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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.

Saturday, 31 October 2020

Harris Hikers Welsh "Stay at Home" Lockdown Walk 6: A Brisk Stroll to Broughton Shoppibng Park and Back Saturday 31st October 2020

Waiting for the Rain to Arrive before Having a Brisk Stroll to Broughton Shopping Park and Back.
Earlyish morning threatening skies.
Early morning feeding frenzy in the garden.
Rain back and front - just as the Met Office said it would.
Blue skies over Hopes Place and Holly Bush Farm.
A few Feral pigeons foraging on a recently ploughed/prepared field.
A bull stands guard as the cows shelter from the wind behind the hedge.
Distance: 4.3 miles. Climb: 30' (365' wind assisted GPS reading even though it wasinside my rucksack).
Time: 1 hour 30 minutes. On the move walking average: 3.2 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 2.8 m.p.h.
The morning started dry, with little wind and feeling pretty warm at 15 Celsius, so yes it must be a "shorts" day.
However the sky to the west was an impressive red/pink colour warning of what was to come later.
As usual I had the  early morning feeding frenzy in my garden bird table, and the Sun came out. I wondered why I had believed the Met Office suggesting heavy rain could happen at any time until mid-day.  I kept my faith in the Met Office, planning to walk in the afternoon when sunny spells were offered.
True to their word, the rain came, torrential for about ten minutes just before lunch time,
I received a text from Boots, informing me that my prescription was ready to be picked up, so I decided to walk there and back, just over four miles, but that would take me over thirty miles for thwe week - good enough for me.
I didn't expect to see many birds on this route at this time of the year, but those I did see or hear included: Black billed magpie, Common starling, Jackdaw, Carrion crow, Common coot, Moorhen,  Black headed gull, Herring gull and Feral pigeon. 
No inconsiderate lycra lout cyclists to grumble about today, but the A5104 is not the Wales Coast Path between Chester and Queensferry! This time it is motorists breaking the law that annoyed me. The A5104 is currently undergoing resurfacing, which means there is a three way traffic light system, often resulting long queues, particularly when heading west.  Today I witnessed five cars going through on red, and one white van even overtook a car stopped at the red light to race through.
Arriving at Broughton Shopping Park, I was suprised, although I shouldn't have been, to find the parking area almost empty.
Prescription collected, I headed home, arriving home an hour and a half after sertting off, a pleasant walk complete in sunshine.  I suppose I could have then set  off on a proper walk, but decided to stay at home and watch the cricket and other sports as well on the TV.

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