GM Ringway Stage 5 – Middlewood to Strines
🌧️ Setting Off in the Rain
As the rain hammered against my window on the first Sunday morning of June, I felt a twinge of regret at setting myself the challenge of walking the entirety of the GM Ringway. But as I really want to complete this challenge—and because this is Manchester and I can’t guarantee it won’t rain for the rest of the summer—I forced myself out of bed to walk Stage 5.
🚗 Getting to the Start
This stage took me from Middlewood to Strines—two places I’d never heard of before. Middlewood is only served by trains every two hours, so I drove and parked in a lay-by on nearby Middlewood Road—a spot I’d recommend if you’re planning to drive to the start of this leg.
🥾 A Tougher Stage
This was the first section that lived up to the ‘Moderate’ billing given by the organisers. It wasn’t difficult, but there was a noticeable difference from the last leg in the number of uphill and downhill sections. That said, the rain lashing down for the majority of my four and a half hours (walking) probably didn’t help my perception of the difficulty.
🌲 Woodland and Canal Paths
The route sets off along Middlewood Way, starting with a pleasant few miles through woodland, which is broken up by a short hop onto the canal. I did think my walk might come to a premature end when, only 45 minutes in, I went over on my ankle in a slippery field. Luckily, my walking poles saved the day and stopped me going face-first into the mud!
🏃 Discovering the Joy of Trekking Poles
Speaking of poles, I thought I’d give a quick mention to my new favourite hiking must-have. I’ve always been sceptical about using trekking poles and thought they were only really for older people—but how wrong I was. I saw so many people using them when I was in Yosemite that I did a bit of research and decided to get some for myself. This was the first hike I used them correctly on, and I noticed such a difference—they took so much pressure off my knees, and my legs were definitely less tired at the end of the walk than they normally would be. However, the next day my arms were definitely aching, so the hike turned into more of a full-body workout! I highly recommend them, but if you do decide to buy some, make sure you watch a few videos before you use them to get the best technique.
🪜 The Many Stiles of Stage 5
One thing the poles really helped with was tackling the numerous stiles on this stretch of the Ringway. I think I climbed over more stiles during these nine miles than I have in my entire life combined—I genuinely didn’t know there were so many different styles of stile—so be prepared!
🏰 Exploring Lyme Park
The trail heads through the rather large Lyme Park, a National Trust property, where I stopped for a hot chocolate and a sausage roll to escape the rain for half an hour. I’ll definitely be coming back here to explore, as there are formal gardens and a mansion house to visit. There’s more woodland to walk through while making your way across Lyme Park, as well as plenty of open fields. There’s an interesting building on the top of a hill, which is known as The Cage, which previously housed prisoners. You can go inside, but as I was short of time (I was trying to get home to watch the football) I didn’t on this occasion.
🌳 Slippery Woodland and Golf Course Encounters
After leaving Lyme Park, I was back into the woodland. I really enjoyed this part of the hike, as there were lots of different plants and trees, but it was a bit slippery in places due to the rain.
I then found myself crossing a golf course, which a few of the golfers didn’t seem too pleased about—make sure you’re on the lookout for balls at all times, as you do have to cross the fairway at one point.
🍺 The Final Push (and the Missing Pint)
The rest of the walk involved a few fields, roads and the Peak Forest Canal. By this point, I was so wet that I wasn’t really taking in too much of the scenery and was just trying to reach the pub near the end of the route. Annoyingly, I didn’t get my pint of cider, as the pub was closed for a private event—a disappointing end to an otherwise very enjoyable hike.
🌟 Reflections on Stage 5
If I had to describe this leg in three words, it would be Stiles, Rain and Woods. But I’d also say it was one of my favourite hikes I’ve done. The fact that it was a little bit more difficult than the previous legs, and had a good variation of scenery, made this my favourite leg so far despite the rain.
