Leaves in Stamford Park

Today's view of the world of Ashton under Lyne shows autumn leaves in Stamford Park, on the border between Ashton and Stalybridge.
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Is it really Autumn? The leaves have certainly been falling but then the temperature rises again and plants continue to grow. We have seen some of the warmest October days on record this year. It must be confusing for the animals and plants!

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"Leaves in Stamford Park" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Late Leaves

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Today's My World photo shows, a little belatedly, a leafy Autumn scene in Ashton.

The view is looking down Holden Street, in the Hurst Brook area of the town, towards Canterbury Street. On the right is the Kingsfield Residential Care Centre. To the left, out of shot, is the Hurst Laundry, occupying the former Water Street Hat Works, which was seen in a photo last year.

I should have shown the photo a few weeks ago - there is not much left of the leaves now and we have had the first very thin coating of snow in the last day or so. It seemed a shame not to make use of the photo, though,and the colours look very warming as I sit and shiver on this wintry evening!

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"Late Leaves" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Carpet of Leaves

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Today's photo shows the carpet of leaves that surrounded this bench in King George's Park in Ashton. You can almost hear the crunch of the crisp leaves would make if you walked through them!

The park is more accurately called King George V Playing Field, but it is a park in the normal sense of the word in an urban setting, with children's play area, bowling greens and an all-weather sports court as well as football pitches and areas of grass and trees.

It is a pity that the seat is deserted but I haven't got the nerve to creep up and take a picture of someone sitting on a bench!

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"Carpet of Leaves" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.

Sunday Stroll: Winterford Woods

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Suddenly Autumn is upon us with a vengeance, and the winds have removed many of the browning leaves from the trees over the last week or so.

You don't have to go far to find colourful autumn scenes, and this delightful stroll was through Winterford Woods, between Micklehurst and Woodend in Mossley. The path runs down from the former Micklehurst Loop railway line to Winterford Lock on the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. The water of the canal can be seen through the trees on the right, at the foot of a steep slope.

The name Winterford comes from the old track that crossed the valley long before the canal and turnpike road were built, which found a suitable place to ford the river, even in the winter when other crossings were too boggy. The route of the old track crosses the canal next to the lock and can still be followed up across Manchester Road, although there is a convenient bridge for getting across the river these days!

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Sunday Stroll: Stamford Park

You don't have to go far to enjoy a pleasant stroll. Stamford Park is a favourite for many people. It is sandwiched between the houses of Ashton and Stalybridge but provides a tranquil oasis where you can slow down from the world outside!

This leafy path runs up the east side of the park, alongside Astley Road, leading towards the play park.

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Sunday Stroll: Boodle Woods

The ground throughout Boodle Woods, in Daisy Nook Country Park, is a carpet of golden leaves at this time of year. This is the footpath that leads from the former canal tunnel towards the site of Riversvale Hall. The River Medlock can be seen on the left, at the bottom of a steep slope.

A little further along this path was the location of this wintry scene that appeared in February.

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Autumn Leaves

Another photo showing the Autumn colours to be found in or around Ashton at this time of year.

You don't even need to go into King George's Playing Fields or Stamford Park to see a good display of Autumn Leaves, for there are many places in Ashton where you can enjoy the colourful display.

Today's scene is on the small triangular area of grass and trees surrounded by the three busy highways of Mossley Road, Penny Meadow and Crickett's Lane, sometimes called the Cats' Park. There are a lot more leaves in today's photo than in last year's photo of the same location.

"Autumn Leaves" is my contribution to this week's "My World" feature. Please check out the other blogs participating in this week's My World.


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Mossley on Monday: River Tame

This is the view looking upstream along the River Tame, north-eastwards from Waggon Road Bridge, Bottoms, in Mossley. To the left, an old mill has been converted into apartments. Ahead, the former Croft Mill has been replaced by modern houses. In the background are the Pennine moors rising above the trees in their Autumn colours.

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Stamford Park in Autumn

Stamford Park is an enjoyable place for a stroll or a quiet sit down at any time of the year, but in the Autumn there is the added pleasure of the rich colours of the leaves on the trees and on the ground.

Stamford Park was originally the grounds of mill owner's home Highfield House. It lies on the boundary of Ashton and Stalybridge and became a park for the two towns in 1873.

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King George Playing Fields in Autumn

King George V Playing Fields in Ashton not only has playing fields but is also a park. This tree-lined walk leading from the Alexander Road entrance makes a splendid sight at this time of year as the leaves fall to the ground.

I should have brought you this photo last week, shortly after it was taken, but this is one of the photos that I had to rescue from my old computer after it blew up!

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Sky Watch: Autumn Cloudscape

Beneath a swirling cloudscape, the trees of the Tame Valley in Mossley turn to browns and golds. The colours are always wonderful in Autumn (Fall) and I shall be posting a lot more Autumnal images here in the next couple of weeks.

On top of the steep hill in the centre of the photo, you can just make out the earthworks of Buckton Castle, seen from a different angle in last week's Sky Watch. Mossley is only 4 miles from the middle of Ashton, but quite different in character.

Sky Watch is the regular Friday feature on this photo blog. It will link with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Sky Watch: Carrbrook

For today's Sky Watch image, we take a short trip to Carrbrook, nestling below the steep Pennine hillside on the border of Stalybridge and Mossley.

The photo is looking up Carr Rise from outside Buckton Vale Institute. On the hilltop to the left can be seen the outline of the earthworks of the 12th-century Buckton Castle. To the right of that is the scar that shows the location of Buckton Quarry.

Autumn has arrived and the trees to the right have started to shed their leaves.

Although the sun is shining, the sky over the hill tells a story as the blue sky starts to be edged out by the looming grey clouds that were to bring rain a little later.

See Birds Eye View of this location.

Sky Watch is the regular Friday feature on this photo blog. It will link with websites all over the world with the general theme each week of looking upwards. Please take the opportunity to visit some of these other sites. I hope some new visitors have found their way here today, watching the skies!

Autumn Colours at Daisy Nook

Looking a little like a Constable painting, this autumn scene shows the Hollinwood Canal in Daisy Nook, between Ashton and Failsworth.

This was Waterhouses Junction, where the Fairbottom Branch led off towards Bardsley. To the left the canal leads to Crime Lake. To the right was a flight of four locks which took the canal down to the lower level to cross the aqueduct.

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St Peter's Church

St Peter's Church stands in the angle between Manchester Road and Stockport Road and its tower is seen prominently straight ahead when looking westwards down Stamford Street.

St Peter's was opened in 1824, built for the Church Commissioners (along with many others elsewhere) in response to the spread of non-conformist churches. It has a gothic-style tower 128 feet high and inside it has gallery seating around three. sides

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Autumn Leaves

Autumn seems have have arrived all of a sudden in Ashton.

This was the autumnal scene this week in the small gardens at the top of Crickets Land and Penny Meadow (known to some as The Cats Park). It only seems like five minutes ago that I was showing you the spring daffodils here!

See Google Aerial View of this location. Just to the north can be seen the new Heys school and a little further north-east the houses built on the site of the old Heys or Mossley Road school.