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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, 19 January 2022

Thurstaston Hill, The Dungeon, Royden Country Park, Caldy and More 19th January 2022

The Wolf Moon that we would have seen had we started early enough!
The path leading into The Dungeon
The cave in The Dungeon.
Looking across the Dee Estuary from the seat next to The Dungeon Path.
St Bartholomew's Church Thurstaston. 
The view towards Hilbre from Thurstaston Hill.
Mike checking the details on Thor's Stone on Thurstaston Common.
Wildfowl on the pond in Royden Country Park.
Sunseekers at lunch in Royden Country Park.
Firm pathway when on previous occasions it was a boggy muddy mess!
More fallen trees to negotiate on the path near the free range chicken farm at Caldy.
Decision time - beach route or Wirral Way Route?
The oldest and "wisest" took this route along the Wirral Way.
Thurstaston shore begins to appear,
"Bouldering!".
"I'm glad I went on the Wirral Way!".
Looking back along the beach towards Caldy.
Failing light over the eaestuary.
Walk stats: 
Distance: 8.4 miles (9.0 miles for the youngsters). Climb: 682' (800' for the youngsters).
Time: 4 hours 8 minutes (4 hours 2n5 minutes rfor the youngsters).
Beaufort Wind Force: 0 - 3. Mainly calm / light breze and occasionally gusting to a gentle breeze after lunch.
Group: Martyn, David S., Fran, Nigel and Mike.
A good day for walking, feeling cool at first, but warming up until lunch time, where we basked in the warm sunshine using the benches / picnic tables in Royden Country Park. 
Good views from Turstaston Hill, especially towards the Dee Estuary.
In the afternoon, we had to negotiate fallen trees partially blocking the paths near Caldy and in Stapledon Wood.
When we arrived at the shore by CaldY Golf Course, the high tidewas still lapping the sea defense boulders, so two of us decided the safest option was to take the Wirral Way back to the start.
The rest of the group decded to take a "path" above the boulders and eventually dropped down to the beach once the tide receded sufficiently. What route they exactly used to get back to the Thursaston Visitors Centre from the beach remains uncertain as they mised the usual path leading upto Station Road.
Birds seen or heard today included: Common blackbird, Blue tit, Great tit, Woodpigeon, Black headed gull, Mallard, Moorhen, Common coot, Common buzzard,Goldfinch and Oystercatcher (not seen by the Wirral Way two).
Overall a very enjoyable walk, capped with an excellent pint of Brimstage Brewery's Trapper's Hat at the Wheatsheaf at Raby.










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