Mountain (well "hill") biking!

My mate Dan came over to see me the other day, was nice enough to help me fix my bike and then we went cycling around a bit of the Peak District. So much fun! Why have I not ridden a bike for so long when I love it so much???

(Even more exciting plunging out of Macc forest with with dodgy breaks!)

Here is an old pic I took from the top of the pointiest peak in the area - Shutlinglow.

...and they say Cheshire is flat!

Cats know how to live!

I think Harvey should be my role model of how to live for a little while now.

There's a hotline for everything nowadays!

One of Langley's reservoirs.

View from the Bow

Beautiful Bollington.

Five Go Bonkers in Bollington

Literally for some of us.

Macclesfield is Cool (and Hot!) off piste.

Many boaters concentrate on pubs right next to the waterway but its worth a bit of a walk. This is a great town with a Chicago Rock Café, several other nightclubs, loads of cool coffee bars (I’m spoiled for choice with my espresso addiction) decent beer everywhere.. If you like heavy rock there’s the Swan with 2 necks which concentrates on live metal and punk bands 3 nights a week or more. Nearby Bollington looks and feels as if it has grown out of the surrounding hills and has its own selection of nice pubs.

A special little pub right in the town centre which deserves a special mention is The Prince of Wales (The Porters to regulars). Their myspace site is here – spot the celebrity regulars! There's even a built-in fish tank in the gents!

No you won’t be pissed-off off-piste, even when you're...well you get the idea.

Marple

Bridge 1 and the end (beginning) of the Macclesfield canal, plus the old horse tunnel next to the locks.

Middlewood Way.

This former railway track and now linear walk/bike ride/horse riding route and nature trail is mega and never far away.

Higher Pointon

Am I in Greater Manchester yet or still in Cheshire? The canal widens here due to mining subsidence. It’s a beautiful area now but with dramatic views of the big city below.

I have seen the future and it’s murder...

Some more climate-change seeding going on overhead.

Exciting boat of the day…

In Bollington near the Clarence mill - The very unusual and sexily-named Nautilust! (I like the fallen 't' - perhaps it couldn't stand the excitement).

Bosley Locks

Gorgeous place to moor at the bottom. Ready to climb towards towards the Pennine foothills!

I nearly bought the Daily Mail.

But then I remembered that it’s a right-wing, hysterical, vile, self-appointed representative of the “moral majority”, fascist so-called “news” paper (not really my favourite).

Why did I nearly buy it? Well though I’m not a particular fan of Prince I thought he’s at least interesting enough to get a freebee double CD if it’s being given away. The Limelight in Crewe is sometimes free on a Sunday so I wandered in, bumped into some friends there and this Prince copy-band were on.

Footpath

There’s a nice walk into town from Congleton Mill if you know were to go…