Bus Pass Celebration Walk and Meal 12th September 2009

A slightly bigger picture than the one below!

Llamas in Pentre Halkyn, always a distraction!

All the group plus the photographer's dog! Group Photo taken by Paul.

You really don't believe that Water buffalo are friendly?

After walk and pre-meal drinks.

After walk and pre-meal drinks.

Before the meal.
Before the meal.

Walk stats:Distance:6.0 miles; Climb:557'.

Time 2 hours 37 minutes;On the move walking average:2.6 m.p.h.;Overall walk average:2.3 m.p.h.

Group:Martyn, Mike, Paul, Celia, Tessa and Dave R., Roger, Sue and Michel, Tito, Sue and Dave P., Richard, Annie H., and Derek.

What another glorious day to be out walking in the beautiful area around Pentre Halkyn and Halkyn Mountain with its added industrial heritage past and present. Blue skies, warm sunshine and a very gentle breeze occasionally mustering the energy to cool us slightly.

At the trig point on Halkyn Mountain, a friendly dog walker offered to take a photograph of the whole group using Richard's camera.

As planned we managed to meet up with Derek half way round the walk.

This time the "Water buffalo" field was occupied and as usual they showed their friendly nature by coming over to us to investigate, perhaps against the wishes of some of the group!

Birds seen or heard today included:Pied wagtail, Black-billed magpie, Buzzard, Robin, Blackbird, Nuthatch, Stonechat, Wren, Meadow pipit, Jackdaw and Carrion crow.
The walkers were joined at the Britannia Inn, Halkyn by, Jillian, Sheila and Gordon, Sue and Graeme, Carol and Tim, Margaret, Fran and Naomi.
The celebration meal was enjoyed by all, only two managed a sweet, but they didn't have a starter!

At the conclusion of the meal Sue Pelissier producied a birthday fruit cake, and despite any comment made by her brother in law, we all including some of the regulars, thought it tasted superb. Hopefully next Thursday's walking group can enjoy the rest of the cake.

I would like to thank everyone for their generosity in contributing to the birthday gift and the "better than champagne" bottles of beer, very much a statement I would endorse. The birthday gift will enable me to buy a new pair of walking boots to go with the socks. I would also like to thank Tessa and Dave for the book about the Spix's Macaw and the book tokens that I will probably use to get yet another book on walks.

Thanks again to Sue Pelissier for making the lovely birthday fruit cake.

Thanks to Sarah and Kelly at the Britannia Inn for their gift of bottles of Lees Limited Edition Harvest Ale. Thanks to everyone including the bar staff and the regulars who all helped to make this a superb way to celebrate getting a bus pass! It's good to see the Britannia Inn back in the Camra 2010 Real Ale Guide, but we have always known the Lees bitter at the Brit is good!