Thursday 28 March 2013 – An Evening Walk to Chadkirk

Having postponed walks planned for last Friday and last Monday, and abandoned this Friday’s plan to cycle the 47 mile Mary Towneley Loop, all due to the unseasonably cold weather and roads, bridleways and footpaths blocked with snowdrifts, we refused to curtail last night’s long planned evening walk.

I had in mind a walk from the Midland Hotel in Marple Bridge, to Strines via Roman Lakes, and back along the Macclesfield Canal towpath.  But on arrival at the Midland I was reminded that the walk was supposed to be to Chadkirk.  Oops!  With no map and only a vague recollection of the route (I could do the expected Strines route blindfolded), our local representative, Graham, was pressed into action as leader.

He was keen to show us a new bridge over the River Goyt, but he wasn’t quite sure where it was.  So we set off by heading up to the canal (where I switched on my Garmin gadget – see route below) and proceeding along the pleasantly dry towpath for a few kilometres.  The cold easterly wind was behind us, and the route was fairly sheltered, so it was a pleasure to be out.  There was supposed to be a pretty full moon, but sadly it hid behind a low bank of cloud until after we had finished the walk.  Nevertheless, Marple’s ambient light and the beams from a variety of sources from security lights to aircraft headlamps made our own head torches completely redundant.

After negotiating a tunnel, some dog walkers, and a brightly lit but pedestrian cyclist, we arrived at some steep steps down to Chadkirk.  There’s an old chapel here, but we missed it today.  This is the point at which one of my 40 mile bike circuits from Timperley leaves the Trans Pennine Trail and joins the Cheshire Ring, so I briefly recognised the location.

Anyway, Graham led us confidently on to a plethora of new signposts, one of which directed us to a point known to be on the other side of the formerly unbridged river. 

“It must be that way” asserted Graham.  And it was.  A wide new track brought us to the impressive bridge over the River Goyt on which my three companions on this pleasant evening are pictured above.

To be honest, I think I could have found my way thus far, but Graham’s local knowledge of the paths and ginnels that jinked their way back to the heaving chunks of humanity in the crowded bar of the Midland Hotel was really quite handy.

Thanks, Graham.

The route is shown below – very pleasant for a short excursion, evening or otherwise – click on the image to get a bigger one that you stand a chance of reading!  It was 7.5 km, with 100 metres ascent.  Allow 1.5 to 2 hours.

Our next evening walk should at least start in daylight – it’s on 25 April and will see us summiting Lantern Pike from the Pack Horse in Hayfield.  We should be able to find the way.  All are welcome.

Wednesday 20 March 2013 – Dunham Winter Garden (6)

Hello!  Nallo Lady here again!  After delivering a lecture to undergraduates at Manchester University, and having an unexpected coffee (and cake!) with a colleague I’d worked with in 1993-4, it was almost lunchtime by the time I arrived at Dunham.

Note: I haven’t added tags to these photos, in the interests of time. 

As you can see by the folded nature of the wood anemone leaves, these are just emerging and only one or two flowers were out:

These lovely long-lasting red flowers belong to Pieris japonica ‘Valley Valentine’:

This beautiful snowdrop (Galanthus spindlestone surprise?), also pictured at the top, has orange stamens and a yellow bulb:

The variety of hellebores continues to amaze me but many people will miss the interest unless they turn the flower heads up from their natural hanging position.

Anemone blanda:

Primula vulgaris:

Whilst I was taking photos, a guide was talking to his group, “the rabbits have eaten 4,000 irises this year”. Well, I made sure I captured this stunning example before the rabbits could devour it!  Perhaps some rabbit-proofing of the garden is necessary?

Scilla siberia ‘Spring Beauty’ is just coming into flower, the buds lined up to open:

Both these shrubs indicate that spring is around the corner, but when will this cold weather cease?  The east wind has brought snow here this morning, and although not unusual at this time of year, it is has been persistently cold this month.

Roll on the weather to match the flowers!

Wednesday 20 March 2013 – A Plod from Bury to Holcombe Brook

With Captain Reg firmly back in charge of East Lancs LDWA's 'Plodders', he headed straight for the warmth of the Manager's Office, whilst the rest of us pottered around Bury's Transport Museum.

There’s an array of different types of transport.  I remember 'spotting' trains like this one at Stafford station many years ago.

"Where's Alan R?" went out the call, when someone spotted a rather sparse information board about a Fordson in a pretty blue livery.

We were sure that he would know all about this single cylinder Marshall, with just 49 moving parts!

An assistant manager was busy moving stuff around...

...whilst Hilary appeared to have been waiting for some time for the Cheadle train to arrive.

Norman went home early after his van broke down and got snaffled by the museum staff.

David H (good to see you, David) arrived on a bus that met a similar fate!

Eventually Reg declared “Time for a walk” and we adjourned to a cold car park for the header picture.

An arduous route from Bury to Holcombe Brook had been plotted by the maestro, including a scarily vertiginous bridge over the River Irwell.

Bernard became agitated for a while, as he worried about the risk of being run over by this cyclist...

