Leeds & Liverpool Canal walk, 10 May 2014, Maghull to Liverpool

Leeds & Liverpool Canal walk, 10 May 2014, Maghull to Liverpool

I was abruptly awoken on the night before our walk by torrential rain pouring down

outside;  this did not augur well for our walk. However, come the morning and the

rain had cleared, although the forecast for the day remained diabolical.

At Stockport station I bumped in to both John and Anne and we were joined on the

train at Manchester by Tracy and Sue; so that made a good number for our party when I had wondered if I might be walking by myself in view of the weather forecast.

Unfortunately we were still missing Linda, incapacitated with a twisted knee; get

well soon, Linda.

We set off from Maghull with a clear view of Aintree racecourse and the two cathedrals of Liverpool in the distance. We meandered along to the racecourse where we could see clearly why the ‘canal turn’ is so named. We sheltered briefly under a bridge as the first shower passed.

We progressed on, approaching nearer to the River Mersey as we could see the

Dock cranes nearby. The infrequent showers mostly coincided with our refreshment stops, so we were not too inconvenienced. At one stage I did put on my waterproof over trousers and of course after this the rain did hold off.

We had a celebratory drink in Liverpool to mark the end of this canal, 120 odd miles

after setting off from Leeds. Thanks to all who came along on the various stages.

We’re hoping to move on to the Lancaster Canal next; watch this space !

John H

Leeds & Liverpool Canal walk, 30 March 2014, Burscough to Maghull

Leeds & Liverpool Canal walk, 30 March 2014, Burscough to Maghull

Sunday turned out to be a pleasant day with hazy sunshine; absolutely ideal for
canal walking.

We were missing one of our regular ‘gang of four’ : Linda had twisted her knee ski-ing and so was incapacitated; we wish Linda a speedy recovery and hope to see her on our next walk. However, happily our numbers were made up by Anne, SWOG’s very own web-master, who made a welcome addition to our numbers as we left from Burscough heading towards Liverpool.

We proceeded through pleasant countryside 
and made our lunch time stop at a pub called ‘The Saracens Head’;

 the pub was busy with Mother’s Day celebrations, but we found a pleasant spot outside by the canal to munch our sarnies and eat the rather meagre portion of chips provided by the hostelry.
We continued on and were fortunate that some helpful locals alerted us to a towpath blockage ahead. We were able to take a diversion around some local roads and found our way back onto the towpath by a swing bridge and another pub ‘The Running Horses’. This pub was also busy, and you could tell we were in the Liverpool hinterland as there were many fans eagerly anticipating the Liverpool vs Spurs match that was about to start. 

We retired outside and could tell that the game was going well for those of a red persuasion by the cheers coming from the bar.

From here it was only a short walk to the railway station; uncharacteristically we were in just good time for our train to Liverpool and after a walk across the city centre, a further train back to Manchester.

An enjoyable day out on our penultimate walk on the Leeds & Liverpool canal and we look forward to the last leg into Liverpool itself.

John H

Lyme Park walk, 9 February 2014, 8.1/2 miles

Lyme Park walk, 9 February 2014, 8.1/2 miles

Oh dear ! The day dawned damp and overcast. I jogged my way to the start at Nelson

Pit, Higher Poynton (strange now to think of coal mining in deepest Cheshire). I had

stopped a couple of times to put on/take off my anorak in decidedly murky conditions.

I was surprised and delighted to see a good number of hikers assembled in the car

park, we totaled about 18 or so at the start (Sue H has the exact figure, Sue counted

us all as we squeezed through the gap in the hedge leading on to the canal towpath.)

At least half of those present I didn’t recognize and it transpired that they had come

along after reading of the walk on the ‘Meet Up’ web site; well done to John E for

organizing that.

We proceeded towards High Lane along the canal and as we moved off the canal to

follow the brook leading to Lyme park, it started to rain (again) and many of us

slipped on our wet weather gear. Fortunately, and against expectations, this proved

only to be a passing shower. Walking along to the park, there was plenty of mud;

in fact significantly more than when I had checked the route the previous week-end.

We moved into the park and walked up past The Cage; conditions underfoot not too bad by now. We descended to the Hall where some of our group beat a retreat directly

back to the start.


Those of us remaining climbed up through the woods and along moorland to

Bowstones, enjoying all the while magnificent views over the Cheshire plain.

We dropped down and followed the roadway to the park’s west gate catching sight

along the way of a deer with a splendid full set of antlers before picking up the

canal to return to the start.

