Dunham Woodhouse Friday 20 April 2018

It was such a lovely evening yesterday that we got the BBQ out, it was the first time this year that the outside temperature was higher than inside hitting 28° C according to my Maplin weather station.

After dinner when it had cooled down we went for a walk along the tow path under the canal at Bollington Underbridge, round the outside of the grounds of Dunham Massey house and back under the canal again at Dunham Woodhouse Underbridge. The Dunham Woodhouse is quite a new underbridge built in concrete but it leaks like a sieve. This is quite a busy road and to protect the structure from being hit by lorries etc. there is a large wooden beam suspended in front of each entrance and wooded fendering along the wall on the none pavement side.

  Even walking under the underbridge the road  sounds very hollow and water appears to be coming up through the expansion joint as well leaking down the sides.
As Dunham Massey House is closed on a Thursday and Friday, considering we had a bit of time in hand we decided that today we would go as far as Sale and then come back so that we can visit the house tomorrow morning and skip Manchester City.

We pushed off a little after ten this morning with a fleece on, but that only last until about 11 am and from then on the weather warmed up, not as hot as yesterday but very pleasant.
Passing the old Linotype works the new housing development is coming on leaps and bounds.

The old main building is still boarded up and the gable ends of other buildings supported by scaffolding, it will be interesting to see what they do with them.

The chimney is also still standing and the building with the clock tower is surrounded with a working scaffold, so I assume its being converted into flats and nestling between the old buildings are the blocks of brand new flats.

A quick stop was made at Halfords for some battery grease but I couldn't find any so I will get it online.

Passing the Sale Boat Club it looks as if they are holding an Indian event with an improvised Totem Pole and some wigwams.We winded just beyond the Watch House boat club to make our way back to Dunham Massey, we didn't meet a boat during the whole trip. Just after we had passed Dunham Town Bridge I spotted an obelisk in the small wood on our right, something we would investigate later. We had to continue past a mooring of last night, cross the aqueduct and Bollington Underbridge to wind, needless to say this is when the first boat appeared so we waited until he had passed before winding and returning to the same rings we were on last night. We had not been here long when more boats started to appear, there are now 6 of us moored in this bit.

Once moored we went to investigate the obelisk and then walk into Dunham Massey, we did consider stopping for a drink but as it was just a chain pub didn't bother, we did pass the old village school which is now part of the village hall. There is a plaque above the old school door saying it was erected in 1789 at the bequest of Thomas Walton.

Today's Journey 14 Miles in 4 hours