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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.

Saturday 2 May 2015

Pendle Hill from Downham 2nd May 2015

Marsh Marigolds - a bright start to the walk.
At the Scout Memorial Cairn at the Western End of Pendle Hill.
At the Beacon / Big End trig point.
Pendle Hill from the path after crossing Great Coppy.
"Why don't you shelter behind the wall too!"
Another plane - this time unidentified.
Walk stats: Distance: 8.2 miles. Climb: 2019' (wind assised, probably nearer 1600').
Time: 4 hours 45 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.1 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.7 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Mike and Celia.
Optimistically we hoped that we would miss out on any rain until well after lunch. Alas we had "spotty rain" for most of the walk and real rain for the last half an hour or so.
  Once on Pendle Hill we had to battle agains a very strong and cold East south east wind, so much so that we had to take shelter in the wind break shelter in order to put waterproof jackets on to keep us warm rather than dry!
  We saw plenty of Skylarks and heard even more singing, but didn't get any close ups of Dotterel. We did however see a small flock flying above as we descended the Big End path towards Pendle House.
 Lunch was taken, sheltering behind a stone wall just before getting to Pendle House.
 The stretch across Great Coppy and on towards Pendle Road is always a bit bleak, but at least the Skylarks were still singing. At one point Mike very chivalrously decided to give Celia his leki to help her get across a section of very peat boggy moorland, lost his balance and stepped right back into the middle of the worst bit! 
 On the last stretch from Lane Head to Downham we were passed by the last few of the Pendle Fell Race Competitors who had run fourteen miles and climbed over 4000', a little more than us. 
 We arrived back at Downham, having had a good walk despite the weather. The winner of the race finished in about 2hours 19 minutes!
 Bird seen or heard today included: Mallard, Common blackbird, Chaffinch, Carrion crow, Jackdaw, Eurasian curlew, Meadow pipit, Black-billed magpie and the Dotterel.
 After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Netherton Hall at Frodsham, where the Lees Bitter wasn't perhaps at its best and the coffee tasted better!
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