We finished in good time to enjoy refreshments at a bustling ‘Boars Head’ where we met up with Tracy, Sue and Linda; the girls had

decided that discretion was the better part of judgement and had enjoyed a leisurely

lunch at a local carvery, far removed from any wind or rain!

Thanks to all who came along and hopefully the ‘meet up’ crew will not have been

too discouraged and that we might just see at least some of them again !

John H

Leeds & Liverpool Canal walk, 2 February 2014, Burscough to Wigan

Leeds & Liverpool Canal walk, 2 February 2014, Burscough to Wigan

I had been out walking in the countryside on Saturday and it had been a miserable et and windy day, so I was looking forward to Sunday with some trepidation. However,the day dawned bright and dry and the sun continued to shine for most of the day;it was was more like spring than winter.

Tricia made a welcome addition to our usual gang as we left from Burscough
heading back towards Wigan. Sue’s walking boots were buffed and polished so I
took a ‘before’ picture as we set off. 

Although the towpath was muddy in places;
conditions were good in the main and I never did get to take a ‘after’ picture at the end of the walk.

We proceeded through pleasant countryside and made our lunch time stop at Appley Bridge. Some locals recommended the ‘Waterside Inn’ but this establishment managed to disappoint just about all of our party as it had neither the food or cask ales advertised on a board outside the pub.

However, we continued further along the cut to the ‘Crooke Hall Inn’. Happily this was in complete contrast to the earlier hostelry. 

It had a won a ‘community local’ award and was bustling, serving yummy chips and local cask ale ( I sampled the excellent ‘Napoleon’s Retreat’, named after the Mike Harding sketch “Napoleon’s retreat from Wigan’, worth catching up with if you haven’t heard it, might well be on ‘You Tube’ somewhere.

From the pub it was only an hour’s walk on to Wigan past the newish football &
rugby ground and the somewhat underwhelming Wigan pier (just a short section of railway track where they used to tip coal from trucks into barges). We even made our train without the need to run the last few hundred yards.

 We finished with our final ‘treat’ of the day on the train, Sue’s friend’s Xmas cake, a case of saving the best until last.

An enjoyable out and now only 24 miles over two walks to Liverpool.

John H

Leeds & Liverpool Canal walk, 11 January 2014, Chorley to Wigan

The forecast for our canal walk had been for a bright and sunny day, so I was

decidedly miffed to throw open the curtains on Saturday morning to discover

that it was pouring with rain. By the time I was due to leave for the station, it

had eased off but was still wet and murky.




I met up with the ‘gang’, Linda, Tracy and Sue in Manchester and we proceeded

by train to Chorley, where, lo and behold, the rain had cleared to give a bright

and sunny morning. We made our way through the environs of Chorley to the

canal and enjoyed a leisurely walk towards Wigan.

After all the rain recently, the towpath was rather muddy in places but not

excessively so.

 

 The canal runs through pleasant countryside with good views

over the hills towards the Horwich and Bolton direction.

One problem we did encounter was a distinct lack of pubs along the way.

We passed various boarded up and closed down establishments (truly a sign

of the times).



 Enquiring with various locals only elicited much head shaking

and convoluted directions to distant hostelleries; we decided to press on and

were rewarded with a most welcome stop at a well appointed pub at the top

of the locks at Wigan.




From here it was a comfortable walk down the flight of locks (past yet more

boarded up pubs) to Wigan, just in time to catch the train back to Manchester; All this with no running or sprinting to make train connections !

An enjoyable day out after all; and thanks to Linda for various (very) sweet treats and

Sue for yummy Xmas cake (plenty more for future walks, so do come along and

try some).

John H

Canal walk Sunday 16 September Wigan to Barton

Canal walk Sunday 16 September Wigan to Barton

                       

We had our usual gang of four for our canal walk. We proceeded from Stockport

to Wigan by train. At Manchester the train was joined by a group of  lads on their

way home after all night partying; they looked like the weather : grey and pasty;

one lad had a cut above his eye and blood splattered over his shirt.

It was a gloomy Sunday morning, we hardly saw Wigan at its best ! We found our way to the main Liverpool to Leeds canal and then the junction leading off for

the branch to Leigh and Manchester. The towpath was in excellent condition

which made progress easy.

Sue had declared that the forecast was for rain at 11.00am which would then set in

for the rest of the day. Sure enough the drizzle started on cue at 11.00; but fortunately

quickly petered out to leave a mostly dry day.

