Day 2 at Uplands

There has been a delay in posting this account of the second day of my recent visit to Starcross at her new mooring at Uplands Basin for reasons that will become apparent in a later post. But first a word of explanation concerning my previous posting: Lest anyone misunderstands, I do not set out deliberately to cheat the railways! I believe it is the passenger's responsibility to obtain a valid ticket - and I never travel without one. I also offer it up for inspection or collection whenever I'm asked. However, I also believe it is the railway's responsibility to protect its revenue and, given the extortionate level that fares have reached, I see no reason to acquire another valid ticket when I've already got one!

Catkins at Uplands Basin

Day two at Uplands was another lovely sunny one - and this time without the wind. There were definite signs of early Spring in the air!  Although it was almost perfect boating weather I didn't really have enough time to go anywhere useful so opted for a walk around the Country Park. The Anderton Lift visitor centre was still closed for the winter, but I found a path down to the River Weaver which gave me a view of the Lift that you don't seem to see published anywhere.

Anderton Lift from the River Weaver

Walks from our old mooring at Norbury could be difficult because, like many lowland areas, paths that appear on the map are untraceable on the ground. But around Anderton the recent development of a number of Country Parks and associated footpaths is running ahead of the Ordnance Survey's ability to keep up. My (recent) OS map showed only a number of unpromising "out-and-back" options, so I was pleased to discover that new paths - and indeed a new river bridge - made a five-mile circular walk possible, culminating in this view of the Northwich Chemical Works in all its magnificence.

Northwich Chemical Works

Oh!, and my train ticket wasn't checked yet again on the way home, although any revenue protection staff amongst you will be pleased to learn it's now time-expired!