9.30 Macclesfield Forest, Standing Stone car park.
A ~2 hour off-road run in the post Abigail storm sunshine (well maybe) around the tracks and Dales. Tea and cakes in the cafe, Bullock's Lane afterwards
Directions:-
Continue on the road round the side of the reservoir by the Leather's Smithy Pub. Ignore the right turn and continue to the top of the hill (1.5 miles). Turn left at the top and the car park is immediately on your left.
The view to Shutingsloe
Tucker will be recovering from Dunnerdale, Alan may be crocked after reckoning he did his hamstring in on Thursday so the leader will be selected from whoever arrives ready & willing.
Regular visitors to Macclesfield Forest will be well aware of the curiously named ‘Standingstone’ car park. This must have been so named for a reason, but the question is where did this so called standing stone stand and how old was it? Various sources record a number of ‘stones’ in the area of what is today Macclesfield Forest, but unfortunately the majority have now disappeared. There is one remaining standing stone, which is undoubtedly used as a rubbing post today, and can be seen in a field at Higher Ridgegate to the left of the road close to the Leathers Smithy pub. One of the best documented however, is that reported by Dr J.D.Sainter, Watkin and Earwaker once located in the same field as a tumulus to the north-west of Toot Hill. According to the County Sites and Monuments Record a ‘prostrate unworked stone post probably a rubbing post’ was reported by the Ordnance Survey in 1964, but sadly this could not be located on a subsequent visit in 1972. The Reverend Marriott also described and illustrated two ‘rude upright stones’ on the summit of Shutlingsloe in 1810.