Pickmere Radio Telescope

 Saturday 25 March 6.3miles

Tracey and Jane

The forcast was for rain but fortunately we just had a couple of quick showers and lots of sunshine!

We parked at The Smoker, crossed the road and went up towards Smoker Hill Cottage and joined a track heading towards the radio telescope.

We walked past the Pickmere Radio Telescope, standing proud, and a bit incongruous in farmland close to the busy A556. There is a link with Jodrell Bank, Pickmere’s telescope is one of seven in the nationwide MERLIN (Multi-Element Radio-Linked Interferometer Network) array of radio telescopes, for which Jodrell Bank is the hub. We continued past Providence Farm and onto Milley Lane.

As we came to Frog Lane there was a house for sale and when I looked it up it was for sale £600K.

At a junction, with a large pond to we turned left, going along Park Lane. After a short while, turned right into Mere Lane, walking down to Jacob’s Way, where a right turn brought us down to the lake.  

Pickmere looked pretty in the sunshine. There were people in the lake swimming when we arrived, they did have wet suits on. We walked around the lake it was a bit muddy in places. Tracey dropped her neck scarf and we decided to go back to look for it, fortunately a man who had recently passed us was returning with it so we didn't have to go very far. 

The lake had waves lapping at the edges as we returned to the beginning but there was still a guy with a sailboard ready to go out on the lake, I suppose the breeze was good for him.

We walked back up Mere Lane and joined Park Lane following the road, passing the Red Lion to join Spinks Lane

We were getting near to the walk and we hadn't had our lunch, so we sat by the edge of a field before we headed down the road. We emerged onto Linnards Lane, going left. We crossed Smoker Brook and came up to the A556.There we went left and returned to The Smoker.

Plumley Garden Centre - tea + bakewell, coffee + coffee and walnut cake.