Category: Cheshire
On the power of price reductions and open doors
26th September 2010 Over the past two months, I have to admit that two spur of the moment purchases got made, and price reductions were partly to blame for them. Another cause was my playing with buying the sorts of items in question in the not so distant past anyway. On both occasions, I wasn't really on a shopping trip but it was the curiosity that drew me into the emporia in the first place anyway.
The first lapse took place in Chester when I popped into a Field and Trek store and spotted a Berghaus Twister Softshell jacket on sale with £30 off the normal retail price. Having realised the usefulness of a heavier softshell once upon a time when pondering outdoor gear, I came away with the thing and it has been exposed to some of the copious amounts of rain that have been visiting us over the last few months. That was enough to convince that it was capable of shedding more than a little light rain on an evening when there was plenty of the wet stuff about the place. Well, the material encourages beading much in the same way as any Gore-Tex or eVent hard shell jacket so that looks promising. There may be no hood but it's the way that I prefer them and a cap always addresses the omission. With a microfleece lining, it may be better able to deal with chilly days like yesterday than my Berghaus fleece too.
The next lapse of financial strength came upon me while browsing in the Cotswold Outdoor store in Aberdeen's Union Square shopping centre. My seeing a tastefully presented outdoors shop was enough to draw me inside it. Along the way, I spied Rab Pinnacle jackets on sale with a £50 reduction. What made me more vulnerable to the prospect was that I have thought about having a lightweight waterproof a while back and this is lighter than the Rab Latok that has given me plenty of good service since I got it nearly four years ago. It, too, uses eVent but remains untested as yet. Nevertheless, it's a good fit for me and opportunities for trying out its rain-proofing should come in due course.
After both of these lapses with my wallet, I think that I might to stay away from outdoor gear shops for a little while. Nevertheless, I was stood outside Jo Brown's in Buxton yesterday and, though I saw Paramo gear in the shop window display, my willpower held firm even though there were sale signs there too. Did having to walk through a closed door help? Maybe that's most of the chain stores leave theirs open.
Temptation can reign online too as I found when an email dropped into my inbox featuring a Terra Nova Laser Competition tent at a well-reduced price. Of course, having to get the thing delivered was sufficient to keep any cravings under control. As ever, there are more important things to be buying so building up outdoors gear wish lists is for me something that's best avoided even if it's so easy to do.
Well, it certainly isn’t all flat…
12th September 2010 A few weeks ago, I finally managed to turn into reality something that I had been considering for a while: cycling from Macclesfield to Chester. Being a journey of 35–40 miles in length, it shouldn't surprise you that I was well tired after it. However, I didn't have to use any of the opportunities that I had for letting a train take the strain until the journey that took me home again. In fact, the prospect of cycling to Knutsford and catching a train to Chester from there was a lure in the first place, though that clearly developed into something else...
Earlier in the year, I had gone part of the way in undertaking a cycle from Macclesfield to Northwich on a sunny day in March (I think!) with included an extra elbow to my route that allowed the use of NCN Route 573 from Congleton to Davenham though I did veer away from the itinerary from time to time, mainly around Goostrey. In truth, it was a tricky task to keep to a route while negotiating a rat's nest of country lanes, even if they also allowed for some relaxation so long as there wasn't a passing car. Many of these lanes were new to me too as I glided around by Swettenham, while a bit of extra time spent around Northwich ended up allowing me to sample its flashes and go around by Great Budworth among other places. All of this was to stand me in good stead for the full county crossing, though I didn't go around by Congleton and Astbury the second time around.
On paper, the journey from Macclesfield to Cheshire by bike should be around three or four hours. Whether it was because of the route that I took and my unfamiliarity with many of the roads that I travelled (route finding eats time too even if you're using the road network), it ended up taking two hours more than that, with the leg avoiding Northwich taking what felt like longer than intended. Now that I look back at the route that I took, I am inclined to think that I ended up adding some extra mileage, and that's especially when you get to compare it with the Cheshire Cycleway. Of course, taking a little time over things is not a bad thing, but you don't want to be cutting out opportunities for exploration when the travel time is too long in the first place.
Rather than boring you with every detail of the route in the narrative, I have added the full lists of roads travelled and places passed near the bottom of the piece, should you decide to trace it out on a map. Amazingly, every road in Cheshire seems to have a name, and that's more striking to someone like me who hails from a land where only urban roads are named. Returning to the subject of maps, I largely relied on OS Landranger ones for the ride, and they got me around after a fashion. As it happened, there were some moments of quandary that might have answered by my Philip's Cheshire Street Atlas had I brought it with me; that's particularly true of my search for Chester's train station or picking my way around the village of Norley. There's nothing quite like a rat's nest of country lanes and city streets for generating confusion, and it doesn't help when things aren't how you remembered them to be either.
