Winter Cruising Mode

I know it’s not strictly winter till 21st December, but we getting into the swing of not going so far each day.
There’s some discussion over the actual days when the seasons change. The Autumn Equinox (equal length day and night) was 22nd September, and the Winter Solstice (shortest day) is 21 December. Spring begins on the Spring Equinox, March 20th, and summer starts on the Summer Solstice, June 21st.
This is the traditional way of measuring the changing seasons, although as far as the weather is concerned you can get anything, anytime!

We’ve not moved since Monday, spending the last two nights moored above Strines.

Meg and I have had some good walks down by the river while we’ve been here…

Roman Lakes, a popular Victorian boating lake.

And Roman Bridge, a 16thC packhorse bridge.
Neither of them have anything to do with the Romans….

It’s peaceful and wooded along the river now, but in the 19thC it was a busy area, Samuel Oldknow’s huge Bottoms or Mellor’s Mill producing cotton. At it’s busiest it had 500 people working here, in fact Oldknow’s demands on the local labour pool were so high, he had to bring in workers from as far afield as London. Driven by three water wheels, it stayed in production until a disastrous fire in 1892, nearly a hundred years.

Bottom’s Hall, also built by Oldknow and one of the few remaining buildings from this period.
The mill’s apprentices were housed here.

Octagonal house below the railway viaduct 
Meg has to have a paddle!

There’s cooler weather moving in from the north for the weekend, and there was a hint of it this morning. Not as mild as it has been, and a bit of a breeze was stripping the dead leaves from the trees.

Leaving our mooring near Strines
Three miles and three lift or swing bridges on the agenda for today, to take us to just the other side of New Mills.

Mags takes Seyella through Turf Lea Lift Bridge

Fine views across the valley

Even a splash of sunshine Stawberry Hill!


Leaves are falling rapidly, now. If the forecasted colder weather materialises there’ll not be many left in a week or so.

Leaves in the water tend to clog the propeller, especially in shallower, confined sections like bridge holes. A quick “chuck back” (burst of reverse) usually gets shut of them, though.

 
Matlow’s, the Swizzels sweet factory, was smelling fragrant as we passed. Must be cooking up a batch of something today.

New Mills, Matlow’s in the background

Moored just beyond New Mills. Meg wants to get a ball….

There are some fine walks in the valley here with which we’ll reacquaint ourselves tomorrow.

Locks 0, miles 3