Does it rain in Summer?


Lunch at Tegg's Nose Near Bollington Start At Disley Tiny Bridge
The Gritstone Trail (all the way)

When Hilary was given an unexpected extra day’s holiday in July, a cunning plan to walk the Gritstone Trail evolved. June was instructed to use her special Yorkshire ways of finding a bargain B&B en route, Hilary sorted out the train timetable, John and I turned up.

The weather forecast for Day 1 was horrendous, but turned out to be just awful. 22 miles from Disley to Rushton Spencer was undertaken in a series of alternate very short periods of Sunshine and long extended downpours. Day 2, just 13 miles, was much better, in between the showers it lashed it down.

Never again let it be said Cheshire is flat, I think the route planners found every hill bar Shuttlingsloe, they must have slipped up there. The views, when I made the effort to wipe the rain from my glasses were impressive. Route finding is a doddle, so this 2 dayer is ideal for first timers doing a Long Distance Path.

I am told it differs from The Sandstone Trail in that you need to be self sufficient all the way. We only had one place of refreshment and that was just a couple of miles from the finish. The Rising Sun serves the worlds thickest sandwiches, poor June needed a leg up to hers. We then had just 2 miles along two different canals to reach Kidsgrove Station. Our journeys end was a very wet, deserted station with shelter and seats on only one of 4 platforms, no toilets, no buffet, nothing, then when the train arrived there was no working toilet on board……….oh well.

I can’t understand why Norman didn’t tell us about the lack of facilities in Kidsgrove, maybe it’s because he didn’t do the full route. I’m sure he’s saving it for a rainy day.



Peter
Along the canal In the jungle, the mighty jungle.... In the Rain Top of the Cloud