Postcard from Timperley

A Postcard from Cornwall and Devon

2026-10-06T18:08:59.057+01:00

Hello from Princetown, where we have WiFi reception after a few days of 'phone/WiFi in Cornwall that wouldn't support a diary posting.

Our excellent accommodation in Princetown has good communication with the outside world, but I'm so far behind that I'll leave posting diary entries for this entire trip until next week.

Monday 28 September 2026 - The Steel Cotton Rail Trail Stage 4 - Edale to Chinley

2026-09-29T22:18:22.146+01:00

We had chosen a lovely late summer's day for this brilliant walk in the Peak District. Trains were on time, and as it was a fairly short day's walk, we reckoned we could afford a bit of time in the café at Edale Station.

There were seven of us today (for a while, anyway!). Sue took this picture to record the event. Cary didn't like their hot chocolate but apart from that we were all happy.

L-R: Sue W, Rick, Cary, John (a friend of Rick's), Andy and me.

On leaving the café we passed the church and reached the centre of the village at The Old Nags Head after posing yet again.

The Pennine Way starts here. There was no sign of anyone starting today, though a good number of folk were enjoying shorter walks in the sunny weather.

The path starts up a gentle gradient through an avenue of mature trees.

Soon the route opens out to cross fields on the firm stone surface that has replaced the bog that the over-used paths used to generate.

There were good views back to Mam Tor and the Edale skyline.

On the steep descent to Upper Booth, Cary's attempt at a forward roll turned into a sideways roll that finished in a cluster of arms and legs and a very loud 'Ouch' He recovered sufficiently to hobble back to Edale, but a trip to A&E the following day revealed a broken ankle. So if you see an old man stumbling around Sale in a orthopaedic boot, say 'Hello' - it might be Cary. Get well soon, Cary.*

And then there were six.

An elevenses break was taken at the foot of Jacob's Ladder, a packhorse route dating from the 18th century. Jacob Marshall cut steps in the rock to make his passage with packhorses laden with wool easier as they headed this way to Stockport market.

There continued to be good views back towards Edale as the path rose.

The path turned a corner and offered a sight of some of the rock formations at Edale Head.

The rocks shown above are the pimple towards the right in the next picture.

At the top of the Ladder we left the Pennine Way in favour of a lovely flagged path to South Head. Before reaching that landmark, lunch was taken on the flagstones as they provide an easy march through a somewhat boggy area. We only encountered one other person on the path - a chap who works in Didsbury and was keen to learn about both the Steel Cotton and the GM Ringway trails.

In the distance, the skyscrapers of Manchester.

Sue B and John decided to go over South Head. The rest of us took the nice contouring path, with a rest while we waited for the other two. Sue B was particularly energetic today, having already run back towards our lunch spot to recover the hat that Rick had carelessly left behind.

The sharp descent towards Chinley reminded Sue and me of a TGO Challengers' reunion walk some 18 months ago, after some of the walkers had encountered extreme weather on South Head. What a contrast this was.

The iconic Peak & Northern footpath signs are quite prolific around here.

Soon we were down to five of us, as John wanted to visit Chinley Churn - somewhat off the Steel Cotton Trail's route. Meanwhile we continued past several farms, one of which sported an impressive insect house.

Most of the railway between Edale and Chinley is in a tunnel. Passing under this bridge we realised we were nearly at the end of this stage.

An empty platform and a few minutes wait that passed quickly, and we were on the train to Piccadilly, and home in time to cook tea and proceed to our various evening engagements.

Here's our route - 12 km with 400 metres ascent (an extra 50 metres for Sue and John), taking a shade over 4 hours.

I have failed to integrate some of Sue's pictures into this rather hasty diary entry, so here are some of her images - very nice they are too. As usual, click on any image for a slideshow.

At the start of the Pennine Way

Marching towards Upper Booth before 'The Incident'

Jacob's Ladder

Looking back towards Edale

Flagstones leading to South Head

South Head - John hijacked a dog for a ride up the hill

On the descent to Chinley

What a lovely day out, for most of us. We all hope Cary recovers quickly.

* Cary's is only the second 'breakage' in my 60 years of organising walks, the first breakage being Julia's in 1999, when she fell off a horse that I'd hired and broke her shoulder.

September 5 to 12 2026 - Corpach 2026 - Index of Postings

2026-09-27T12:52:27.145+01:00

Saturday 5 September 2026 - Penrith parkrun and a trip to Corpach

Sunday 6 September 2026 - Fassfern and the pony track

Monday 7 September 2026 - Beaches between Arisaig and Camusdarach

Tuesday 8 September 2026 - Neptune's Staircase on a rainy day

Wednesday 9 September 2026 A bike ride to Gairlochy and a couple of Munros

Thursday 10 September 2026 - Newtonmore's Wildcat Trail

Friday 11 September 2026 - Another bike ride to Gairlochy and two more Munros

Saturday 12 September 2026 - Ganavan Sands parkrun

Thursday 24 September 2026 - Spunch Northenden

2026-09-26T20:47:11.972+01:00

Sue and I were pleased to be joined by Jenny and Fechin for this exploration of our local area. The Spunch HQ was set up outside 'Northenden Untapped', a lovely little bar on Church Lane. I once nearly bought a house on nearby Royle Green Road. (I settled for 10 Adria Road, Didsbury in the end.) Anyway, we are very familiar with the paths in Wythenshawe Park, including a thorough exploration when I did a 'virtual' London Marathon here.

After the usual pre-Spunch faffing (I always seem to forget to change the display settings from 1 minute to a more comfortable 10 minutes), the four of us congregated on the banks of the River Mersey at point 10. We then wound our way through the housing estates that border Royle Green Road on one side and Didsbury Golf Course on the other side. The housing was linked by various ginnels and bits of woodland such as that shown above.

On reaching Alpha Point on Bradnor Road, we paused to admire a sculpture that none of us had seen before. This is the 'Spire' artwork, classified as a 'localised architectural sculpture'.

Apparently, while the spire has been an established landmark on Bradnor Road since at least the mid-2000s, there is a surprising lack of public registry documentation regarding its exact commissioning date or the specific independent sculptor behind it. It stands as a classic piece of corporate/industrial estate placemaking art from Manchester's late-20th or early-21st-century regeneration era.

The route I'd plotted went through the Industrial Estate to a ginnel that emerges into a housing estate on Roundwood Road. An easy route then led us to Palatine Road and under Princess Parkway. Then into Wythenshawe Park and paths around the eastern perimeter to reach and cross Altrincham Road at Gib Lane. Sue got a bit behind due to encountering a bog and a fence after pausing for a call of nature and failing to secure a short cut.

