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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 16 February 2017

Wat's Dyke, Brynford and the Greenfield Valley 16th February 2017

Walking through Coed Llwybr-y-bi.
Walking through Coed Llwybr-y-bi.
Waiting for the back-markers to emerge from Coed Llwybr-y-bi.
Snowdrops on the roadside near Glan yr Afon.
On the path leading to the lime kilns.
At the lime kilns below Bryn Mawr Quarry - but something is missing!
Striding out across Holywell Common.
The first lambs of the year on our Thursday walks - in fields near Brynford.
Being friendly with the local boys.
Another sign of Spring on trees near the Battery Pool in Greenfield Valley.
Walk stats: Distance: 8.7 m.p.h. Climb: 1227'.
Time: 4 hours 23 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.5 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 2.0 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Sue and Michel, Phil, David S., Celia, Wendy, Jim McCabe, Sue and Dave P.
The forecast for today was pretty good, even if we did feel a few spots of rain as we arrived at the car park (Now a Pay and Display Car park - £1-00). We had sunny spells and hardly any wind to mention, except when we got out of the car at Harwarden later in the day.
 I'm use to forgetting the odd thing, but this is the first time that I've left my rucksack at home. At least I won't have to pack it again for the walk on Saturday. 
 This walk turned out to be a bit of a roller coaster of a walk, although at times it felt that we were forever going up hill from the time we started to climb out of Coed Llwybr-y-bi until we reached the lime kilns near Bryn Mawr Quarry.
 Just as we left Brynford one of the fields a lambs, not exactly newly born, but they were the first that we had seen on our Thursday walks in 2017.
 Distant views weren't as good as we have seen in the past, but you can't have everything on every walk.
 Passing the Pet Cemetery we came across two very friendly bulls, one a White Park and the other a Highland.
 We arrived at Holywell for our lunch in the usual place at the memorial Garden, and thankfully Dave P came to my rescue and lent me £20 so I could go the Chatwins and buy myself some soup (very enjoyable Tai chicken) and Michel provided chocolate coated nutty biscuits for everyone in celebration of his birthday yesterday.
 After lunch we followed the Greenfield Valley along the old railway track and returned via the various pools in the Heritage Park.
 David S was on a mission and we arrived back at the cars just after 14-00, making our usual hostelry
a none starter unless we wanted to wait half an hour outside until it opened.
 It was good to have a new recruit to the group, especially when it turns out that he is a CAMRA member too. Hopefully Jim will want to join the group again in the future,
 Birds seen or heard today included: European robin, House sparrow, Mistle thrush, Common blackbird, Woodpigeon, Great tit, Common coot, Moorhen, Tufted duck, Mallard, Little grebe, Black-headed gull, Herring gull and Jackdaw.
 A few of us called in at Hawarden and enjoyed a refrweshing pind of Castle Rock's Harvest Pale.

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