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| The leaking aqueduct |
Thanks to the rain, we enjoyed a down-day, one my system was
screaming out for although my husband apparently had no need to resort to. He
has much more stamina than I, despite his six years seniority, his recent bout
of mild gout and a tightness in his chest, however I suggest he was secretly
just as glad as I to have a quieter day, without the constraints of transport
schedules and opening and closing time of this and that.
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| Road bridge over the River Irwell |
On waking and even before, I heard the rain on the roof, not heavy
but incessant. I made up our lunch as per normal but put my Plan B to The
Chauffeur; that we use the morning to re-provision our diminished pantry, and
the afternoon, weather permitting to do laundry and to explore the Country Park
in which we are camped. And so the day passed, much to my own satisfaction.
By mid-afternoon the worst of the rain had cleared away and we
found a window of weather to dry our washing and to set out for a leisurely
wander about the park for an hour and a half.
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We wandered all about the mill ruins, then up over the aqueduct
which is part of the water race, now leaking and certainly doomed to collapse
if not repaired. We wandered up to the weir; where the water race, wide enough
to accommodate a narrow-boat, and so probably better called a canal, heads off
down into the mill area. The tracks were muddy underfoot, punctuated with
puddles which created adventurous highlights for puddle jumping gumboot-wearing
little girls. On our return, we dropped down to the river, murky from the rain
waters further upstream, and only reached the mill ruins again by scaling up a
steep muddy track by a bridge. Crossing the river again, we wandered about the
second mill site, the deep excavations now water filled ponds offering fishing
to licence holders. We spotted a squirrel and a number of unidentified birds,
and rabbits galore, most who live on the edge of our camping spot and venture
out in the evening to graze upon the fresh green grass. Who needs lawnmowers
when you have resident bunnies!
Our leisurely afternoon allowed for chatter with our neighbours,
dinner presented on time and hopefully a nice early bedtime.
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