Short cruise and a walk

A decision was made to try the Chinese Chippy in Lymm for a takeaway lunch.  Jan can’t understand why English fish and chips aren’t the same high standard she remembers as a girl.  To date all our efforts at finding freshly cooked fish and chips have been disappointing.  Today was no exception with the fish and sausages already cooked and sitting under a heat lamp.  Son and I opted for chips on their own expecting them to be cooked in front of us.  But no, they had them warming in a drawer under the counter.  Yuk!

After lunch we departed from our mooring heading for the water point near Little Bollington.  It wasn’t very far but the trip was slow because of the long line of moored boats.

St Peter’s Church.  It was obscured by the vegetation last time we cruised this way.

The moorings at Hesford Marine

When we arrived at the water point we found three boats moored beyond.  They look like they have been here awhile which probably isn’t surprising given the proximity of the water point and the access road.  One of the boating locals at Stockton Heath referred to the water point as the No3 which had me puzzled.

So here we are moored on the 24 hour moorings just beyond the water point.  It’s the right time of year to get a mooring here!  There was time for a local walk and we examined the OSM to find a suitable circuit.

The first thing I discovered was the reason for the water point being referred to as the No3. The pub on the road adjacent to the water point is Ye Olde No3.

Our sinuses were cleared when we passed a farmer spraying one of his fields with a combination of silage and cattle effluent.  As we passed downwind the smell caught in the back of our throats and made our eyes water.  No wonder he was inside the tractor cab with the windows shut.

Someone’s project has come to an unexpected damp conclusion.  I guess it will now be abandoned.

The route took us under the canal via Dunham Woodhouses Underbridge and then up to the entrance of Dunham Massey Hall which is owned by the National Trust. 

The present building was constructed in 1616 but was subsequently extensively renovated and extended.  The property is the ancestral home of the Earl of Stamford and the 10th Earl donated it to the NT in 1976.  Apparently the main building was used as a military hospital during WW1.

The back view

The front.

I think this next building is part of the stables.

You would have realised the Hall has a moat

At the far end of the moat is the old millhouse which was constructed in the 1860’s and replaced an earlier mill. 

The millhouse straddles the end of the moat which is on the opposite side of the building.  The moat water level was the height of the first storey and water ran through the mill turning a wheel in the arched opening.

From here we walked back to Waiouru passing the Swan with Two Nicks.

If it had been a hot summer day I might have been tempted!