Frosty

A very heavy frost this morning, covering everything in white and freezing the bits of marina which had melted. It meant the boat was crunching in the ice again. But it was a lovely sunny day, so I thought I’d head uphill for my walk, because all the muddy fields would likely be frozen solid. So I turned left out of the marina and walked up the track past a couple of horses.

I followed the same route we did the other day, crossing a field and taking a track up to the Shrigley Road. The scenery was stunning; frost can often be as pretty as snow.

I took the lane past the National Trust holiday let. A couple of days ago I stayed on the track, but today took the footpath that goes higher up the hill. To get onto it, there’s not so much a stile as a set of ladders. There was also solid ice at the bottom of the steps on both sides.

The track in effect had a stream running down it, meaning there were icy and wet sections. But the views were great.

At the top of the hill was a gate where the track entered Lyme Park. Round the corner were distant views of what must be the edge of the Pennines.

I eventually got to a path which would take me downhill again. As I left Lyme Park, there was a sort of kissing gate, but rather than the usual metal structure, it’s built into a stone wall, which is curved.

This path was busy with walkers, runners, and cyclists. It took me all the way down to the bridge by Braidbar. I took the towpath back, but I veered off at the aqueduct to switch to Middlewood Way to ensure I had done all my 10,000 steps.

This afternoon I made a small orange cake, to use up a slightly elderly orange, and I’ve been reading a puppy training book. Adrian is due back before dinner time.