Manchester City Walk

Directions

Two days before doing the Yorkshire Three Peaks Walk, I did a 12 mile hike around Manchester, because I needed to do a blister check on my new hiking boots. And because I am crazy.

I started in the city, at Piccadilly Station:
Manchester Piccadilly Station

Walked along the Ashton Canal, which is lined with decrepit cotton mills
Ashton Canal

But didn't stop for fish n' chips
Fish and chips

Continued through Philips Park, then rambled around the woods for a while. Saw some interesting grafitti:
Graffiti

According to the guidebook I was using, at the top of this ridge I was supposed to see some "impressive views". What I saw was power lines (aka pylons) and a factory:
"Impressive View"

An overgrown canal
Overgrown Canal

Park Bridge, a former iron works turned into a, well, park:
Park Bridge

A stile
Stile

It had rained a lot the week previous, so many times I felt like Elizabeth Bennett. My petticoats may not have been 6 inches deep in mud, but my pants certainly were.

Hartshead Pike, 247 meters above sea level:
Hartshead Pike
The structure was built in the Victorian era, but the site has been used as lookout since Roman times.

West from Hartshead Pike
East from Hartshead Pike
Mossley from above

Finally, I ended up here, at the Billy Goat pub in Mossley:
The Billy Goat

And a celebratory beer:
Beer

Comments

Unknown said…
Amazingly we did this self same walk last winter , arrivig at Hartshead Pike at 6.00pm , in the dark and rain.We continued to Mossley railway station for the return journey and stopping off at Stalybridge station buffet bar!
Robert
November 20, 2009 at 5:46 PM
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