The last thing that I had to do before setting off westwards was acquire a Landranger for the western part of Cheshire from the local branch of Waterstones. That need fulfilled, I set off under cloudy skies to get beyond Macclesfield. All was familiar at this stage, every up, down, twist and turn. So it remained until I left the A537 at Chelford to pursue what I thought to be a more direct line, though there were some deviations as I passed Peover Heath and Over Peover on the way to the A50. The sun came out from behind the clouds, too, and I really felt the strength of the sun. Nevertheless, the lanes were quiet, and I could take any undulations in my stride.
One over the A50, it was back to quieter roads again, and that especially was the case after Smithy Green and Lower Peover. It was from a quiet Plumley Moor Lane that I could gaze down on a bustling M6. Sun was in short supply at this stage and, given my feeling of its earlier strength, I wasn't too sorry. In fact, I was pleased to pass Plumley's train station after 90 minutes of cycling without having to go via Knutsford.
Northwich was ahead of me, but I was set to avoid that too. First, I needed to get across the ugly A556 to reach Linnards Lane and tranquillity again. Collections of houses like Higher Wincham and Higher Marston were passed as I commenced my circuit of Budworth Mere. It might have been nice to have had more sun at this stage, though Great Budworth was catching some. As far as I could remember, it was largely gone again by the time that I reached Comberbach, having met up with the route of the Cheshire Cycleway for the first time that way. Looking at its route again, I do wonder why I left it to stitch together my own course, but I suppose that seeing Anderton Boat Lift might have been a draw for me. It certainly has a nice public park about it, yet it did look incongruous to see folk queueing up for a boat ride with chemical workings beside them. Northwich remains industrial, thanks no doubt to the salt that is underground.
Gazing at industrial scenes is not my way of spending a day, so I continued my bumbling along country lanes. A misunderstanding landed me in Barnton, but that was resolved, and I got to sample the real peace of the lanes around Little Leigh before braving bigger roads to get to Weaverham and Acton Bridge. After those, it was onto more quiet lanes, and it was staring to feel that I was leaving hustle and bustle after me more and more as I continued west. Still, mileposts revealed that it wasn't so far away either, with places like Warrington and Runcorn all within cycling range. Frodsham wasn't far either, and the banks of the Mersey are near there too. It was if a slower mode of travel was shrinking a world that train travel had made to feel a little larger.
All along the way, the ups and downs were continuing. The heights may not have been too striking, but you cannot call the terrain flat. The reason for the Anderton Boat Lift has to be the height difference between the Weaver Navigation and the Trent and Mersey Canal. A steep sided dip near Little Leigh was sufficient to convince me of that. Well, it is difficult to forget gradients like those, and one in Weaverham left me wondering if my legs were starting to tire.
It was around Delamere Forest that the undulations really got going; the lane took on the aspect of an Irish bog road as it went through the woodland. There were ascents and descents before then too as I approached Norley, where the Cheshire Cycleway sorted a spot of navigational confusion for me. However, there is something about ups and downs in an unfamiliar area well frequented by folk and with a good number of cars about that seems to concentrate my mind all the more.
If the sun wasn't being obstructed by cloud cover, I might have appreciated the tree cover around Delamere. In fact, it would have been nice to have stopped for longer, but I was conscious of the time. One of the problems with just travelling through anywhere on a train, bus or car is that you lose all connection with what is there and what is around it. For example, I was surprised to see that Delamere was part of the Mersey Forest but Frodsham is of the order of five miles away, it is easier to see why. Amazingly, I hadn't pieced together several parts of Cheshire until I cycled through the midst of them.
One past Delamere, all was quieter again. Mouldsworth, the penultimate stop on the mid-Cheshire line for Chester-bound trains from Stockport and Manchester, didn't tempt me as a way of shortening the journey, having done enough cycling. It was as if I had travelled so far that I wanted to finish off the job. There was height to be lost too, and the gradients weren't languid either. However, things did level out, and I could relax since there scarcely was a car passing the way by then. It was early evening and I suppose that most had retired to their homes and the task of preparing for the working week.
Even the A56 wasn't so busy when I was passing Bridge Trafford and Mickle Trafford. The sun had made some progress with lighting up the countryside too, which added to the lazy atmosphere that was to pervade for me for the rest of the journey, though there was some anxiousness as I was finding my way around Chester. Strangely, it took until going under the M53 for there to be any admission that a city was nearby. It was as if places like Bridge Trafford, Mickle Trafford and Hoole Bank were all in denial about the proximity of Chester.
