About Me

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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.

Monday, 15 March 2021

A Riverside Walk, Battling Against The North Westerly Wind 15th March 2021

One of many Common chaffinches seen singing today.
Daffodils blowing in the wind.
Choppy waters on the river.
Trying to catch up with the"tidal bore".
"Which way should I go?"
Pink footed geese heading towards the estuary.
Distance: 7.0 miles. Climb: Wind assisted GPS readings 662' and 295', but inreality more like 125'.
Time: 2 hours 47 minutes. On the move walking average: 3.1 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 2.5 m.p.h.
Wind: 0 - 18.2 m.p.h. Temperature: 9.2 - 12.6 Celsius.
Group: Martyn.
The forecast for today was marginally better than the one for tomorrow, so I decided I would go for a walk today and watch the cricket tomorrow.  it didn't feel cold, despite the north westerly wind, but heading towards Queensferry on the Wales Coast Path was quite challenging, so much so that I decided to cut my walk short and turned back at the Sealand Drainage Pumping Station. The river was still quite high and the wind was creating waves, so I decided to video it for a while. As I did so, the "tidal bore" came into view and I had a job catching up with the camera as it went past me.
The birds seen were less than usual, but it was good to see and hear Skylaks singing and Lapwings display. I was also surprised to see a skein of >100 Pink footed geese flying parallel with the river heading towards the esturary.
Birds seen or heard tody included: Mallard, Moorhen, Black billed magpie, Woodpigeon, Dunnock, European robin, Common blackbird, House sparrow, Greenfinch, Raven, Carrion crow, Pied wagtail, Great tit, Oystercatcher, Common redshank, Common chaffinch, Great cormorant, Goldfinch, Winter wren, Black headed gull, Lapwing and Pink footed goose.
As they say this was a good walk to blow the cobwebs out of your hair, but alas that doesn'tapply to me!

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