Important Info

Planned kilometres: 32 (cummulative 684)

Kilometres walked: 32 (cummulative 722)

% Completed (based on 1800km trip): 40.1%

Weather: Fog in morning and then Sunshine

Pubs visited: Jolly Sailor, George & Dragon

Pints: 2 (cummulative 84)

Kms per pint: 8.6

Blisters: 0 (cummulative 3)

 

Talke Pits to Macclesfield

Day started with fog as I left Talke Pits, but forecast was for sunshine. I crossed into Cheshire again today (previously was on the train). I have forgot about counties I have walked through as this is the first sign I have seen since I crossed from Cornwall to Devon, as the all the other times I have crossed a county border, I been on minor pathways or canals.

 

The counties/shires I have been through (or think I have) are:

• Cornwall
• Devon
• Somerset
• Bristol
• Gloucestershire
• Worcestershire
• West Midlands
• Staffordshire
• Cheshire (walking & on the train)
• Merseyside (on the train)

 

My walk today is on the Macclesfield Canal which will be most of my walking route for the next two days as I will be walking the canal almost from end to end. The Macclesfield Canal was opened in 1831 and was one of the last canals built in Britain.

 

On the way down the canal I came across Ramsdell Hall on the opposite bank and thought that’s wouldn’t be a bad house to live in. The canal also changed from hedge rows to nice iron railings. Further along the railing was a sign advising that the canal was supposed to run behind Ramsdell Hall, however the route was shortened to cross in front of the hall. To compensate for this, decorative wrought iron railing was installed to ensure the owners of the Hall had an unobstructed view of surrounding countryside.

When I’m walking along the canals I say morning/hello to every dog walker, canal boat going past and everyone else you see on the canal. As per normal I walked past a boat and said morning to the lady sitting on the boat and when I was about 50 feet past the boat I hear someone calling out ‘Andrew, Andrew’ only to find it was Andy who I meet a week earlier.

 

Andy said he was in the boat getting changed and Bev said that someone just walked past the boat with a big pack on. Andy said he thought that must be me and came out onto deck half-dressed to call out to me. He thought I would be further past where they were but my side trip to Liverpool meant we got to catch-up again on the side of the canal. which was great. Below is a picture of Andy and Bev on their boat Autumn Wine.

I also crossed my first flight of locks today. The Bosley flight of locks are twelve locks that change the canal height by 113 feet (34 metres) within one mile. One of the boats I talked to said it take almost 2 hours to get through the 12 locks but that depends on traffic and if the locks are in the right position (empty if going up, full if going down) when you get to them. He said if there is lots of traffic or slow boats, it can take double the time. This is the time on the canal when walkers have the advantage.

The canal also had some strange bridges which had circular pathways which was the first time I had seen them on the canal. I found out there were 6 of these ‘changeover’ of ‘turnover’ type bridges where the tow path crosses from one side to the other and they were built to enable horses towing the boats to cross without unhitching.

At the end of the day I made it into Macclesfield in good time and with slightly sunburnt face and arms. I can’t believe that I am getting a tan in England, but that’s what happens when you get out of the office.