Hashing around Hale, Tuesday 21st February 2017

The Cheshire Hash House Harriers (A drinking club with a running problem) always run on Tuesday evenings at 7.45pm. Except sometimes, Their website is a mine of information and is worth checking out. I’ve run with other hashes (they can be found all over the world) buth the Cheshire Hash are, in my humble opinion, the finest.

I used to run with CH3 fairly regularly – until my Tuesday evenings got so busy that something had to go….and that was the Hash. Things have quietened off of late and now that my Tuesdays are less busy it was time to get down to some evening running.

Around 15 runners and one doggy gathered in Hale, a fairly upmarket (posh) suburb of Manchester. After a quick speech from Andy, the trail-layer, the throng set off, much to the amusement of Hale’s gentlefolk.

The first mile or so was inevitably on tarmac, even so, every opportunity to run on footpaths was exploited to the full. Eventually we hit the path on the banks of the River Bollin. I’ve used this path in the past and I know that it gets horribly muddily slippy after not a lot of rain. We’d had not a lot of rain and therefore the path was very muddy in parts – I’m surprised that everyone managed to stay upright.

The trail led us alongside, and sometime across, parts of Hale Golf Course. We were on a public footpath but the golf club members would have had a fit if they’d spotted us charging across there precious fairway.

Slipping and sliding our wobbly way, we passed under the M56 and hit even squelchier ground. My nice clean trail running shoes were no longer nice and clean. We were still running alongside the River Bollin.

Skirting the edge of Sunbank Wood, we gradually turned to head back towards Hale, leaving the River Bollin. More bits of tarmac took us over the M56 and then over another section of Hale Golf course, narrowly avoiding The Priory, the private hospital for those with lots of money. Or private medical cover. Whatever, charging back over the golf course would have upset the gold club members, big time. Oh well.

It was nearly all tarmac back to base now. There was the odd treacherously muddy path but nothing too challenging. Not for the Cheshire Hash anyway.

It was a good run, just what I needed – lots of fun and in very good company. There were some new faces, inevitable considering how long it’s been since my last Hash, but there were lots of old faces too

No photographs I’m afraid, I just didn’t have the time. No beer either – I had to charge off as soon as we’d completed the run. This Tuesday evening ended up getting busy again!

Where we went (anticlockwise):

6.45 miles with not a lot of up – maybe 350ft.

Thanks to Andy for planning and setting a really excellent trail, and the CH3 membership for making me feel very welcome….like I’d not even been away!

Trotting around Saddleworth, Saturday 18th Feb 2017

18 runners (well some of them were runners) gathered at the Cross Keys in Uppermill on a pleasantly mild afternoon in order to drink lots of JW Lees go for a run around some of the hilly bits of the area.

Only 17 runners actually set off on the trail, Merciless deciding to go home when he realised he’d be better off putting his feet up in front of the telly.

I set off with Whitworth and Bell, always good company, and after a good 10 minutes of faffing about trying to locate the route we finally set off in a muddy direction, sort of northerly.

Running parallel to Running Hill Gate (a misnomer if ever there was one) through Running Hill Head and then by Big Rough (about right) our trail led us to Diggle. The ground wasn’t too bad, being only a bit incredibly muddy, but there you go. My tastefully coloured brand-new pair of La Sportiva Raptors (yellow & black) will never be the same again.

We tried to run but the ground wasn’t too good here-abouts.

No idea, it just seems to be an odd place for a statue (about a mile E of Diggle)

In the middle of nowhere…situated almost directly above the Standedge Tunnel

Built in 1859, this building may have had something to do with the reservoirs, Brun Clough Res is just to the east.

The route became moderately runnable, the mud wasn’t as squelchy as on our last little outing 2 weeks previously – although there were some quite bad bits. Hon Pres Park came into view, he’d set off 10 minutes after us and was making good time.

Whitworth & Bell keeping their distance from Park

The running on Standedge was good. We were afforded excellent views over Delph, Oldham and Shaw. The breeze was quite chilly on the tops, it was good to keep moving. The edge was popular with walkers, we met a goodly number – all going the other way.

Park stopped to chat to a sweet young thing at the trig point, obviously attracted to the pack of egg sandwiches she was trying to hide from him. Foiled by her determination not to share her lunch, we continued on our way – still heading north, and still not always too sure that we were on our route. Nowt new there then.

Millstone Edge, Standedge

Marsden Moor, Castleshaw Reservoirs in the distance

Park burning off the opposition

Still keeping to the high edges, and still enjoying good ground, were began changing direction – bearing over to the west. We kept Park in view for quite some time but he was determined to avoid our company (wise man that he is) – at least we didn’t have to worry about going wrong as long as we could see him….assuming that he was on the right trail.

Castleshaw Reservoirs

No photos, but the faster runners were now coming into view. It would be a while before the caught us but spotting them spurred us on. But only a bit.

Oldham Council Waterworks stuff at Castleshaw

According to the O.S., Castleshaw is the site of a Roman Fort. Interestingly, when I lived in Newhey, a few miles to the west, locals often referred to a local footpath as being a Roman Road.