We stopped at the pub in Leigh at about half distance for lunch time refreshments and

then proceeded in afternoon by way of Worsley to Patricroft and Barton. After Worsley the drizzle became more persistent. We abandoned any plans of walking on

to Manchester and instead sought out the bus back to Manchester.

We were treated to a bus tour around the environs of Pendleton and Salford, involving criss crossing the Irwell about four times. By this time it was teeming down, so we

were grateful to have finished walking. The bus eventually took us to Shudehill where we were able to catch the tram to Manchester and then on by train back to

Stockport.

We had enjoyed a good walk and thankfully had managed to avoid the worst of the weather, For our next walk we will venture on to the Leeds to Liverpool canal main line; details to follow.

John H

Todmorden to Manchester Canal Walk 19th May

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

Brighouse to Todmoren Canal Walk 21st April

Canal walk Saturday 21 April  Brighouse to Todmorden                       
Our usual gang of four met up at Stalybridge station on a gloomy morning but by the time we had made our way to Brighouse by train, the weather had brightened up considerably and this set the tone for the day. Although we had occasional spots of rain, the weather held good which was remarkable really considering the unsettled weather of late.
We proceeded along the Calder & Hebble Navigation by way of Elland to Sowerby Bridge, The canal and river are in close proximity throughout in pleasant rural settings. Our first lunch stop was in The Navigation at Sowerby Bridge, where we partook of some excellent chunky chips, good value at £ 1.90.  We reluctantly left there for the Rochdale Canal and on to Hebden Bridge for our second lunch stop in The Railway where Linda tucked into a sumptuous salad followed by chocolate marshmallows !
We set off  for the final leg of the walk to Todmorden. This is the most scenic section of the walk with the hills crowding in on each side. We finished off in the ‘White Hart’ Wetherspoons before catching the train back to Manchester.
John H

More Photos HERE

Canal walk March 18

Canal walk March 18                        
The usual gang of four, Sue, Linda, Tracy and myself, met up at Marsden station for the latest leg of our canal walk on the South Pennine ring. The weather was bright but cool; ideal for walking. We set off along the Huddersfield Narrow canal through Slaithwaite (I’m still struggling to pronounce the name correctly) and on to Huddersfield.
The Huddersfield Narrow canal is one of the wonders of the modern waterways; the canal was abandoned in the 1960s and built over in many places; restoration was considered ‘impossible’. However, thanks to various funding and herculean voluntary efforts, the canal was restored in the early years of the millennium. However, in parts of Huddersfield the canal runs in tunnels and we had to take to the streets to reach Aspley basin at the junction with the Huddersfield Broad canal.
We had lunch at the well appointed pub at the marina before continuing towards Brighouse  alongside acres of playing fields which were busy with various footie matches, including an all women’s game, the blues had just scored, hooray!
At Coopers Bridge, we joined the Calder & Hebble Navigation and walked on through pleasant countryside to Brighouse. We decided to reward ourselves with a well earned beer; unfortunately my recollections of the whereabouts of the local Wetherspoons proved unreliable and we proceeded off in completely the wrong direction. We did eventually find our way to the pub, a converted chapel, decked out as if for a wedding, and doing a good trade.
We caught the bus back to Huddersfield and thence by train home.
This was a pleasant walk in good company and favourable weather through varied and interesting countryside. And thanks to Sue for the Xmas cake, very yummy if not exactly seasonal.

John H

More Photos HERE

South Pennine Ring canal walk Ashton to Marsden : 11 September

South Pennine Ring canal walk Ashton to Marsden : 11 September
It was a blustery start to the day as I set off along the Peak Forest canal; but fortunately the forecast rain had not materialized. At Portland basin I was greeted by the sight of Tracy, Sue, Linda and Kevin waiting on the bridge over the canal – as pretty as a picture.
We set off along the Huddersfield Narrow Canal but soon had to follow a towpath diversion through Asda’s car park; the store had rather inconveniently been built on the course of the canal whilst the canal was disused.
We proceeded past numerous locks as the canal moved upwards towards the summit.
At Uppermill we stopped at the canal side tea shop and partook of delightful homemade ice cream and scones.
Fortified by this various of us decided to try out the obstacle course in the adjacent park. Unfortunately my camera jammed just as Sue and Linda were scrambling over the raised netting and for some reason they were reluctant to go back and repeat the feat.
We duly came to the entrance to Standedge Tunnel (the longest, highest, deepest, etc canal tunnel). We carried on up and up over the moorland and down into Yorkshire. Amazingly on the way over we encountered a boat horse being led over the top of the tunnel; no doubt hard work for the hardy souls legging the boat through down below.
We strolled along the canal into Mardsen in good time to catch the train back; yes, without the need to run along the towpath to make up lost time.
This completed an enjoyable day out. The next stage is Marsden to Brighouse; why not come along; it’s not too strenuous and you also get to experience the delights of the metropolis of Huddersfield…..
John H

