WERNETH LOW MONUMENT

WERNETH LOW MONUMENT

Werneth Low is not a mountain. It is nevertheless the nearest and easiest accessible high place near to my home town of Stockport. Here, on a clear day, you can see the North Wales mountains, with Snowdon in the distance. Just visible with the naked eye, the bridge at Runcorn. Carrington Power Station cooling towers. The transmitter on top of Winter Hill. The hills above Bury and much of the Pennines. The nearby town of Glossop, and Hattersley, the home of boxer Ricky Hatton. In the middle distance is Manchester with the newly erected skyscraper, the Beeton Tower. Overhead, planes on approach to Manchester Airport. On the Cheshire plain, Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope.

The monument is a war memorial erected to the dead of World War 1, men who came from the surrounding area. There is much much more to see, and there are circular walks, and a nearby visitor centre. Sometimes in the sky you see birds of prey, such as kestrels, there are lapwings which sometimes nest on the hill. There are golfers playing on the golf course which straddles the hill, and it is a popular place for kite fliers, dog walkers, pony trekkers and hikers. A great place to get out for an hour or two, best in fine weather!

I like the composition of this picture, the distant monument providing a focal point and the gate in the foreground, balancing it out, with the path drawing your eye through the scene. Taken with one of my film cameras, the OM10 I think.