Friday 12 March 2021 - Wilmslow and Nether Alderley

With Lockdown rules having been slightly relaxed this week, I was able to legitimately travel to Wilmslow and enjoy a socially distanced walk with Graeme J, including a coffee and cake break on the benches at the entrance to Nether Alderley church.

The church is pictured above, and in warmer weather we could enjoy a break on the benches shown in this view (below) from the church.

On the day, the benches were a little short for social distancing, and pretty wet from some heavy rain that fell whilst I was driving to Wilmslow, but stopped the moment I got out of the car!

Our route took us past Radnor Mere, where there is a good network of well laid paths on the old Astra-Zeneca site, overlooking private land with a distant monument - just off to the right of the next picture.

Looking across the mere, the large multi-storey car park that comes into view seems a bit of an anachronism.

Emerging into the village of Nether Alderley, we passed this delectable looking cottage. What a contrast to the fenced in mansions of Alderley Edge that followed.

We arrived eventually at the roundabout that marks the start of the Alderley Edge by-pass, and the following explanatory plaque. (Click on the image for a better version.)

Is it really ten years since this road was opened? Time does fly...

Here's our route, a very pleasant one with very few people around - about 13 km with 150 metres ascent, taking us a leisurely 3 hours or so.

Thanks for your company Graeme, and see you next week.

Ullapool 2007 - 25 March - Meall Horn

Sunday 25 March

The day dawned clear and the Tigh na Mara 5 (me, Dave, Barry, Andrew and Julie - Sue B must have been at work or tripping elsewhere) set off to the foot of Foinaven. On a lovely day with a cool breeze on the tops and occasional wisps of low-level cloud. Dave and Julie completed the Foinavon traverse whilst Andrew, Barry and I ambled up Meall Horn and strolled back via Lone, where 'No Pedestrians' must use the bridge.

The view from Tigh na Mara, from where (above) Dave is pictured leaving

We continued along the path beside Loch Stack, regardless

This turned out to be just a Health and Safety sign and not a bar to entry to this fairly remote area.

We saw just one person, an elderly Scotsman, on our walk, plus Barry befriended an Englishman from Southport who had just bought a house in Drumbeg. He was strangely attired in bright red JJB sportswear and shorts. (The man from Southport, not Barry!)

10:00 start after 1½ hour drive.

11:40 - 55 - stop on path where Julie and Dave continued up Foinaven.

13:00 - 15 - first summit.

13:45 - 50 - main summit (Meall Horn).

14:00 - 25 - lunch above col before sharp descent to LRT at 160 metres.

15:55 - reach LRT, then back to car by 17:00.

Woodland beyond Lone

Arkle, from the slopes of Meall Horn

Barry and Andrew, with Foinaven

Ascending Meall Horn (777 metres)

Reaching the summit of Meall Horn, with Foinaven behind

Descending, with a view to Foinaven, and Barry negotiating some deep groughs

The path to Lone

Several herds of deer seen. 

Then we drove north for 20 minutes or so to meet Julie and Dave at the end of their ascending track.

Quite a long wait - they eventually appeared at 18:45, so it was after 8 pm by the time we got back to Ullapool. Nice drive with the setting sun.

Also got a good deer silhouette photo from the end of Julie and Dave's track. They had a difficult descent over steep snow to get off Foinaven. 

Red deer at Gualin

Julie and Dave emerge from the Foinaven track

A view from the road to Ullapool

No time for a shower - we all gathered in the Ceilidh Place for a nice meal, except Pam and Paul who had returned from Suilven even later than us.

Phil and Sue had enjoyed a walk on Quinag.

Pam on Suilven

Our route - 19 km with 950 metres ascent, taking a leisurely 7 hours

Next Day

Ullapool 2007 - 24 March - Travel to Tigh na Mara

Ullapool - 24 to 31 March 2007 

This was one of a number of trips to Ullapool, one of which, in 2010, has already been recorded on these pages, here. I recently came across the photos from this 2007 trip, on which I have already reported here. I'll now supplement that report by way of a more or less verbatim transcript of my diary, together with more photos than I was able to place on the web page. Readers should be able to access a slide show of the pictures in each posting, on desktop or tablet devices, by clicking on any of the images. I hope you enjoy these reminiscences as much as I am doing. The text of my report on topwalks.com may actually be better than this 'verbatim from the diary' version.

Sadly Barry passed away in January, so these entries are in memory of Barry, with whom we enjoyed this holiday, and a memorable week in Madeira, and I know Dave O has many, many memories of climbing escapades in the mountains with Barry, involving a level of expertise well beyond many of our capabilities. 

