Saturday 12 April 2025 - Wythenshawe parkrun #614

This was Owen's 250th parkrun and it was duly celebrated with vigour. I took just the one photo at the start, then I forgot about the camera until we were gathered in the courtyard tea room, so there's no photo of Owen actually running, which he did, for the full 5km, in 43:10, finishing together with a large entourage including folk who had finished nearly 20 minutes earlier. Full results for the 372 participants are here.

Here's a selection of snaps from the tea room, including a picture of a commemorative plate kindly provided by one of Owen's stalwart running companions, Graham.

Then we sorted the 372 bar code tokens.

Friday 11 April 2025 - A Bike Ride around Manchester

It was a 9am start from Timperley Bridge, where nobody else turned up despite the continuing sunshine, and a pause more or less opposite our house, for a first photo of the glassy canal.

I took a familiar route to Didsbury, sticking to the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT) - picked up in Stretford -  and soon passing through Chorlton Ees on the way to Jackson's Boat Bridge.

The River Mersey is low at present thanks to a lack of rain, but debris in trees the height of the upper embankment are a reminder of January storms. 

Workmen were removing debris that was caught in the weir at Northenden.

With the lower path being impassable by bike in places of deep sand, I took the narrow path on the high embankment bordering the golf course. Banks of Dandelions glittered beside the river.

At Fletcher Moss the TPT heads into Didsbury where the well signed route passes beside the Metrolink railway for a little way to its terminus at East Didsbury station.

The TPT then takes to a fairly new path near the River Mersey, with lots of freshly spouted Cowslips in evidence.

After this a narrow path beside the M60 motorway leads to a choice of routes. On this occasion I chose to avoid the fleshpots of Stockport Town Centre and headed past the Decathlon store and to the north of the centre.

I fumbled my way past Heaton Norris and soon reached the comfort of the old railway lines in Reddish Vale. Time for a break after an hour and a half in the saddle.

After pausing at the Visitor Centre in Reddish Vale, where the café was open today, I continued along the TPT and under the railway viaduct in Reddish. The next two pictures were taken from the same place, in opposite directions.

On leaving the Country Park, the TPT crosses the M60 motorway by way of a bridge that houses an old farm track.

The track emerges into housing at Haughton Green, from which a ginnel leads briefly to more housing and a right turn onto the A6017 main road. After a fast descent to a left hand turn into the woods, the road is left for the remainder of the route apart from a short section in central Manchester.

The TPT now enters Haughton Dale, once a hive of industry, now a Country Park where the path continues beside the River Tame, which feeds into the Mersey in Stockport.

Several weirs remind of an industrial past hereabouts.

After pleasant paths with the occasional bench or picnic table if needed, the TPT rises to reach the Peak Forest Canal. My route leaves the TPT after a bridge across the river and ascends to the canal towpath, leaving the TPT to find a way to Broadbottom and beyond.

The towpath switches banks a couple of times as it makes its way past Hyde and Dukinfield to reach a junction in Ashton-under-Lyne.

A left turn at the junction ahead takes us onto the Ashton Canal.

There's a café and museum across the basin from this junction. I didn't visit on this occasion, having plenty of refreshments and a break from the saddle nearby after three hours.

The Ashton Canal takes us into the centre of Manchester on a route that's familiar, apart from muddling through city centre roads on Whitworth Street where the towpath has been temporarily shut. It's the same route as that taken by the Fallowfield Loopline bike ride.

 

Approaching Manchester, there's also a problem with the towpath near Piccadilly, where I found myself on a bike lane on an unfamiliar street with sculptures.

The rest of the ride passed uneventfully. I stopped by the Merchant's Bridge to finish off my provisions, then pedalled home at a gentle pace along the Bridgewater Canal towpath.

A  'jiggle' at the end took my mileage for the morning up to 60km, and my Garmin gadget optimistically reckoned on 350 metres ascent during the five hour outing that was followed by lunch in the garden at 2pm on a sunny afternoon. Here's my route.

Next bike ride:

Thursday 24 April - A 70km circuit starting at 9:00 from Timperley Bridge. Bridgewater Canal > Pennington Flash > Mucky Mountains Nature Reserve > Sankey Valley > Trans Pennine Trail > Timperley. All welcome.

Thursday 10 April 2025 - Branstree and Selside Pike

With the wonderful spring weather continuing, Sue and I couldn't resist a day in the Lake District.

We set off at 8am and found a space in the small car park at Mardale Head. Then we headed up towards Gatesgarth Pass, being passed by Jack, taking advantage of a 'QMD'. A Quality Mountain Day to log in his mountain guide training log book. He kindly took the above photo before continuing up to the pass.

There were good views back towards Haweswater, which looks a little short of water just now.

A slow plod up the good track led to the pass.

The camera's panoramic setting offered a comprehensive view of the High Street massif.

Whilst others on the hill made their way towards Harter Fell, we chose a Wainwright summit that neither of us had previously visited - Branstree. There's not much left of any trig point. Behind me in the next picture are Pennine summits, with Cross Fell dominant.

Whilst there was distant haze, the views were wide ranging. Harter Fell failed to block the view to the Scafells.

Beyond the grassy summit, it was a short descent to the large cairn at Artlecrag Pike, where there were convenient rocks on which to perch for an elevenses break.

After chatting to a couple of Wainwright bagging Liverpudlians, we headed over to the Birkett summit of High Howes, on the way to which we passed a survey post built during the construction of the Haweswater Aqueduct by Manchester Corporation. From the top of High Howes we looked back to see one of the Liverpudians standing on top of this structure.

There were views down to Haweswater and, from below the summit of Selside Pike, across to High Street, with Riggindale Crag dominant.

That was a lovely lunch spot, after which we contoured around the hill to enjoy views into Swindale.

We duly arrived at the Old Corpse Road, the route by which Mardale's dead were taken by horseback for burial at Shap, the last such journey being recorded in 1736.

A lovely descent, it passes some ruined peat cutters' cottages before emerging from a steep zigzag path onto the lakeside road.

There's a lakeside path, on which we enjoyed the remains of our refreshments, then the path rejoined the road, 'for safety reasons', leaving us with a final kilometre along the quiet road.

Having set off at around 10am, we were back at the car by 3pm, leaving us time to visit Don and Liz in Preston on our way home..

Today's outing was about 9.5km, with 560 metres ascent, taking a leisurely five hours or so. A really excellent day out.