Wednesday 21 August 2013

The Old Man of Mow and Nick i' th' Hill ...

 A walk in an area I'd never walked in before ... and all the paths were new. 

I'd parked in the National Trust car park near Mow Cop Castle ... and the first thing I discovered was that this area had a lot to do with the beginnings of Primitive Methodism. It was at this spot that Hugh Bourne and William Clowes held a 14 hour Camp Meeting on the 31st May 1807. This contributed to the start of the Primitive Methodists who wanted to follow John Wesley's ways more closely than they believed the Wesleyan Methodists did ... and preach in streets and in fields.

A stone marks the spot where this camp meeting took place 206 years ago ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 Before I had a closer look at the 'castle' I walked around a little of the village of Mow Cop and admired the view across the Cheshire Plain behind a narrow house and a bungalow ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.  

Mow Cop Castle isn't a castle at all, it's a folly. According to the National Trust it was built as a summerhouse in 1754. It was eventually given to the National Trust in 1937 and they have undertaken some repair work this century to make it safe ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.  

The route I was following forms part of the Gritstone Trail ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

... as well as the Staffordshire Way ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

I'd never heard of the Old Man of Mow before so I was intrigued when I saw this sign ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 I wasn't disappointed when I made his acquaintance ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 It's over 20 yards high and appears to have been left when quarrying stopped around it. It looks more like a 'man' in the photo above than the one below !

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 I know it can't be avoided sometimes but I do dislike walking on lanes and roads with no verge ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.  

... especially when you see signs like the one below suggesting cars might skid ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

There was some nice dry stone walling further along, though when you look more closely you can see it's not stone but what appears to be an old road surface or something ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

A mile after walking along the lane I was able to follow a track into a wood ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 The hamlet of Nick i' th' Hill was soon left behind though I was still following the Staffordshire Way ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

I was below Congleton Edge and coming out of woodland into the open ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

The path and the Staffordshire Way passes underneath a disused railway line ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 Whilst it may be disused by trains it is now a walking and cycling route ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 In a small pond by the side of the old railway line tadpoles thrived though the pond showed signs of drying up ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

Through gaps and gateways by the old railway line I glimpsed the surrounding countryside ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 Although I didn't know it from the OS Map I was following the Biddulph Valley Way ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

A waymark had the right idea ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 I was walking alone with nothing for company but the odd bird ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

I left the old railway line and walked along pavements and roads, passing houses, until I came back to the village of Mow Cop where I followed a narrow path back up the hill towards Mow Cop Castle ...

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

  This brought me to a stone erected in memory of two test pilots who died hereabouts in 1998. 

A walk from Mow Cop in Staffordshire ~ May 2011.

 Their deaths remain something of a mystery, as they appeared to crash on a clear day ~ more here ...

 A thought provoking end to an interesting walk.

This walk was followed on the 13th May 2011
 
Length of walk ~ 7.46 miles *
 
Total mileage walked so far in 2011 ~ 180.00 miles
 
Total mileage between the 1st September 2009 and the 13th May 2011 ~ 701.74 miles

  40 of 2011 [which means in 2011 I was averaging approximately 4.5 miles a walk.]
 
* distance calculated on Ordnance Survey's Getamap

8 comments:

  1. A nice pleasant walk, Charlie. Mow Cop Castle was quite interesting. Similar to a folly I've visited in Carmarthenshire, called Paxton's Tower. From a distance it looks like the remains of a small castle, but up close very similar to this one. You can see how the 'Old Man' got his name from the angle in the first shot, definately. That pigeon is looking at you a bit suspiciously!!

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    1. Thank you Mitch ~ follies seem quite popular in the UK don't they. Yes, I thought that about the Old Man ... looking like a monster in the first shot and a thin piece of rock in the second. As I recall the pigeon just wouldn't shut up. Eventually I saw him and took his photo ...

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  2. Lovely! Such beautiful open countryside. It's fascinating too to see former industrial sites (and domestic for that matter) reclaimed by nature and walkers.

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    1. Thank you Neil. These disused railway lines are really useful in opening up certain areas.

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  3. I always thought Mow Cop was just a hill but it is a really interesting area,and the view is amazing.As usual you find lots of fascinating facts on your walks.I would love to know what the stone is as I've seen the same in a wall,and first thought it was manufactured but I think it must be natural,just need a geologist too look at it.Ann

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    1. I had heard of Mow Cop but didn't know anything until I got there ... like you Ann. The stone is interesting ~ it's almost like large pebbles in some sort of concrete. I looked at a large version of the photo and one 'stone' in particular looked very man-made but like you I wonder if it is natural. It's unusual that's for sure.

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  4. What a lovely walk - not an area I know, though I've read the Alan Garner books which are based nearby, I believe. Another on the "to visit" list!

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    1. Thank you Alison. I don't know the area particularly well either ... and I've never heard of Alan Garner.

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