Good, it’s surprising (or not) how many people (and DPD drivers) try to drive that way. I guess it peters out around the stables. Which makes me wonder about equestrians, knowing the effort gone to with flexipave centre strips etc elsewhere around here…

Oh it’s Strines! That’s quite a change from the narrow tarmac wheel strips. I seem to remember not long ago it was all pretty bumpy. How far up does it go?

The Hope Valley Mini Switzerland project announced today that it has financial backing from the DfT/East Midlands CCA
Read our post here...
@wrirosscities.bsky.social @walkwheelcyclet.bsky.social @highpeakgreens.bsky.social @paultattam.bsky.social

chinleybuxworthtg.co.uk/blogs/govern...

Start of Handforth Wilmslow cycle path

Where it crosses to bi directional

Bi directional cycle lane

Crossing Styal Road.

I cycled phase 1 of the Wilmslow Handforth cycle path, its alright. Better than the share paths in the area. I read people have seen school children use it, that is good to hear.

Looks really surprisingly good for Cheshire East!

Last chance. Closing today.

(If you miss it, possible you can still email transport2050@tfgm.com)

As a distraction from events in Manchester, those who cycle, use trains and live or travel in the North might want to participate in this short survey:
surveys.northernrailway.co.uk/jfe/form/SV_...
There's a free form question at the end for being creative.

Peak District councils take note.

Please fill in this consultation to make a pretty dreadful roundabout in Buxton a bit more favourable to active travel!

Yes and good to know, thanks James, I assume it was only closed for the aqueduct portion of the works. The CRT page now says closure above extended until 13th Feb, I guess for towpath as well as canal. Haven’t actually been up to check progress myself.

Thanks, I wasn’t. Read about it a while ago and couldn’t quite envisage actually building such a thing! Obviously long term hope for little/no impact like existing gas and oil lines but the construction would be very visible and disruptive, and carbon heavy itself.

Let’s oppose spending £1bn on major roads destroying our green breathing space and encouraging everyone to drive everywhere for a start then.

Saw Toy Story on the front row of the circle! And sometime before that a live Sooty show. Looks even more of a gem than I remember.

Visual guide to responding to Greater Manchester Transport Delivery Plan consultation.

Just follow this link: www.gmconsult.org/transport/tr...

Select ‘Delivery Plan’, scroll to Map 3.

Write that you strongly oppose endorsing the A6-M60 link road and A6 High Lane and Disley bypass (and other new roads for that matter).

Give reasons and suggestions for better solutions if you like.

Hello 2026, time to get to work on changing this before the March deadline? Two minutes of your time for a personal objection. Could really use some wider publicity, please do anything you can!

Air pollution causing 1,100 cases a year of main form of lung cancer in UK Exclusive: Health experts and cancer charities say findings should serve as wake-up call to ministers

Note that a now seemingly annual mega noisy tractor parade is happening today looping through High Lane, Marple, Strines, New Mills, Hayfield, Disley. Organised for the great cause that is The Christie cancer care. Embrace it or go elsewhere!

And here is an unrelated article.

First of nine new river walks in England announced for north-west Mersey Valley Way takes in Manchester and Stockport on its 13-mile route with other walks to be identified in 2026

It’s not every day that a path near my home makes a major political announcement and national news… but the “Mersey Valley Way” has that honour this Boxing Day. /1

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Instead he’s about to sleepwalk into endorsing £1bn of green belt road building across Stockport and towards the Peak District!

Google AI summary: A Disley High Lane bypass, though aimed at reducing local congestion and pollution, would likely have significant negative habitat impacts, primarily through habitat loss (Green Belt, countryside), habitat fragmentation (splitting ecosystems), increased noise and light pollution disrupting wildlife, and potential negative effects on local biodiversity, air quality, and green spaces within the rural landscape surrounding High Lane and Disley, conflicting with efforts to protect the area's natural character. Sources: Stockport Council

For once AI does it better!

Snap!

They should’ve styled it “sHaRe WiTh cArE”.

Printed tea towels for Macclesfield, Prestbury, Abersoch, Altrincham, Alderley Edge…

Tea towels for all the Cheshire towns at the Treacle Market today.

I was mostly bothered by the awkward rail yellow on the front meeting Bee Network yellow on the sides. Hope the final livery is sharper!

Though based on the buses, they might not be in any hurry putting it on old stock?

A steep, narrow, muddy slope on a right of way with fallen and twisting tree branches across its path. Bicycle handlebars show the narrow width and difficulty of access as a diversion route.

A farm gate locked in place across a right of way by a large concrete block, the gap being so narrow it is effectively a new stile. The gate was previously (until a few years ago) locked at 90 degrees to the farm building in the background. (Rights of Way officer has not progressed complaint, to my knowledge)

Unfortunately if pushing a bike you’ll still need to deal with getting it up/down this mess on the Stockport side.

And if leaving/rejoining the towpath at Turf Lea lift bridge, two locked farm
gates with inappropriate gaps. (One in my view unlawful as it is quite newly created without permission.)

Location of a former stile on canal bridge 23 beside a field gate. The stile is removed and new stone to make good the surface. A bicycle is propped where it would’ve had to be lifted over.

Fresh stone on what was a very muddy and slippy narrow slope on the right of way.

A boggy section of a wooded footpath with wooden boards installed to presumably be infilled and made level to provide a route over the wet section.

A fast flowing stream from the woods to the canal now controlled by wooden boards and routed through drainage pipes under the path.

Big praise then for Disley Footpaths Society with assistance from the Parish Council for springing to action to improve part of the diversion off their own back!

Broken stile removed, new stone on the mud, stream drainage completely fixed and new raised path in progress! My grateful thanks sent. 👏

Swing bridge at Disley with existing sign board; it would be easy to attach a poster “canal closed x km ahead here” but CRT don’t seem to understand.

New information board at closure site after suggesting it would be helpful to inform users what is actually going on. No reopening dates or clearer map of diversion route is included. From this point on Disley side towpath users have to backtrack a long way unless they swim across canal.

Close-up zoom of construction site. Until recently reopening had been scheduled for 18th December. No publicity or update to signage has been undertaken to inform users of changing situation.

Looking down towards construction site from Turf Lea Farm; diggers and temporary haul road across field in rural valley.

My issues with this remain:

• Still no warning notices at all further back along the canal (despite requests)
• No online publicity from CRT or councils (despite requests)
• No measures to assist safety of vulnerable users now shifted to roads (despite representations to Stockport council & cllrs)

⚠️ Canal & River Trust have confirmed to me that the Peak Forest Canal towpath between Marple and Disley will now remain closed right through to 30th January 2025.

Wholly understandable, the work is vital, but it remains a huge inconvenience to those of us who rely on the path as a transport route.

Thanks that’s a good (bad) stat. Painfully aware, both seem quite linked and one (housing sprawl/new roads) will undoubtedly lead to the other. All feeling a lot to counter right now.

Some more into today to dig into here: www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/stoc...

A6M60 now priced at £750m!

Thanks, must’ve been when they realised more work needed doing. I was happy yesterday at least to see work has been done on the Cheshire part of the towpath diversion, fixing the drainage, new stone on the mud and removing the stile! Stockport side still poor.

Oh you can’t even walk under the aqueduct? Don’t think I’ve even seen that closure listed. Towpath was still very closed today and looking rather unlikely to reopen at end of week.

Heard the canal towpath at Strines Aqueduct may be open?

But the CRT stoppage page also states due to towpath side walls being in far worse state work will now continue to 30th January (half expected would happen 🙁): canalrivertrust.org.uk/notices/0196...

Anyone been along lately?