GM Ringway Day 7 - Greenfield to Shaw

Cold and sunny

Up and out early to get breakfast at Albion Farm before following the route over to Shaw.

GM Ringway Day 6 - Broadbottom to Greenfield

Cold, sunny, very icy in places

Three deer, grey wagtail

Friendly cat and a curious sheep.

GM Ringway Day 5 - Marple to Broadbottom

Blue skies but cold. Slippy mud.

Goosanders, nuthatches, squirrels, goldcrest, long tailed tits, muscovy ducks and many buzzards.

At Etherow Country Park Cafe I bought chocolate oat slices bricks, which we had with tea at a picnic table near the weir.

GM Ringway Day 4 - Strines to Marple

Blue skies but chilly

Buzzards, goats

GM Ringway Day 3 - Middlewood to Strines

Cloudy but dry.

Treecreeper, nuthatches, heron, cormorant and goats.

Earlish start walked down to our local breakfast spot only to discover there had been a supply issue and they had no food. So we caught the earlier tram into Manchester and had breakfast in Piccadilly Gardens before catching the train (which was making some rather alarming noises.)

Tree down detour through woods where we met a friendly cat and two very unfriendly dogs.

The canal towpath is closed for major repairs until Feb 26 2026 so we turned up over swing bridge back up to the lane.

GM Ringway in WInter - Day 2 - Didsbury to Middlewood

Weather - very warm and sunny

Highlights:

Two goosanders and a great crested grebe. Plus nuthatches in Carrs Wood.

Lovely coffee and cakes in Bramall Hall cafe.

GM Ringway in WInter - Day 1 - St Peter's Square to Didsbury

Day 1 - St Peter's Square to Didsbury

Warm and damp, sunshine later

Today was most definitely Day of the Squirrel, Day of the Parakeet and Day of the Ladybird.

We decided to repeat the GM Ringway walk in the autumn/winter months - and although the weather was very warm and not at all autumnal, there were some lovely colours.

The canal towpaths were a little slippy with algae and duck poo. We saw swans, cormorants, grey herons and a goosander.