Saturday 24 March

Andrew arrived on time for 8 am, but Dave and Barry were delayed - so it was 8:50 by the time we left the M61 services on a nice day.

Coffees at Tebay, lunch at Auchterarder, supplies and more coffee at Aviemore, then 15 West Shore Street, Tigh na Mara, Ullapool, by 6 pm. 10 hours for 440 miles.

Julie had bagged a Corbett from Drumochter on the way up, so arrived just as the spag bol went on, and Phil and Sue / Pam and Paul, separately ensconced elsewhere on the high street, joined us briefly later. The only hiccup was my toilet bag not appearing (creating teeth and medicine problems), and Andrew had forgotten to bring any socks. Barry's credit cards are in an unknown location, but apparently that is normal.

Both today's pictures were taken from Tigh na Mara soon after we arrived, from where there's a fine view down Loch Broom to the summit of Beinn Dearg.

Next Day

Tuesday 9 March 2021 - The Fallowfield Loopline

                                           The Bridgewater Canal in Stretford

After a year of mostly short bike rides, I'm now trying to do a longer one each week, starting last week with the Moore Lane circuit. This week, today seemed to be the best bet weather wise, but what looked like a fine morning was really rather cold and dank, with a misty precipitation for a while.

I chose the 40 km Fallowfield Loopline circuit, described in this posting, 

The River Mersey at Jackson's Boat Bridge

It's an easy route to follow, and pretty flat. The Loopline is well signed, and some of the roads it crosses have distinctive features, such as Stockport Road, crossed by way of a tunnel on which there's a building.

That's the Stockport Road tunnel in the distance

In places the cherry blossom is out, and in sheltered spots blackthorn is now in flower. Beside the Loopline, woodpeckers were hammering, and wood pigeons were transporting twigs.

The Ashton Canal (pictured below) is joined at roughly the half way point on this ride. The canal is followed all the way back home. I was slightly surprised to find the towpath completely open through central Manchester. That was after I'd stopped at the rather sad looking velodrome, where the cafe and the Evans shop showed no sign of life, though I'm sure there must be some 'bubbles' of cyclists training somewhere within. As I sat outside in the drizzle I could have bemoaned the fact that the tea in my flask was a bit cool and weak, and the banana-guard that I'd hurriedly placed in my bag turned out to be empty. But neither were really needed, as this 40 km ride took only around two and a half hours, and I was home for elevenses.

TGO Challenge - Wild Camps (No 55: 16 May 2014)

After a pretty hard day beside the Tarf, I halted at NN 997 824, in Glen Tilt about 4 km south of Bynack Lodge, just to the east of Loch Tilt. It was another idyllic spot for a good night's sleep, after which I woke to the view below.

I got going at around 8 am, after chatting to Mole and Ed, who had camped about 50 metres away from me in one of the many excellent spots around here.

For a change, I wouldn't be camping tonight as I had been carrying the weighty key to Thornbank, friend Simon's cottage in Braemar. Thanks Simon.

Lockdown Continues, with a visit to Tatton Park

Keeping up the '5 km a day' routine, here I am enjoying coffee in the garden after (not)parkrun number 254 last Wednesday. Proper parkruns are planned to recommence on 5 June. We'll see!

Note the freshly pruned leylandii.

Our old study carpet  was destroyed by the office chair moving around it, so I bought a plastic mat to protect the new carpet. It lasted two months before disintegrating. Don't use Floormats.co.uk - when their products fail they ask you to return the goods to Gemany for a refund. I should have looked at the Trustpilot reviews before purchasing.

I've bought a replacement from Viking, which is a UK company I've used before. But you can see below that without even sitting on it, the chair has made indentations in the thinner plastic of this product. I wonder what Viking will say when it fails (or will it be ok, given the additional flexibility)?

If anyone has found a product that works, please do let me know...

This week it was Grandma Whoosh's turn to look after Isabella for a while. Here she is, enjoying a go on the swings.

Yesterday, Great Grandma Dot received a visit, as she needed to be taken to Stafford Showground for her second Covid vaccination. Sue took her, whilst I wandered around Eccleshall, passing the new luxury homes that are being built on the site of the old petrol station/car dealership.

Today Sue and I took a short drive to Knutsford's frre Sunday car park, for a 10 km stroll around the grounds of Tatton Park, where the following photos were taken.

Rare breed sheep

We enjoyed coffees on a bench by the War Memorial, about half way round our circuit.

Nearby, both red deer and fallow deer were relaxing on the cool morning.

There followed a family 'Zoom' hosted by Isabella, who looks a bit more attentive with her mum and dad than she does with Grandma Whoosh!