Wednesday, July 18th, Stoke to Swynnerton - 11 miles

Today I had a walking companion, our friend and neighbour Margaret.  Simon dropped us back at Stoke Minster on his way in to work, and in bright and breezy conditions, we rejoined the Trent and Mersey canal. We stopped to read the information boards about Stoke City FC (whose Britannia Stadium we were passing) and the former Hem Heath colliery, now an expanse of wasteland. At the first sign of houses, we left the canal and dog-legged through a Trentham estate to reach a pleasant (and hitherto unknown) path along the wooded Longton Brook, which brought us to the A34 at Trentham Gardens.

Naturally, we stopped off for elevenses, and in the Garden Centre restaurant we had a chance encounter with Morag, Carol and Elizabeth of the Arnold Bennett society Simon and I also belong to. As promoters of Potteries' culture and history they were keen to hear about our walking venture, which led Elizabeth to the revelation that she had given the names Chad and Werbergh to two of her children!  

Margaret at the Saxon Cross in
Trentham Churchyard

Margaret and I continued to Trentham Church, which happened to be open.  We had a word with the new vicar, who was aware of the 2SW and admired the ornate marble statues in the Sutherland chapel.

Then, following David Pott's recommended slight detour, we carried along the track on the western fringe of the woodland towards the roar of the M6. Here we turned left and went steeply uphill (possibly up the steepest gradient on the 2SW) to emerge on the eastern ridge of Trentham Park. Here, on the "Seven Sisters", there is a proposal to site a huge statue of a Saxon Warrior dominating the skyline above the M6, but there was no sign of any foundation-laying.

Passing the open gate in the Trentham Estate fence, we continued  in oak woodland high above Trentham Lake.  The occasional sharp shower alternated with dappled sunshine, which fortunately persisted during our steep descent into and climb out of the valley near Trentham Monkey Forest. We emerged at the Monument, where we picnicked with a fine view down to the lake and the gardens.

We were on home territory as we climbed down Monument Hill and cut through Tittensor via Moment Lane and Copeland Drive to reach the chain of ponds running parallel to Winghouse Lane. A short uphill stretch along this road brought us to our turnoff south-east, first over Clumber Hill, then across Tittensor Chase to the A51 at Bury Bank. From there, it was just over a mile over tracks and lanes back to home to Swynnerton.