This old railway line from Bury to Holcombe Brook was electrified in 1912 – here Reg points out to a junior member of the class one of the blocks to which the overhead cable stanchions were fitted.

Lesser mortals may have found the constant uphill grind a little tedious, but this group had lunch in its sights.

"That's it" announced Reg, after about an hour and a half, pointing to an NHS building that blocked the way forward along the old line beyond Greenmount.

But a few minutes later, David enthused "come and look at this" – and directed us to a wall behind a supermarket, revealing a couple of rusty buffers (perhaps imagined) that signified the true 'end of the line'.

“Yes, I’m sure I can see them!”

Lunch in the Hare & Hounds was a sumptuous affair, especially the chocolate pudding.

Our route - 6km, 100 metres ascent, in under 2 hours:

There’s a full slideshow here.  I hope you enjoy it.

It was good to see Reg back at the helm and in good form.  He will be leading off an attempt to complete the Thirlmere Way by the end of the year, starting at Heaton Park station at 10.30am on Wednesday 3 April.  Hope to see you there…

Monday and Tuesday 18/19 March 2013 – A Trip to Dunkeld

I’ve already written brief reports:

Monday

Tuesday

So this posting is by way of insertion of a captioned slideshow for these two days, should anyone be interested.

Click here for the slideshow.

Saturday and Sunday 16 and 17 March 2013 – A Trip to Helmsley

I’ve already written brief reports:

Saturday

Sunday

So this posting is mainly for those who came along on this weekend and have the energy to view a captioned slideshow of 50 or so images, including Sue’s pictures from Castle Howard on the Sunday.

Click here for the slideshow.

(Just as well we didn’t choose the following weekend for this trip, I suspect!)

Deuchary Hill

Can lightning strike twice? Perhaps. Can mountain bike mudguards get clogged in different ways on successive outings? Definitely.

I set off from Dunkeld on a cloudy morning after overnight snow. All went well at first. Pleasant tracks took me up to Mill Dam. But after that, the high road to Loch Ordie (pictured-bottom) presented a minor challenge. The surface of mud, covered by several inches of fresh wet snow, was to blame.

Loss of traction resulted in the sort of 'balling-up' normally experienced with crampons. The mudguards balled up frequently, resulting in very slow progress - riding, pushing and carrying the bike - to the path that leads to Lochan na Beinne and Deuchary Hill. Abandoning the bike for an hour or so, I set off up the hill, immediately regretting having forgotten my snow shoes!

The summit of Deuchary Hill (pictured-top) would be a pleasant spot on a summer's day, but today's icy easterly made for just a few quick snaps and an appreciative glance at the views, before hastening down to a sheltered spot for a cuppa, where I'd seen red deer scrabbling in the snow (they are very literate!) and buzzards mewing overhead.

Back at the bike after my 4km hike, with fresh energy for the pedals, it didn't take long to reach Lochordie Lodge. Balling-up was no longer a problem after this, but the scenic track around Loch Ordie made for challenging riding due to deep pools of water and wide tracts of deep mud. It was hard at times to maintain momentum. Life became much easier after another cuppa, with aerial crisps (they blew away) by the bridge at the north end of the loch. Deuchary Hill looked far more distant than it actually was (2.5km).

Good tracks now led past Raor Lodge and towards Mill Dam, before which I took the south westerly Atholl Forest track, turning NW then south for a final lovely fast and rough descent back to the Hilton in Dunkeld.

An excellent 28km, four hour excursion in fine weather. Great fun!

Next: A Plod With Reg - you can't beat one of those! The bike will stay at home.

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Birnam Hill

Today's 'Plan A' comprised a cycle ride up Glen Tromie and a trudge up to the 769 metre summit of Meallach Mhor and back, with a visit en route to Sue and Neil in Newtonmore.

Waking to a blizzard in Dunkeld, this plan was rejected in favour of a circuit from 'home' taking in the 404 metre summit of Birnam Hill.

A message from Newtonmore confirmed "Common sense prevails - looking at Meallach Mhor from here - well it doesn't beckon!"

Rain and snow continued on and off all morning - basically, rain below 100 metres, snow above that height. It was a lovely walk despite the conditions. I enjoyed strolling above the river past Birnam Quarry and then gradually ascending, before pausing for a cuppa and some views at Stair Bridge.

There's a massive cairn on top of the hill at King's Seat, pictured top. Visibility was limited, if rather far from the white-out conditions recently experienced by Sue O - "Big John and I wrestled our way up Harvey's first Corbett (Carn an Fhreiceadain) on Saturday with aforementioned dog plus Moll - we had to get the GPS out to find the top - we were about 3 feet from it! That's how good the white-out was."

A little lower down, on the direct descent to the north, the woodland was very pretty in the fresh snow (middle picture). But, you may observe, I could be anywhere, so the bottom picture is of the ancient Birnam Oak, thought to have been an inspiration to Shakespeare in the composition of Macbeth, after he visited the area in 1589 as a strolling player. Hopefully that's proof of my whereabouts, though I doubt anyone cares!