If I had arrived in Chester earlier, there may have been a chance for a little more photography after a previous visit there. That was not to be, and I had to deal with an unfamiliar approach and that I was cycling rather than walking. That meant a more circuitous route to the train station than I would have liked, and it would have helped if my recollections of the street layout weren't tricking me into believing that what I was seeing wasn't making that much sense. Having a tired mind as well as a tired body cannot have helped either. In the end, all of these were conquered, and I boarded a train for home. That it was a later than I had in mind was immaterial; after all, I had crossed Cheshire under my own power and ended up relaxing along the way too. While there may be refinements that I'd apply to the route, they're for another time.
Route Followed:
Macclesfield, Mill Street, Exchange Street, Churchill Way, Great King Street, Chester Road, Broken Cross, Henbury, Monk's Heath, Chelford, Peover Heath, Over Peover, Stocks Lane, A50 Holmes Chapel Road, B5081 Middlewich Road, Smithy Green, Lower Peover, Plumley Moor Road, Plumley, A556, Linnards Lane, Higher Wincham, Earles Lane, A559, Great Budworth, Budworth Lane, Comberbach, Warrington Road, Marbury Road, Marbury, New Road, Anderton, Hough Lane, Stoney Heyes Lane, A533, Little Leigh, Brakeley Lane, Church Road, Leigh Lane, Willow Green Lane, A49, B5142, Weaverham, B5153, Acton Bridge, Milton Rough, Onston Lane, Bag Lane, Norley, School Bank, Houghs Lane, High Street, Post Office Lane, School Lane, Ashton Road, Delamere Forest, Delamere Road, Station Road, Mouldsworth, Smithy Lane, Manley, Manley Lane, Morley Lane, A56, Bridge Trafford, Mickle Trafford, Dee Road, The Street, Hoole Bank, Mannings Lane South, Kingsway, Newton, Kingsway West, Brook Lane, Liverpool Road, Countess Road, Parkgate Road, Upper Northgate Street, Chester, Union Terrace, Leadworks Lane, City Road, Chester Train Station
Travel Arrangements:
Train journey back from Chester to Macclesfield, with changes in Crewe and Stockport.
Not so inactive
9th September 2010 One thing that I cannot contradict is that it has been quiet on here for a while. An inspiring summer and my starting a new job both have had their part to play in that state of affairs. Even so, that isn't to say that I have been failing to get out and about. One such escapade was my spending an afternoon cycling from Macclesfield to Chester while managing to avoid passing through towns like Knutsford and Northwich as I went.
The August bank holiday weekend saw me heading to Aberdeen after not having visited the city since I attended a conference there the week following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. With a mixed weather forecast, a spot of urban exploration inspired by thoughts of making better photos than I did all those years ago. That was to get me a wetting at times but I succeeded in satisfying my wish regardless. It wasn't an entirely urban weekend because I ventured out to Braemar for the very first time and I reached the top of Morrone/Morven, enjoy sunlit vistas when they came between the hefty showers; those died away to leave a bright and dry if cool evening that foretold the coming of autumn.
Last week's Indian Summer had me cycling to and from work with the return journeys plying lanes around Mobberley and Great Warford. In fact, I am left why I left those around the latter unexplored for as long as I have when they make for very relaxing cycling and are not so narrow either. Yesterday had me sampling them too and it might have been the same today if I had more confidence in the day staying dry. In hindsight, the cycling option might have been the better one given that the A34 was packed because the M6 was shut and no rain fell anyway.
Leaves are changing colour and the lighting of the countryside is becoming more pleasing for photography. Depending on the weather, that leaves further scope for outdoor outings. To make use of any opportunities that come, I need not to be tied up indoors though there are photos to be added to online gallery and possible blog postings to be written. This is not a bad time of year to be savouring when there can be so many delights on offer. Going into hibernation now would be a waste.
Hardly the kind of weather for sunbathing
18th August 2010 Cheshire has seen many a fast moving spotty rain shower pass over it today and the Met Office's online rain radar shows more of them in Ireland. In between those, there have been spells of alluring sunshine of the kind that makes wonderful photos. How is it that you need a session of rain for the sunlight to look better when it comes afterwards at this time of year? Well, good photos don't come without some cost.
