Upper Reaches of the Etherow Valley

The Northern side of Werneth Low looks out over the Manchester conurbation.

This is the other, quieter side that looks over the Etherow Valley across towards Stirrup, Ernocroft Wood and Compstall.

Hightailing it on Werneth Low

Last week a friend, who regularly walks her dog on Werneth Low, took me up to Windy Harbour on the Eastern edge of the Low.

It was cold and icy but sunny. I took quite a number of photographs in an area that is normally a bit too far off the beaten track for me to get to. I'll be showing you some of them, off and on, over the next few weeks.

You can see the whole dog on Ackworth born, gone West.

A New View Revealed

As can be seen on Hyde DP Xtra, JCBs are busy clearing the remains of what was once Hyde Mill 1906-2009.

I zoomed in on the machines and took a closer view. It wasn't until I downloaded the photograph that I discovered a view of a landmark previously hidden behind the mill.

Demolition has opened up a new vista all the way to Hartshead Pike.

For more views of the sky around the globe, visit SkyWatch Friday.

Junction Street

Remember my post of the entrance to Hyde North Station?

This is the other end of Junction Street as it joins the A627 main road. The right fork leads to Victoria Road, Dukinfield. The left fork leads to Dukinfield Road, Hyde.

Behind the tree-lined triangle is the Village Hotel.

February Fields

These fields are on the boundary of Gee Cross, Tameside and Woodley, Stockport.

In the background is the Western slope of Werneth Low leading to Back o' th' Hill.

I'm not sure if that is hard frost or light snow up top.

For more F posts visit ABC Wednesday.

B's Cafe

The latest occupant of these premises on the corner of Clarendon Place is B's Cafe. It hadn't actually opened I took this photograph last Saturday.

The premises have been a cafe before but the business lasted less than a year. It has also been used as a general hardware store but that didn't last long either.

Exit to Clark Way

This is the exit on to Clark Way from the Eastbound carriegeway of the M67 motorway.

I showed you the view in the opposite direction looking down the slip road on 26th September 2009.

Back in October 2006 I showed you an overview of the junction taken from the Western footbridge from the bus station. On that photograph you can see the Eastern footbridge which leads to the point from where this and the September 2009 photographs were taken.

The houses in the background are on what is left of the Northern section of John Street.

Shadow Shot Sunday:New Beech Street

New Beech Street is the road leading from the Bus Station past the Astoria Bingo Hall and the Bike 'n' Hound towards Clarendon Place.

For more shadow shots visit Hey Harriet.

New Bins for Smokers

Now that smokers have been driven out of the pubs and into the streets, these new bins have appeared recently in the Market Place.

This one has been attached to a bollard. There is even one on the side of the old tram shelter which appeared in my recent post Market Place.

Smokers can be fined £50 (or is it £80 now?) for dropping fag ends on the pavement. Will the presence of these bins result in cleaner streets? We shall see.

For a wider view of the location of this bin, see Hyde DP Xtra.

Toray Mill Demolition

Yesterday I showed you the sofa in the canal.

In the background, further up the Peak Forest Canal, is the Toray Mill undergoing demolition. Debris is floating on the ice.

Compare it with photos I took last year and posted on Hyde DP Xtra.

Sofa in Canal

Some four weeks ago I showed you the Iced Canal Bend.

This was taken the same day from the Nursery Road Bridge. Some idiots (others might call them by different names) have pushed an old sofa into the canal. It has come to rest by the ice which covers the surface of the Peak Forest Canal.

Entrance to Hyde North Station

The entrance to Hyde North station on Junction Street.

On the left is the tunnel leading to Johnsonbrook Road.

On the right is the road up to the station. There is a closer view of the sign by Tom Wigley on Hyde DP Xtra.

For more E posts visit ABC Wednesday.

Bottom of Knott Lane

Following yesterday's photograph looking up Knott Lane, this is the view from the same point looking in the opposite direction.

At the bottom is Grocer Jack's, a typical local convenience store part of which used to be Cheetham Fold Post Office.

Looking up Knott Lane

This is the opposite view to one I showed you last summmer, looking down Knott Lane from Dowson Road.

Halfway up on the left is the Apethorn pub.

Beyond Dowson Road at the top of Knott Lane (click the photo to enlarge it) you should be able to see the spire of Hyde Chapel.

Ethel Austin

The Ethel Austin shop on Market Street is having a massive stock clearance sale.

The discount clothing store founded in 1934 operates 276 stores around the UK. It was put into adminstration two years ago before being bought by Elaine McPherson who vowed to restore the 76-year-old business to its former glory by revamping stores and clothing ranges.

Her plans have not come to fruition and the company is once more in adminstration.

Ice under Dowson Road

Looking under Dowson Road bridge and along the Trans Pennine Trail towards Knott Fold bridge.

A closer view of the reflections in the ice can be seen on sithenah

Market Place

Hyde Market Place early on a January Saturday morning.

On the left is the Post Office. On the right is the Santander bank (ex Bradford & Bingley branch).

The ironwork shelter over the bench in the centre was originally a tram shelter.

Long before it was pedestrianised, Market Place was on the main A57 road from Lincoln and Sheffield to Manchester and Liverpool.

Bricklayers Transformed

Anyone remember how the old Bricklayers Arms looked three years ago?

At the end of last year it was looking a bit different.

Well now, if you didn't know, you wouldn't think this large house was once licensed premises.

A brief hiatus

My computer crashed yesterday and it will probably be the middle of next week before I get it back.

I don't have any scheduled posts ready so won't be updating or posting new photographs until my own computer is back up and running again.

Guess I'll have to read a few books and watch TV for a while.

Hope to back before too long.

Ice on the Canal

Another photo taken the same day as my earlier ones of the Peak Forest Canal.

This is taken from the other side of Manchester Road having walked under the bridge.

Take a look at the view coming out in February 2008; then it looked murky with floating vegetation, but now it is frozen and desolate.

On the left is the Aldi supermarket.

Looking Down Johnsonbrook Road

Johnsonbrook Road runs along the boundary between Hyde and Dukinfield from near the former Dukinfield Arms past a green space and down to a tunnel near Hyde North Station.

Take a look UP Johnsonbrook Road on Hyde DP Xtra.

Seeing Double

As I reported last July in Signs of the Time both the Abbey and the Bradford & Bingley are now part of the Santander banking group which is currently about to rebrand its UK branches which also include the Alliance & Leicester.


So now we have two branches of the same bank just a cockstride from each other on the Market Place.

Winter at Knott Fold

Regular visitors may remember being shown this notice for horse riders back in July when it was overgrown by nettles.

By October the nettles had been cut back as I showed you on Hyde DP Xtra.

This is how it looked yesterday afternoon when the bridle path was still icy.

Big Tree 2007

The original "Big Tree", which stood at the corner of Lilly Street and Stockport Road by the Diamond Row reservoir, traditionally marked the boundary between Hyde and Gee Cross.

The reservoir was covered and the nearby Diamond Row cottages were demolished, to create an open space.

In 1983 a new "big tree" was planted as a memorial to sacrifices made in Northern Ireland and the Falklands.

This photograph was taken in 2007; compare it with Janet Howie's photograph taken in September 1983 on Old Hyde.

The CDPB theme for today is Wood. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.