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When? Started: 1993 Who? Started with staff and friends from U H S, Chester. Organiser: Martyn Harris We walk every Wednesday and Saturdays, New Years day and May Day. How many walk? Walks take place as long as there are at least 2 wanting to walk on that day. More walk on a Wednesday than on a Saturday. Most ever: 29. Current group size walking: 2-10 in mid-week and 2-4 on Saturday. Where do we walk? Saturday: Anywhere in North and Mid-Wales, Peak District, Shropshire and the Long Mynd and as far North as the Trough of Bowland. Thursday: Anywhere within about 40 miles of Chester. Type of walk: Distance: 6 – 14 miles (but usually under 10 miles). Climb: up to 4000’ (but usually very much less!). People involved on walks in 2020:- Martyn Harris, Fran Murphy, Sue and Michel Pelissier, Mike Dodd, David Savage, Wendy Peers, Celia de Mengle, Wendy and Ian Peers, Roger Smith, Paul Collinson, Ed Meads, Nigel and Elaine Taylor, Celia de Mengle, Sue Pearson.

Thursday 3 May 2012

Maen Achwyfan, Llyn Helyg and Crown Bach Wood 3rd May 2012

"Is that our group?"
Bluebells in a newly planted wood East of Bryn-digrif.
Maen Achwyfan - is anyone interested?
Llyn Helyg.
Bluebells in the wood around Llyn Helyg.
Walking in the wood around Llyn Helyg, for the second time on this section!
Walk stats: Distance: 9.9 miles. Climb: 567'.
Time: 5 hours 34 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.2 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.8 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Roger, Phil, Tim, Celia, Paul, Sylvia and Dave J.
This turned out to be almost a perfect day for walking, not too hot and not too cold, and no rain - definitely shorts weather, and thankfully one or two of us had made the righjt descision!
We set off at a cracking pace, but by the end I managed to slow them down to a more leisurely pace, after all it wasn't a race!
Lunch was taken at the Western end of Llyn Helyg, where fallen/felled trees provided just enough dry seating for everyone.
Our planned excursion into Crown Bach and Crown Wood didn't prove a good option, we became blocked by a stream which was too wide and too deep to cross, and we even lost Roger. We even ignored his whistles for help! Shamefully we hadn't noticed he wasn't with us, but thankfully the stream that we couldn't cross made us retrace our steps and thankfully we found him again!
The next section across the fields from Crown Bach Woods was very wet, and we were lucky if we kept our feet dry.
After that everything was fine, even negotiating the former nursery, alas no orchid this time!
Overall this proved to be a good walk, just about the right length, but failed in that we arrived back at Whitford just as bell signalled the end of the school day at the Primary School!
Birds seen or heard today included: Shelduck, Canada goose, Blackcap, Common pheasant, House sparrow, Barn swallow, Linnet, Goldfinch, House martin, Common coot, Mute swan, Mallard, Mistle thrush, Sparrowhawk, Jackdaw, Carrion crow, Common buzzard, Blue tit, Great tit, Chaffinch, Chiffhaff, Willow warbler, Treecreeper, Black-billed magpie, Rook,  Common blackbird, Greenfinch, Winter wren, Skylark, Collared dove, Woodpigeon, Common blackbird and Common coot.
After walk drinks were enjoyed  at the Britannia Inn at Halkyn, where the Lees bitter went down well, but the background music on the radio wasn't acceptable to everyone!

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