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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.

Friday, 29 September 2017

Lloc, Mertyn Downing and Pen y Ball Top 28th September 2017

The climb from Mertyn Downing to Pennant Golf Course.
Waiting to start the muddiest path on the walk.
Looking over the Dee estuary towards Liverpool from East of The Grange.
The  view looking North from the trig point on Pen-y-Ball Top.
At the trig point on Pen-y-Ball Top.
Roger's last stile.
Walk stats: Distance: 9.1 miles. Climb:956'.
Time: 5 hours 21 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.1 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.7 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Roger, David S., Celia, Pippa, Jim, Paul and Scrumble.
This was a glorious day for being out in the countryside, warm, sunny and occasionally a gentle breeze.
 This was Roger's first walk for some time, a day to see whether crossing stiles was a problem in the past. Thankfully it was and all manner of stiles were successfully climbed.
 One of the objectives of the walk today was see if we could access the path on the West of Coed Mertyn to the Pennant Golf Course - we couldn't, it too was so overgrown that attempting to make a way through wasn't an option that one pair of secateurs could handle. 
 Lunch was taken at Pantasaph, where we took advantage of one the benches in the grounds of the Fransican friary.
 Approaching The Grange farm, we are usually greeted by at least three barking sheep dogs, it wasn't long before they appeared, but this time with their more of their mates and a Labrador type dog. Scrumble wasn't very happy by the attention of these barking canines as cowered with tail between his legs until we escaped from the farm yard.
 The best viewpoint of the day was at Pen-y-Ball Top, where both Liverpool cathedrals and Fiddler's Ferry Power station could clearly be seen.
 We arrived back at the cars, having had a good walk, knowing the the Coed Mertyn paths would for us always be off limits.
 Birds seen or heard today include: Carrion crow, Jackdaw, European robin, Eurasian jay, Woodpigeon and Common buzzard.
 After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Blue Bell Inn at Halkyn, where Facer's This Splendid Ale and Gwynt y Ddraig's  Black Dragon cider went down well as did the locally produced Triple D Cider.

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