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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.

Wednesday 9 September 2015

Marbury Country Park, Pickmere and More 9th September 2015

Our first view of Great Budworth church from the West side of Budworth Mere.
A sheltered drinking fountain just outside Great Budworth.
Heavens blessing of water fit to drink.
Great Budworth Church, but who s it sneaking into the picture?
A Great crested grebe on Pickmere.
Our lunch spot - one of the landing stages om Pickmere.
Looking across Pickmere to Great Budworth church. Taken from our lunch spot.
Our last view of Great udworth church. 
Taken from the towpath on the Trent and Mersey Canal, South east of Marbury Country Park.
Walk stats: Distance: 9.6 miles. Climb: 351'.
Time: 4 hours 55 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.4 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 2.0 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Michel and Sue, Wendy and Annie.
Largely overcast with  pleasant cooling breeze accompanied us all the way to our lunch spot at Pickmere. The outward route took us on the North side of Budworth Mere to Great Budworth. Several hundred Canada geese were grazing in the fields on the North side of the mere, and more seemed to be flying in. We wondered how many would eventually take up grazing rites!
 We arrived at Pickmere having to make a decision! Do we have lunch or do we take the heading for Wincham. Thankfully I was persuaded that the best option was to take lunch, using the landing stage as a place to sit with views across the mere. However about fifty Black-headed gulls decided that they didn't want to share the landing stage with us and took of and dropped onto the mere about twenty metres offshore. This was a deligthful lunch spot and has been mentally noted for future use.
 This had been a very pleasant walk, so far!
 At lunch time we looked at the map and thought we could use footpaths to take us the Trent and Mersey Canal that would avoid having to experience the delights of industrial Wincham. Well our map reading was fine, even though a couple of pleasant locals enquired if we were lost. As planned we arrived at the canal having followed paths and signs stating it led to the canal. It did, but that is where the path stopped and there was no way to cross the canal onto the towpath on the far side. We ended up retracing our steps, and yes we had to experience those delights as went along the road through Wincham.
 Once on the towpath, the temperatures and humidity seemed to rise, and we arrived back at the country park feeling quite tired, but not too tired to follow the path through Big Wood and along the Southern side of the mere back to the car.
 Birds seen or heard today included: Great crested grebe, Moorhen, Common coot, Mallard, Tufted duck, Canada goose, Jackdaw, Eurasian jay, Eurasian curlew, Greylag goose, Carrion crow, Rook, Barn swallow, Mute swan, House sparrow and Grey heron.
 The new Lion Museum looked impressive from the towpath of the adjacent canal and well worth a visit in the future, but not part of the walk. 
 After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Spinner and Bergomot, a very pleasant country pub.  The zesty Dizzy Blonde went down well, despite it being brewed Robinsons (not one of my favourite brewers)! The ladies were impressed with the excellent facilities at this establishment and the pot of tea stacked on its matching cup!
 Overall a very pleasant walk, if you can forget about that road walk to the canal!

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