Sunday 22 December 2024 - A Christmas Walk

Coffees at the Lime Lounge for early arrivals (Sue, me, Richard and Jenny) went down well.

Then Sue took a photo of the early starters. Don and Liz were late due to a navigation error, and Andrew and I were missing from the walkers due to injury.

I pottered around Bakewell and made my way up to the church, by which time Don and Liz had located the rest of the group, and Sue thought she knew the way.

Meanwhile, here's my view from the bridge in Bakewell, in between showers and chapters of 'My Brilliant Friend'.

I moved the car up to Bakewell Station and took a 5km stroll along the Monsal Trail. Here's a view.

Meanwhile, Sue led her group of 17 and took a shortcut from the planned route, resulting in an early arrival at The Crispin in Great Longstone, despite a leisurely elevenses break in Ashford in the Water.

Here are four of the team - Sue, Roger, Jenny and Edwina.

The Crispin provided its usual excellent food, in a room to ourselves. Happily everyone brought cash so settling the £500 bill was very simple - no messing with cards, and enough cash left over for a good tip. Well done, everyone.

Edwina introduced us to this place some years ago, and it has proved an ideal venue for this gathering.

Sue took this last picture on the Monsal Trail, which brought the group back to Bakewell before darkness descended.

Reports on some Xmas walks described on these pages are here, should anyone be interested. Today's route was similar to that taken in past years. 

Saturday 21 December 2024 - Wythenshawe parkrun #599

Here a few of our parkrun family gather before the start of Wythenshawe's 599th event. By this time I'd headed of with a chap called Tom (Bea's partner) to the slippery corner at Far Bridge. My garb doesn't allow access to any pockets, so the photos in this posting are courtesy of several participants, and WhatsApp.

I was back in time to avoid the queue and enjoy hot coffee and a delicious bacon butty.

Star of the occasion was Annie, who was dressed in spray on leggings and was firmly trussed into an illuminated star sandwich. Here she is next to Jeanette, who celebrated her 400th parkrun with the third highest age related position out of the 290 walkers and runners. Full results are here.

L-R: Paul, Andy, Martin, Annie, Jeanette, Jan, Sue, Owen

Nanaimo bars provided by Jeanette went down a treat. This was a lovely occasion. Merry Christmas everyone, and best wishes for 2025.

Thursday 19 December 2024 - A Walk from Beeston Castle

An hour's drive took me and Sue to the Beeston Castle car park at SJ 540 590. (£3)

From here, the Sandstone Trail heads south through the narrow ginnel shown above, before crossing a road and reaching open fields with a view ahead to Peckforton Castle, now a hotel.

The view back to Beeston Castle

Looking back, the ruins of Beeston Castle, which dates from 1220 - a military stronghold with a turbulent history - hog the skyline.

The field path, today near a team of shooters after grouse, leads to a kissing gate and a bridge over a stream (below), then an ascent to another field path that veers to the right at another kissing gate and emerges shortly afterwards at Horsley Lane.

A right turn at Horsley Lane leads us to The Moathouse complex, the last building of which is an Elizabethan farmhouse with a massive brick chimney. Beeston Castle towers above the roofline.

After passing Ivy Cottage the Sandstone Trail takes a left turn along a track in Peckforton Woods, where after a kilometre a path junction is reached where eggs are for sale. A cheeky grey squirrel was unable to come up with any cash, and ran off when we intervened.

At this point we enjoyed elevenses before Sue continued along the prescribed route - Walk number 12 in Jen Darling's 'Walks in West Cheshire and Wirral' - and I left the Sandstone Trail and followed a waymarked path to the east.

The path was a good one, recently cleared of leaves, with notices threatening repercussions from any deviant behaviour! I stuck to the good path, and I didn't see or hear any 4WD 'Land Rover Experience' activity in the Peckforton Estate's private land.

Meanwhile, Sue continued along the Sandstone Trail for a little way before leaving it by turning left along Hill Lane and then passing under the Haunted Bridge, built in the 1850s to take carriages from Peckforton Castle to the gatehouse. A ghostly servant woman is said to walk from the ruins of a stone hut along the sandy track and up the bank, her severed head under her arm. Folklore dictates that if you see her you will die within a year.

Oyster mushrooms on Sue's route

Approaching the gatehouse/lodge near Peckforton Castle, this strange locked building stands alone.

Nearby, the gatehouse provided welcome shelter from a sharp shower. The road to the castle was surprisingly busy.

You can see where I was sheltering. This is where Sue's route rejoined mine, but she didn't catch up until nearly back at the car park.

Field and woodland paths led back to metalled surfaces beyond Willis's Wood and a long field.

There were more good views up to Beeston Castle, as we passed some picturesque cottages and a converted chapel on the way back to the car park, which is opposite the entrance to the castle..

Here are our routes. Sue mainly followed Jen's route, shown in magenta (she took the same route as me after the Lodge), and my route is shown in blue. 7km and 5.5km respectively, with around 150 metres ascent. Both routes took about 2 hours. I was moving hesitantly due to a poorly knee.

Wednesday 18 December 2024 - A Debriefing at Tatton Hall

Andrew has recently returned from a trip to Japan that the remainder of the 'Famous Five' missed out on. So a debriefing was required, at the nearest Japanese Garden to Andrew's home in deepest Cheshire, in the grounds of Tatton Hall. 

We assembled at 11am in the courtyard cafe. Elevenses drifted into lunchtime, as Andrew meticulously re-lived his adventures in Japan.

Suitably fed, we adjourned to the main garden, where a group of unicorns greeted us.

Eventually we reached the Japanese Garden, open for conducted tours only.

Beyond that was an assortment of seasonal offerings, presumably rather more attractive when lit up at night.

Then a visit to the semi tropical zone. If it had been a cold day we could have warmed up here. As it was we were overdressed for the warm weather anyway.

Before leaving for home, a view of the hall, and a view from the hall.

My pedaling around the park after leaving the car near the Knutsford entrance (from where Sue walked to the hall) covered about 12km of the paths that are used on the annual Tatton Yule Yomp, when it's not cancelled. Others simply returned to the car park.

What a pleasant few hours. I wonder where Andrew's next debriefing will come from...