David and Jacinta's Walks- 2023

Marsden and Standedge The weather forecast looked O.K. although the day was very misty in fact and, on the tops, dense enough to block out the view. We skipped our regular coffee in The Arcade but, instead, visited the delightful Wateredge Café for the first time. This is an eighteenth century lock keeper's house at the mouth of the Standedge Tunnel and largely untouched since this time. Inside the Wateredge Café- lots of reading and historic photo of the cottage Standedge Tunnel decked out for halloween As usual, we made our way up to the March Haigh reservoir, admiring the changing colours of the foliages- not that we could see a great deal! It's beginning to feel a lot like autumn There were few people about, save for a group of Chinese students who were having an adventure in the mist and having a break from their doctorial studies at Manchester University. Up March Hill in the mist, with a lonely cow lurking in the background. Company on the hill We stopped for lunch on St...

Marsden, March Hill and Pule Hill- David and Paul As Paul was back from New Zealand and had lent his car to Laura, we met at Marsen (for the convenience of rail travel) to start our training for September's trip. It was easiest to do a walk that we both knew well, and set out along the canal towards Standedge Tunnel and beyond. At Hay Green we took the somewhat neglected path up to Lower Green (up to Lower Green? Yes!), passing a new gate that had replaced a rather frail stile that Jacinta and I had passed back in March, just over a month ago. New gate on the way up to Lower Green We passed a number of workmen on the March Haigh Reservoir dam- they were wiring up several sensors which should be able to provide 3-D images of the dam and any movements. Up on Standedge we had our lunch and took in the view of the Castleshaw Reservoirs before descending to the foot of Pule Hill. Castleshaw Reservoirs and a clear if chilly view The ascent of Pule Hill (flattened perspective!) The ridge ...

  Delph, Castleshaw and Standedge A day out for David, meeting up with friend Steve, who he'd not seen for a few years. We met at the Castleshaw Centre car park, just by the two Castleshaw reservoirs and below Standedge and the site of Peter's Pennine Way Café at Brun Clough Reservoir. The walk got going with a reversal of a section that Jacinta and I often do from Marsen and up past March Haigh Reservoir. We stopped for a photo op at the trig point between Millstone Edge and the Dinner Stone. Steve at the Millstone Edge trig point ...and David at the Millstone Edge trig point. Pule Hill in the background We left the Pennine Way, following the Oldham Way where the two diverge. After the open country, we skirted Denshaw and Wham Farm, passed through Delph and had a tea at a horsebox café before getting back to the cars. As you can see from the photos, the weather was beautifully clear for a walk of 8½ miles with ascent of 320m.