We passed Jan's house (according to Sue), passed a few more Spunch points, and crossed the main road again by a pharmacy. A familiar gap in the hedge gave access to point 36, after which we romped along paths through the park like the one shown below. You can see that Jenny and Sue, who both have a fast walking pace, have again got ahead of me and Fechin on the lovely sunlit evening.

After a successful stumble through the park to the Lodge, we again found ourselves in unfamiliar territory as we hastened down Rackhouse Road to a right turn along Yewtree Lane. At one point I thought I was far enough ahead of the others to nip 'off plan' to bag point 27 down Dane Avenue. It took me until the bridge that extends Yewtree Lane over the Parkway to catch up. I was still a bit behind the ladies...

... but I was ahead of Fechin as the sun set behind his right shoulder.

We made our way back to Northenden Untapped pretty quickly from here, picking up an unplanned Spunch point and arriving at the HQ with time in hand that could have permitted another point to be ticked off.. Anyway, we were happy to have visited 38 (39 for me) of the 83 points available, at Sue and Jenny's walking pace. Though Fechin and I would be the first to admit that we had to deploy our jog/shuffle techniques in order to keep up with the comparatively youthful ladies. Fechin and I are both 77 and in his day Fechin was a sub 2½ hour marathon runner. Old age takes its toll! Fechin was further disabled by the end, having blistered both feet. (Should he not know better?!

Here's the route that I took to bag just 39 out of the 83 Spunch points available.

Afterwards it was great to see Andy T ('Spunch Man') and Michelle, with good beer and even better pizzas to round things off, as well as bumping into old acquaintances (Paul Muldoon) and missing others (Alistair Pooler - lost in the dark?)

Here are the official results for the 120 minute participants (there were another 56 people in the 60 and 90 minute categories).

A Postcard - 19 to 26 September 2026

2026-09-26T18:55:11.012+01:00

Dear All

Here's a summary of our week's activities.

Saturday 19 September 2026
Wythenshawe Park's 683rd parkrun provided a full morning's entertainment by the time we had finished and enjoyed our regular post run natter over coffees and cake before making our way home.

Barking dogs are kept at a distance before the start, or the Run Director's briefing can't be heard.

I wonder what Oliver would have made of this in real life...

Here are just a few of the 332 finishers, guzzling anything between a decaffe coffee and George's egg bacon and sausage bun.

L-R: Andy, Jan, Jeanette, Paul, Jenny, George and Owen. Sue left early to go bell ringing.

Full results are here.

Sunday 20 September 2026

Sue and I spent the morning in Wilmslow. A 5km circuit including The Carrs and Black Lake kept me occupied, passing en route this lovely sculpture.

It was the day of the Wilmslow Sprint Triathlon. Sue had entered this and I caught up with her near the start of a 24 kilometre bike ride. This followed a 400 metre swim - 16 lengths of the local pool.

There's a strict requirement to dismount at the end of the bike leg before The Line' or you are in dead trouble from the over-officious marshall.

Then it's a walk to the transition area where the bike is stashed and running kit donned for two 3 kilometre laps of a moderately easy course.

We finish with Sue jogging in, having taken 1 hour 45 minutes and coming third out of 4 in her age category and in position 115 out of 214 finishers. Well done!

Monday 21 September 2026

Sue and I enjoyed a 6 km stroll along the Bridgewater Canal towpath, to meet Andrew, Richard and Jenny for lunch at Dunham Massey Hall.

A family of swans appeared to think we had brought their lunch.

At one point the foliage had been cleared to offer a good view towards the C18th Whiteoaks Wood obelisk in one direction, and the hall in the opposite direction.

Legend has it that the obelisk marks the resting place of a reknowned racehorse.

After lunch, a stroll in the park was in order, with me diverting through the nearby golf course to visit the fleshpots of Altrincham for essential supplies.

Later:

A visit to Eagley Jazz Club for an excellent performance of Smooth Jazz from John Hallam and the Tom Kincaid Trio, featuring. John Hallam - Reeds, Tom Kincaid - Keyboard, Dave Tompkins - Bass, and Eryl Roberts - Drums.

Last week's table plan was considered inappropriate, so this week, with an audience of 50 compared with last week's 71, attempt number two was experimented with. I think they'll have a third go at this...

Tuesday 22 September 2026

A regular 5km stroll took me through leafy De Quincey Park in the morning mist. Picture sent to BBC Weatherwatchers but not expecting them to use it. I was right about that.

Thursday 24 September 2026

Sue and I were joined by Jenny and Fechin for 'Spunch Northenden', on which there will be a separate diary entry.

Friday 25 September 2026

Our neighbour, 'D', invited us for coffee and a chat before, very sadly, she and her family move to Egypt. They have been great next door but one neighbours and have watered Sue's plants very efficiently when we have been away during the very dry summer. They leave next week, and will be missed.

Saturday 26 September 2026

These parkruns do come round quickly. Today Wythenshawe Park hosted its 684th such outing.

With ongoing injury issues, I walked then jogged a little (more a sort of shuffle), coming home in 41:35, in position 396 out of 423 finishers. Sue managed 25:21 in position 111.

Here are most of them at the start through the sunlit trees in the park on a lovely morning when feet got wet thanks to the dewy grass.

Afterwards everyone in our little group enjoyed our coffees in the sunshine.

L-R: Owen, Sue, Andy, Paul, Jan and George, who's just guzzled another egg, bacon and sausage bun.

The full results are here.

Tuesday 15 September 2026 - The Steel Cotton Rail Trail Stage 3 - Hope to Edale

2026-09-22T14:49:16.139+01:00

Six of us met at Piccadilly for the 9:48 to Hope, with Sue W returning after her successful trip to Anglesey. This relatively short walk with no time constraints was an absolute delight.

Field paths took us away from and then back to the railway. Sue found some very healthy looking field mushrooms and Cary provided a bag in which to transport them.

It took a while to escape the environs of Hope.

Soon we were rewarded with views to Lose Hill and the Edale skyline.

Foliage is currently abundent and bright green, but most of the wild flowers are in decline, with Herb Robert, Ragwort and a variety of thistles hanging on in the verges and the fields.

We passed under the railway at Killhill Bridge.

A secret doorway had us wondering ...

Still in the environs of Hope, a welcoming watering hole, but too close to our start today.

