Marple

River Goyt, Brabyn's Park

A look at the weather forecast followed by a look at the day's scheduled train cancellations put today's plans on ice. The cancellations are down to a lack of train crew; now we've been told the pandemic's over and the public can dispense with even the most elementary precautions the poor devils are dropping like flies.

I was beset by fidgets over lunchtime so I went out to scope out a walk across Ludworth Moor that looked interesting. The intention was to get the train to Hazel Grove and get the 375 to Mellor to have a quick check of the terrain and make sure that what looked like a straightforward start really was. Unfortunately that train got cancelled too, so I got the train to Marple to pick it up there.

I had fifty minutes to wait for the next bus so I had a wander round Brabyn's Park to kill a bit of time. I've never had a proper look round here, usually just ten minutes or so between bus and train connections. I should pay it more respect: there's a couple of nice woodland walks around the edges of the open parkland and the Goyt happily burbles its way through from Marple Bridge.

Brabyn's Park

A moorhen fussing about on the lily pond by the entrance was joined by a heron. Given the lack of reaction any young moorhens were someplace else. As I walked up the path into the trees the chiffchaffs and blackbirds I could hear singing from the station were joined by song thrushes, blackcaps and robins. A handful of house martins swooped high over the parkland. As I crossed the Goyt to join the path to Compstall Road a grey wagtail was fly-catching by the riverside cottage.

Brabyn's Park

I hadn't intended going for a walk so was wearing my shoes, not boots, and my knees were reminding me that even though the boots are starting to fall apart they're much better at cushioning the impact of a steep inclined plane. I decided against walking back down for the Mellor bus. Walking down as far as the bottom of Glossop Road for the 394 to Glossop and picking up the train back to Manchester was an option but the bus was due in three minutes and it's a ten minute walk to the stop by the Windsor Castle. So I walked up Compstall Road to get the bus into Stockport.

Etherow Country Park

I had ten minutes' wait for the 384 from Compstall Village so I had half an hour's wander round the lake at Etherow Country Park to keep my knees honest. The rain had stopped but it was still pretty quiet of people, so most of the birds were relaxing by the paths except for the pigeons which descended en masse at the sight of anyone carrying a bag. There were a couple of pairs of mandarin ducks by the bank near the first bridge over the canal. The unpaired drakes that were about are starting to moult into their eclipse plumage, the long orange cheek feathers looking bedraggled and a couple having already lost the orange sails on their wings.

A mandarin duck on a stick

I hadn't missed anything by going for a walk: the lady at the bus stop told me the bus I'd missed hadn't turned up. I got the next 384 that arrived and got the bus home from Stockport. I'd had a bit of exercise, seen and heard more birds than intended and was still none the wiser about that walk over Ludworth Moor.