A brief history of East Cheshire Ramblers

Early History of East Cheshire Ramblers

The inaugural meeting of what was to become East Cheshire Ramblers was held at Roe Street Sunday School in Macclesfield on the 4th October 1973.  It was organised by Lesley Meadowcroft from Manchester Ramblers Association and about fifty people attended the first meeting.

The meeting covered Rights of Way and the need for a definitive map for Cheshire.  Some of those present at the meeting expressed some concern about potential confusion with Macclesfield Rambling Club and not everyone was keen on the idea of public rights of way! Concerns were raised about walkers leaving gates open, climbing walls, letting dogs loose and “How would you like people walking through your garden?” One person was particularly vocal about walkers trespassing on Big Low, Rainow.  

Despite the views aired, twenty people were keen to start Macclesfield Ramblers Association and a committee of ten was established.  It was made up of Chair Tom Chalmers, Secretary David Hughes, Footpath Secretary Pat Bowyer, Treasurer Alan Pedlar, Publicity Pauline Pedlar and committee members Sid Forse, Henry Trufit, Mike Corfield and Margaret Oldfield.  Later Marjorie Cooper became Chair and Anne Court became the Secretary.

One of the first tasks was to create a copy of the Definitive Map of Cheshire showing the Public Rights of Way in the Macclesfield area.  The only maps, available at six inches to the mile, were held in the Cheshire County Council Offices in Chester and the Macclesfield library.  The committee spent hours creating maps with a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile with each footpath drawn in by hand. These maps still exist today. Routes were colour coded:  Purple (Footpaths) Green (Bridleways), Yellow (Parish Boundary). They created a “real treasure trove of footpaths”. In addition a great deal of time and effort was spent to ensure that every right of way was inspected annually. In order to achieve this, footpaths were divided into Parishes and each member agreed to inspect the footpaths in two Parishes. As we do today, the data was collated centrally. In the early days it was sent through annual reports to Pat Bowyer, the Footpath Secretary.  Complaints about ‘obstructions’ were passed to Cheshire County Council  who, it has to be said, at that time, ‘moved very slowly in the plains’! The Committee achieved more progress in Peak Park area where the support of the Countryside Rangers was invaluable.  Pat Bowyer also had great support from Donald Lee of Peak and Northern Footpaths Society.

The Committee faced a constant battle to prevent developers building over footpaths, particularly on new housing estates.  In addition, major issues arose over the proposed route of the Silk Road through Dumbah Hollow.  Over the years careful negotiation was required when farms were converted into private residences. No one wanted a public right of way through their new back garden.  Paths were moved away illegally from farms and often via unsuitable diversions.

The group gained publicity and increased members through Pauline’s articles in the Macclesfield Express, where they allowed her a ‘few inches’ each week.  A particularly difficult confrontation with a farmer on a footpath in Wincle required the intervention of the local police. Fortunately, the constable was familiar with the Definitive Map and the walkers were allowed to proceed. This resulted in some welcome but unexpected publicity! The Macclesfield Express ran with the headline: “POLICE CALLED IN OVER FOOTPATH DISPUTE”. Numbers in Macclesfield Ramblers doubled as a result!  The path in question now has a stile, gate and footpath.

The group also offered support to Chris Bamsey, one of the Country Side Rangers. Together they put in stiles, improved muddy paths and helped install the bridge over Shell Brook.  Another major legacy is the work the group did to secure the Gritstone Trail. Initially the route was to be called the Cheshire Ridgeway as Derbyshire Ramblers were setting up the Gritstone Way. It was eventually agreed to call the route the Gritstone Trail to match and complement the Sandstone Trail in the West of Cheshire. It’s proved to be a great success and has certainly increased footfall over the years. Forty miles of the trail were walked in the 40th Anniversary year and this year fifty miles were walked to celebrate our Golden Anniversary year.

With grateful thanks to Alan Pedlar

June Mabon

Dear Members

I’m writing to you all to share the sad news that June Mabon, a very long standing and active member of Cheshire East Ramblers, sadly passed away on Tuesday 7th May, just short of her 80th birthday.

As an active member of East Cheshire Ramblers, June was Chair of the group in the 1990s.  In addition, June was very involved with the Peak & Northern Footpath Society and she co-founded Trafford Ramblers at the request of the Manchester Area. In 2015 June applied to have a 500 metre footpath in Timperley added to the Definitive Map. She secured a successful application and ensured an attractive, off-road path in a busy area was preserved forever. In 2014, at the Ramblers’ General Council AGM in Liverpool, June was presented with the ‘Protecting Where We Walk Award’ and gave a short acceptance speech. 

June led walks across all distances and levels of difficulty and I’m sure many of us had the privilege of walking with her appreciating the fact that she took her responsibilities as a walk leader very seriously. Walkers always felt extremely safe under her excellent leadership. June was very clear that we all had to walk according to the Ramblers’ rules and if a walker decided to walk in front of the leader then they were “deemed to have left the walk”!  Fellow walkers have spoken about her kindness and how she helped and encouraged walkers who were new to the pace and demands of long walks, ensuring they returned to enjoy many more.

June appears in the Ramblers ‘Volunteer Welcome’ training video where she describes her role as a footpath inspector, a job she took very seriously and which led to others taking up the role. If you wish to access the piece please follow the steps below.

