E2: Rugeley to Hednesford

A day of walking in the rain, the gloom offset by interesting historical sights (and a few cafes).

Walking a long distance path in the Midlands of England in the winter has certain risks, while snow is unlikely rain is not. When I looked at the weather forecast for my two week trip, each day had a symbol of a cloud with rain drops falling from it. Rain had been falling for much of January so my walk in the first part of February was likely to encounter a lot of mud, puddles and maybe flooding. Nevertheless I was keen to embrace the open spaces after a month of hiding indoors out of the wet, windy cold, and also wished to continue my walk down the western variant of the E2. So one Wednesday evening I arrived by train at Rugeley, ready to pick up from the point I reached last winter. Not being the season  or countryside for camping, neither "wild" nor in official campsites, I had booked accommodation for whole of this trip; above pubs, in budget hotels and in hostels, so I was hoping my dodgy knee was not going to stop me completing my itinerary, otherwise I could loose money in cancellations.

The majority of the walking would be down the Heart of England Way, which forms a wide semi circle around Birmingham. Now 46 years old I was amused to read in the guidebook that "the Way" was originally initiated in 1980 without the agreement of the relevant councils and landowners due to the lack of progress made in discussions with them. It reminded me of a few difficulties that we had in extending the E2 north to John o'Groats recently. However relations with local authorities and landowners subsequently improved and the Way was opened a second time, this time officially, in 1990 and no doubt contributes to the local economy. 

As expected my day started with rain as I walked to a Costa Coffee for breakfast, joining workmen popping in for their regular orders. Rain was forecast all day. The roads glistened with water, reflecting the street lights in the pre-dawn darkness. I tarried over my coffee in the warm, looking through the rain streaked windows of the cafe.

Eventually I began my walk through the persistent rain under dull skies. I rejoined the Staffordshire Way on the Trent and Mersey Canal. Barges were moored by the towpath, those with wood smoke rising from their stove pipes looked especially cosy. The canal, designed by James Brindley was completed in 1777. It was replaced by the railway in the 19th century, the main line runs close to the canal. Fast trains zizzed by me on my right. On my left the brown waters of the River Trent flowed quickly, swelled by the rain, as it crossed partially flooded farmland. 

Fortunately the towpath only had mud in parts, although I was forced through puddles. My coat was relatively new and still managing to keep out the rain, and my waterproof trousers were also effective. However my boots were worn, although not to the extent that new ones could be justified given the number of part worn boots I owned. I had rather hopefully sprayed waterproofing liquid on them before this trip, but over the course of the day my socks became damp.

Leaving the canal I crossed the Trent on a late 16th century packhorse bridge, a narrow stone construction of many arches. This led me to the grounds of Shugborough Hall. Being a National Trust property I knew there would be a tea shop, so I diverted towards the stately home to enjoy a coffee and cake. I was the only one sitting in the restaurant, probably as potential visitors prefered to stay at home on a cold, wet, dull February day. Only a few dog walkers crossed my path today.

After Shugborough the Staffordshire Way climbed into Cannock Chase, a region of wooded hills and heathland across which people are free to roam. The underlying Bunter Sandstone is hidden under the thin black topsoil but contributes rounded pebbles to the tracks I followed. 

It diverted off the Staffordshire Way to go to the start of the Heart of England Way, marked by a sign in a car park, greened by age. I followed it up a track which followed the route of the abandoned Tackeroo railway line. This was built to service the large Army Camps built on Cannock Chase in the First World War to house and train the many recruits who volunteered to fight. Similar camps were spread around the country. Nothing remains of the large camps on Cannock Chase apart from one of the huts preserved at the Visitors' Centre. Although closed today, I have previously been inside where a line of beds and tables show how the soldiers once lived during their time at the base.

There were a number of sights to view beside the trail. The first was a boulder, a glacial erratic, brought in the Ice Age all the way from Scotland, although as it was mounted on a plinth of stones cemented together it no longer looked entirely natural.

