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.

Ashton-under-Lyne, chippy

Random photo.

Leaning on the wall outside a chippy, but which chippy?

Ashton-under-Lyne, Ashton Canal

Local artwork.

This on the M60 bridge as it crosses the Ashton Canal.

Tameside District Assemblies have a zero tolerance policy on graffiti. With the Probation Service they are removing it. Announced under: Zero tolerance to Graffiti.

They missed a bit.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Ashton Canal

Another happy fisherman down on Ashton Canal.

A Heron, probably.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Ashton Canal

Everybody happy fishing on the Ashton Canal.


Almost everybody.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Dukinfield Junction

Took a bike trip down the canal, here is the Portland Basin, the junction of three canals. Ashton Canal, Huddersfield Narrow Canal and the Peak Forest Canal. Martin could point out that actually the Huddersfield Canal starts a little bit further on, but I have poetic licence here :-)

I moved to Ashton late 2005, and I've still never been to the Portland Basin Museum. I intend to put that right soon. Probably.

More history here.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Cavendish Mill

At the side of the Ashton Canal is Cavendish Mill built in 1885. It's no longer a cotton mill, but now has been converted into a multi-resource centre containing apartments, small businesses and training suits.

Todmorden

The Bear Café, in the old Todmorden Industrial & Co-operative Society Limited.
I'm guessing slightly at the full title there, as the sign must have been smashed at some time and the last part of it has been tastefully replaced with blue painted hardboard.

Todmorden

Looking down Ridge Road.

Pub on the right is The White Hart. Should be open at this time, strangely, it isn’t.

Todmorden

Some fishy characters attached to this retaining wall at the side of the Rochdale Canal.

Todmorden

Rochdale Canal runs through the centre of Todmorden. This is the view looking from the canal bridge on Rochdale Road.

Todmorden

I cycled to Littleborough, but for the final part of the journey took the train up to Todmorden.
St. Marys Church set in the town centre.

More history here.

Oldham, Springhead

The Front House on Oldham Road, Springhead.

I'd like to show you the inside of this much nicer pub, but from the small picture, you can tell the photographic standards drop somewhat after a while.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Time Zone

The Time Zone. You can always see a collection of people smoking outside this pub. It seams to be open at all hours, I guess hence the name of the pub.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Cavendish Mill

Ashton Canal by Lower Wharf Street and Donkey Stone Wharf.
It seams to be a popular mooring place for the narrow boats that ply the canal.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Donkey Stone Wharf

Entrance to Donkey Stone Wharf.

The Blue plaque tells us the there used to be a mill here called Eli Whalley. They made Donkey Stones (soap sized stones use for scrubbing up doorsteps on old terraced houses).

It's just off Lower Wharf Street, here.

Ashton-under-Lyne, Donkey Stone Wharf

I wonder how many people in Ashton know about these birds flying down by the canal on Donkey Stone Wharf.

Ashton-under-Lyne, The Point

The Point @ St. Michael's.

On instructions of the joint administrators - For Sale - part complete apartment scheme.

What a shame. As I live in an apartment round the corner from The Point, I've been watching it develop from an abandoned building, don't know what it used to be, into new apartments. Well, it looks like it never quite made it. The recession no doubt. From the outside it looks almost finished, but I guess the inside is a different story.