We were now heading south, downhill too, on Moor Lane. This was (is!) a very good track although the trail we were following wasn’t always that obvious, the trail-layers were probably yakking and had forgotten to put sufficient sawdust down for us to follow. Oh well.

The trail-layers were Taylor & Wells, Wells being a stand-in for Old Markham who needed to stay at home to deal with ill-health in his family.

Daisy

Faster runners now caught us up. Wilson and Burston being the first. They stopped to chat, we stopped to chat….and then the Fast Pack caught up with us. And still we chatted. Well, it had been two weeks since we last saw them, there was a lot of catching up to do.

Downhill and more downhill, eventually reaching the Huddersfield Narrow Canal and Standedge Tunnel. The running now was very easy….having said that, Bell took a tumble at one point. Being the finely honed athlete that he is he was soon back on his feet.

Standedge Tunnel is over 3 miles long, running from Diggle to Marsden – the site of the tea stop on the Point-to-Point route from Newhey to Holme a couple of years ago. The tunnel was dug over 200 years ago which means it’s even older than Taylor and Wells’s ages combined. Just.

A bit of muddy up and downery needed to be traversed before we got back to the Cross Keys….and because we weren’t, er,  the fastest runners, the bath water was a bit gritty. I needed a shower when I got home.

Riley relaxing. That’s what he said he was doing anyway.

Chillin’ after the run…and waiting for dinner.

We were relegated to the barn, not only for changing and bathing, but for dining too. We were served meat & potato pie, or more accurately patato and a bit of meat pie and chips. Apple crumble & custard finished the job. It would have been nice to have our meals served on real plates and to be allowed to use real knives & forks. Perhaps they don’t think we’re ready to eat like the grown-ups yet. Plastic utensils and polystyrene chippy-type plates aren’t brill.

Whatever, it was cheap, and the food was warming and plentiful. The JW Lees MPA was on fine form.

Around 9.4 miles with 1450’ of ascent. 

It would have been less than 9.4 miles, but some silly sod laid a nice clump of sawdust right by the way we normally leave the venue. We wasted a good bit of time trying to find the right way.

This was a really excellent route, hard enough but without being stupid = very enjoyable. We missed the company of Old Markham of course, he probably had more than a little influence on the route choice – being as wot he lives in the area. Thanks to Whitworth & Bell for their very entertaining company, Taylor & Wells for laying a damned good trail (even if we couldn’t always find it!)…..and John Willie Lees for his Manchester Pale Ale.

The Pitmen Poets, Monday 13th February 2017

I went to see The Pitmen Poets last night, they were performing at Crewe’s Lyceum Theatre….this was AFTER the Curry Walk of course.

This was a tremendously powerful and evocative performance at a beautiful venue. There's still chance to see them: Melksham, London, Bury Met, Bathgate, Hexham, and the Sage Gateshead between now and 19th February.

https://youtu.be/NJmF2uXKBbc

The concert is a mix, mainly songs but plenty of stories and some poetry. It's entertaining - quite funny at times, interspersed with the tales of hardship and tragedy.

Some of the material is traditional, some self-penned (Jez Lowe being the master!), other material is gleaned from the writing of Tommy Armstrong and others.

https://youtu.be/_3spqmde7Gw

It's all really excellent. It's a must-see show if you're remotely interested in the history (and exploitation) of coal miners and coal mining, especially in the North East.
Even if the subject matter doesn't interest you I'm sure you'll enjoy the high standard of performance of Bob Fox, Billy Mitchell, Jez Lowe and Benny Graham...... although southerners may struggle with some of the dialect stuff!

Images nicked from the Pitmen Poets website….I’m sure the guys won’t mind!

A Curry Walk…..sans curry, Monday 13th Feb 2017

Blame Ursula, it was her idea….nowt to do with me, I just wanted to go for a walk.

At 10.15am we gathered at Timperley Met station, the Plan being to march into Manchester in order to enjoy a good lunch in fine company. The Plan worked well, helped along the way by beautiful weather.

The route was one of our standards, head north along the Duke’s Cut into the heart of Manchester.

I couldn’t resist this one, moored in Timperley

L>R: Andy, Ursula (it was her fault), Rob, Pam, Martin, and Long Suffering Rick

Martin had a prior engagement but he was able to stay with us up until Stretford before returning to Timperley. We’ll arrange another walk soon so that he (and Sue) can once again endure enjoy the full thing.

 

A swan. I know these things.

At Waters Meeting canal junction, Trafford Park.

This junction affords connection to the Rochdale, Trent & Mersey, Leeds & Liverpool, and Manchester Ship canals.

 Looking towards Manchester from Waters Meeting

Manchester from Throstles Nest Bridge

Pomona

Redeveloping Manchester

Manchester YHA

Lockkeepers Cottage

Old & new, the Beetham Tower in the background

Home for someone

Manchester has more than it’s fair share of homeless, this was just one of the shelters we spotted on today’s walk.

We walked a shade under 9 flat and easy miles. Lunch was taken in Katsouris on Deansgate – they don’t serve curry but the food is very good and is good value.

I hope Ursula enjoyed it, everyone else certainly did.