So your walking clothing is still intact as we left you yesterday approaching The Country Park at the end of the section of The Gritstone Trail. Today we take you along the central section of the walk which sees us step out from the country park to end up at Timbersbrook Picnic Area a distance of just over 15 miles.

The summit of Teggs Nose is probably the best place on the entire trail where you get a really good look at the gritstone itself. The quarried face of the rock clearly shows the curves that illustrated how the conditions under which the rock was formed. Underwater in semi tropical conditions a little over 250 million years ago, so it was quite warm round these parts at some point in the past at least. Pieces of original machinery that were used are located here as reminders of the conditions under which the people worked.

The Trail itself drops from the carpark down into the surrounding woodland, unless you want to take the steep route down from the far end of the park. Both routes allow you to observe the two lower reservoirs which were built in 1850 and 1871 to help provide a steady flow of water down the River Bollin to power the local mills in Macclesfield.

At Meg Lane End watch out for highwaymen, well they were here in the eighteenth century, ready to rob weary travelers of their gold and silver. This was melted down and make into counterfeit coins using an illegal press made by the local blacksmith. As you climb Fox Bank take a few minutes to admire the views behind Croker Hill, which is topped by the telecommunications tower. This is the most exposed part of the entire trail, with even the soil barely covers the underlying bedrock.

From here you drop into Shell Brook, a deep valley which is ablaze with colour in the Autumn. Crossing the River Dane at Barleigh Ford Bridge and follows the canal feeder, which was designed to take water to Rudyard Lake, which in turn feeds water to the Caldon Canal at Leek.

The last climb and it’s a steep one takes you through Raven’s Clough to the summit of The Cloud before dropping down to journey’s end in Timbersbrook Picnic Area.

So there you have it another section completed and your walking clothing is still going strong, and if you feel you need more then check out the latest arrivals on the website to get yourself ready for the third and final stage