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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.

Thursday 19 February 2015

East of Holywell, The Moor and Greenfield Valley 19th February 2015

On the road heading towards Fordd-y-Dre.
The Coastal Dock North west of Bagillt - boats afloat, high tide.
Lunch spot for one -  but Mike pointed out if you (meaning me) sat there it ws so low that i would have difficulty getting up! Thanks Mike!
Who's piggy in the middle then?
"You don't say".
Lunch in the sunshine in the Memorial Park in Holywell.
The superb memorial bench in Holywell Memorial Gardens.
Walking in the rain, again. The final stretch along the old railway line from Greenfield to Holywell.
Walk stats: Distance: 9.8 miles. Climb: 1516'.
Time: 5 hours 3 minutes. Walking average: 2.3 m.p.h. Overall wal;king average: 1.9 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Roger, Mike, Wendy, Annie and Phil.
Today Accuweather got more of their forecast right, rain in the morning, dry for a few hours and rain late afternoon.  Thankfully the best weather was at lunchtime when we even had warm sunshine as we sat in the Holywell Memorial Gardens. This is one of the best Memorial Gardens that I have seen and the Memorial bench (see above) was a brilliant item to place in it, yet none of the group decided to sit on it!
 This was a little bit of a contrived walk on my part, trying to include one of Ron Williams and Elfed Jones's Holywell walks.
 This walk enabled us to find much mud, but I was surprised when I came to clean my boots that It only took me five minutes to wash them!
 This walk  had several sections where we were dropping down towards the coast, giving us chances of good views across the Dee Estuary. Today they weren't brilliant, but at least we could just about see as far as the Wirral.
 Walking on your own is no fun, but in a group it never seems that bad, and considering it is February, the rain didn't seem that cold!
 Birds seen or heard included: Common blackbird, House sparrow, Blue tit, Great tit, Song thrush, Jackdaw, Carrion crow, Tufted duck, Common coot, Mallard, Moorhen, Mute swan, Woodpigeon, Eurasian curlew, European robin, Oystercatcher, Chaffinch, Black-headed gull, Common starling and Herring gull.
 After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Blue Bell Inn at Halkyn, where the Blue Bell Bitter was OK, but the Richard's Cider was better!
 We even got back early enough for Mike to watch his team in the Europa Cup and they have just gone in to the lead (18-28), lucky again, another offside goal!  The best team in Liverpool of course plays later on this evening!

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