My longest walk so far

Fuelled by another bowl of soup (this time at The Elizabethan), Des Junior racks up over 20 miles in Heaton Moor

Feb 23, 2024

Friday 23 February 2024

NEXT HOME GAME: Swindon – Saturday 24 February, 3pm

NEXT AWAY GAME: Colchester – Saturday 2 March, 3pm

If you’d like to write an article for The Scarf My Father Wore, share a few snippets or photos, or advertise your business, please email thescarfmyfatherwore@substack.com.

Dear County fans, Stopfordians, and anyone else from The Football Family joining us today, a very warm welcome to your Friday edition of The Scarf My Father Wore.

I’d like to share Day 5 of The Streets of Stockport with you today, after completing another large chunk of The Heatons a couple of weeks ago.

Today’s edition is sponsored by Parkers Solicitors Ltd. A big thank you to Adam and all the team. If you’ve been injured in an accident and would like to discuss the matter further, call 0161 477 9451 or email info@parkers-solicitors.co.uk.

Finally, I’m currently walking every street in Stockport to raise money for mental health charity Mentell. If you’d like to make a donation to help me reach my target, please click here.

Total distance so far: 97.67 miles

Total steps so far: 160,432

Total raised so far: £1,561

Total completed streets so far: 156 (Click here for the full list, which includes reports and photos from every day of the walk.)

Further information on the walk can be found by clicking here.

Des Junior

I’m stood at one end of Heaton Moor Road (where the A6 is). My plan for today is a relatively simple one: walk the full length of Heaton Moor’s main thoroughfare whilst also ticking off all the adjoining streets to my left. The first of those is St Albans Avenue, a quaint cul-de-sac containing a number of attractive properties which would set you back well over £500,000 according to Zoopla.

I seem to be encountering a number of cats today, but my main companion keeping me company for the first main chunk of this morning’s walk is the railway line linking the stations of Heaton Chapel and Stockport. The train tracks are on my right hand side as I walk down Egerton Road South (whilst also ticking off the five roads leading to the A6 – Langford, Lawton, Wingate, Brantwood and Silverdale); then, to my left, as I’m doing Tatton Road South.

In my last article, I shared lots of childhood memories with you from growing up in The Heatons. As I walk down Derby Road, my mind is transported back to the 90s once again. I used to sprint up and down this road (which was round the corner from the newsagent’s on Heaton Road) delivering newspapers. I didn’t even have a paper round, but sometimes on a Tuesday night I’d help out my best mate with his so he could finish on time before my dad turned up to take us both to a midweek away game. Between finishing school and my dad’s arrival, the window of opportunity for shoving newspapers through letterboxes was often ridiculously tight, but we always managed it.

Today’s lunch is at The Elizabethan on Heaton Moor Road, a piping hot bowl of sweet potato and butternut squash soup. I’m able to enjoy eavesdropping on the three ladies sat opposite me. One’s commenting how delicious her broccoli and houmous is, one’s offering her thoughts on a recent trip to watch Hamilton in Manchester, whilst the other shares her forthcoming plans for a weekend in London at an Elvis Presley convention. A microcosm of life in an affluent Stockport suburb.

More memories come flooding back as I continue along Heaton Moor Road after lunch, particularly at The Savoy Cinema, where my mum took me to see dozens of films as a kid. The one that first comes to mind is the 1991 film The Rocketeer, about a stunt pilot who comes across a prototype jetpack that gives him the ability to fly. I can still remember pretending to have the same jetpack on my back as I walked/flew home down Green Lane afterwards. I had a very creative and vivid imagination as a child. Either that or The Savoy had accidentally put magic mushrooms in the popcorn.

Heaton Moor Road takes me to Moorside Road, then Bank Hall Road, and finally Briarsmount, which must be the steepest street I’ve faced so far. One of the cul-de-sacs leading off Briarsmount is Masefield Drive, which genuinely gives me a buzz, as it shares the name of a former County player. Only one Masefield has ever played for the Hatters, and that’s Paul, who made nine appearances at the start of the 1992-93 season.

After walking back up Briarsmount (yeah, that’s definitely bloody steep) I retrace my steps further to walk the other side of Heaton Moor Road. My journey takes me past various pubs such as The Moor Top, The Crown and The Plough, where a load of us watched County’s first game in the Conference – a 1-1 draw at Forest Green on a Friday night in August 2011 which was live on Premier Sports.

The day finishes by crossing the A6, and then ticking off School Lane, along with a handful of other streets in Heaton Chapel. I take a photo of a cute little library (because it’s cute) and a hairdressing salon called Brent (because it reminds me of David Brent from The Office). I’m tempted to send it to Ricky Gervais on Twitter, but then realise he’s probably been sent something similar countless times before, so decide against it. Instead, I jump on a 192 and tell some (hopefully better) jokes at an open mic night in Manchester.

If you’re able to spare a few quid, please click here to make a donation to Mentell through my JustGiving page.

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Photo of the day

The top story on today’s Manchester Evening News website

Brings a whole new meaning to asking for some Pork Scratchings.

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Today in SK

💿 DJs

Stockport’s biggest party at the weekend is at Bask (SK1), with DJ Gareth Brooks playing till 3am. Last entry 1.30am.

The Nelson Tavern (SK1) have their resident DJ playing on a Friday night, with Dicko (Ian Dickinson) on from 8pm till 1am.

🌭 Food and drink

Treat yourself to the February special from Enigma (SK1). Just £5 for a hot dog with grilled onions, ketchup and mustard, skin-on fries, and any ground bean coffee. Served till 10pm.

If you’re in Stockport today, pop into The Petersgate Tap (SK1) for a pint or two. Open till 11pm.

Enjoy a delicious meal at The Dog & Partridge (SK2). You’ll also receive 20% off your bill. Just mention the discount at the till when paying!