Across Cheshire like a Cat

From Macclesfield to Winsford on foot is 24 miles of road walking. Sounds grim but the first 16 miles were in beautiful rolling English countryside, with Georgian houses, well to do farms and country estates. More pheasants than peasants. And what could represent the strength, structure and history of England than this magnificent oak. Proud in the morning wind and cold sun. I’m sticking out my chest like we never lost a war!

Come on England. Let’s do summat in Russia this year! Semifinals at least. Come on lads. Hearts of Oak. What a great Richard Hawley track. Georgie and Adam walking back down the aisle to that song. Brilliant.

This country estate at a distance looked fantastic.

And over the next brow I caught a glimpse of the iconic sky-scourer, Jodrell Bank, still looking up to the heavens 60 years on.

Spring has taken over. Look at this woodland display. White and bluebells together. 

Further down the road it got a bit quieter and I didn’t have to dodge so many cars. It’s a bummer when the roadsides are steep up to hedges and there’s no pavement. 

I managed to make a few new friends. The first was typically oddball.

I had set off at 8.00 and made it to Holmes Chapel by 13.00. A Scotch egg and tap water for breakfast and fish and chips for lunch. The traffic queue from Holmes Chapel to the M6 motorway was horrific. When I crossed it the problem was road works on the southbound carriageway. Gridlock. Glad I’m not working any more.

The black car behind the lorry on the left was full of chavs. When they eventually drove under the bridge they leant out of the windows and shouted abuse at me. I bravely waved two fingers at them and then legged it in case they had seen me! 

Even in this busy traffic, over the final third of the journey, spring was undefeated.

I made it to the campsite at 18.00, put up my tent and fell asleep. Just in the local now – sticky toffee pudding and Robinsons dark mild beer. A very British combination.

Night night.