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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, 21 March 2018

Hawarden and its Environs 21st March 2018

On the path near Hawarden Golf Course.
Looking towards the Cheshire Plain from the Stoney Hill Footbridge over the A55.
Daffodils on the North side of the Old Warren Road.
Looking over Airbus from Cherry Orchard Road.
At least they knew we were coming!
Beluga approaching over Bacon.
Beluga landed at Hawarden Airport.
First glimpses of the old Hawarden  Castle.
Lunch in the woods in Hawarden Park.
Lunch over, time for the extension!
The gate into Hawarden Park.
The tower of the Old Hawarden Castle.
Celandine in flower.
Is one of these trees St. Deiniol's Ash? 
Apparently not - it was a house!
Walk stats: Distance: 9.3 miles. Climb: 820'.
Time: 4 hours 45 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.4 m.p.h. (2.7 m.p.h. on my newest GPS). Overall walk average: 1.9 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Jim, Mal, Ed, Mike, Celia, Wendy and David S.
This turned out to be a good day for walking, pleasantly warm when we were in the sunshine, but rather cool when the Sun disappeared behind the clouds. Thankfully that didn't happen often.This was a day when flowering Daffodils  seemed to be the dominant flower on show, but there were good banks of Celandine too.
 Our route didn't take us to any great height, but we did get some good views from Cherry Orchard Road, especially towards the Cheshire Plain and the Airbus Factory.
 We were lucky to see the Beluga 4 as it came into land at Hawarden Airport.
 Lunch was taken in the woods in Harwarden Park, just before the old corn mill, where fallen trees made suitable perches.
 After lunch we set off on the extension part of the walk and did a short loop in the grounds of Hawarden Park, taking us a little nearer to the site of the old Castle.
 It was in these grounds that we lucky enough to see a Green woodpecker, the first that I have seen for some time.
 The rest of the extension was somewhat contrived, bu at least it did exercise our legs for a little longer, and surprisingly it wasn't as muddy as I expected it to be.
 The last part of our walk went close to St. Deinliol's Ash, but I don't think we saw it or even knew what we were looking for!
 The last climb of the day was up the steep path through the church yard at Hawarden and on past the Old Gladstone Library and back to the start.
 Birds seen or heard today included: House sparrow, Black-billed magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion crow, Wood nuthatch, Common pheasant, Common buzzard, Common blackbird, Great tit, Mallard, Canada goose and Woodpigeon.
 After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Fox and Grapes in Hawarden, where Weetwoods Cheshire Cat was sampled by most of us, although Ringwood's Razor Back had some takers.
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