Ashton-under-Lyne, Market Hall

Ashton Market hall, deserted and floodlit.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Memorial Gardens

Memorial Gardens at night

Ashton-under-Lyne, Town Hall

The Town Hall, by night.

Ashton clock tower

Another night shot. This of the clock tower by the market hall.
All the clock faces tell the same time now, 10:30.
Wonderful!

A-u-L. St Michael's Parish Church

The church used to be lit up at night, but these days the lights are off. I went down to photograph the church thinking it would be floodlit. But it was in darkness. Just a dark hulk against a dark sky. The only illumination available was reflected street light from the A635. So leaving the camera on long exposure we get this very forced image.

Uppermill, The Church Inn

A Partridge on a pub roof.

The Church Inn, Uppermill. Actually there was also a horse and a dead dog...
I didn't photo those.

Cromer Pier

One for Gerald.

Norfolk, Sherringham

More holiday snaps.

The sea front at Sherringham

England Norfolk Cromer

Holiday snaps.

Kings Lynn, F1 Stock Cars

Just back from the BriSCA F1 stock car world final at Kings Lynn.

I follow the Smith brothers. 391 Andy Smith & 390 Stu Smith Jnr. Cars pictured here in the pits before the race.
Both race 8 Litre powered Chevys. These stock cars are the most powerful that race together on a track anywhere in the world. More powerful than anything Jenson Button races. A F1 stock car is nothing like as quick, as they are heavy, but are designed to hand out, and withstand, massive hits from their fellow drivers, as well as belt round an oval track at high speed.

Well Andy Smith won. So he has held onto the title of World Champion, and gets to keep his gold painted roof to show that he has won the world final.
More info here.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Route 66

Snaps taken along Route 66.

The end of the trail north is the wooden platform by the pond and the weir on the River Medlock.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Route 66

Ah! Found the start of the cycle route from Ashton to Park Bridge.
As I was told, at the top of Turner Lane.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Harper Mill

After years of the lights going out on Harper Mill, we were down to our last three, they finally fixed all (almost) the blue lights.

Doesn't it look fine.

You wouldn't believe the cost though!

Lost in Ashton

Took a bike ride on a cycle route going north from Ashton. Ended up at Park Bridge. I did want to be able to say where I had been. I've attempted to trace the route using various websites, and a real map, but cannot find anything that usefully identifies any cycle routes. The best you get is a vague line drawn through a very blocky map with such little detail it makes it unusable.
So I cycled from possibly somewhere near Smallshaw to Park Bridge.
(Sorry for the blurry pictures, I took the photos while still riding the bike)

Mossley, River Tame

Industrial jumble on the River Tame in Mossley. Down where little brother works actually.

The Warmco mill in the background.

Fallowfield Loop

I commented a while back that the starting point of the cycle way known as Fallowfield Loop had been lost as it had been built on. Well it has, but they have set up a temporary arrangement round the building site. It took me two visits and lots of persistence to find it.
It's off the Manchester Road (A635), then Booth Road by Fairfield Station. Ignore the warning sign saying 'Construction Traffic only' as this is the start of the Fallowfield Loop. It's only just passable a little further on, as the track falls away into mud, but it can be done. Further along it's tarmaced and is fine to cycle along.
It goes from Fairfield station to Chorlton, with a large Sainsbury's part way along.

Maps and the full route are here.

Ashton-under-Lyne, fountains?

Who stole our fountains.

Along with the St. Petersfield development, some interesting street furniture was added. Fountains playing in the square in front of the Magistrates court building. Wonderful.

Look, they even gave us a video of them, here.

About a year and a half ago I saw some council workmen turning them off. For maintenance I thought.

They walked away and never came back.

Ashton-under-Lyne @ 9:44

Just had time to take this snap shot on my mobile as I ran for the train. Turns out I actually had all the time in the world. The clock on the Market Hall on Bow Street says precisely 9:44. And it's said 9:44 for over a year, and possibly very much longer. After the fire in 2004 everything in the market hall was replaced. But for some reason, the clock remains broken. What do we think the clock will say another year from now?
My bet, 9:44.

Ashton-under-Lyne, empty market

No real good blogging picture today, well it started raining as I headed out, so I didn't get far. I do usually stop by Mr. Spuds on my bike rides out, and usually there is a small queue. Non today, so here it is as I shelter under one of the empty stalls. Normally the stalls are all taken, but as can be seen in the small picture, the market is virtually deserted in today's wind and rain.

Mossley, Midge Hill

A second view from yesterdays bike ride.

Clustered along the hill side is an idyllic little group of houses on Midge Hill.

The hill in the background is Wharmton Rise where the TV transmitter is. Also seen here.

Mossley, fields

Took a trip out on the bike this morning. Here is the view from Stockport Road looking over the Trans Pennine railway to the new houses built just off Manchester Road and Tame Street in Mossley.

I notice that in the field there are cows, sheep and horses. You don't normally see all these animals in the same field. Not sure why.