Canal time

At the beginning of the week an old friend 'R' got back in touch. It's not like we had been out of touch for a long time, a couple of years in actual fact since last having a cuppa but time has certainly flown by so am glad we didn't leave it any longer!

We met through riding bicycles and so appropriately arranged a ride whilst still basking in this little spell of fine weather. We set off from chez'BB and pedalled the scenic route to Stalybridge. From there we joined the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and headed uphill to where else but Uppermill.

It was a trip to this waterway (then disused) whilst still in infant school that sparked my love of canals and I have schoolteacher Mrs.Fallon to thank for that. There are parts of said trip that I can still remember including Scout Tunnel, the southern portal of which we are stood outside in the blip for example which was sealed off back then in the early '80s.

Reaching Uppermill we took a table in the sunshine outside The Cake Kitchen (extra 1) The coffee was good, the cakes very Nom and they weren't shy with the portions either - definitely somewhere for a return visit.

The last stretch of canal on the return leg before reaching Stalybridge took us past a large electricity substation that was once the site of Hartshead (coal fired) power station. There is an electricity pylon straddling the cut here that the towpath takes us beneath that is a good spot for a photo (extra 2)

I know this my be some wishful thinking but I really hope this late heatwave lasts another week or so!