June was a very busy month for us. The beginning of June brought a visit from my daughter-in-law's mother, and though she didn't stay with us, we were busy helping to take her around Manchester. A few days after her arrival, we were off to drive down to Oxted again as we both had medical appointments and I had a Board Meeting to attend. This trip gave us the opportunity to fill the car with things I thought I could do without like spare bedding and clothes. We had taken several car loads of belongings up to Manchester when we arrived, and I was anxious not to have to make too many trips back when we left. As soon as we drove back to Manchester on June 12th, we had to make a serious attempt to pack up as we were due to vacate the flat on the 29th.
Consequently, there was very little time for visits. However, we did manage a quick visit to Reddish Vale Country Park, where we had a walk of several miles.
Reddish Vale, which straddles the border between Lancashire and Cheshire, was not originally designed as a country park, it more or less evolved. This seems to have been because the steep sides and boggy floor of the valley meant it was not heavily used for agriculture, manufacture or quarrying, though each of these activities has left some marks on the landscape. During the 19th century, the area was already a much loved place for a day out, and was apparently noted as a source of rare and interesting wild flowers.
It became a managed space in the early 1980s and paths were improved and vegetation managed. The whole area has now become very important for conservation, and is especially noted for water birds. There are five ponds as well as boggy areas, so habitat is provided for many species. We walked right round the five ponds, though for some reason I don't seem to have taken any photos of the many waterbirds.
Next, we the set off for the woods, first crossing the wide flat open valley. The railway line crosses the valley here on a viaduct which is quite monumental. The tiny people at the picnic table on the far right might give you an idea of the size.
This part of the park, being so flat, is not so interesting, (none of the wild flowers seemed to be in bloom) but we soon approached the river Tame, which is very pretty.
The river meanders slowly through this flat area, but as we climbed into the woods we could hear the increase in its flow through the trees beyond the path. On this part of the walk, there were woods on both sides, though occasionally there was a more open view on our left and we could see a housing estate in the distance at one time. It was very quiet, with not a soul in sight.
To our right the trees seemed impenetrable and the valley sloped down to the river. Apart from initial steep climb, the path seemed level but eventually we became aware that the river was well below us. We could hear the weir before we saw it, and Paul went down to look at it, but by that time my back was hurting and I sat on a convenient seat while he went to look at it. It's always a complete mystery to me why Paul can never take a photograph worth looking at. I found a good photo on the web, but I'm afraid it's rather small, and loses focus if you try to enlarge it.
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