Leaving the National Trust Wizard car park at9.45am we wandered over to the the National Trust  exhibition centre behind the Wizard restaurant.  Being a little late it was decided to pay it a visit on our return so we went straight into Alderley Edge woods.  Past the West mine, now fenced, and over to the Armada Beacon which is the highest point at Alderley Edge. Close by was another old mine with a plaque alongside telling how, in 1948 following the death of Lawrence Pilkington, the woods were given to the National Trust by his daughters in his memory.

Now followed a lot of ups and downs as we made our way towards Hare Hill.  Many  stops to recover our breath and examine the fungi and trees.  Birds were definitely a bit scarce on this walk.  After passing Clock House farm we had good views to the west over the Cheshire plains.  Up again over Daniel Hill with its abundant Sweet Chestnut trees.  This part of the walk was very slow as we searched under the trees for the nuts.  Very few good size nuts but one member of our group had no difficulties.  As we moved on most of us had only 4 or 5 decent sized nuts but he had a pocketful.  He seemed to have no difficulty prising apart the prickly husks until the remark “where there is no sense there also is no feeling” made him admit that his fingers were now sore.

At last we reached Hare Hill gardens which were donated to the National Trust in 1978 by Colonel Brocklehurst.  For the next three minutes the women appeared to be either trying to strangle a tree or listening for bugs beneath the bark.  They claimed that they were giving it a bit of love (looks like Prince Charles has got some kindred spirits).  Maybe they were in a good mood as it was time for lunch, the girls making sure that they had the comfortable seat while the men either stood or sat on the damp grass.  As the wind had increased considerably since the start of the walk it was nice to get the protection of the rhodedendron bushes while we ate.  Though definitely disliked by most conservationists they are at times very welcome.

We left the gardens after lunch and started on the last leg of the journey.  Two miles further on we reached our starting point at the Wizard car park.  The walk had only been 6 miles but felt much further.  Maybe it was because we were tired that we realised on our way back home that we had not paid that visit to the National Trust exhibition.  Never mind we will probably return on another day.  Despite the wind and lack of birds we had all enjoyed the walk with the scenery more than making up for the other shortcomings.

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