As you probably know it has been all kinds of crazy in regards to the weather recently and yesterday we had a day of all-weather at Alderley Edge. Think torrential rain the glorious sunshine, blasting winds and then rain again! Oh and to add to it, we weren’t really dressed for the occasion and had new trail shoes on!
Despite the weather, jeans clad legs and new trainers, we were finally greeted with sunshine, views and lush green woods which went to show that our optimism wasn’t just leading us to dampness and muck!
All the weather
This June has been very springlike with all kinds of crazy weather going on. The forecast changes by the minute so you can never really know what it is going to be like. We decided to keep things easy this past weekend (as I have some foot issues) and through that a trip to the National Trust at Alderley Edge would be a good choice. Pretty well paved, with stunning views and enough to keep us going without it being too strenuous. To make sure we didn’t get up to mischief, or walk too much, we went in our civvies. Unfortunately, this was to be a bit of a bad choice!
Checking the weather, everything seemed fine. On Saturday we had made plans for a rainy day only to find that it turned out fine and we even enjoyed a picnic in the sun! Just goes to show that my 32 litre “handbag” is the perfect thing to help me cater for all eventualities.
Walkways paved in mud and sand
As we wandered down to the wooded area, it became rather apparent that the overcast skies were actually holding rain. A lot of rain it appeared. We managed to sludge our way around the paths and start towards the views – one of the reasons that we decided on Alderley Edge. Then with very little notice the rain started chucking it down.
You can even see the streaks of rain over our faces in the picture! That is seriously how heavy it was. Under the trees proved to be even wetter with the large drops pelting us from up above. It was then that we realised that we were dressed rather inappropriately for the conditions. Oh well, we thought and carried on with our blind optimism in full throws.
…and the new trail shoes…
As you might know (if you follow my Instagram stories – if now, check me out here!) I got some new Merrell All Out Blaze last week. Well chuffed, I want to wear them all the time. So of course, popped them on for our leisurely wander around Alderley Edge. Ahem, bad choice! In the time between visits and usually after some time, your memory of the amount of sandstone seems to diminish. That is until you are scrubbing your bright new trail shes through it while getting to The Edge.
The views – or lack thereof
Anyway, our although our optimism wasn’t keeping us dry, it was keeping us in good humor so we carried on. To be honest, there is always that time when you have to get your new boots or shoes mucky, so the sooner the better really as it opens up all manner of other adventures.
Sliding and wobbling our way over the roots and sand we arrived at our first viewing point only to find that the view had somewhat vanished. Or was at least rather hard to make out. I took photos anyway as I kind of figured that we spend a lot of time in places with amazing views when visibility is very low. (check out our trip to Werneth Low in the mist!)
There was certainly not enough mud and sand on our shoes after the first view and our newly waterproofed rain coats were doing a fine job of making the water run onto our jeans that we carried on to the second of the viewing points. If we were lucky the rain would subside, we would instantly dry off and we could enjoy the vista in the warmth of the sun.
Not quite…
Still undeterred, we opted to look more closely at nature and the wood itself. I am taking part in the Wildlife Trust’s #30dayswild so even in the rain, it was a good opportunity to snap some of the wildlife and nature residing in Alderley Edge (which I have since discovered is SSSI – Site of Special Scientific Interest – of which Dunham Massey also has the status)
Getting down with nature
Firstly, I’ll briefly explain what the #30dayswild thing is about, so you get my drift and maybe even fancy joining in. It is a project run by the Wildlife Trust to get people out and noticing the nature around them. It’s awareness building really as we all spend way too much time inside or in front of a screen that we miss loads of wonderful natural things around us. Although a lot of the things I find and share will be urban nature because of where I live and spend a lot of my time, I want to show other finds too. (If you want to join in, you can get the info from the Wildlife Trust here)
A short circular walk
Despite our desire to walk over to Hare Hill (of which I have just realised that I haven’t written about!) and back we concluded that a) It was a bit wet for the gear we had one and b) we were supposed to be taking it easy, so we settled for a short circular around the fields and back – not only to have a nosy at the house that has been built on the other side.
By now our shoes were well and truly muddied and sanded, but were keeping out the wet, luckily! This meant that we didn’t need to head back to the car for tea, a Twix and some audio book just yet. (yes, we are actually that cool!) By the time we started heading back into the woods, the sky began to clear up. We could actually see some blue and some sunshine, would you believe? The weather was certainly living up to the standard of spring with the rain and sunshine coming in bursts. To say we were pleased is a bit of an understatement; it meant that we would get our views in the end.
Sunshine on a rainy day
Looking up to the tree canopy, you wouldn’t have believed that it was the same day. Beautiful blue skies with lingering fluffy white clouds. A total transformation from when we arrived and were dodging the colossal raindrops and we weaved between tree canopies and open skies.
The previously dark and undefined woods were now (albeit still damp underfoot and dripping overhead) bright, dappled in sunshine and glowing! A vast change and one that was welcomed by more than just us. We were relieved to see that some people had come even less dressed for the occasion in sandals and t-shirt.
Even the bugs seemed pleased for some calmer weather as they came out to enjoy the bramble flowers and pose kindly for me.
…and the views?
Well, the Alderley Edge views over Cheshire were beautifully revealed. The clouds cleared away, the grey diminished into bright greens over the fields and we totally got to enjoy the view. So much so, we retraced our steps to grab some photographs in the improved light.
What a difference, hey? Even if the ground was still wet, he views now certainly made up for it.
We even managed to re-take the first picture of us with some background instead of mist! Although as we were enjoying capturing the sunshine and views we did notice the clouds beginning to roll in again. Not to worry, though, remember that tea, Twix and audio book I mentioned… Yeah we headed back for that!
Alderley Edge – the edge of every weather front!
As we headed back to the car with the grey clouds rolling back into place, we enjoyed the contrast of the dark skies and lush green fields. There is definitely something about getting out in the rain as it seems to make everything that little bit brighter in the end. The rain hadn’t put us off, the mud and sand had well and truly christened our shoes, but we were dry, warm and contented for seeing the views. And for having tea, chocolate and a book read to us in the car.
Oh and in case you’re wondering, yes we did manage to take it easy (bar the hills) as we only did six miles rather than our usual ten. That being said though, I am on strict rest mode in order to get my feet ready for our adventures in Rotterdam and Amsterdam next week.
Fingers crossed I can manage on half my walking until then!
What are your favourite things to see and do in the rain (outside of course)? Have you ever been to Alderley Edge?
Pop me a comment so we can get to know each other better! 😀
National Trust Alderley Edge
Nether Alderley SK10 4UB
Features: Parking (free for National Trust Members), Toilets, Nearby Pub and Cafe (not National Trust), signed walks, maps, Local Ice Cream, Picnic Areas, Views, Dog Friendly.