About Me

My photo
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, 3 May 2023

Coed Allt-y-Tywod, Coed y Garreg, Coed Pen-y-gelli and more 3rd May 2023

First sighting of Bluebells in Coed Allt-y-tywod, just an odd spike or two!
Bluebells in Coed Allt-y-tywod - starting to look better.
Bluebells in Coed Allt-y-tywod, now looking even better.
Bluebells in Coed Allt-y-tywod, almost at their best.
"Don't disturb us, it's nice and cosy here in the Sun."
Hazy views of both Liverpool cathedrals.
Elevenses at The "Roman" Tower in Coed y Garreg.
Beautiful Dandelions.
Early purple orchids.
Bluebells in Coed Pen-ygelli - not uite at their best.
A blue piano - not what we expected to see in Coed Pen-y-gelli.
The infomation board tells us there is a lime kiln here!
Panorama of our lunch spot in Chwarel Pen-y-gelli.
Hazy views of Moel Famau.
Hazy distant view of the Point of ayr Lighthouse.
St.Mary's Church, Gorsedd.
Walk stats:
Distance: 9.6 miles. Climb: 842’. (Data from Michel’s GPS, both my GPS’s decided to go to sleep half way through the walk!)
Time: 5 hours 2 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.2 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.9 m.p.h.
Memory Map Data: 9.0 miles. Climb: 962’.
Temperature: 12.5. Celsius at the start. 22.0 Celsius at lunch. 16.2 Celsius mid-afternoon.
Beaufort Wind Force: Max - 3 (a gust of 9.5 m.p.h.) just a gentle breeze.
Group: Martyn, Ed, Sue and Michel
This turned out to be a really good day for walking weather-wise, pleasantly warm, but at times there was a cooling gentle breeze.
Distant views were rather hazy, but we could still make out Liverpool cathedrals, Moel Famau and Moel y Parc and eve the Point of Ayr Lighthouse.
This was the first of our “Bluebell Wood” walks and as we entered Coed Allt-y-tywod, our first wood to visit Bluebells seemed to few and far between. Our early disappointment was soon dispelled as we went further and further into the wood. In fact the more open area of the wood gave us some superb displays of Bluebells.
Coed y Garreg wasn’t as good today for Bluebells, a lot of felling has done over the last couple of years and the wood is yet to recover.
Coed Pen-y-gelli wasn’t that much better, but at it provided us with the surprise of the day – a blue piano and a couple of grandfather clocks and two tables – none of us had and explanation as to why they were there!
Lunch was taken in Chwarei Pen-y-gelli, but not where we usually have lunch. A fallen tree prevented us from getting to a usual spot, so we had to seek pastures new.
Thankfully we did, but only because it was very dry, after rain the area we sat would have meant our feet would have been in water!
After lunch, the walk the extension towards Pantasaph and back through Gorsedd involved a fair bit of road walking, and apart from giving us more mileage in legs didn’t have a lot to offer except for distant views of the Clwydian Hills and Moel Famau!
Birds seen and heard today included: Greenfinch, Chiffchaff, European robin, Winter wren, Common blackbird, Carrion crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Goldfinch, Willow warbler, Common whitethroat, Mallard, Canada goose, Woodpigeon, Blackcap, Common chaffinch, Collared dove and Common buzzard.
We arrived back at the car having had a very enjoyable walk, another successful Bluebell Wood Walk, and for some looking forward to a pint of Lees Bitter at the Blue Bell Inn, Halkyn on the way home.

No comments: