Finally Seeing Hooverphonic with Geike

A few shots from a fantastic evening with Hooverphonic yesterday.

This was the third time I'd seen Hooverphonic over the years, but the first time with Geike (I rather foolishly missed the opportunity to see the band with her many years ago).

Last night, it was an absolute treat, as the band started off with the whole of The Magnificent Tree album, with the title tune and Out of Sight really sticking out for me.

 

After The Magnificent Tree, it likewise remained one great track after another (Eden, You Love Me to Death, Anger Never Dies, The Night Before etc.).

 

With Geike singing the songs from all the Hooverphonic eras beautifully, of course. 

Ashworth Valley: A Big Surprise

Upon entering the wonderful Ashworth Valley:

 I was greeted by a big surprise:

Yeah, someone had built a kind of wooden hut.

From all angles, the wooden hut looked great:

I showed these pictures to a friend in Kent, who, quite rightly, stressed that somebody has put a lot of hard graft into the hut:

Inside the hut, there was no wooden floor, just thick mud, but wooden sleeping places were attached to the sides of the building.

All in all, seeing this wonderful hut was well worth my brief venture into Ashworth Valley.

From Carr Wood to Ashworth Valley

Upon reaching the waterfall at the top of Carr Wood, instead of going straight ahead to Norden, I turned left hoping to cross into Ashworth Valley somewhere.

 

Not long up the road, I passed a small, still used church hall:

 

 

Not long after, I found myself turning left again, and this time passing a small group of sheep:

Then a pack of silage bags:

 And a farmstead:

 Which all kind of led me into Ashworth Valley:

It was great to be away from Bury town centre, which, rightly or wrongly, is often viewed as a sh%thole.

Through Simpson Clough and Carr Wood

Now on the Heywood side of Rochdale Old Road, I found myself turning left past Simpson Clough Mill and looking at the stream running through Ashworth Valley:

But Ashworth Valley would have to wait till later as I made my way through the caravan park and into Carr Wood:

 Know this path well, one of my favourite short walks anywhere:

It was great passing a small retaining wall I built years ago (middle left-hand side of the picture):

 And then I was fully in Carr Wood, the fast-moving brook taking centre stage:

Hats off to whoever built the green bridge:

Passing a waterfall making its way into the brook:

 Coming out of Carr Wood at the top end, rewarded with the waterfall:

Amidst old industrial ruins:

 Never tire of going back to see Carr Wood, the place is magic.

From Elbut Lane to Rochdale Old Road

Near the new red-brick dwelling-places on Elbut Lane, instead of walking straight down to Rochdale Old Road, I took a country lane:

 Underneath a an overhead pipe:

 Past a farm:

 And a house on a corner:

And hey presto, shortly after, I was on Rochdale Old Road, much further up than if I'd walked straight down Elbut Lane.

Passing a Tree House up Birtle

From the Secret Garden, making my way further up the old stone path:

 Past the remaining steps of Mount Tabor Methodist church (which can be easily missed):

Past a rural house:

And onto Elbut Lane, I came across a kind of Tree House:

 Getting lower down Elbut Lane near the new residential area:

Where the old dye works used to be.

Birtle Secret Garden

Following the rugged path round from Birtle Quarry,

 

 I soon came upon the Secret Garden:

 

Getting into the place through the back entrance path:

 For a few reasons, this place has some meaning for me.

 First discovered the place as a teenager when I moved to the Fairfield area of Bury in the late 1970s.

After a few minutes reminiscing in the Secret Garden, it was time to leave and continue my hike into the autumnal countryside.