Near Normans Farm, we came across a display of 'Norman's Farm Raw Honey' - delicious looking golden honey - £11 a jar, paid into their bank account, so no cash lying around and plenty of honest hikers on the Steel Cotton Trail. We bought three jars. Granddaughter Isabella will love it.

After going under the railway for the last time today, at Bagshaw Bridge, we continued on a narrow road to reach the National Trust Dark Peak Area Office and the Edale End Welcome Barn.

It rather looked as if Paul had beaten us to it, as his latest acquisition was parked outside the Welcome Barn.

Anyway, we carried on past the buildings and were soon confronted with a stone marker that pointed us decisively left, to Jaggers Clough.

The sky darkened as we followed the excellent path into Backside Wood.

A suitable spot for lunch was found, at which point some large, juicy, raindrops decided to join us. They didn't last long.

Backside Wood was home to numerous fungi, a couple of which are shown below.

Fly Agaric (Amanita muscaria) - pretty poisonous

Suillus grevillei (a Boletus variety, edible but this one is past that stage)

Once through the delightful wood, we joined the old packhorse track that runs up Jaggers Clough. A 'Jagger' was a leader of packhorses. This route may have been used to transport lead from the Castleton mines in the 16th century.

The Edale skyline and the fertile valley provided a scenic backdrop as we made progress on a contouring path towards Edale Youth Hostel.

Some Parasol Mushrooms (Macrolepiota procera) were added to our goodie bag.

Just outside the hostel - some striking dahlias.

A straightforward walk down the driveway and across some fields saw us eventually emerging at the church in Edale, where we drained our flasks on a convenient bench before heading for the station and a 3:47 train back to Piccadilly. .

Here's our route - just 12 km with 300 metres ascent, taking about four and a half hours.

Later:

The mushrooms survived intact and formed the basis of a very mushroomy meal. Too mushroomy if anything - we should have saved half of the Giant Puffball.

Next:
I've decided to adjust the remaining stages in order to reduce the long Stage 4 to New Mills. That will now finish comfortably at Chinley. Stage 5 will be Chinley to Marple (16 km). Stage 6 will be Marple to Guide Bridge (14 km). There will be an extra Stage 7, from Guide Bridge to Manchester (9 km) on Tuesday 3 November.

The summary programme, for reference, is here.

Monday 14 September 2026 - WirrOrleans Jazz Band at Eagley Jazz Club

2026-09-21T10:08:05.039+01:00

Jazz nights have been on hold for a few weeks whilst the room was refurbished. The stage and the seating have changed since we were last here. The jury's out. These three pictures vaguely show the new decor.

WirrOrleans Jazz Band, led by Andrew McKenzie's trombone, put on a splendid performance and seemed happy with the stage arrangement.

Performances will be weekly for a while to give the bands that were originally booked for the refurbishment period a chance to shine. The audience, some of whom have had 'regular seating positions' for many years, will now have to adjust to the new table layout (and maybe even share tables with strangers!).

The chords of 'Sweet Georgia Brown' reverberated in my head as I drove home...

Monday 14 September 2026 - GM Ringway Trail Stage 13 - Bury to Bromley Cross

2026-09-19T16:07:53.648+01:00

This was a repeat visit for me, Sue and Paul, bur it was Jeanette's last stage to give her a full house of all 20 stages of the GM Ringway Trail. My diary entry for the previous visit on 30 September 2025 is here.

We caught an early tram to Bury, so as to start walking soon after 9 am. A familiar stroll took us past the statue of Robert Peel and on towards the footpath beside the River Irwell.

After a short stretch beside the river, with the sickly smell of Himalayan Balsam and the brown mess of spent Rosebay Willowherb, we turned onto Woodhill Road and passed a well maintained house that appears to date from 1710.

Burrs Country Park, with its numerous industrial sculptures, drew us to the river again, and to the Lamppost Café. Much more friendly than on our previous visit.

Though Rufus struggled to release any of his elevenses.

A tall chimney dominates a variety of exhibits.

Our progress beside the Irwell was studied by a heron, high in a tree across the river, near some nest boxes.

A picture of the weir that Paul once paddled over is de rigueur at this point.

Our target for lunch, the Peel Tower, came into view in the distance.

The river is left for a while for us to take good paths around the privacy conscious Bank Top Farm, to re-cross the East Lancashire Railway near Summerseat.

Nice woodland paths took us ever closer to the Peel Tower.

No chance of refreshments at this site of a restaurant.

From here the lane passes some nice little houses.

The others took the same short cut to the tower as last time, but I continued on the more gentle gradient of the GM Ringway route that eventually doubled back towards the tower after dodging a massive lorry that was coming down the track. With the tower behind me, it was a good panoramic view to nearby villages and the Pennines.

Meanwhile, Jeanette recorded Sue and Paul's slog to the high point of the day.

Lunch was taken in the crater resulting from a WW2 attack on a battalion of cardboard tanks. (Maybe.)

The clear air gave us good views across Greater Manchester to the Welsh hills beyond. Sadly, my picture is under exposed and Jeanette's is over exposed.

We bumped into Steve, one of Paul and Jeanette's 'Potato' friends who we spent the day with on 30 May, lounging on a bench with his lunch, admiring the view. He was also walking stage 13. We didn't see him again.

We were soon descending steeply through Redishire Wood, where Sue found a Cep that we enjoyed later with the last portions of a beef stew that we didn't quite manage to get through last week in Scotland. However, a fine addition to the meal we enjoyed on our 24th wedding anniversary.

Delicious Cep

Steeper than it looks!

On we marched, towards Affetside, past some very pretty rare breed sheep.

Lovely views back to Peel Tower.

It's a steep pull past a Land Rover awaiting restoration, to the cross at Affetside, where our flasks were drained and Rufus gave a vivid demonstration of his feelings.

Good paths then reached the Kingfisher Trail and Jumbles Reservoir.

Soon we were on the platform at Bromley Cross station, where some children vied for the privilege of taking our group picture.

Jeanette was joyous on her 'Compleation' of the GM Ringway Trail. "What's next?"

Here's our route - 19 km with 470 metres ascent, taking less than 6 hours.

Back to Index of GM Ringway Trail postings

Sunday 13 September 2026 - Spunch Altrincham

2026-09-18T13:43:24.152+01:00

Fechin joined me and Sue for a couple of hours' Spunching on a fine Sunday morning. The Spunch points were mainly close together, so we got our best ever scores. A little local knowledge helped, though I missed an obvious short cut at the end and was penalised for going 19 seconds over the two hour limit.

These two photos were taken on the long straight track that some allege to be the course of a Roman road. It may be more recent, but it's a delight to walk down.