After lunch of a Staffordshire oatcake, a sort of pancake with savoury fillings, I viewed the Katyn Memorial. This remembers the 25,000 Poles massacred by the Soviets in the Second World War. There were many lamps and candles on the stone plinth showing that people have not forgotten this crime.

Just after the Visitors' Centre RAF Hednesford once existed. Here in the Second World War engineers were trained to maintain aircraft, housed in serried rows of huts. After the War, it housed Hungarian refugees fleeing Soviet oppression, another link with Europe. Now only the old roadways remain.

I turned off the Heart of England Way onto the Cannock Chase Heritage Trail in order to reach Hednesford where I have a room booked above a pub. The centre of the town had lines of small shops that looked a little dismal in the rain and the declining light.

E2 European Long Distance Path: Comments

After 205 days and 4507 kilometres (2817 miles) over 6 trips, I completed the E2 European Long Distance Path, including an unofficial section from Galway to Stranraer. An average of 21.5 kilometres a day visiting seven countries (Ireland, Great Britain, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Switzerland). I spent 102 nights in hotels, guesthouses and Bed & Breakfast establishments, 15 nights inside hostels and refuges, 49 nights in official campsites and 36 nights wild camping. My 6 trips ranged in length from two weeks to two months long. These figures refer to the eastern route which I followed through England and the Netherlands, there is also a western alternative through Britain and Belgium along which I had walked a little way.

What did it offer? A huge variety.

In terms of landscapes it ranged from the flat fields of the Fens and Flanders, to the mountains of the Alps; the trees of the Jura to the rounded hills of the Yorkshire Wolds. There were beaches and cliffs in Northern Ireland, a hugely dammed delta in the Netherlands and river valleys in Luxembourg. History added another dimension: from the remnants of two World Wars at the border of France with Germany, to the "Troubles" in Northern Ireland. Then there was the food: vol au vents in Flanders, tartiflette in the French Alps, pub food in North East England beneath blackened beams. Accommodation varied from wild camping on the Southern Uplands of Scotland to pretty Bed & Breakfasts in England and hostels in Luxembourg. You need to walk it to experience a little of Europe's diverse offerings.

More information on the E2 can be found at the European Ramblers Association website, the organisation which coordinates the E-paths. I have also provided details of guidebooks etc. on this page.

Links to posts at the start of my walk through each country:

Western Ireland;

Northern Ireland;

Scotland;

England - Eastern variant;

Netherlands - Eastern variant;

Belgium Eastern variant;

Luxembourg;

France - Alsace Lorraine;

France - Jura mountains (Franche-Comté);

France - Alps.

Western Alternative

England - Western variant.

Link to start of each trip:

Trip 1 Western and Northern Ireland;

Trip 2 Northern Ireland, Scotland and north of England;

Trip 3 England, Netherlands and Flanders - Eastern variant;

Trip 4 Ardennes, Luxembourg, Lorraine and the Vosges;

Trip 5 Jura mountains;

Trip 6 GR5 over French Alps;

Trip 7 England - Western variant. 

E2: Abbots Bromley to Rugeley

A short day to the railway station at Rugeley and my trip home.

Catkins.

At breakfast I tried the Staffordshire oatcakes, which I discovered were a kind of savoury pancake. Folded inside were the black pudding and sausages I ordered, and it was served with a garnish of healthy green rocket. All very classy! I left Abbots Bromley by a path between hedges and houses, although attractive it was the wrong one! Instead of retracing my steps I followed a road back to the correct route. That zig zagged over fields to a reservoir, or almost to the reservoir, the paths stayed below the dam on a circuitous route.

Blithfield Reservoir.

I was now in an area where red brick was the dominant building material of houses, farms and bridges. A contrast to the blackened gritstone buildings I had encountered further north. Two buzzards flew high above me. After more fields I reached the village of Colton, which sounded a bit like a mineral to me. I exchanged a few words on the weather with an elderly man cleaning leaves and other remains from the side of the drive to the village hall. We agreed it was sunny but he warned me of showers between 12 and 1 pm. More fields and I reached the Trent and Mersey Canal. There I left the Staffordshire Way and the E2 and walked rapidly south-east to the station where I just managed to catch the 11:50 train, the slow service to Birmingham. 

