The Rochdale Canal on a wet Thursday afternoon

Travelled up to Manchester today for a meeting with my counterpart from The Manchester College in this prison work. We had a very good meeting, agreeing some common ground and some approaches to the organisation and structure of content on the Learning Environment.

A good journey up from Bearsted at only a few £££ more than the cost of a return to London. Left on the 08.49 train, arriving in Manchester at 12.49, left Manchester at 19.55 back in Bearsted at 00.15. Enjoyed riding on the Metrolink trams out to the College campus too. Lots of building work going on in the city centre, especially around Manchester Victoria.

I could have caught the tram back to the station but decided to walk the return journey. I thought I was going to have to walk along the A62 into the city but using Apple Maps I found a way alongside the Rochdale Canal back into the city. I wasn't sure that I was doing the right thing as I'd read about the antics of the local youth as narrowboats passed along this stretch. Lobbing objects off bridges on to boats was one of the lesser crimes reported.

But I needn't have worried, I didn't see a soul along the towpath, perhaps the wet weather had kept them in. (Come to think of it, if this was the case they'd hardly be out). The route took you past some very old industrial sites, some still being used, some derelict open space, including this view of an old warehouse alongside a lock. It seemed that this building has been converted into housing of some sort as there were lots of clothes hanging up at some of the windows.

The route left the canal for a while and passed through New Islington on its way to Ancoats. Lots of development going on there including the Ardwick and Ancoats Dispensary which looked gutted inside and covered with scaffolding on the outside. It was interesting enough a building to look it up on Google later and it seems like at one time the Council were thinking of allowing it to be demolished. Now it appears there may be a new lease of life for the old building. Good thing too.