The route that we planned crossed the canal at Altrincham Bridge and took in lots of points between the canal and the railway, before re-crossing the canal at Seamons Bridge. The towpath was then followed all the way back to the environs of Timperley Brook and West Timperley Nature Reserve. In places the canal is full of weed; very few boats come this way these days due to the canal being closed at Dunham thanks to the breach that occurred a couple of years ago. A little further on, a heron chose to ignore the fact that we were only a couple of metres away on the towpath.

Sue went ahead and collected a couple of extra points that Fechin and I didn't have time to visit, and Fechin got a time penalty after failing to keep up and getting slightly misplaced.

Kickback Coffee provided welcome refreshments, and then we returned a few metres to the host venue, Twisted Running, where Sue spashed out on a t-shirt and shorts.

Here's my Garmin 245's take on the route we took - it recorded 11.7 km, whereas Spunch's 'MapRun' app recorded 12.7 km. Click on the next two images for better detail. The second image is an extract from the '120' results for the 53 finishers

Well, that was fun. Our next Spunch will be at Northenden on the evening of 24 September. See here for a link to future events.

Saturday 12 September 2026 - Ganavan Sands parkrun

2026-09-17T14:48:27.519+01:00

Fort William parkrun was cancelled due to a mountain bike race - the second time this year that we've missed it for that reason. Anyway, we left Linnhe Holidays after a pleasurable week in the mobile home, at 7:45, and enjoyed the scenic drive to Oban, where Ganavan Sands parkrun has the disadvantage of being rather hilly (60 metres ascent) but the advantage for some of being next to a good beach.

We lingered near the start, expecting a few midges, but the breeze was sufficient to deter them.

The story of the Appin murder was provided on an information board. Click on the image to see the detail.

It's a lovely beach.

9:30, and the time to run or walk up a steep hill had arrived. Sue ran, I walked.

Long before I reached the turnaround point, the lead runners were returning along the good tarmaced path.

Sue would normally come back along the route to walk in with me, but today was a no-brainer for her - a dip in the ocean would always take precedence over a run back up the hill.

We'd come armed with coffee and cake as we didn't want to hang around in a coffee shop when we really needed to be getting on with the 330 mile drive home.

The last of Ali's excellent carrot cake went down very well. Thanks Ali.

We left just as a rescue boat hit the waves to look for any parkrunners who had overshot the finish.

Full results are here.

Sue finished in 28:00, much slower than usual - position 31 out of 79 finishers - many first timers at this event - people like us who were on holiday.

Meanwhile I took a leisurely 39:52 in position 72. Not much slower than on Penrith's flat course last week.

Back to Index

Friday 11 September 2026 - Another bike ride to Gairlochy and two more Munros

2026-09-11T21:57:24.635+01:00

On a fine day, Sue chose to return to Glencoe, leaving me with my bicycle. Wednesday's sunny route to Gairlochy and Fort William was repeated - another nice 40 km outing. There were lots of cyclists about, and quite a few folk walking the Great Glen Way.

The swing bridge at Gairlochy closed just after I crossed it, allowing a huge catamaran and two other substantial boats through.

Others wouldn't need the bridge to be closed, though they would soon have to portage up a lock.

Wednesday's display of sunshine on the Ben was sadly not repeated as I cycled into Fort William in full view of the cloud capped mountain.

Here's a view from the Soldiers Bridge.

Lunch at the picnic benches by the start of the Great Glen Way offers a chance to admire the harbour and Loch Linnhe.

On the return to Corpach, another view to the Soldiers Bridge.

And from back on said Bridge.

My photos (apologies for the ongoing poor resolution problem) finish with a view down Loch Linnhe and a couple of snaps by the canal at Corpach.

Meanwhile, Sue was on Bidean nam Bian; this was her view from a tea stop at 750 metres.

Later, her view from the summit of Stob coire Sgreamhach.

Only thirty odd Munros to go. I wonder when the next trip up here will be?

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Thursday 10 September 2026 - Newtonmore's Wildcat Trail

2026-09-10T21:30:34.247+01:00

Newtonmore is a little over an hour away from Corpach, so we couldn't really come here without choosing a day when weather prevented Munro bagging, to visit our friends there.

Before meeting Ali, Adrian, Sue and Neil in the Wildflour café, Sue and I enjoyed a jaunt around the southern section of the Wildcat Trail, a walk that's a lovely attraction to visitors here.

It was a surprise to find four peregrine falcons in the first garden we passed, but apparently they and some pointer type dogs have been enjoying an annual holiday here for some years.

There are still plenty of wild flowers around, including these asters.

This southern section of the trail skirts through woodland, with a golf course on one side and the River Spey on the other side.

According to Ali and Sue, the Spey is quite low at present!

We passed under road and rail bridges on our way to the café, and flatbread lunches, before adjourning to Ali and Adrian's house for tea and great carrot cake.

A lovely way to spend a day that would have been unpleasant high in the mountains.

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Wednesday 9 September 2026 A bike ride to Gairlochy and a couple of Munros

2026-09-09T20:54:57.586+01:00

A sunny day for a change. Sue set off to the other end of Glencoe, leaving me to unlock my bike and embark on a 40 km ride to Gairlochy and Fort William.

Near the start, a tall memorial post champions the achievements of Colonel John Cameron at the battle of Waterloo. This is positioned outside Kilmallie Parish Church, which curiously appears to have a more modern house attached to it. (Attached to the far left of the church.)

There were good views from the mobile homes.

I took the minor road past Taigh Moy, where we stayed for a week in May. Nearly made 30mph on the descent to Gairlochy.

Good views back to The Ben, the cloud over which withered as the morning progressed.

The next photo, taken at Gairlochy swing bridge from a picnic bench where I enjoyed a coffee, turned out to be the last photo from me today as the camera battery expired.

That's a shame, as the light was great and the air was clear as I continued to Neptune's Staircase, then on along the route of the Great Glen Way to Fort William. There I enjoyed the rest of my coffee and a superb smoked salmon roll. Thanks Sue.

It's an easy return via Corpach.

Meanwhile, Sue had a great day on two Munros. She sent me a picture of her tea break at 566 metres.

And the view from her second Munro summit and other pictures from Sue today. Her report is below the pictures.

