Out adventuring in the sunshine.

Summer sostice! I think it was officially yesterday but today still feels like a good long day. I do appreciate these days that begin early and make the evening stretch out for ages! 

Today Phil and I went our separate ways - but only for the day, I hasten to add. He had arranged to go and see an old friend and play chess in the old friend’s garden. I had arranged to meet a different old friend and take her for a walk around Uppermill.

I was up and about before Phil was ready to go. Because of roadworks on the Delph - Dobcross road there are no buses to Uppermill. So I set off along the Donkey Line

 

through it’s tunnels

 

 

 

and onto the canal towpath at the Brownhill Visitor Centre.

 

I had decided to reduce my market visit to a minimum as I did not want to carry a load of stuff around with me. 

 

So I turned off the towpath abd  popped into the deli for olives and sundried tomatoes and picked up oaty biscuits from Jenny the cheese and biscuit lady. And that was that. 

 

Then I went along to the museum carpark to wait for Heidy. She had boasted that she would be there before me and would bring a book in case she had to wait. In the event her journey took her longer than planned. I snapped cherries on the tree by the carpark as I waited. Is harvest time approaching already?

I had watched optimists drive into the carpark and drive out again disappointed. So I was prepared to hop into Heidy’s car and direct her to some other parking place but when she arrived a place was miraculously available. 

First stop, find a loo - my mother always said you should have a preemptive pee before setting off on a hike. Public loos are in short supply these days but the Civic Centre has very clean loos. I can recommend them. 

This was on our route, as we were going up past the swimming baths and onto another bridle path that clearly used to be a railway line in the pre-Beeching era. 

 

From there we dropped back down, past some fine houses, to the Brownhill Visitor Centre - where the cafe was disappointingly closed - and had a sit down on the bench by the lock gate before following the canal back to Uppermill and beyond.

We finished off with coffee and cake in Uppermill centre. All good. 

Tomorrow looks like being another hot and sunny day. Maybe I’ll just let the little chap run around the garden instead of tackling the park. We shall see. 

Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!