Clarke Chronicler's Resurrection

 This  was  my  choice, a rainy forecast consigning us to start walking the Peak Forest Canal. We  drove  to Radcliffe then boarded the Metrolink to get to Ashton. From the tram stop we walked down to Portland Basin where we had a good lunch in the Museum cafe. We  commenced our walk by going over and under the bridge at the junction of the Peak Forest and Ashton Canals. We  looked  back at Portland Basin. We  soon passed under the main line between Stalybridge and Manchester. We  passed this swing bridge on the way to Hyde. We  were  intrigued by  these unusual "tree  walls" We  were  soon  passing  through Hyde The  towpath switched  sides  at  this  bridge. These two were guarding  the  towpath at the edge of the Haughton Vale Nature Reserve Soon  after that, we passed by the  huge Unity Mill. We admired this moth artwork. We  decided to com...

 This  was  Simon's  choice. We  went to The  Fernhurst in Blackburn for lunch beforehand. I  had visited Salmesbury Hall in the late nineties when it seemed more like an antiques showroom than a museum so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Despite the signs for Reception, it wasn't clear where the main entrance was and there was certainly no one around to meet and greet. We  then came  across  a  dressed up tour guide and  her party and piggybacked on the tourfor a visit to a witchs room  which we probably weren't supposed to do.  We then found our  own way to the ghost room associated with the White Lady legend. We  completed our  look around the Hall on our  own.  I noted there is now an exhibit on the photographer and  conservationist Stanley Jeeves who  was  the  driving force behind  the  Hall's development as an attraction in the seventies which was good b...

 This  was  my  choice. We needed to film a model railway  and  unusually the one in Greenhead Park, Hudersfield operates on a Saturday rather than Sunday. The other components were a visit to the Wimpy Bar for lunch and the Tolson Museum afterwards. We drove to Todmorden where I met two old friends in the car park. We caught the train to Mirfield where we changed for Huddersfield. Once off the train, we headed for the park. We  walked through to the railway where  the  society has a share of  the  shop and cafe. We filmed  a  video which  you can see here. After that, we walked back through  the  park, checking  out  the  impressive  War  Memorial. We  passed  a  small lake.... ... and  another  that  had been drained. We  went  for  lunch  at  the  Wimpy then caught the  bus  to  the  Tolson Museum. The...

 Simon wasn't feeling  too well but, being the trooper he  is , thought he could manage this visit  to the  Pump House People's History Museum. We  got off  the train at Salford Central which is the nearest station The Pump House Museum is housed in a former hydraulic power station beside the river Irwell , hence the name. There  is  a  clock  machine at  the  start of the displays  where  you  can  punch  in  if  so  minded. As  you would  expect, there's  quite  a  bit  about  the Peterloo Massacre. These are  possibly some of the  weapons  used on  the  day. Here's  a  model of the event. This is  Thomas Paine's death mask. As  usual, Simon found somewhere to sit down I  liked  this  little  reminder of the eighties. After we'd finished at the Museum we  went to Wetherspoon's f...