An hour's drive from Linnhe Lochside brought me to the car park at the Glencoe Mountain Resort from where I set out at 9.30am. The SMC guide describes an anticlockwise circuit of Creise and Meall a’ Bhuiridh, so I headed west on a small path. Luckily I was wearing gaiters as my foot sunk to almost the knee in some soft bog! The waterfalls cascading down the valley looked beautiful in the sun, and crossing the river proved uneventful.
The rocky spur of Stob a’ Ghlais Choire was ‘sporting’ as I chose a line directly up the rock, stowing poles until I was walking again. This top gives great views over Glencoe and Buachaille Etive Mor.
From there it was an easy slope to the summit of Creise (1,100m) where I met a man from Stirling. He was one of only six people I met on these Munros today.
As the day was so good, I continued to the other Top (1,099m) which used to be the Munro until resurveyed in 1981). I had lunch with a view across Rannoch Moor, and even the Ben shrugged off its summit cloud.
The gentleman I met on this section was 44 Munros short of his 4th round and was meandering very gently.
I retraced to Mam Coire Easain (Pt 1070m) then dropped steeply off the edge onto the spur that leads to Meall a’ Bhuiridh (1,108m).
The descent was stony, but straightforward until the path steepened for the final section beneath the chairlift which was bringing people up, of whom some were walking up Creag Dhubh for the views.
As I returned to the car (3.50pm), weary West Highland Way walkers, some of whom will be staying in the pods, were arriving.
A great day out, with blue skies and excellent views (13km, 1,050m ascent).

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Tuesday 8 September 2026 - Neptune's Staircase on a rainy day

2026-09-08T19:01:38.277+01:00

On a thoroughly wet day we took advantage of a short break from the heavier rain to climb Neptune's Staircase and wander along the towpath of the Caledonian Canaĺ. A 6 km 'there and back' walk.

There were a few people about - some clearly plodding along the route of the Great Glen Way, others cycling or dog walking. Here I am at our 3 km turnaround point.

On the way back we passed a horde of Canadian canoe/kayakers heading very slowly towards Gairlochy.

Our own outing was intercepted by the café at Neptune's Staircase, where we lingered for some time with lattes, cake and Squaredle.

Back at mobile home number 63, we relaxed into an afternoon of jigsaw, Boggle, reading (Seascraper - Benjamin Wood), and the start of a big transcription project.

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Monday 7 September 2026 - Beaches between Arisaig and Camusdarach

2026-09-07T20:49:42.606+01:00

With high winds forecast on Munro summits we chose to stay near sea level.

After driving to Arisaig and enjoying coffee and cake in the excellent café beside the slipway, we set off on a somewhat convoluted route north to Camusdarach. Sue made it all the way - a 16 km round trip.

There were quiet roads, nice beaches, and rocky promontories. The latter involved slippery rocks, dense undergrowth and hidden chasms.

By the time we'd had lunch in a sheltered spot (it was windy), I'd had enough and turned round shortly beyond Traigh. It was a not unpleasant stroll along the road whilst Sue enjoyed the Camusdarach beach. A four hour walk of 12 km for me - an extra hour for Sue.

At one point the sky blackened with rain, but it just missed us.

I had time to visit the War Memorial near St Mary's Church with its flat-topped tower.

There are two War Memorials in Arisaig, one of them being devoted to Polish servicemen who trained here in WW2.

Here's my route - 12 km with 150 metres ascent, taking 4 hours or so.

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Sunday 6 September 2026 - Fassfern and the pony track

2026-09-06T20:21:46.688+01:00

Pictures aren't loading very well. Maybe it's the weak WiFi that also affects the TV.

On a drizzly day, Sue and I enjoyed a morning in the mobile home and in the afternoon we went to nearby Fassfern for a walk in the woods next to a torrent. The area is home to forestry and old pony tracks that we followed in a 6 km loop with 150 metres ascent. There would have been good views into Moidart if the cloud hadn't concealed them.

Sue found some interesting fungi, and I spotted lots of Scarlet Waxcaps. We were out for just an hour and a half and saw half a dozen or so people enjoying dog/children walking in the rain.

Here are some of Sue's pictures - smaller images stand a better chance of loading.

Tricholomopsis rutilans

Descent from our high point back into the woods by the river

Leccinum scabrum

Laccaria amethystina

Suillus grevillei

Cantharellus cibarius

Russula sanguinea

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Saturday 5 September 2026 - Penrith parkrun and a trip to Corpach

2026-09-06T11:27:59.800+01:00

On the road again. We joined Lindsay at Penrith parkrun to celebrate her 400th parkrun. Well done Lindsay and we are pleased to hear that your new job is going well.

Sue did 25:22 in position 123 out of 341 participants.

I did 38:07 in position 305.

Full results are here.

After the 2 hour drive to Penrith, we spent another 4 hours in the car. Intermittent rain and dazzling sunshine greeted us over the border.

Cloud lifted briefly off the crowded Glencoe summits.

Our home for the week - a mobile home in Corpach, next to Loch Eil.

It's very comfy, with a good view along the loch.

On the site, Woody's pop-up provided excellent burgers and chips, allowing a portion of our Timperley Beef Stew another 24 hours to thaw out.

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Friday 4 September 2026 - GM Ringway Trail Stage 12 - Norden to Bury

2026-09-05T21:22:12.143+01:00

This was a repeat of our walk on 25 September 2025 that Jeanette missed due to injury. A diary entry for that walk is here, including a map of the route.

I'm having technical problems uploading photos and have little to add to those taken in the sunshine last year. Those that do upload tend to be in the wrong order.

Bear with me. Anyway, today we had intermittent drizzle - most welcome after the summer's drought, but not ideal for photography.

After the 9:03 from Victoria to Rochdale, and an Uber that dropped us outside a café in Norden, we enjoyed coffee and cake before setting off back up the path to Greenbooth Reservoir, past a Vauxhall Viva that will be lovingly restored.

After the reservoir we ascended Knowle Hill, close by towering wind turbines, to the high point of the day, with extensive views over Greater Manchester and beyond.

After the gentle descent, we reached the remains of Cheesden Lumb Mill for a coffee break sitting on the stone remains.

Above and below - pictures from the steep climb to Scotland Lane

The walk continued through pleasant countryside, passing last year's lunch spot before the steep climb to Scotland Lane, from where the picture below shows a private bit of parkland.

Lots of fungi, including these Apioperdon pyriforme (aka Pear shaped puffball).

Lunchtime, in the absence of any suitable benches, drifted into the afternoon, by which time we had crossed the M66 motorway and entered the Nature Reserve at Chesham Green Wood. Plenty of benches here.

Good paths led to Burrs Country Park and the River Irwell, from where a kilometre of pavements got us to Bury Metrolink station before 4:30 for a gentle ride home.

