Canal walk Saturday 19 May Todmorden to
Manchester
It was a gloomy morning as we met up at
Victoria station. We were delighted that our usual gang of four was augmented
by Jackie and Declan. To our amazement we later
learned that Jackie was Declan’s gran; Jackie didn’t look old enough to
be anyone’s gran; honest !
We alighted from the train at Todmorden and
started by a look around the market; declared as ‘disappointing’ by a knowing
Sue; none of the stalls seemed to have very much of anything to sell.
We set off soon passing a milepost that
read ‘Manchester 22 miles’; deep breaths all around ! The first section was the
most scenic as the hills crowded in on the summit pound between Todmorden and
Littleborough.
It was then downhill all the way; we nearly
lost Tracy and Linda at our lunch stop; the girls stopping at the ‘Sandbrook’
rather than ‘The Blue Pits’; well it sounds similar said Linda; and it’s on the
canal. It actually turned out to be a good stop as we forsook the carvery and
ate our sarnies in the outside area.
We proceeded through Castleton to
Chadderton and the well appointed ‘Rose of Lancaster’; most of our party
returned by train to Manchester from this point; but myself and Tracy continued
on the final seven miles to Piccadily basin thereby completing the ‘South
Pennine Canal Ring’. Now it’s off to the ‘Liverpool to Leeds Canal’ and the Peoples Republic of Wigan
for the next walk.
John H
More Photos HERE
