Toasting New Year on our sherry walk
ON New Year’s Day, 25 ramblers set off from Nelson Pit car park, Higher Poynton, in very light drizzle for what has become something of an East Cheshire Ramblers’ tradition, known as Keith’s Sherry Walk.
Back in 2001, Keith Hartley, one of the stalwarts of East Cheshire Ramblers, decided it would be rather nice to toast in the New Year with some sherry and, weighed down with sherry and plastic cups, he led that 2001 New Year’s Day walk to a suitable spot to toast in the New Year.
After nine years, Keith stepped down, but the tradition has continued with the addition of mince pies.
This year the 6.5 mile walk took us south along the canal towpath from Nelson Pit car park to the first bridge, which we crossed and walked up to Green Farm along the fairly recently refurbished path.
We entered Lyme Park and shortly joined the Gritstone Trail up to Knightslow Wood and continued towards Paddock Cottage with beautiful views of Park Moor.
We then walked north through Pursefield Wood and took the first gate into Drinkwater Meadow, where we stopped at a little pool.
For those of you familiar with the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice, this is the pool that Darcy (played by Colin Firth) dived into prior to meeting Elizabeth Bennett at Pemberley in the, now infamous, wet shirt.
We toasted in the new year here with views of The Cage in the background.
One of the ramblers also told us about the legend of Knightslow Wood.
Apparently the lands were granted to Margaret Legh’s father, Sir Thomas Danyers, after he fought alongside the Black Prince in the Battle of Crecy and rescued his standard. Legend has it that Sir Thomas is buried in the wood.
We then walked across Drinkwater Meadow and back through Knightslow Wood, and continued via Hampers Wood to reach Lantern Wood.
The three storey Lantern folly can be seen clearly from the dining room at Lyme Hall and apparently the family used it as a sort of weather barometer.
If they could see the folly while they breakfasted, the weather was clear enough to hunt!
Finally, we returned via The Cage café and Haresteads Farm and made our way back to Nelson Pit car park.