Trent & Mersey Canal.

E2: Alton to Abbots Bromley

A long day walking over the Staffordshire countryside.

After a steep and muddy descent around a fallen tree I reached a good path through woodland, on which I passed numerous morning dog walkers. Alton was a little further from my accommodation than I imagined and there were a few more hills than I expected. The village is famous for the Alton Towers Theme Park. I presume it was the towers of the main building that I could see from a viewpoint, an outcrop of red sandstone, a little before the village. As a child I had visited once, I did not remember so many hills!

A view of Alton Towers.

The remainder of the day was over farmland, grass fields, soft and squidgy with all the rain, and gentle hills. Sometimes I was on barely visible paths over the fields, other times on farm tracks, often muddy. A kissing gate on the path was held firmly closed with a combination lock which annoyed me, as the landowner was breaking the law obstructing a public footpath. It did not stop me climbing over it but not so easy for less able people or those with dogs. A track between hedges had been improved by laying down a line of stone flags which I much appreciated as it helped avoid the mud or brambles.

Pussy Willows.

I had a few milestones today to break up my journey, the first was Rocester. The small town was dominated by JCB, the manufacturer of the eponymous, yellow, earth moving equipment. Rocester is their World Headquarters and there is a JCB Academy in an old mill built by Arkwright, the 18th century inventor who help industrialise textile manufacture. I stopped at a café for a coffee and cake. While her dog stepped in its water bowl one of the customers proudly told me the King was visiting the JCB factory today, apparently it was their 80th anniversary. King Charles helped change a tyre there according to the BBC.

From Rocester it was over fields to Uttoxeter following the valley of the River Dove. Close to the town I had to cross a busy, fenced dual carriageway. My GPS suggested the route went under a bridge by a river, however I could not see way through and wondered if the path was flooded as the river level was high. I spent a long time finding a way around, climbing over gates at a farmyard, then crossing the dual carriageway at a roundabout. Keen to find out where I had gone wrong I approached the river bridge from the Uttoxeter side. It was then I realised there was another arch with a safe passage through. I missed the turn to reach it as it involved heading in the "wrong" direction for a short while.

Although now behind schedule I had promised myself a sandwich for lunch in Uttoxeter, so stopped at a handy Starbucks beside a series of charging points for electric cars. Seemed to me a good business plan, offering coffee while your car is charging, although the two other customers seemed to be using the coffee shop to work on their laptops. On my next section over fields to Abbots Bromley I fell in step with a local man for a few hundred yards. We exchanged a few words. He had been a mining engineer in the coal industry before specialising in the demolition of oil refineries and similar.

Late afternoon on the way to Abbots Bromley.

Dusk had fallen by the time I had reached Abbots Bromley and my Bed & Breakfast. Despite removing my boots I still left mud stains on the carpet from my trousers which I tried ineffectually to clean up. I was glad to arrive, my left knee was complaining, my blister was bloody and I was tired. No one in the village is serving food tonight, however the helpful staff of the Crown Pub provided details of a place that did deliveries. So I ordered burger, chips and a brownie to be delivered to me in the pub. I must confess I was surprised when it arrived!

E2: Leak to Alton

A muddy day with some good canal sections and a pub for lunch.

Yesterday afternoon I began to experience a little pain from my ankle rubbing against my boot. Nothing that caused me to stop, however on arriving at my lodging I found a burst blister. In the shower it was exceedingly painful when contacted by water. This morning I protected it with a dressing. I was particularly stiff on getting up, having difficulty on the stairs. The exercises my body reluctantly performed loosened me up a little. On a longer trip I might have taken a rest day at this point, but I only had 2 1/2 days walking left so it was not worthwhile.

