Walk 7: Rainow, Lamaload and Walker Barn
The walk starts and ends in the village of Rainow, on the B5470. As you leave Macclesfield town centre on the B5470 (signposted to Whaley Bridge), you will soon pass through Higher Hurdsfield, and then Rainow. Park in the centre of the village - there are some parts of the main road where it is safe to do so, for example next to the church.
| Fact File | |
| Distance: | 4.5 miles (7 km) |
| Terrain: | Fairly strenuous, along lanes, bridleways, and other footpaths. Several ascents and descents, but not too steep |
| Maps: | OS Explorer Map 268 (Note, the route leaves this map for a short distance) |
| Start: | Rainow village, on the B5470. |
Route Guide
There is a pub in Rainow, the Rising Sun, for refreshments. Two and a half hours should be allowed for this walk. Strong shoes or walking boots are essential.
Rainow lies in the foothills of the Pennines straddling the Cheshire boundary of the Peak District National Park. The village gets its name from the Old English Hraefn Hoe meaning Ravens Hill, an indication that the area was once a wilderness. The western boundary runs along the crest of Kerridge (Key Ridge from the Old English Caeg Hrycg). The hill has an altitude of over 900 feet, but descends steeply into the River Dean valley. The heart of the village lies to the east of the river. A number of large menhirs (standing stones) can still be seen in the locality. Their original purpose was probably to signpost tracks through Rainow that once formed part of a ridge way to the Scottish borders.
Lamaload reservoir is situated north of the A54 Buxton to Macclesfield road within the Peak District National Park. To the east is the Goyt Valley with Macclesfield to the west. The reservoir at Lamaload was completed in 1964 and supplies drinking water for Macclesfield. The reservoir is approximately 1,000ft (308m) above sea level. The landscape around Lamaload is moorland with a few plantations of larch and pine. The broad leaved woodlands surrounding these plantations provide a habitat for a variety of wildlife. The Reservoir Circuit path is followed to the east and south of the reservoir.
The walk passes close to Walker Barn, which is a small group of houses on the A537 Buxton Road.
The last part of this walk is along the Gritstone Trail. The Cheshire Gritstone Trail is a long-distance footpath running from Disley in Cheshire to Kidsgrove, just over the border in Staffordshire. The trail is waymarked with yellow discs with a footprint inscribed with a G.
Directions
Start from the centre of Rainow village.
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. Ignore a sign "Private Keep Out", as this is a public right of way. The bridleway then crosses a bridge over the River Dean just before some farm buildings.
3. As directed by a footpath sign, pass to the left of the buildings, and then over a wall stile to a bridleway. 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 small wooded area, down past some United Utility buildings on the left and uphill again, 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 following the footpath uphill, with the plantation on your left, to the top corner of the plantation. Keep straight on, 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 right. Eventually a gap in the wall is reached. Pass through the gap and keep straight on, following the footpath which now 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. 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. Follow the footpath which passes to the left of the farm buildings and meets the concrete driveway to the farm.
21. Leaving Vale Royal Farm behind you, walk a few yards 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. Don't follow the driveway but continue straight on along the footpath which is the Gritstone trail. Don't turn left on the Gritstone Trail, but walk straight on to the Gritstone Trail in the direction of Rainow.
25. You now follow the Gritstone Trail all the way down to Rainow village, and all (nearly all) directions are marked with the ‘G’ sign. There is one place where it is not clear which direction the Gritstone Trail heads in, after crossing an elaborate stile over a wall. There is a wide avenue of grass between a wall on the left and a small wood on the right – head down this avenue and the next ‘G’ sign is soon reached.
26. The Gritstone Trail descends to meet a road. Bear left here along the road which emerges onto the main road in Rainow. Turn right down the main road to return to the starting point.