My flying snail.

'Spent most of the month cruising up the Trent and Mersey canal through Burton on Trent, Great Haywood, Wedgewood, Stone. Stoke on Trent to Kidsgrove where we changed to the Macclesfield canal. All the way up the Macclesfield to the Peak Forest canal, which is particularly lovely as it is a contour canal and mostly overlooks a valley on one side or the other. Most of the time it feels as if you are on an aqueduct surveying the distant views from a high vantage point.
We left Whaley Bridge shortly before the reservoir collapsed and headed for the Marple flight and it's opening after a two year closure due to collapsing lock walls and leaks.

Went down the Marple flight the day after it was opened, having been closed for nearly two years to fix a badly leaking lock or two.

Stalybridge is the most untidy and unkempt town I have come across. There was litter everywhere and everywhere looked worn out and tired, quite run down. I did send an email to some of the local councillors with copies to the local newspaper about my feelings about the town and why I would not be shopping here or coming back. The local reporter did get back to me but no-one else did.

Took a train to Hyde for the day

© Chris Giles 2022
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