As there is no food available at my accommodation tonight and nothing else is near, this morning I needed to buy something to eat this evening. Being Sunday I had to wait until 10 am for the shops to open. I passed the time pleasantly in a coffee shop by the market square of Leek. The day's hike began with a walk over hillside through the Ladderedge Country Park. After that there was a long section on the towpath of the Caldon Canal, flat easy walking. A few narrow boats were moored, one or two with wood smoke drifting from their stove pipes showing they were occupied by invisible people inside. I passed old, red brick mill buildings and the remains of lime kilns, signs of the area's industrial activity in an earlier century. A few people were out, accompanied by their dogs for a Sunday stroll. Rain and strong winds were forecast, however in the sheltered valley there was little wind and the rain, although persistent, was mainly light.

Caldon Canal.

The lighted windows of the canal-side Red Lion Inn looked warm and inviting so I stopped for lunch, siting by a log fire. The pork and apple sauce bap I ordered was huge! With the rain outside I made my Coke last as long as possible. When I did leave I found "Footpath closed" signs on the towpath. There being no alternative route I just kept going and found no problem with the towpath. The canal ran parallel with an old railway line. Earlier a steam train had pulled several carriages down the line, and this afternoon it pulled them back again. A heritage line offering people a Sunday outing.

Welcome fire inside the Red Lion Pub.

Eventually, the path left the canal, climbing steeply up the side of the wooded valley. Once at the top it continued through fields, soft and muddy with the rain. As I crossed from one field to another I found myself ankle deep in a muddy slurry with the threat of sinking further if I did not find a way through a couple of strings of barbed wire. Having crawled under the wire I realised that the path actually went over a stile further down the field, largely hidden by the hedge and not strictly where the map showed it to be. 

There was a lot of mud!

I followed the Staffordshire Way back down into the valley of the meandering River Churnet. The canal had stopped at a wharf further upstream. After a few muddy sections the path climbed into woodland. When it subsequently descended I admired the rounded pebbles which formed its base as it made a passage through rhododendrons and tall pine trees. I speculated that the pebbles were produced by erosion of sandstones of the Permian period. I had been seeing red sandstone typical of this period of Geological time in road and track cuttings and used in buildings and bridges. 

I turned off the Staffordshire Way to reach the accommodation I had booked. This involved a climb up a side valley. The last part was the steepest. Steps had been made but a large tree had fallen across them bringing down another tree in the understorey. With difficulty I made my way around them following another person's footsteps which had made deep holes in the wet, black soil. On finally reaching the Inn, my boots were caked in a thick layer of mud. I left them by the door of the Inn with my trekking pole which was in a similarity encrusted state. I had been wearing my waterproof trousers and these were also filthy forcing me to wash them before I could put them down anywhere. On removing the dressing on my ankle to shower, I saw that it had been bleeding. The shower was in some way compromised, the knob pointing at the wrong things and I had difficulty in obtaining more then luke warm water.

E2: Macclesfield to Leek

The first sunny day of the trip. I climbed hills, followed old waterways and railways and visited a reservoir.

As I had over 20 miles to walk today, and as my progress has been slower than usual on this trip, I started early, walking through the streets of Macclesfield among early morning joggers at 7 am. 3.5 kilometres later and I was back on the Gritstone Trail. I knew I had to climb three hills before a valley section. The second summit was the highest and most impressive as it had a concrete tower on top with multiple aerials and transmitters, this was the Sutton Common BT Tower built to survive a nuclear war. In continental Europe it would have been painted red and white but this one was a dull, concrete grey. Visibility was poor in the weak sunlight, but on the plain below I could make out fields, trees, buildings, a railway viaduct and the Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope. The later was a large white disc in the distance and apparently a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With all the radio interference from the populated Cheshire plain I rather doubted it still performed world leading research. The tower beside me must have contributed to the interference. 

Looking back down the ridge.

Winter view from the ridge.

