Cat Fiddle - Macclesfield

Climbed the Cat Fiddle on Sunday morning - a cool drizzly day but no severe weather. Started in Altincham and made my way through Wilmslow to Prestbury and Macclesfield before starting. It is extraordinary how the planes of Cheshire suddenly turn in to the hills of the Peak District. The climb is very enjoyable, the gradient reasonably consistant and the road surface good. The view of the hills and of the road is encouraging and a good distraction from the relentless uphill but there is nothing so severe that you need to get out of the saddle. Near the top there is a bike shop (which was closed on a Sunday). The main thing to be aware of is that there are 3 false summits. Road signs say "blind summit" and you feel you have made it but they are referring to the fact that it is difficult to see over a hump in the road rather than it being the real summit which is a good couple of miles further than the first of these signs. At the top there is a large pub in a wild open space which (if open - I reached it about 7.45am!) I am sure would be a good stopping point. The route down is not entirely downhill, there is a small section where the road rises again before decscending to Whaley Bridge. Just before Whaley Bridge I turned left on a small "B" road through Kettlehulme and Rainow back to Macclesfield. This small road was a delight, lots of small but sharp hills and very picturesque. The whole trip from Altincham was 88K and took me 3.40hrs. A great morning ride and a good feeling of being "out there" for a few hours.