Easter Weekend Day One

Newhey to Hebden Bridge
Distance: 15.5 miles
Ascent: 750m
Weather: drizzle, light rain
Lots of gaiter strap faffing
Animals: bizarre

We had breakfast while keeping an eye on the rain. The forecast for today was not good.

Before we left, I attempted to sew up one of the holes in my right shoe with middling results. It was soon obscured by mud anyway.

We called in at the shop for some sandwiches and then headed up the cobbled street passed the church and along a very wet little lane by some farm houses (no angry dogs today) and up on to the moors. Here we joined the Pennine Bridleway,  which we followed for pretty much the rest of the day.

At Summit there is a great little farm which has pigs, goats, peacocks, owls, colourful birds, some white ostrich emu type things, ponies and geese, one of whom was having a bit of a dance.

The rain held off for most of the day and we were able to have a comfortable sit down and lunch somewhere near Halsden,  where we were informed that there were lots of people camping up at the reservoir if we were going that way.  We weren't.

Just outside Hebden Bridge we left the Bridleway and followed the red markers of the Pennine Way Hebden Bridge Loop, which we don't remember ever seeing before.

Easter Weekend Day 0

Oldham to Newhey
Distance: 4 miles
Ascent :
Weather: dry

Set off from home just after six, after some last minute packing and fretting.

Along the track I realised that I have holes in my shoes, but there was no turning back now.

We met a couple of horses along the way,  one was being entertained  and the others weren't keen to come down the muddy slope with us.

We got to the Inn just in time for dinner, and a few pints of Hobgoblin.

Out of Manchester

Distance: 15 miles
Ascent: 400m
Weather: wind and rain
Geese: both honky and hissy
Bunnies: both brown and white
Wagtails: both grey and pied

After a substantial breakfast and a browse around another outdoor shop, we set off home. In the rain. We came back via the Rochdale Canal,  which was looking particularly rubbish strewn today, and Tandle Hill park, where we had a welcome stop in the cafe to escape the weather and have a brew.

Back out in the rain,  we went via High Cromptom into Shaw, played with the cars in Asda car park (possibly unnecessarily)  then came up onto the track and to home.

Into Manchester

Distance: 14.5 miles
Ascent: 300m
Weather: overcast, couple of showers, chill wind

We set off this morning into Manchester just after eleven,  which was mostly because we were faffing around getting ready and packed,  but actually was quite a good thing as the rain, which had been really quite hard, had pretty much eased off by then. Accepting our shoes were going to get muddy,  we went via the path by the cricket ground and down the Medlock Valley Way as usual.

We saw magpies,  blackbirds, robins, lots of ducks and sparrows, frogspawn, a couple of squirrels,  geese and a swan having a fit that turned out to be a jack russell wagging its tail.

Our shoes did get muddy, the muddy sections were about what we'd expected and some of the old paving was treacherously slippy. We made it into town ok, dropped our stuff off at the hotel, and went for a look around the outdoors shops, resulting in the purchase of more socks.

Alexandra Park

Distance: 11 miles
Ascent: 300m
Weather: dry, sunny later
Snowdrops, early narcissus, crocuses
Dipper, grey wagtails, wren, BFWPs.

A walk along the Medlock Valley Way, turning up to go over Low Side and Roxbury to Alexandra Park. A path leaves the park near to the hothouse which heads out towards Snipe Clough and Park Bridge,  where we had lunch. We followed the Medlock Valley Way back to Strinesdale, heading straight up the path to come out at the sports centre,  where it was rather muddy and a chap with a pushchair was struggling a bit.

No pictures - gasp!

Reservoirs Walk

Distance: 14 miles
Ascent: 600m
Weather: cloudy, chill wind
Kestrels 2
Heron
False starts 1

We set off from home (twice, due to a forgotten fitbit) and headed down the track to Pingot Quarry, around the lane to the clay pigeon field and along the track to Newhey and Ogden Reservoir.

This is where the plan ended and the rest was pretty much decided as we went along.

We crossed the reservoir and went up (stopping for lunch at a handy wall) to the Rochdale Way and Station to Station Walk to Piethorne Reservoir, then along the Pennine Bridleway to Dowry Reservoir.  Along Moor Lane to Cow Crossroads,  where we joined the Oldham Way down to New Year's Bridge Reservoir and followed the road into Denshaw and back home.

 

 

Around Castleshaw

Distance: 12 miles
Ascent: 650m
Weather: sunny, windy
Wooze: slight
Air: very fresh country in places
Kestrel: 1
Sheep: no lambs yet

A walk from home over Bishop's Park, Harrop Edge around Castleshaw and back through Denshaw. Blue sky and sunshine but windy, spring is definitely here.