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Friday 28 August 2026 - GM Ringway Trail Stage 11 - Littleborough to Norden

2026-08-30T11:03:20.672+01:00

This was a 'catch-up' walk for Jeanette, who missed our first visit to this stage on 2 September 2025. On that occasion we enjoyed superb weather and I penned a detailed diary entry here.

Today was showery, with a five minute spell of heavy rain.

We started with a short walk from Littleborough station to 'Coffee on the Corner', where in the absence of Sheila, who I think knows the manager, the welcome was a little less friendly than before and we were shoo'ed to a cramped outside table that just about protected us from the drizzle, on account of Rufus being an unwelcome visitor to the cosy inside of the premises. "Cash only" had me thankful that unlike some folk I generally do carry a little rarely needed cash.

As before, we started down an alternative route that short-cut the published route due to some paths across the railway being closed (we assumed they are still closed).

That meant we passed the lovely old building that was home to a local MP for Rochdale, Gordon Harvey (1858 - 1922) - he was MP from 1906 to 1918.

On leaving the conurbation, we rose steeply past a couple of farms. This was my view ahead, after the sharp shower during which I hadn't noticed the others hiding behind a wall!

The rain soon stopped and we splish-sploshed our way as far as Dobbin Hill, before descending to Watergrove Reservoir where we paused for a coffee and cake break.

The crenellated drystone walls hereabouts are some of the most substantial I've seen.

The reservoir seems to have a little more water than on our visit last September, despite the recent paucity of rain showers. Last winter was wet at times.

Leaving the reservoir, we passed the ruins of 'Little Town' before rising then descending to cross Higher Slack Brook by way of a slippery wooden bridge, then rising on the Pennine Bridleway to pass a number of artefacts by way of reminders of the industrial landscape of the past.

Lunch was taken by a small reservoir below the flanks of Rushy Hill, as on our earlier visit.

After that we proceeded to the spectacular gorge of Healey Dell. Rufus was a bit miffed to find a poorly stocked library.

The path through the gorge eventually released us onto a narrow lane that passes Healey Dell Heritage Centre & Tea Rooms. Coffee (etc) and cake all round (mostly).

From there, the GM Ringway route rises to the disused railway that crosses a splendid viaduct. Sadly, that route is currently completely blocked by repair work to the viaduct. So we had to return to the point at which we had earlier entered the gorge in the other direction.

It wasn't too difficult to find a route back to the other end of the viaduct, soon after which we rejoined the GM Ringway route by a pond that was being guarded by a large goose.

After that our route rose gently to cross Rooley Moor Road at a point where new hardware has been installed in an effort to dissuade mechanised vehicles and bikes. That road is on the bike route I take from Timperley to my daughter's house in Bacup. It's a horrid descent over boulders into Bacup, and the road is also used by the Pennine Bridleway on the Mary Towneley Loop.

It was then a pleasant descent to the Greenbooth Reservoir's dam, and a stroll down a woodland path to reach the lane leading to the A680 road at Norden.

Jeanette summoned a Uber taxi (I'd never before used one) which soon deposited us at Rochdale railway station where we had two minutes to buy a ticket (Sue - the other three of us travel free of charge), jump on the train to Clitheroe via Victoria, from where its an easy tram ride home.

A lovely day out despite a bit of drizzle and a five minute deluge. It was a shade over 19 km with 450 metres ascent, taking five and a half hours.

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Monday 24 August 2026 - Pots and Pans from Greenfield

2026-08-25T16:05:32.693+01:00

Having walked past the foot of the War Memorial and 'Pots and Pans' during our GM Ringway walk, Sue and I wanted to further explore the area. We chose what may be the last day of this summer when waterproofs and spare clothing could be safely left at home - it was a lovely 'warm but not too warm' summer's day around Greenfield, to where we caught the 10 o'clock train from Piccadilly.

On arrival at Greenfield some twenty minutes later we were disappointed to discover that 'Platform 13', the excellent café, was closed on Mondays. Never mind, we had plenty of supplies and we could enjoy our drinks breaks outside in the sunshine.

After passing back over the railway line we headed north up a well graded path bordered by bright purple heather, with views across the valley to our afternoon's objective.

The War Memorial obelisk was clearly visible beyond the suburbs of Uppermill.

We passed above Moorgate Quarry and declined the further 70 metres of ascent to the mast at Wharmton. Onwards along Colt Hill Lane through the grounds of Saddleworth Golf Club where a good number of folk were testing their skills.

The golf course has isolated stones that look loike gate posts from long forgotten fields. Martins and Meadow Pipits kept us company and a gentleman hidden by Sue in the next picture was rummaging in the undergrowth for a lost item that was a crucial accompaniment to his particular type of outing.

Mountain Ash trees were laden with red berries.

Just beyond the golf course, there was nobody around so we commandeered a stone stile on which to enjoy some coffee and cake.

Then a huge stile released us onto Burnedge Lane.

Our path soon left the tarmac and descended steeply via a thin, waymarked route, to reach a muddy lower path that soon passed a small fishing lake.

After a brief exploration of the area we entered a large field occupied by a sole, shyly attentive, pony that seemed happy to be fussed over by Sue.

We soon arrived at a rather convoluted site of rivers, railways and artifacts before emerging at the Limekiln Café that we remembered from our GM Ringway walk on 7 August 2025. My report here details much about the 'Pots and Pans' and other matters of local interest that I won't repeat here, but I have included a couple of information boards that readers can click on if they want to read them properly.

Making our way beside an unkempt beech (and nettle) hedge between a barbed wire fence and the narrow footpath was a tight squeeze. There was more room here, lower down where the foliage had been cut back.

After a steep ascent to St Chad's church we paused to admire some splendid peacocks outside the Church Inn. The family included some chicks that ran away before I could get the camera out.

At the front of the church a barrow piled high with rushes was labelled 'Saddleworth Rushcart Longwood Thump'.

Our path now ascended confidently towards the ridge at the end of which the Obelisk is situated.

Views opened out over the Wharmton mast, with the centre of Manchester in the background. Our views on this clear day extended to the hills of North Wales as well as into the Yorkshire Dales.

A derelict house was passed. It didn't really look that old.

After pausing for lunch in the shelter from the breeze afforded by a dry stone wall, the good path came to the junction shown below with a good path along the ridge.

We made our way to the viewpoint on Alderman's Hill, before heading to the Obelisk and War Memorial.

Sue explored some of the jumble of rocks.

The Obelisk is a feature of the landscape for miles around.

I don't know about their likeness to Pots and Pans, but these rocks look to me like an ogre, with Sue standing on its left ear.