After the three hills the path dropped into a muddy valley, greatly slowing my progress. My effort was wasted as each step into the brown mush squeezed mud out sideways and left boot shaped holes behind me. Having to place my feet carefully on slippery slopes delayed me. Would a younger, more agile person have moved faster I wondered, with quicker reactions if they started to slip, more confidence in their movements or maybe with less consequences if they fell? I was pleased when the Gritstone Trail took me onto what might have been a towpath beside an old canal. The canal or feeder channel had long been abandoned and was filled with vegetation, decaying leaves, fallen trees and areas of stagnant water. Leafless branches stretched across the water, catkins hanging down. At least the path beside it was flat. Unfortunately it was also excessively muddy in places.

Leaving the waterway the Gritstone Trail took me across a road to an abandoned railway where I switched to the Staffordshire Way along the former Churnet Valley Line. My paced picked up as the ballast on the former railbed was firm and flat letting me stride ahead. At the top of Rudyard Lake the Staffordshire Way moved onto roads and good tracks on the south side of this large expanse of water. Many signs made it clear that the landowner was not too pleased with having a "right of way" across his land. I had to explain to a couple that despite the no entry sign across a private road, it was a public footpath, and they were allowed to follow it. The route went by an old stone building that looked like a lodge for an important estate. All the windows were now boarded up except a few with broken glass on the first floor. An interesting renovation project if the landowner cared to sell. Near the end of the lake was a sailing club with an open coffee shop where I enjoyed a latte and a slice of Tamworth Fruit Cake on the balcony, among the many dogs out for a Saturday walk. Rudyard Lake was actually an 18th century reservoir used to supply water for the Caldon Canal. I followed the path beside the feeder channel from the reservoir to the edge of Leek, where I turned off to find the accommodation I had booked.

Rudyard Lake.

Feeder channel followed by the Staffordshire Way below Rudyard Lake.

E2: Disley to Macclesfield

A day pushing against a strong headwind, especially over hilltops.

After numerous trails yesterday, all of today's walk was on the well established Gritstone Trail, which started from the railway station at Disley. Full of an egg and sausage bap from a "bakery" I followed good tracks between walls and hedges to Lyme Park, a National Trust property. There was an extensive area of open grassland, with "keep out" signs stating it was a deer park. On a modest rise in the distance was the "Cage", a hunting lodge where the ladies watched the men hunting. The main building on the estate was a large stately home with bits from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Being National Trust it had a café. As I arrived a few minutes before it opened I had a look at the 19th century Orangery, which had a few tropical looking plants such as a banana plant, as well as a fountain totally encrusted by moss.

The Cage.

After tea and a scone I continued across the landscape, farmland of fields for sheep and hay. There were several hills to climb today. At the top of one stood "White Nancy", a folly built in 1817 to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo, looking like a large white breast with a black nipple on top. Coincidentally it appeared on the local TV news this morning as it had been the goal of a sponsored climb to raise money for a teacher with Motor Neuron Disease.

White Nancy.

The weather forecast had predicted winds of 40 to 50 miles per hour and on the hill tops it was all of that. Coming from the south west it was generally in my face, sapping my strength as I tried to progress, or sometimes hitting me sideways trying to unbalance me. However it was not cold despite being wintertime, which may explain why odd gloves kept appearing, placed over the top of any post that happened to be near in the hope that the owner might return for it. I was feeling cross that I was tiring, as this was one of my shorter days, when I came across a café at Tegg's Nose Country Park. After debating whether to stop or carry on, I chose to stop for a coffee and a cookie. In retrospect a good decision as it gave me renewed energy. After the café I walked by an old quarry. Items of the old machinery to crush and cut rocks had been preserved with informative display boards.

Typical scenery.

Lost glove.

As I knew I had a long day tomorrow I walked as far as the reservoirs by Langley on the south west side of Macclesfield before turning around and heading into the centre for the hotel I had booked. This will save a few hills in the morning. My first time in this northern town of red brick buildings and many pubs. I am currently in one of these, busy on a Friday night. A place where women as well as men seem comfortable meeting over a bottle of wine whereas some of the other bars, with sport showing constantly on large TV screens, look more men's places.

Mural in Macclesfield.