More Photos Here

Cheshire Ring Canal Walk - Northwich to Warrington

Cheshire Ring Canal Walk -  Northwich to Warrington

 

It was overcast and gloomy as I set off on Sunday morning. Unfortunately this was as good as it got weather-wise. Our usual gang of four met up at Stockport station : Linda, Tracy, Sue and myself. We alighted at Lostock Gralam in a murky drizzle.

We proceeded along the canal to the Anderton boat lift. We stopped to watch a trip boat descend slowly on the lift (‘it’s health & safety’ we were told, accounted for the slow progress). The prospect of tea and cake from the well appointed café was too much to resist and it was nearly mid-day before we continued on our way.

It would now take too long to get to the planned pub stop for lunch; so we sought shelter  under a suitable bridge to partake of our victuals. It was mid afternoon by the time we did make it to the pub above Preston Brook tunnel. We had an extra round of drinks in the vain hope that the rain would relent; had we waited for the rain to stop we would certainly still be there now.

We trudged on along the Bridgwater canal in the gathering murk. Somewhat bedraggled, we finally made it to Stockton Heath. The bunting had been put out to mark us completing the Cheshire ring, some one hundred miles; but that was about all that could be said in its favour.

A visit to the adjacent hostelry failed to lift Sue’s spirits; Sue was thinking of sunnier climes and wishing that she had dry feet……

We splashed our way back to Warrington; hoping for better weather on our next canal jaunt.

John H

Click here for photos of the walk.

Canal Wal March

A cool and still morning saw an excellent turn out at Marple top lock for our first Thursday walk of the year; the attendance augmented with the increasing

numbers of us fifty-somethings with extra leisure time during the day; truly, a sign of the times.

We proceeded along the Peak Forest canal before skirting around the outskirts of

Disley; crossing the A6 and zig zagging over the railway line. On the approach to High Lane, Jack decided that it would be a good idea if we proceeded in smaller groups in order to stagger arrival at the pub; suffice to say that we did all make it to the pub, eventually.

We par-took of the good value carvery before continuing back to Marple along the Macc canal. Linda and myself then stepped out back down the locks and on to Hyde.

Yours truly jogged on to Guide Bridge and then train to Ashburys and CoMStadium. City won the match but lost the tie, shucks.

Inspite of the footie, it was a brilliant day out and we look forward to further Thursday outings.

John H

 

 

Click here for photos of the walk

Cheshire Ring canal walk, stage 4, Sunday 23 January

Cheshire Ring canal walk, stage 4, Sunday 23 January

Hyde to Sale

On arriving at Hyde, I was delighted to see that our usual crew of Tracy, Sue, Linda, Margaret and myself had been joined by Stevie B and Howard. It was a still, cool day; ideal for canal walking.

We set off along the Peak Forest and Ashton canals. Our first refreshment stop was at Tracy’s gaffe in Fairfield, where we were treated to homemade scones : very yummy with lashings of butter, jam and cream; lots of calories, I know; but then there were plenty of miles to come to walk off the effects. We walked through the Moravian community area to get back to the canal. This enclave is like coming across a different age amidst the urban sprawl of the east Manchester suburbs.

We stopped for lunch in view of the hallowed grounds of the City of Manchester stadium (although, I was not feeling so chipper after the previous day’s City debacle at Aston Villa). We proceeded via a subterranean interlude under Piccadilly, by way of Canal St, Castlefield and on towards Trafford Park.

It was about this time that I began to have concerns as to how we could get Linda and her bike back home. Why did Linda have her bike with her?? That’s another story……. Sure enough our attempts at Stretford to smuggle Linda’s bike on to the tram without the driver noticing failed lamentably. We had to detrain back on to the platform whilst the tram (and Howard) disappeared towards Manchester……..

After hasty deliberations, it was agreed that myself and Linda would carry on along the canal to Navigation Rd, where we would be able to catch a ‘proper’ train, whilst the others returned on the next tram.

Left on the canal, we decided it was high time for a pub stop, and called in at The Bridge Inn at Sale; most welcome. As usual we stayed longer than planned and we then had the obligatory dash to the station just in time to catch our train back.