From there it was steep at first, then easily through a parched field, past masses of blackberries - they are having a very good year, with views to Wharmton through a mass of rosebay willowherb, and eventually down to the disused railway we had passed earlier, where we turned left and strolled along the Tame Valley Way footpath.

After a stretch beside the river, the Huddersfield Narrow Canal was crossed, and we were soon up at the station, beyond the still closed 'Platform 13', where a train was waiting ... and waiting. We were lucky to catch it, but it was delayed by illness to a passenger that meant the train crew had to wait for an ambulance to arrive before the train could continue its journey. An announcement telling passengers how they should obtain a refund as they were delayed by more than 15 minutes was played several times. It didn't affect us, as I travel free in Grater Manchester, and Sue was booked on the following train, so we were home earlier than expected anyway. It brought back memories of a sad day nearly thirty years ago when my boss at the time, at the peak of his successful career, suffered a fatal stroke on a Monday morning journey from his home near Liverpool to his office in London.

This was a lovely route that could easily be shortened or lengthened. 13.7 km with about 500 metres ascent, taking a shade over 5 hours. A lovely day out.

Next - this Friday, 28 August:
GM Ringway Trail Stage 11 - Littleborough to Norden (20km). Meet at 10:24 at Littleborough, arriving on 10:04 from Victoria. Return by bus or taxi to Rochdale then regular train to Victoria.

Baguley Hall

2026-08-23T11:21:14.525+01:00

During our regular 'post run' coffee session in the courtyard tea room at Wythenshawe Hall, Jan mentioned that much good work has been taking place at nearby Baguley Hall. So I went along to see for myself and found an open day in full swing with musicians and stalls by way of perhaps the first chance for the public to enter the grounds since the sale in 2025 by Historic England to a charity called Heritage Trust North West.

The internet reveals:

The manor was built in the 14th Century by a medieval knight called Sir William de Baggiley (also spelt Baguley), who lived during the reign of King Edward II (1307-1327), and the structure later became a farmhouse.

It was used as a council workshop for around 40 years before a decision was taken by the Manchester City Corporation in 1967 to demolish the building, which triggered a public petition that included over 6,000 signatures.

Later that year, the Wythenshawe MP Alf Morris spoke in Parliament against the planned demolition of Baguley Hall, urging that: "Everything possible should be done to preserve this historic building for posterity".

Since 1968, the building has been owned by the government and for more than 50 years the structure was maintained by English Heritage.

Tours of the Hall are now being arranged.

On my visit the grounds were lined by stalls and musicians, selling all manner of wares.

Several information boards indicated that the hall was part of the estate owned by the Tatton family, the first mention of which dates back to 1290, when they were living in the hamlet of Kenworthy, about a mile from the site of the current Wythenshawe Hall.

Robert de Tatton had lands in nearby Northenden in 1297 and in 1370 a Robert de Tatton of Kenworthy received land in 'Wythinshawe' as part of the settlement when he married Alice, the daughter and heiress of William de Masey of Wythinhagh, and was given all her lands and tenements, rents and services.

So this building was part of the estate owned by the Tatton family, one of very few families who preserved an unbroken line as owners of a large estate from the 14th to the 20th Century.*

It'll be interesting to go inside the building. Here's another extract from the internet and a picture of the interior:

Baguley Hall includes one of the oldest surviving medieval timber-framed halls in England and some of the wooden beams are more than 50cm (20in) thick.

A central hearth once provided cooking and heating for the medieval household.

Catherine Dewar, the North West Regional Director at Historic England, said: "What's really special about Baguley Hall is that it's open to the roof, rather than a lot of medieval halls, which have been sub-divided and have another room above".

"It means your eyes just go upwards because you can see right up to the ceiling".

So ended a short but interesting visit. Thanks go to Jan for bringing this to my attention.

* Members of my own family may be interested to know that a line of their forebears can be traced back to the marriage of Rainaldus de Balliole to Aimeria in 1082 as part of the Weston of Weston Under Lizard pedigree that later merged with the Weston of Rugeley pedigree, so we can trace our family tree back about 30 generations. What was life like for all those generations - that's a project?!

Here's a video that includes film of the interior.

Wednesday 19 August 2026 - An Evening Walk around Heaton Mersey with SWOG

2026-08-20T10:52:21.359+01:00

Better late than never! For the first time this summer, Sue and I joined eight other members of Stockport Walking and Outdoors Group (SWOG) for a short evening walk. Just as well, this was their last evening walk before indoor Wednesday evening activities resume. I'm afraid Spunch events have edged these evening walks to the side this summer.

It turned out to be a slow amble of just 3.7 km, partly along the Trans Pennine Trail (TPT), and also past playing fields and up a long overgrown ginnel that we'd not visited before.

Before leaving the TPT we passed a comprehensive information board that someone has put a lot of effort into its composition. Click on the image/zoom in to read the text.

Next to the playing fields, Sue posed next to a strange little sculpture.

The group of ten managed to finish our amble before it got dark. Eight of us plus dog adjourned to The Crown, whilst Sue and I took a stroll up and down Didsbury Road to make up the distance to 5 km, before joining the others.

Here's our route, including the dogleg up Didsbury Road.

Earlier, 'Jump Heaven' in Hazel Grove had provided lots of fun for a five year old (with one tooth less than when we saw her last week) and her grandma, before we adjourned to Brookside Garden Centre for lunch.

Tuesday 18 August 2026 - Spunch Lyme Taster

2026-08-18T19:16:34.652+01:00

This was a free of charge 'Taster' Spunch event, supported by the National Trust in Lyme Park.

Sue and I were joined by first timers Fechin, Richard and Jenny. The map was at 1:4000 scale rather than the usual 1:12500 scale, and there were only 45 Spunch satellite points compared with the usual 90 or so.

After coffees from the kiosk, the five of us went to see Michelle and Sue in the courtyard and soon everyone was set up with the MapRun app and ready to go past the starting flag.

In a reverse of my original plan, we started by going around the gardens, picking up many points on the way. The little red circles on the MapRun app were rapidly turning green.

We headed round the back of the pond and managed to visit all the satellite points in the garden by using just about every path available. Families and children were having a great time Spunching and I regretted not having the grandchildren with us. They would love it.

The satellite points had been set so as to encourage participants to go round the gardens before exiting through the way out clearly marked on the map.

By then, a light drizzle was falling.

The second half of the outing involved going up to 'The Cage', an Elizabethan hunting tower, and descending back to the Hall via an assortment of paths.

