Macedonia 3

 We hired a car for a few days, and drove up to the mountains between Ohrid lake (shared with Albania) and Prespa lake (shared with Albania and Greece). Lovely to walk up high with butterfly rich meadows for company.

 

Macedonia 2

 

Monday we walked high up above the lake, had a coffee and a cake in a restaurant then took this mountain path contouring along the mountain. Beautiful.

Macedonia 1

 Just back from our holiday in Ohrid Macedonia. I wanted to share the joys of the country with Danielle so we went together. As the flight left Manchester and 6.15 we went the day before and stayed at the Radisson hotel in the airport, which is a bit of a treat and cheap at the weekend. 

The flight was great, with views of the Alps and the Adriatic before the sweep over Albania to Ohrid. The weather was perfect, around 30° a warm dry heat at 770 metres above sea level. Sitting by the lake as the evening closed in was a good start to the holiday.

Stroll 74 iv

 I also passed near Brindle, on top of a hill to the west of the canal. This is where my maternal grandfather was the vicar for a while, and where my mother and auntie lived when they were children.

This is the nearest the canal gets to Brindle. It was a hot afternoon, some of the cattle were looking for shade, some were just enjoying the sun.

Stroll 74 iii

 

This is where the Walton Summit canal branched off from the Leeds Liverpool canal to connect with the Preston tramway that joined up with the Lancaster canal in Preston (the names get confusing). That canal went north to Lancaster and, ultimately, Kendal. When were kids in Preston my father would show us the old tram bridge over the Ribble. This was out of bounds, as were nearly all the old industrial rail lines even if they were abandoned. Now it is much improved, like a lot of things. 

Stroll 74 ii

A ruined factory beside the canal, well and truly on its way to being reintegrated into the natural world.

 

Stroll 74 Blackburn to Chorley

 

I moved further into Lancashire on the Leeds Liverpool canal. Good to see plenty of Red Roses around. A lovely stretch contours around to head south towards Wigan. I got off at Chorley, then got a train back via Preston. Met the usual assortment of wonderful people. Life is a bit of a privilege sometimes.