That little mention of photographic endeavour brings me to an afternoon well spent in Chester last Saturday. What drew me away from home was the prospect of meeting with some sun without any dampness, something of a rarity in the last few weeks. There were other reasons too, such as the escape from what felt like a rut. The reason for choosing Chester was that I got to looking through the photos of the place that I have been sharing in the online gallery only to come to the conclusion that they didn't look the best. It was time to have another go and I came away with some pleasing results too when the clouds didn't get in the way of the lighting. Much of my urban stroll took me towards the less crowded parts of the city, like Grosvenor Park where a miniature train was conveying families around a small circuit. Trotting along the banks of the River Dee and along the old city wall took me towards the Old Dee Bridge from where I found my way towards the more crowded rows where many were out shopping. These may be uncertain economic times but you wouldn't have known that from the bustle and a headline in the local rag about the place being a boom town.
The passage of a large wad of cloud in front of the sun meant that any designs on digital capture of landmarks such as Chester Cathedral or Chester Castle (the old County Hall looks an elaborate affair) had to wait for another time. While awaiting the return of the sun, I ended up in a shop or two, though I wasn't really on a shopping outing. However, that didn't stop a visit to a branch of Field and Trek resulting in my coming away with a Berghaus Twister Softshell jacket having saved nearly £30 off the original price. My succumbing to the attractions of making a purchase might have been influenced by there being a sale in progress but I have toyed previously with the idea of acquiring a heavier duty counterpart to my North Face Apex Elixir (currently needing a spot of sewing to keep in the drawcord at the base of the jacket after the wrong thread came away) might have made me more vulnerable to this kind of thing, even though it was a thought that had slipped from my conscious memory. So far, it's got only a bit of a light wetting but I like the cut and fit. Exhaustive testing is not something that I do, but the new acquisition is working well thus far.
The trying out of the previous day's extravagance had to await its opportunity when Sunday came dry too though with milky skies, thanks to a passing anticyclone sticking for long enough to give us respite from all the damp greyness that has been outstaying its welcome over the last few weeks. It was enough for me to take to lanes and highways on my bicycle. Though I was to spend some time around Lindow Common, the main motivation was the investigation of potential commuting routes, but the level of traffic and the steepness of some inclines left me thinking the venture a work in progress. However, a chance perusal of a map afterwards at home revealed a possibility that went by Over Alderley, Hare Hill and Mottram St. Andrew. The promise of a sunny Monday had me taking a risk in the form of trying the route in the flesh and the experience convinced me of the need for tightening my back brakes, though nothing untoward happened; then, any inclines can be tackled with greater confidence and there are a few such as the dip around Over Alderley or the hill on which Mottram is situated. Nevertheless, I sampled a glorious morning and pass someone harvesting "haylage" on my return in the evening; some of it was blowing in the air too. Other amenable days may get me passing the way more often.
Even with all of this, I remain on hiatus from walking in hill country, though seeing how high the local reservoirs are now might be one draw. There's a bank holiday weekend at the end of the month too and thoughts of making something of it are just beginning to prod me into action. Autumn isn't far now and there's a certain coolness to be felt on some mornings as well. Maybe that's what's bringing more attractive lighting between those showers...
Stair Rods
31st July 2010 When I was coming home last night, rain started getting thrown down in torrents as can happen in Cheshire. It was almost as if a foretaste of Autumn was being put our way already. When you end up getting a wetting in that kind of deluge, you have to ask if reservoirs are filling up after the dry weather dominating May and June. Going for a look myself might be in order because I seem to have fallen into a rut of lessened activity exactly when the weather has fallen into a run of dampness.
In its own way, the cooler damper weather should encourage more activity and not the brace of lazy weekends that I have been having. Maybe, moving to a new job has broken my outdoors stride and I need to do a spot of restoration in order to break from the current flow. Lindow Common is not far from my new workplace so that may be a option for a spot of lunchtime exploration among trees even if the busy Wilmslow-Altrincham road may be making its presence felt. Then, there's cycling to and from work too when things are a little more settled and I did get out for a short run this afternoon.
Anything that breaks a sense of summertime slumber cannot be bad. It is tempting to blame to fatigue after a working week and unexciting weather but my outdoors mojo needs to be rekindled. There's a new month tomorrow so that might be a useful excuse. Light for outdoors photography is set to improve from now on for the remainder of the year so that may be what's need to get things going again. Then, there's a bank holiday weekend in England and Wales at the end of August that could have its uses. For those of you in Scotland and Éire, let's hope that something can be made of the one that you have this weekend. As for me, I'll be pondering the possibilities for the one that applies to me. It might be that what I see in the latest issues of Walking World Ireland (enticing articles on Scotland's Sandwood Bay and the Tour de Mont Blanc with a selection of shorter walks around West among all the usual features), Outdoor Photography and Photography Monthly might be the cause of something yet. After all, looking at forecasts for future weekends on Accuweather shows a hint of better things to come though all will become clearer as time wears onward.
