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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.

Sunday, 19 January 2025

The Edge, Hough and Nether Alderley 18th January 2025

The start of the walk to the Armada Beacon.
Is this and entrance to an old mine?
Old mine workings on The Edge.
At the Armada Beacon.
The Amada Beacon plaque sadly damaged.
The stone circle on The Edge.
The view from Stormy Point with Mottram in the mist.
Another view into the valley from Stormy Point on The Edge.
One of the many "veteran " trees i the woods on The Edge.
The path that we nearly missed.
Back on a decent track with no obstruction!
Mike remembered these steps, so thankfully we must be back on track.
The Stanley mausoleum in the grounds of St. Mary's Church, Nether Alderley.
St. Mary's Church, Nether Alderley.
Nether Alderley Mill, a water powered corn mill.
The last tedious section of Bradford Lane.
Distance: 9.1 miles. Climb: 1010’
Time: 5 hours 8 minutes.
On the move walking average: 2.6 m.p.h.
Overall walk average: 1.8 m.p.h.
Temperature: 2.8 Celsius at the start. 5.7 Celsius at lunch and 2.0 Celsius at the end.
Beaufort Wind Force: 0 – 1. Mainly Calm, but occasionally we just about felt something (Light air).
Group: Martyn and Mike.
The Edge is a very popular place, even in Winter, but thankfully with plenty of car parking spaces left as we arrived just after 10-00.  The tea rooms looked tobe doing good business, as lots of people wre walking with paper mugs containing hot drinks.. It is good to note, the toilet block was open as well.
It was back to Winter temperatures today, but at least it was dry and hardly any wind of note.
Distant views were somewhat poor, although we did get reasonable views into the valley from Stormy Point on The Edge.
We did encounter some boggy conditions underfoot and one path blocked by fallen trees, that meant we had to choose a slightly different path to get back to The Edge and the NT car Park.
We decided to have lunch in the car, before setting off on the Nether Alderley Walk.
No problems on this walk, although we did cross paths with a party heading home from a Game Shoot. The shot birds looked like Mallards, but they could have been Pheasants (we didn’t get that close!)
Birds seen or heard today: House sparrow, Dunnock, Jackdaw, Common blackbird, Pied wagtail, Oystercatcher, Common starling, Collared dove, House, Mallard, Carrion crow. Goldfinch, Woodpigeon, Pheasant, Partridge, Great tit, European robin and Wood nuthatch.
I think, if we did this walk again, we would probably miss out Hough and just use the walk to the Armada Beacon and Stormy point on The Edge as a short extension to the Nether Alderley Walk.
Overall, an enjoyable walk, that proved a little more challenging than we had originally expected.
After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Morris Dancer in Kelsall, where Mike’s beer of choice was the locally brewed Weetwood bitter.


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