Fleetwood, Grasscroft, Peak District and Spilsby, England Week 102 - 107 March 18th - April 26th 2013
                       
And so back to England.

The array of hydraulic cylinders lowers the leaves of the ramp for the ferry.

 
We happened to be first off, waiting for the red light to change.
 
To a supermarket in Folkestone.

Begin building the food cache for the long journey home.

 
After a night at Kilsby (again) our first stop is Fleetwood.

At the north end of the Fylde Coast, not too far south of Heysham.

The Manx and Irish ferries used to leave from Fleetwood but now they sale past.

 
We met up with my little sister who flew from the Isle Of Man. Also cousin Pauline who I haven't seen for about 50 years.

Farewell until next time.

This peaceful sunny vista from the top of The Mount doesn't really show the howling gale and freezing temperature.

 
But we persevered.

And rewarded ourselves with fish and chips.

 
Younger people than us had fun with the elements.
 
And so to Grasscroft. At the foot of the Pennines.

Meeting cousin Magda who I also haven't seen for about 50 years.

We planned two nights and stayed seven. Lots of "do you remember?".

 
So what does one do when its snowing.

Set off on to the moors from Dovestone Reservoir.

 
A somewhat bleak place.
 
Ali and Simon (Magda's husband) admire the view of "top reservoir" (Chew Reservoir)..

 

 
There's a track there somewhere.
 
About as far as we walked before bowing to the inevitable and turning back.
 
Having walked up the valley we followed the edge back.

 

 
And admired the view into the valley. And the track opposite.
 
Still bleak.
 
And bleaker.
 
This area of the Pennines is Millstone Grit. The peaks are peat covered and boggy. Further north is the Limestone of the Yorkshire Dales. And to the south the Limestone of the Derbyshire Dales.

Below us is Doveton Reservoir.

 
And more importantly the Fish and Chips at the pub.
 
The Huddersfiled Narrow Canal.
 
Complete with Canada Geese.
 
Still cold.

Sam is rugged up in the pram.

 
Ducks and narrow boats.
 
A British Wool Tree Cosy!

Saddleworth Museum has the history of the area.

Farming through weaving and the industrial revolution.

 
And so over Saddleworth Moor.

More bleakness but a bit infamous for the Moors Murders.

 
We wuz here.

With Magda.

 
A day out at Holmefirth.

Not just any town. The home of "Last of the Summer Wine".

Further up the hill we had Fish and Chips at Compos. It was good.

 
The snow is slowly melting.

Not far from Stella's house (Magda's daughter).

 

Nearly Spring for the grey squirrel (and us).
 
Standedge tunnel.

The Huddersfield Narrow Canal passes under the moors.

Powered by feet - lie on back and push against the roof.

Part of Telford's engineering influence.

Parallel to the canal tunnel is a pair of railway tunnels.

 
The Diggle Flight.

The series of locks leading up to the tunnel.

Railway above it.

Seventeen locks on the length of the canal.

 
A walk towards Kinder Scout from Hayfield.

We could see the Kinder Downfall in the distance (see later for relevance ....).

A neat bit of hedge maintenance.

 
So we headed to Edale.

Beginning of the Pennine Way.

We took the old track up to the Nab then around the edge of the valley.

 
Millstone Grit.
 
The track has been paved since I was last here (about 1971).
 
Just a hint of the peat and bog.

There's a track across the top to Kinder Downfall but it looked a bit snowbound.

The cold wind was still quite strong.

 
So we carried on along the edge of the valley.
 
The view from Kinder Low.

Hayfield (where we were a couple of days ago) is down there somewhere. And Manchester in the distance.

We returned to the valley floor down Jacob's Ladder. Now the Pennine Way track from Edale.

 
Someone with a sense of humour ...

We are in the Peak District.

We also saw "Peak Waste" trucks. Perhaps someone wiser than us with a clearer crystal ball. Their aim was to recycle everything. My aim is to have no waste in the first place (packaging, bah humbug).

 
So towards Carsington Water, near Matlock.

We took the short cut and hoped nothing was coming the other way.

 
Waiting for visas we spent 18 days here. And walked about 45km in all.

Pakistan and Russian Visas were issued in Australia (thanks to Ian & Kay for putting all the paperwork together and general running around). To cut the long story short we now have our route home planned with certainty.

 
Carsington Water is England's newest reservoir. Completed in the last 30 years.

A sailing, fishing, birding haven on the edge of The Peak District.

These are crested grebes

 
And coots. Just like we last saw in Morocco.
 
We visited Matlock Bath and Matlock a couple of times to use the post office and the supermarket.
 
And had a few sunny days in a field with "guranteed genuine water views" largely to ourselves. Except at weekends.
 
The local bird club kept a bird table well stocked.

Looks like a robin to us.

 
We'll have to look this one up.
 
And these two.
 
Not as angry as it looks!

Interesting to see different beak shapes.

We'll look this one up too.

 
Variations on a theme.

All to be looked up.

Nice to hear the bird calls.

 
Above Carsington village is the remnants of lead mining. Many thousands of small holes over a large area.

The area has a long history of lead mining, stretching back about 3,500 years, continued through Roman times.

 
Brassington. Another old lead mining village.

There's currently a limestone quarry not far away.

 
Spring is definitely sprung.
 
So to Spilsby again to see Tim and Angela.

Pick up the mail (thanks Dave for the bucket and shoes)..

Clean the loo and replace the main seal and half ball valve. Well worn and leaking slightly after a cumulative more than three years of daily use.

Yuk.

And another oil change.

Plus another set of shock absorbers (thanks All Terrain Warriors) to replace the ones which leaked in Morocco.

 
And fit the wheel nut indicators which we promise we will remember to regularly inspect so as to avoid a repeat of the broken studs.
 
Spring is definitely sprung. Very rapidly after the recent snow and cold snap.

And time to leave England, beginning the journey back to Australia.

Very much mixed emotions as we leave friends, relatives, familiar places but looking forward to the journey and being "home".

Fitting that we leave from Tim & Angela's as without their help we would have struggled to go anywhere.

 
France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary Week 108  April 27th - May 2nd 2013
 
Gateway
CommentsHome

 
 
 
Sorry, comments closed.