There was very little running - it was clear that walking pace in the beautiful scenery (despite the drizzle) would easily get us to all the relevant points in plenty of time.

It was breezy up at The Cage, and the ground was welcoming a bit of lubrication after months of drought.

Here's Fechin, on his first visit to Lyme Park, approaching The Cage.

My last photo of the day was taken as we strolled down from The Cage, picking off the remaining Spunch points and not forgetting point number 3, which could easily have been missed.

By the time we got back to base in about an hour and ten minutes, we had been to all the satellite points and like the majority of today's 130+ participants we had excelled, with maximum scores of 900 all round apart from Fechin, who had a bit of technical trouble with his app, but he did finish with the rest of us and get a perfect score.

Here's our track - 5km with just 100 metres ascent.

An extract from the results is given below. Click on the image for a better version and you might spot another of the 'Oldies', John Archer, who seems to have taken his time over this event. It's a shame he didn't join us.

After lunch and a chat at the café, and birthday wishes to Fechin - 77 today (and he thanks Mike Curley and others for their best wishes) - we adjourned in the knowledge that this taster session had worked brilliantly, with all three 'first timers' hungry for more. The Spunch website gives details of forthcoming events, and those that Sue and I are booked on are shown on topwalks.com.

Edits and comments are welcome.

Tuesday and Wednesday 11 and 12 August 2026 - The Steel Cotton Rail Trail Stage 2, and some fun at home

2026-08-16T13:40:16.632+01:00

Tuesday 11 August was the day allotted to our Stage 2 of the Steel Cotton Rail Trail. This combined Stages 3, 4 and 5 of the published 14 Stage route. Transport was back to normal, with trains running on time, and thanks to a zero seconds wait for a tram we were able to enjoy coffees at Piccadilly Station's Carluccio's before making our way to the stopping train to Grindleford.

Having experienced some fragmentation of the group on Stage 1, I took the precaution of taking a team photo before we left Grindleford's platform (see above - Sue W, Rick, Andy, Dave P and Sue B). Needless to say, this group remained together throughout the short walk.

The trail was well signposted out of the station.

Following the signs, and walking parallel to the railway, we soon came upon the site of Padley Manor and Padley Mill, where in the 1580s Catholic priests were offered a safe haven, though this didn't always work out. In July 1588 two priests were found in a raid. The entire household was arrested, the priests were executed, and the manor house was seized. The 'Padley Martyrs' are remembered in the stained glass windows of the chapel that has survived next to the manor house.

The gatehouse of Padley Manor, pictured above and below, housed the chapel on its first floor.

An information board indicates that the buildings date from the 14th Century.

We continued along a lovely path through Bolehill Wood.

After going through a gate, our path chose to turn left along a grassy path, past a large rock, and down through more woodland to a bridge over the railway, which would then remain on our right all the way to Hathersage.

Views towards Stanage Edge were partially restricted by leafy woodland, and we passed through an area where new hedges are being laid. You can see these in the next picture - numerous saplings planted between the fence posts.

We didn't go into Hathersage, instead turning left along the B6001 road to cross Leadmill Bridge then turn right to follow the path beside the River Derwent all the way to Shatton, near Bamford. En route we passed a heron who seemed to be fishing rather successfully. We stopped for a coffee break near here in the shade of trees by the river. Idyllic on the hot day.

We passed a family who were having great fun on the stepping stones that provide an easy route across the river in drought conditions such as we are currently experiencing.

Having no need to visit Bamford, we continued along the waymarked trail through Shatton towards Hope, passing through an emu, donkey and turkey farm.

Soon after this, we passed through a few fields to reach a shady spot with views towards various 'Edges' that was ideal for a lunch stop.

With the River Noe, which we joined near Bamford, now out of sight on our right for a while, we followed paths and tracks along the waymarked route towards Hope station.

On reaching the B6049 road in Brough, we turned right and passed the thriving farm supplies business of William Eyre & Sons. From a footbridge across the River Noe, the back of the Eyre buildings divulge their origin - the business started in 1885 as Brough Corn Mill.

As we strolled up to Hope station a train arrived, so without a pause we hopped on it and were back at Piccadilly in time, for those who didn't need to rush off, to enjoy ice creams and a stroll to the tram stop at St Peter's Square.

Our route was just 11 km, with about 150 metres ascent, taking us a shade over three hours. An excellent way to spend a hot summer's day. Apparently we are in the fifth heatwave of the year.

The following day - logistics not being favourable for a camping trip, we went camping in a garden in Timperley.

A model school and farm provided great entertainment.

The tent made way for fun with a bucket of water.

The farm adjourned to a living room floor, where Sue was required to impart the personalities, hardships and injuries in relation toto a a wide range of denizens of the farm.

Our visitor was taken home, and Sue, exhausted, went into 'rest' mode before, next day, going swimming with Richard and Jenny in Sale Water Park.

That's all for now folks

Saturday and Sunday 8 and 9 August 2026 - Brueton parkrun and Shelsley Walsh Hill Climb

2026-08-15T16:33:28.955+01:00

Shelsley Hill Climb was one of Sue's father's favourite outings and has featured on these pages in the past (here). So Sue and har mother chose this occasion to scatter a few of Richard's ashes. If weather and opportunities permit, we may come in the future, but Richard's membership, over a period of 30 years, has not been renewed.

The day before, 8 August, Sue and I had traveled to Solihull to visit her mother and take part in the 5km Brueton parkrun.

Our respective aspirations can be gleaned from the next two pictures.

With over 500 participants, getting to the start within 30 seconds of the starting gun was quite an achievement.

Results are here. I took a leisurely 42:30 in position 481 out of 516 finishers, and Sue took 25:06 in position 131. Well done!

And so to Sunday 9 August, and a perfect day at the hill climb, albeit our luxurious picnic lunch was taken crouched in the shade of the car. My camera battery expired early on so most of the photos below are Sue's. No commentary is really necessary, though we thought we spotted Sir Hugh in a blue and orange Fiesta. Or was he in the single seater that crashed?**

Try clicking on any image to access a slideshow

A view from the top of the hill

Sue took a fancy to this old three wheeled Morgan

Views towards the parched landscape

On the way up to the finish, huge speeds are reached.
After waiting in a holding paddock the vehicles free wheel back down the hill

It was hot.

The nearby church has some lovely stained glass windows.

** Neither. It turns out that Sir Hugh had chosen to visit the heights of the Yorkshire Dales rather than the depths of Worcestershire. However, he has provided evidence for his hill climbing skills in a Ford Anglia 1200 105E at Harewood Hill in ~ 1964: Brilliant!