Kind regards

Maggie Swindells

Volunteer Welcome

  1. Sign into Ramblers – using user name and password
  2. Click ‘Support Us’
  3. Click ‘Volunteer’
  4. Click ‘Online Training’
  5. Click ‘Training Library’
  6. Sign in again – using username and password
  7. Click ‘Volunteer Welcome’  and start the sequence
  8. On the menu choose ‘Volunteer Stories’ June’s contribution is the second one

Trafford Triumph! Congratulations June Mabon!

At the beginning of September Colin Finlayson kindly sent me an article from the Autumn edition of The Ramblers Magazine. The article described how in 2015 June Maybon applied for a well-used path, running from the back of Timperley Metrolink tram station to the Bridgewater Canal, to be added to the Definitive Map. This was not an easy objective to achieve, especially when Railway and Canal Traffic Acts are involved. On this occasion neither the Canal and Riverside Trust nor Metrolink objected so an attractive off-road route, in a busy area, is now preserved for ever. Many thanks June.

East Cheshire Ramblers 50th Anniversary 2023

An early footpath inspection of Wildboarclough 1974

Early History of East Cheshire Ramblers

The inaugural meeting of what was to become East Cheshire Ramblers was held at Roe Street Sunday School in Macclesfield on the 4th October 1973.  It was organised by Lesley Meadowcroft from Manchester Ramblers Association and about fifty people attended the first meeting.

The meeting covered Rights of Way and the need for a definitive map for Cheshire.  Some of those present at the meeting expressed some concern about potential confusion with Macclesfield Rambling Club and not everyone was keen on the idea of public rights of way! Concerns were raised about walkers leaving gates open, climbing walls, letting dogs loose and “How would you like people walking through your garden?” One person was particularly vocal about walkers trespassing on Big Low, Rainow.  

Despite the views aired, twenty people were keen to start Macclesfield Ramblers Association and a committee of ten was established.  It was made up of Chair Tom Chalmers, Secretary David Hughes, Footpath Secretary Pat Bowyer, Treasurer Alan Pedlar, Publicity Pauline Pedlar and committee members Sid Forse, Henry Trufit, Mike Corfield and Margaret Oldfield.  Later Marjorie Cooper became Chair and Anne Court became the Secretary.

One of the first tasks was to create a copy of the Definitive Map of Cheshire showing the Public Rights of Way in the Macclesfield area.  The only maps, available at six inches to the mile, were held in the Cheshire County Council Offices in Chester and the Macclesfield library.  The committee spent hours creating maps with a scale of 2.5 inches to the mile with each footpath drawn in by hand. These maps still exist today. Routes were colour coded:  Purple (Footpaths) Green (Bridleways), Yellow (Parish Boundary). They created a “real treasure trove of footpaths”. In addition a great deal of time and effort was spent to ensure that every right of way was inspected annually. In order to achieve this, footpaths were divided into Parishes and each member agreed to inspect the footpaths in two Parishes. As we do today, the data was collated centrally. In the early days it was sent through annual reports to Pat Bowyer, the Footpath Secretary.  Complaints about ‘obstructions’ were passed to Cheshire County Council  who, it has to be said, at that time, ‘moved very slowly in the plains’! The Committee achieved more progress in Peak Park area where the support of the Countryside Rangers was invaluable.  Pat Bowyer also had great support from Donald Lee of Peak and Northern Footpaths Society.

The Committee faced a constant battle to prevent developers building over footpaths, particularly on new housing estates.  In addition, major issues arose over the proposed route of the Silk Road through Dumbah Hollow.  Over the years careful negotiation was required when farms were converted into private residences. No one wanted a public right of way through their new back garden.  Paths were moved away illegally from farms and often via unsuitable diversions.

The group gained publicity and increased members through Pauline’s articles in the Macclesfield Express, where they allowed her a ‘few inches’ each week.  A particularly difficult confrontation with a farmer on a footpath in Wincle required the intervention of the local police. Fortunately, the constable was familiar with the Definitive Map and the walkers were allowed to proceed. This resulted in some welcome but unexpected publicity! The Macclesfield Express ran with the headline: “POLICE CALLED IN OVER FOOTPATH DISPUTE”. Numbers in Macclesfield Ramblers doubled as a result!  The path in question now has a stile, gate and footpath.

The group also offered support to Chris Bamsey, one of the Country Side Rangers. Together they put in stiles, improved muddy paths and helped install the bridge over Shell Brook.  Another major legacy is the work the group did to secure the Gritstone Trail. Initially the route was to be called the Cheshire Ridgeway as Derbyshire Ramblers were setting up the Gritstone Way. It was eventually agreed to call the route the Gritstone Trail to match and complement the Sandstone Trail in the West of Cheshire. It’s proved to be a great success and has certainly increased footfall over the years. Forty miles of the trail were walked in the 40th Anniversary year and this year fifty miles were walked to celebrate our Golden Anniversary year.

With grateful thanks to Alan Pedlar

1976 Shell Brook
Looking at a proposed diversion through Throstles Nest Farm near Macclesfield forest in1973/74
Shell Brook in 1975/76

ECR 50th Anniversary Badges

ECR 50th Anniversary badges, fleeces and snoods can be purchased from Solutions Workwear Ltd at their NEW ADDRESS, Unit 9, Sunrise Business Park, Hulley Road, Macclesfield, SK10 2LP. The lane leading to the units in Sunrise Business Park is besides Sunrise House, opposite a garage advertising MOTs and Tyres. For more information please click the download.