Higher Poynton

Evidence of the £250 shopping expedition on Monday

One of the milestones on the Maccie - gave me a shock at first as they look like gravestones!

The former station platforms at Poynton

After I posted on Tuesday we went for a walk – headed back down the towpath to near Bridge 16 and then followed the path over to Middlewood Way. It is a 10 mile path that runs on a former railway bed that serviced coal mines in this area. It was a lovely walk and I was pleased I wore my boots as bits of the access to it were muddy, and also because I avoided the plight David had over getting small stones in his shoes and having to empty them out while keeping more from getting on the unshod foot … The path is well used – cyclists, walkers, dog walkers, horses – the latter two left signs even a blind detective could follow! At the time we were there it looked as though people use it to commute by cycle. The path goes from Macclesfield up to Middlewood and was opened as a path by David Bellamy in 1985 if I remember rightly from the plaque at the old Poynton Station platform. A picnic area has been constructed between the two platforms there and access paths lead down/up to/from the road. We used another path heading back in the direction of the canal – I got David to check on the ipad that we were on a path and not someone’s driveway! We came out at Bridge 14 north of the CRT Long Term moorings on the onside and Victoria Pit moorings on the offside. It looked idyllic there in the late afternoon sun.

Back at the boat, I showered and we had a drink onboard (chardonnay, pear cider, no prizes for correctly assigning ownership), and then we walked down into the village to The Boar’s Head – wonderful home cooked food: I had braised steak and onions in a red wine gravy and David had steak and kidney pie. No room for desserts although the choices were tempting. When we got back I had a call from our dear friend Lesley (the woman who was such a mean boss when I worked [slaved] for her at the Home Office back in 2006). I stood chatting to her (lecturing more like… she needed a good talking to!**) while I was overlooking the playing fields beside the moorings. Apparently they used to be at the level of the canal, but have subsided with all the mine workings below. When I was told this yesterday at The Trading Post (nice man who sorted out our pumpout hassles) I said I hoped that kids wouldn’t fall through if they jumped up and down in one spot. He wasn’t so sure that would be a bad thing for some of them who come into his shop.

** Lesley has had the cheek to talk to a potential conservatory builder without my being present. It is a cheek because it was my sister Dee and I who first suggested a conservatory to Lesley, we drew up the design and planned the garden. And now she is talking about getting a boring square conservatory built! You can tell she worked at the Home Office – all her imagination has been pummelled out of her. Seriously tho, the planning permission rules here are quite different from in NZ. At home, any structure that alters the footprint of the house has to have a permit. Here people can add a conservatory of up to a certain size and made of certain materials without planning permission. Hence the plethora of samey samey conservatories all over the place. Lesley has been given strict instructions to work out what she wants it to look like, what doors, windows, roofing she wants, (to be signed off by me) and then apply for planning permission if that’s what’s required. None of this restricting herself. She HAS been told!

Today (ie Wednesday as this was written then) we are moving up to Marple and will moor up to meet our 2 sets of friends coming to stay. Barry and Pauline are arriving by car,  Mel and Pete by train. We are looking forward very much to seeing them all. Both couples are yachties so will be able to steer the boat and give me a break. More than that though, we are always happy having friends on board. YAY!!! I have even worked out where the luggage can go (B&P are coming up from London and always travel light, but M&P are visiting us on a European trip so will have more than a backpack each).

Higher Poynton - CRT long term moorings on left, Victoria Pit moorings on right.