Sunday January 26th
Goyt Valley and the Peak Forest Canal It looked as if the morning would be dry, but with the prospect of rain and wind by lunchtime. Therefore, we chose to do the Goyt Valley walk from 20 Circular walks in Greater Manchester. On the one hand this is a pensioners' favourite, a largely level walk with two short, gentle climbs, but on another, it is an interesting amble through the industrial heritage of the area. Starting at Marple Station, the walk climbs up to the tow path of the Peak Forest canal. The canal was built to allow the movement of limestone and later cloth from huge quarries in the Peak District hills to farmlands where lime was used to make farming the clayey soils easier. We walked to Bridge 19 where an unusual "corkscrew" bridge (which allowed the horses to change banks without being unhitched) was noteworthy. The route became quieter at this point and we crossed the so-called Roman Bridge over the River Goyt, a packhorse bridge, built some 400 years ago. J...