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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 10 January 2018

Rhosesmor Sychdyn and Northop 10th January 2018

looking towards the Dee Estuary as we leave Rhosesmor.
Moel Famau from West of Cefn-eurrgain.
Heading for Ram Wood,
Moel Famau above Coed Bryn-eithin - still on track, but not for much longer!
How bright is that Sun?
Enjoying lunch.
Approaching Northop across the golf course.
Walk stats: 8.9 miles. Climb: 590'.
Time; 5 hours 2 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.2 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.8 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Sue and Michel, David S., Celia, Ed, Paul and Scrumble.
This turned out to be a glorious day for walking, warm and sunny all day. I suppose our only complaint would be the fact that the Sun seemed to be directly in our eyes for much of the walk. I suppose I should be grateful for being able to walk in a short sleeved shirt at the beginning of January.
 Some of our views today were quite stunning, particularly towards the Dee estuary and to some extent towards Moel Famau.
 It must be our age, but every walk we seemed to stray off course at least once, but today we did it twice.
 The first time we should have headed South east through Coed Bryn-eithin, but ended contouring in a more Easterly direction, but strictly speaking not on a path and ended up passing just below Sarn Galed.  We then crossed a very boggy area supposedly on a path, and picked up our route again at Quarry Farm.
 All went well for the next few miles, eventually taking us through Sychdyn to a path running between Soughton Hall and Northop Country Park golf Club.
 It was along this path that we found a fallen tree that had been cut into smaller sections to clear the path, Luckily these smaller sections of tree trunk provided suitable perches for us to enjoy lunch in the Sunshine.
 Just after The Green, one man and his dog left the rest of to return to the start along the country lanes, while the rest of us decided to follow the described walk, but alas didn't so very well! Alas we soon picked up a track made from concrete blocks and followed all the way to the road and Wat's Dyke Way, but that was our mistake, we shouldn't have headed up the field in a South west direction and not followed the Eastern fence line as we did! This again was not on a right of way, but at least it was a path and easy going.
 We arrived back at the car, having had a very pleasant walk, but a little surprised that the climb was only 590', it seemed much more!
 Birds seen or heard today included: House sparrow, Woodpigeon, Black-billed magpie, Common pheasant, Rook, Jackdaw, Raven, Carrion crow, Black-headed gull, Common buzzard and Blue tit.
 As the Brit was closed for renovations and the Blue Bell wasn't yet open , we ended up at the Fox and Grapes in Harwarden for refreshments. Three real ales to choose from, but none very inspiring, but at least Celia had her sort of lager to enjoy! Unfortunately this meant that Ed missed out as he needed to head in the opposite direction. Normal service should resume in the middle of February.

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