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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.

Friday 27 January 2017

A Ceiriog Trail from Pontricket (Walk D) 26th January 2017

The Ceiriog Valley from West of Springhill Wood.
Heading for Pen y Gwely - almost the last climb of the day!
At the gate to Pen y Gwely - the highest point after lunch.
Pontricket East of Siambr-gerrig.
Not far to go now.
Crossing the ford with care!
Walk stats: Distance: 7.5 miles. Climb: 1215'.
Time: 4 hours 11 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.2 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.8 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Roger, Sue Pelissier and Phil.
A rather cold overcast day with strong South easterly winds making it feel much colder than the ambient near zero Celsius temperatures.
 Thankfully the low temperature meant that conditions underfoot were still pretty firm, a help in places that on warmer days would have been quite muddy.
 Low lying cloud/mist lingered round the higher tops, making distant views limited. However we never reached those heights and any dampness in the air was elsewhere.
 We arrived at our planned lunch spot on the Ceiriog Trail about 1 mile South of Llechrydau, a spot that had no shelter from the wind so we headed North west hoping for a suitable spot in the wood North of Pen-y-gwely Reservoir.
 We did find a suitable spot. siting on the side of the track sheltered by the trees.
 Just after lunch we encountered our first problem, the way ahead was blocked by a flooded section of track, but we were able to escape to another path to the West that we could see, care needed as we crossed few yards of rough boggy terrain between the paths. However  there was an alternative path that we could take that just diverted around the flooded section of path. Hopefully we will remember this next time we do this walk.
 Everyone agreed that the route from Pen y Gwely back to POntricket was a much better descent than the track that contained the enclosed water drain.
 Birds seen or heard today included: European robin, Dunnock, Pied wagtail, Meadow pipit, Carrion crow and Grey heron.
 We arrived back at he cars happy to have had a good walk in conditions better than we were expecting and having had to cross only one stile and that was an easy one!
 After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Pant-yr-Ochain, where Purple Moose's Snowdonia Ale went down well. However in the front bar were we were it was on the cool side and we were all glad that we had still got our fleeces on - perhaps we should all have been like Sue and had a hot drink!
 First signs of Spring - Sue spotted Snowdrops on the side of the road as we were stopped at road works traffic lights in the Ceiriog valley.

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