Saturday 2 March 2013

The Oldham Way - Stage 2

I honestly didn't think Stage 2 could live up to Stage 1, but do you know what, it did! The weather helped - glorious sunshine, but cold. The early start also helped as the sun was low and the light was superb.

I set off from home and within 100m I was on the Huddersfield Canal heading towards Greenfield, then Uppermill. Rowena joined me for the first 3 miles and then turned around. She was having a problem with her foot, but I found out later than it improved on the way back and she went off in a different direction, exploring her own trails and having a great time of it too :)

My morning was just beginning. I carried on to Diggle and the end of the canal. It's the end because you're into the Pennines properly by the time you get to Diggle, and Standage Tunnel (not that you could have run through it) is closed these days...


Then a little jog around the corner and it's the Diggle Hotel, next to the small hamlet of Diglea - the start of Stage 2....4.7 miles for me to get to the start...


Stage 2 itself is just over 5 miles....











The rest of the photos (and be warned there are lots of them!) are in random order. I don't seem to be able to  upload them in the right order without doing it one by one!......but you get the idea... they give a flavour...


Running down here was fun!












Homemade flapjack courtesy of Rowena - Mike's other half has some competition!












Nobody is using this house, can I have it please?
















Funny looking chap!




























































I finished up in Denshaw where I then joined the Tame Valley Way where the river Tame is just beginning. It was cool to see it start off as a stream in the hills and follow it down the valley as it got bigger and bigger. Not an easy task. Navigating was far harder than navigating the Oldham Way, even though I was following a river! The Tame Valley Way eventually met up with the Huddersfield Canal and back home in exactly 19 miles overall.

I can't think of a better way to spend a morning!