Anyway, I was back down in time for lunch in Palmerston's, before ambling back to the Hilton, from where this excellent 15km stroll takes around 4 hours.

This afternoon, it's snowing in Dunkeld...

Time to 'chill'.

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Gloop

I've been using fairly close fitting mudguards on my mountain bike ever since I bought it in 1990. I've been on some muddy tracks, some very muddy tracks indeed, on numerous occasions without too many problems.

Today I set off from Helmsley up Rical Dale's pleasant (and deserted) forest tracks (top image). They led eventually to Newgate Bank, from where the descent into Rye Dale was fun but muddy, so I played safe for the next section (I wanted to stay reasonably clean before a long journey) and took to the road to reach the top of Murton Bank.

Beyond Murton Grange an enticing bridleway saw me off road again, enjoying a slightly technical section down to Murton Wood. My troubles began here. A steep push through glutinous mud brought me to a bench, and a most welcome tea break. By now my wheels (bottom image) were moderately clogged with mud but the bike was just about pushable on the rare occasions when I could get my old trail shoes to provide traction up the steep, narrow path.

At the top of the hill I was relieved to see the ongoing grassy path head through some fields. That was before I realised that this 'grassy path' comprised a layer of straw covering an inch of gloopy clay.

The bike, with its now thoroughly seized up wheels, had to be carried, albeit the terrain was flat. It was very heavy. This was one of those occasions when one pauses for thought, the dominant emotion being 'it can only get better'.

And it did. I reached the tarmac of High Leir Lane and persuaded the wheels to rotate slowly in the direction of Old Byland, a pretty little hamlet. The mud mostly stayed attached to the bike. Attempts to remove it with sticks only resulted in pieces of broken stick being incorporated into the cement. Fingers worked better, but the icy wind decided to deliver some snow, which made this method of mud removal a tad unpleasant, especially when it came to putting my gloves back on.

So I proceeded through Old Byland and down the hill towards Rievaulx. The faster I went, the more complete became my covering of small flecks of mud. Light rain aided congealment...

Then, at Ashberry Farm, my luck changed. A tributary of the River Rye offered a good 'dunking point' where total immersion helped to remove some of the mud. A stronger current would have done a better job, but at least the remaining mud is so well attached to the bike that not a lot was transferred to the car on my return to Helmsley.

After managing about 40 miles in four hours on the previous couple of Sundays, today's hillier, rougher and muddier conditions saw me limited to little more than 20 miles in the four hours I was out, despite a fast descent to Helmsley.

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Tea and Cake in Cold Kirby

To celebrate Keith's Giant Birthday, around 32 of us assembled last night at Helmsley Youth Hostel.

Today Keith chose to celebrate his graduation to advanced years by walking the flattish 29km section of the Cleveland Way from Osmotherley to Helmsley. Twelve of us were conned into joining him on the basis that it was only 25km.

Cloudy skies and morning mist gave way eventually to blue skies as we rounded Sutton Bank.

Mud, mud, glorious mud!

Eventually we passed Rievaulx and started the descent to Helmsley, speeding past the castle (pictured) as the promise of a pot of tea and Sue W's tiffin beckoned.

It had taken seven and a half hours. A really enjoyable walk in fine company.

Corks are now popping.

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Some Bike Rides from Timperley

With a nicely sparkling refurbished bike, I’ve been touring from Timperley over the past few weeks.  There’s a short slideshow here.

Rides have comprised some regular short circuits involving the Bridgewater Canal and the Trans Pennine Trail.  Here’s a picture from where the two more or less intersect near Thelwall.

At the end of February, the crocuses were doing very well hereabouts.

On 3 March I managed a longer ride (see map below) – a 40 mile mainly off-road circuit from home, using the Trans Pennine Trail, shown below at Brinnington,

and the Cheshire Ring Canal system, which passes the home of Manchester City FC.

This is an excellent route, the only downside being a bit of road work on the TPT between Didsbury and Stockport.  Sticking to the banks of the Mersey would be a good option in dry conditions.  It’s about 40 miles – allow 4 hours.

On 10 March, the Bridgewater Canal towpath proved a good venue, and after a short diversion past the Trafford Centre it led to Worsley in a little over an hour.

Eventually, in Leigh, after some muddy sections, the canal mutates seamlessly into a branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, along which I continued to beyond Pennington Flash.

After this, a disappointingly lengthy (but fast) section of road leads through Warrington to eventually join the Trans Pennine Trail beside the Manchester Ship Canal near Thelwall.

The TPT then provides a quick route home (barring the day’s incessant cold easterly wind), via the Bay Malton and the canal towpath through Altrincham.

Here’s the route – 40 miles or so, allow 4 hours.

The slideshow is here.

For anyone living in the Sale/Altrincham area, these are excellent Sunday morning rides from the doorstep.  Why, you may ask, am I going for some longer than usual rides?  Because a re-match with the 47 mile Mary Towneley Loop is planned and I want to be more ‘bike fit’ than last time.