Thursday promised heavy showers at our peak district cottages but they never materialised and it turned into quite a pleasant day.  I had already arranged to go to Macclesfield with a friend.  In a recent survey Macclesfield had been placed in 8th position of high streets with a good mix of shops and few empty shops.  One of the reasons I like going to Macclesfield is because of the TJ Hughes store, but of course they have gone into administration so it was a bit of a farewell shopping trip.  We also visited one of the home stores where I was able to pick up some general cottage items.  One of the other highlights of Macclesfield is the deli, the Cheshire Gap, where we have lunch and I always buy a number of savoury and sweet items to bring home. The other highlight is negotiating the A537, one of Britain’s most dangerous roads, at least on Thursday the conditions were good.  When I looked up some information on the A537 on the internet I found there are some Youtube videos of the drive, one is from Macclesfield to Buxton from a car, the other is from the Cat and Fiddle to Macclesfield from a bike so if you want to see what all the fuss is about have a look at them!