Man visits five Macclesfield 'rude place names' during charity walk across UK
By Alex Greensmith
17th Nov 2022 | Local News
By Douglas Whitbread
A hiker has completed the "UK's rudest walk" after trekking 326 mile (526km) from his home in Cockermouth - to his brother's address in Lickey End.
James Forrest, 39, undertook 11 marathons in 11 days during his innuendo-fueled hilarious hike, summiting peaks such as Great Cockup, Little Cockup and Hardicker Street.
Over five of the naughty place names were in Macclesfield. Elsewhere, he visited woodland labelled Nanny's Breast, a nature reserve called Nob End, and a waterway titled Bottoms Reservoir in his pursuit of pun-filled placenames.
And he visited crudely named streets in Cumbria, Staffordshire and the West Midlands, such as Bell End, Cocking Yard, Ten Butts Crescent, and Number 2 Passage.
He said: "There was a certain poetry to it, with me living in Cockermouth and my brother moving to near Lickey End – and some silly banter led to a bet that I wouldn't do it.
"I hate losing so I ended up going for it, just to prove my brother wrong. 526kms later and I reckon I might just have completed the UK's rudest hike."
The five of Macclesfield's 'rudest placenames' that James visited were:
- Andrew's Knob a 360m hill situated near to Pott Shrigley.
- The Cock In Treacle – the disused pub in Macclesfield on 13 King Edward Street
- Bottoms Reservoir, Langley – a reservoir with a 13.2-km circular trail to walk around
- Cock Hall Lane, Langley – a long street which features Langley Cricket Club and Langley Methodist Church
- Sourbutts Farm – a farm on Buxton Road in Bosley
Adventurer James, who works as a freelance writer, said he came up with the hilarious idea after his brother moved home and then challenged him to take on the epic journey.
And he said his incredible trek, which he did to raise money for testicular cancer charity Baggy Trousers UK, was a fun-filled celebration of "British eccentricity and quirkiness."
He added: "Some people think it's inevitably a bit childish. But I think most of those people just don't have a sense of humour, and many saw the funny side.
"Ultimately, I like to think my journey was a celebration of the very best of British eccentricity and quirkiness."
James, who began on October 26 and completed his journey on November 5, said he treated finding rudely named roads, peaks and points of interest like a "treasure hunt".
His favourite finds included Willey Lane in Cockerham, Butt's Fold in Cockermouth and Twatling Street in the Lickey Hills.
And he said he was particularly proud of himself for finding the hilariously-titled Gloryhole sculpture in Bilston, West Mids.
He said: "That was a really tricky one to find.
"It's a sculpture dedicated to industrial heritage in the region – it's called the 'Gloryhole', and there's a sign saying 'Gloryhole' next to it.
"I was wandering around Bilston trying to find this sculpture. I didn't want to say to someone, "Excuse me, do you know where the Gloryhole is?"
"When I found it, I got a photo. That one gave me the most satisfaction."
James' hike raised money for Baggy Trousers UK, a charity tackling testicular cancer.
Lee Procter, from inov-8, the sports brand that supported James' walk, said he had grabbed his opportunity "by the balls."
He added: "James grabbed this challenge by the balls and raised crucial awareness for something of huge importance.
"He might be the butt of a few jokes in the days to come, but we're all super-proud of his achievement."
James visited 63 rude place names in total, with five of them being from Macclesfield and three from nearby Disley.
To donate to James' fundraising efforts please visit this link.
By Douglas Whitbread
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