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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: 2-7 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 2024:- Martyn Harris, Fran Murphy, Sue and Michel Pelissier, Mike Dodd, David Savage,, Ed Meads, Nigel and Elaine Taylor, Winston Feather.

Wednesday 12 January 2022

Around Willaston and Raby

One of the oldesr properties in Willaston, the former Red Lion.
The village church Wllaston.
Most of the group walking around Jackson's Pond field.

The mill near Willaston.
Liverpool cathedrals seen in the distance fro the path leading to Raby.
The Wheatsheaf at Raby.
The Wheatsheaf at Raby.
Thornton Hough church in the distance.
Lunch on School Lane, Raby.
Lunch on School Lane, Raby.
Approaching Willaston Mill for the second time.
Starting on the muddiest path in the area - not everyones cup of tea!
Walk stats :
Distance: 10.8 miles. Climb: 106'.
Temperature: 13.2 Celsius at lunch. 15.2 Celsius midafternoon in the Sun.
Group: Martyn, Roger, Ed, Mike, Nigel, Fran, Sue and Michel.
What a glorious day for being out walking. I made two mistakes, the first not wearing my shorts and secondly not wearing my photochromic specs. 
The walk started at the Hadlow Road Station, not served by trains, but has a cafe and available PC. I have never seen so many cars in the car park as today. Pretty full as we arrived and just as full when we got back.
Quite a varied walk, starting with the picturesque village of Willaston, passing an old mill on the way to Raby with its well known hostelry The Wheatcheaf, a thatched building and renowned for it warn welcome - the heat from the fires (now wood burning stoves), hits you as you enter which some of us did after the walk. Finding a place for lunch, but did find a reasonable spot on School Lane, taking advantage of some trimmed tree remains next to the path. Michel used his mini saw to remove branches that were still getting in the way.
Everyone was given a piece of last years model of fortified fruit cake to set them up for the challenges ahead. 
Three of the the group decided to miss out the extension to Hooton Station and the start of the the Wirral Way. 
Birds seen or heard today included: European Robin, House sparrow, Greenfinch, Black billed magpie, Jackdaw, Blue tit, Great tit, Wood nuthatch, Common starling, Goldfinch, Herring gull, Woodpigeon and Common blackbird. 
After walks drinks were enjoyed at the Weatcheaf at Raby, where the locally brewed Trappers Hat from Brimstage Brewery went down well. 
The only downside to the walk was the muddy state of some of the paths, particularly in the afternoon.
Overall an enjoyable walk that would have been even better in Winter conditions when the ground and mud is frozen solid! 
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