.
10 Turn left up a footpath, following the Gritstone Trail uphill, past a building (Foxbank Farm) and then to a small wooded enclosure.
11 The Gritstone Trail passes to the right of the wooded enclosure. Continue straight on uphill at the end of the wooded enclosure.
12 At the top of the hill, the Gritstone Trail crosses a stile and turns left.
13 Follow the Gritstone Trail now all the way to the top of Croker Hill (which is dominated by the transmission tower). This is a gradual climb, crossing several stiles.
14 Follow the bridleway which passes to the left of the transmission tower. After a short distance, there is a farmhouse on the left. The Gritstone Trail follows a footpath down to the left, just before the farmhouse.
15 Follow the Gritstone Trail, across a few stiles, all the way down to the main road. Take care, as this is a busy main road (A54).
16 Turn left along the main road. After a short distance, turn left to follow a footpath. This is where you leave the Gritstone Trail.
17 Carefully follow the footpath signs, which take you across farmland.
18 After following the footpath downhill, a junction of paths is reached, where you can go left or right. There is a metal gate to the right. Do not turn right through the gate, but turn left to follow a grassy path down towards some buildings.
19 The footpath passes through a gate, emerging onto a driveway. At the driveway, turn right (away from the house). Turn right again to follow the driveway back to a road (Hollins Lane).
20 Turn left along the road.
21 Turn right up Withenshaw Lane.
22 Ignore the driveway on the left. Follow the lane further uphill, then turn left along a footpath.
23 Follow the footpath across a field, through an open gateway in a wall, and down towards farm buildings. Pass to the right of the farm, crossing a stile. Follow the path across another stile, downhill and over a footbridge, then uphill again, across a further stile and bear right up an open field to meet a road.
24 Turn left along the road. Soon the Hanging Gate pub is reached. There are outside toilets at the pub.
25 Continue along the lane, and where the road bends sharply to the left, bear right instead, along another lane.
26 At the next road junction, ignore the even-narrower lane to the left and carry straight on.
27 At a right-hand bend in the road there is a footpath to the left.
28 Follow this footpath, which eventually meets the footpath adjacent to the dam at the end of the Ridgegate reservoir (the one followed at step 1). Follow this path back to the Leather’s Smithy.