It was a splendid, enjoyable day of contrasting scenery and thanks to all who came along.

John H

 

Photos Here

Cheshire Ring part 3 27th November

27th Cheshire Ring part 3

Cheshire Ring canal walk, stage 3, Saturday 27 November
Macclesfield to Hyde
For stage 3 of our Cheshire Ring canal walk, in addition to our usual crew of Tracy, Linda, Sue and myself; we were honoured to be joined by Joan and Margaret, a new member. So, with the exception of yours truly, it really was a case of ‘here come the girls’.
We alighted at Macclesfield and started the walk by following the Middlewood trail out of town. Yes, I know that the Middlewood trail follows the course of the old railway line, but it sort of cuts a corner off, if that’s not cheating. Linda set out at an express pace but did eventually slow down a bit, so the rest of us were able to get our breath back.
At Bollington, the aroma of coffee wafting from the Mill shop was too much to resist and we stopped for refreshments. By the time we resumed our walk, the sun had come out; and this made for a lovely day for walking, if on the cold side.
We pushed on to Marple where we were due to rendezvous with Philomena by the locks at lunch time. Unfortunately we never did meet up because Phil had missed her train at Hyde owing to the fact that she had been waiting on the wrong platform; enough said……..
We pushed on to Romiley and did make our next meeting at John Gregory’s. We resisted the temptation to shin over John’s back wall and went the front way. John very kindly plied us with mulled wine, tea and biscuits before we made our way towards Hyde as it was beginning to get dark, including going through Woodley tunnel, the stygian gloom relieved by Tracy’s head torch.
Thanks to all who came along, and hopefully Margaret has not been put off for ever. And yes, a blog from yours truly without a single reference to a hostelry, what is the world coming to ?
Our next leg is planned to cover Hyde to Sale by way of Manchester including going underground at Piccadily, rumoured to be scene of the strangest of goings on, not that I’d know about that….
John H

Cheshire Ring canal walk

09th: Cheshire Ring canal walk

Our hardy crew of Linda, Tracy, Sue and myself met up at Stockport station on Saturday for the second stage of our Cheshire canal ring walk. After various alarms
on the journey to the station, we all made the 9.58 train…..just……. We alighted at Kidsgrove; steps from the car park took us down on to the Trent & Mersey towpath and onto Hardings Wood Junction, where it was a left turn towards Macclesfield.

We lunched at the excellent Queens Head at Congleton, surreptitiously munching our sarnies whilst sitting on their patio. We met up with a couple of lads who were doing
the same route as us but who were camping out ‘wild’ in Macclesfield (now there’s a thought…). The scenery through the countryside towards Macc was wonderful on a
pleasant afternoon, in particular on the flight of locks at Bosley.

We had a refreshment break at the Fools Nook alongside the Macc- Leek road, most welcome as the pub had been shut on my previous visit. We came off the canal
at The Old Kings Head at Macc and proceeded by way of The Railway View to Wetherspoons for victuals, including the sorry story of a roast chicken dinner covered
in some most unwanted barbecue sauce.

At a somewhat late hour, we finally made our way back on the train to Stockport, where we literally bumped into Digger on his way back from a Grand Designs
exhibition at the NEC.

Our next leg is planned to cover Macc to Hyde by way of Marple and we will try to organize this so that it doesn’t clash with any other SWOG event…..

John H

 

21st: Cheshire Ring part 1

21st: Cheshire Ring part 1

On Saturday four intrepid explorers met up at Stockport station to venture out into the salt plains and marshes of Cheshire. Well actually it was John, Linda,Sue and Tracy setting out on a walk along the Trent & Mersey Canal.
We alighted at Lostock Gralam and it was all of about an hour before our first refreshment stop : scones with  jam and cream kindly provided by Tracy. This was in a delightfully sylvan setting between Northwich and Middlewich.
We made it to Middlewich before our first pub stop : the delightful ‘Big Lock’. This was accompanied by the first of several light showers which gave Lindaand Sue the chance to show off their snazzy umbrellas.
It was an entertaining day with plenty of action on the canal, with lots of boats coming and going with the many locks on this section; and everyone very friendly.

We had a further stop at Sandbach at ‘The Commercial’, a wonderful old fashioned type of an establishment, before moving on via ‘The Broughton Arms’ (very busy)  and finishing up at ‘The Red Bull’ in Kidsgrove. We had a tasty meal but had to jog back along the canal, just in time to catch our train. It was a full and enjoyable day and we’re already planning the next stage : Kidsgrove to Macclesfield.

John H