Walk 3: Macc Forest, Shutlingsloe and Wildboarclough
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 adjacent to Ridgegate reservoir just beyond the Leather’s Smithy.
| Fact File | |
| Distance: | 6 miles (10 km) |
| Terrain: | Lanes, footpaths and bridleways. Fairly strenuous climb to, and steep descent from, Shutlingsloe. |
| Maps: | OS Explorer Map 268 |
| Start: | Leathers Smithy pub, Langley. |
Route Guide
This circular walk involves a moderate climb up through the canopied Macclesfield Forest, across High Moor to the summit of Shutlingsloe, a steep descent down to the village of Wildboarclough, and then back via a fairly easy set of paths and lanes to the Ridgegate reservoir and the Leathers Smithy. The walk up to the summit of Shutlingsloe is fairly strenuous, but offers wonderful views, especially on a clear day. Refreshments are available at the Crag Inn in Wildboarclough, the Hanging Gate pub which is passed at about three quarters of the way round, as well as the Leathers Smithy pub where the walk starts and ends. Strong shoes or walking boots are essential. A good three hours should be allowed.
The Leather’s Smithy is situated next to Ridgegate Reservoir. Both the Ridgegate and Trentabank reservoirs in the Forest are used for drinking water. Both reservoirs are home to many wildfowl. At different seasons you may see tufted duck, goldeneye, pochard, teal, little grebe, great crested grebe, and coot.
Shutlingsloe was once described as the Matterhorn of the Peaks, although fortunately for us the ascent is nothing like the real thing. At a modest 506m high this Matterhorn is easily accessible. From the peak one can see Oliver Hill and in the north the distant peaks of Shining Tor and Kinder Scout. To the south the town of Leek may easily be seen, and to the south-west Croker Hill and Bosley Cloud.
Wildboarclough's claim to fame is as the place where the last wild boar in England was killed. The village is now a quiet backwater, popular with visitors at weekends. This photo of the river in Wildboarclough was taken by local photographer Wayne Molyneux. To look at more of his work, follow the links on the Links page. The large house of Crag Hall in Wildboarclough is the country seat of Lord Derby, and there was once a carpet mill which used Clough Brook to power its machinery. The mill was largely demolished but the administration block remains, a fine building which once had the strange distinction of being the largest sub-post office in England. Below the mill the bridge over Clough Brook bears a commemorative plaque to the flash flood of 1989, which drowned a motorist in his car here.
Directions
| 1 | From the Leathers 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 follow the path uphill into the forest, which is signposted to Shutlingsloe. |
| 3 | The path now descends to another dam. After leading across the top of the dam, the path goes uphill again, eventually meeting a road. |
| 4 | Bear left at the road. Walk up the road until you reach a small layby on the right. |
| 5 | Turn right off the road into the forest and up the bridleway (signposted to Shutlingsloe). Ignore the footpath (signposted Shutlingsloe and Trentabank) which also leaves this layby. Keep following this bridleway for some way now, which is part of the Macclesfield Forest network of bridleways. A small pond (on the right) and a viewing point (on the left) are passed. |
| 6 | Eventually, and just after a short downhill stretch of bridleway and a left-hand bend, there is a junction of bridleways. Just before this junction there is a seat on the right. Bear right to follow a path under trees, adjacent to a wall on the right. |
| 7 | The path follows the wall on the right until another path up from the forest bridleway joins from the left. Follow the path (past a seat) a little further now, until you reach a kissing gate through the wall. |
| 8 | A sign “To Wildboarclough via Shutlingsloe Farm” directs you up a paved path beyond the wall. The path up to the summit of Shutlingsloe is now mostly paved – this is obviously a well-trodden path that required paving before erosion caused too much damage. |
| 9 | Where a junction in the path is reached, after crossing a stile, turn right to follow the paved path (adjacent to a wall on the right). Cross over a wall and follow the path (up steep steps) to the summit of Shutlingsloe. The summit is marked by a white triangulation point. |
| 10 | When you have taken in the wonderful view (and got your breath back!), follow the path on the far side of the summit, which initially turns sharp right (as indicated by the faded yellow arrow) down towards Wildboarclough. The path is now narrow, steeply down-hill and not very firm in places – care should be taken here. Pity those who are walking in the other direction and having to walk up it! |
| 11 | Follow the path over two stiles and a bridge over a stream, until the path downhill reaches a driveway (which leads up to farm buildings to the left). Turn right down the driveway, until it meets the road through Wildboarclough. |
| 12 | Bear right along this road, which eventually passes the Crag Inn on the right. |
| 13 | Immediately after the Crag Inn, follow the footpath to the right, then bear left between gorse bushes. Bear right uphill, then follow the path around the contour of the hill. The path leads across open fields, and through gaps in several walls (five I think). Bear right, down to a stream. Cross the stream, and follow the path round to the right and uphill, and over a stile, until you have to climb over a wall to meet a lane (which actually goes up to the farm at Higher Nabb). |
| 14 | Turn left along the lane, which eventually meets a road (the same one that passed the Crag Inn – you’ve just cut off a corner by following the path). |
| 15 | Turn right along the road here. |
| 16 | After passing a driveway to buildings on the left, take the footpath on the right. |
| 17 | Follow the footpath (carefully observing the yellow arrows). The path goes uphill, then down to meet a stream. The path now follows the stream. It passes over a stile, across the stream twice, and follows the stream all the way uphill. As a house up to the right comes into view (at Oakenclough), cross the stream again, and walk uphill, over a stile. Pass a pond, then through a gate, and cross a driveway. |
| 18 | Turn left to follow the path uphill (adjacent to a wall on the right). Cross the stile at the top of the hill. The path now crosses open moorland. Keep to this path, which passes a pond to the left and eventually reaches a stile. Turn left over the stile, which leads down into a gulley between two fields (which is part stream). The path now descends to a road. |
| 19 | Where the footpath meets the road there is a pub (the Hanging Gate) directly opposite. Turn right along this road. |
| 20 | Where the road bends sharply to the left, bear right along a narrow lane. Eventually this lane passes an even narrower lane to the left - ignore this and carry straight on. At a right-hand bend in the road you will be back to where you were at step 4. |
| 21 | Turn left along the path that follows the bottom of Ridgegate reservoir, back round to the Leathers Smithy. |