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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: 2-10 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 2020:- Martyn Harris, Fran Murphy, Sue and Michel Pelissier, Mike Dodd, David Savage, Wendy Peers, Celia de Mengle, Wendy and Ian Peers, Roger Smith, Paul Collinson, Ed Meads, Nigel and Elaine Taylor, Celia de Mengle, Sue Pearson.

Thursday 28 April 2011

Around the Ystrad and Foxhalls 28th April 2011

Not saluting porky, just trying to give her a greener bit of vegetation!
Phil and Gordon on the walls of Castell Dinbych.
Patiently waiting for Phil and the CADW pass holders or why do we have to wait for those .......!
Lunch on the banks of the Ystrad near Dr Johnson's Monument.
Bluebells and Ransoms in Pencoed, Denbigh.
Walk stats: Distance: 11.3 miles. Climb:1087'.
Time:5 hours 45 minites. On the move walking average:2.5 m.p.h. Overall walk average:2.0.m.p.h.
Group; Martyn, Roger, Gordon, Phil, Tim, Sylvia and Dave J, Fran and Tito.
What a glorious day for walking, wall to wall blue sky, temperatures that must have been above 20 Celsius, and only the occasional breeze to cool us. Perfect weather for walking.
We set off the first walk, and soon realised that the local authority had been doing a lot of work, replacing stiles with gates and creating new paths through Pencoed / Mount Wood which we will have to explore more on a further occasion.
Gordon and Martyn , CADW Card carriers, and Phil entered Denbigh Castle, while the rest of the group waited patiently outside.  
We decided to take a short cut to Dr. Johnson's Monument, and had to go along a drive to a private residents, where a very friendly Welsh Conservative supporting couple directed us the correct way through the buildings!
Lunch was taken by the Afon Ystrad near to the Dr. Johnson/s Monument.  This is a very pleasant spot, and the added bonus today was that Fran and Tito provided everyone with a piece of one of their daughters, Annie's wedding cake.
Once again several of the woods visited had Bluebells in full bloom, and in one wood, Primroses, wood anemone and Ramsons were in flower too.
Butterflies were seen in good numbers too, and included Small white, Large white, Peacock and Green veined white.
Birds seen or heard today included:House sparrow, Black-billed magpie, Chiffchaff, Common whitethroat, Willow warbler, Pheasant, Jackdaw, Carrion crow, Rook, Winter wren, Chaffinch, Rook, Blackbird, Blackcap, Green woodpecker, Herring gull, Pied wagtail, Barn swallow and Common buzzard.
After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Britannia Inn, Pentre Halkyn, where the Lees bitter went down well, particularly with Tim!

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