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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.

Saturday 17 May 2014

Stiperstones and Castle Ring Fort 17th May 2014

Don't forget to wash your boots and remove any trace of mud if you were on the walk today. Don't walk in any other area in any other area until your boots are spotless!
Below the Rock at the Southern end of the Stiperstones.
The Rock at the Southern end of the Stiperstones.
An expectant Grandad trying to contact the mum to be!
Leaving Niptstone Rock.
Mike at the trig point at Manstone Rock (Celia made it to the trig point too!).
At the entrance to Castle Ring Fort.
Walk stats: distance: 8.5 miles. Climb: 1110'.
Time: 5 hours 27 minutes. On the move walking average: 1.9 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.5 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Mike, Celia and Roger.
This was a superb day for walking, almost perfect, plenty of sunshine, a very pleasant cooling breeze, in fact as far as I was concerned it was a one shirt, one hanky day! The shirt being enforced as I had forgotten to put the spare shirts in my rucksack, but in reality it didn't matter.
Not a lot of climb today, but superb views even from the relatively low height of the Stiperstones.
As we approached the main Stiperstone ridge, we had several runners passing us. They were on the Apocalypse 100, a hundred mile challenge, as one said to us there wasn't much running on the mains section of the Stiperstones path, as the stony track made it a little on the tricky side to negotiate, I think Roger agreed!
 Two highlights today, it was yet another good day for Cuckoos, with several being heard and one seen and good numbers of Green butterflies that were later identified as Green hairstreak butterflies known to be in this area.
 The overall walk was a little slower than usual, as we had to wait for Mike and Celia to scramble up to the trig point on Manstone Rock!
 Our extension to Castle Ring Fort was a little disappointing as when we got to it there wasn't a lot to see!
 Birds sen or heard today included: Cuckoo, Common buzzard, House sparrow, Barn swallow, Meadow pipit, Skylark, Carrion crow, Blackcap and Common whitethroat.
 Spring flowers were good too, this is always a good time of the year to walk, making you realise just how wonderful nature is.
 After walk drinks were were enjoyed at the Pant yr Ochain near Gresford, where the Snowdonia Ale was in good nick, a vast improvement on the last time we visited this establishment!
 The extra bonus for today for Roger was Celia's suggestions about a possible solution to getting his mobile phone to work as you would expect!

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