A Goat Ate My Menu

Last night seven of Andrew’s victims enjoyed the fourth of this year’s five ‘Deepest Cheshire’ walks.

We convened in the Swettenham Arms whilst the sky dumped a soggy blanket over the locality. Beer o’clock eventually came to an end and we had to decide what to do.

Plan A involved a walk from a couple of years ago on which Andrew had baled out due to wearing himself out on the recce!

Plan C involved a walk to the bar and back – rejected on the grounds that Andrew and I might quickly bore everyone to distractions with our recollections of serial visits to this place during the past fifty years or so.

Doesn’t time fly?

So, Plan B it was. A shorter route than Plan A, mainly along country lanes and firm footpaths ‘with hardly any deep grass’.

Tonight’s gang posed dutifully outside the hostelry.

The direct route from the Swettenham Arms involves a quiet lane with very little traffic. I wonder why?

As usual, Sue found a friend who preferred the greener grass ‘on the other side of the fence’, despite being housed in a field full of deep grass.

So, there would not be much deep grass?

By the time we reached the Black Swan, beyond a new equestrian centre construction site, everyone had wet legs and it was raining. Ideal conditions for popping into another hostelry. Sadly, the Black Swan in Lower Withington barred entry. Andrew lives in Lower Withington and is one of the residents responsible for the demise of this fine place. If the residents of the village had put as much effort into downing their pints as they do into curbing the speed of passing motorists, the pub would be thriving.

A good permissive footpath (well done, farmer) saw us home in to Messuage Farm and its friendly herd of goats. There were some menus nearby. We read one out to the attentive audience, who gave it a good lick (top photo, tongue blurred), before snatching the document and quickly reading it before eating it.

Hmmm…

By the time we had retraced our steps in intermittent drizzle to the Swettenham Arms, light was becoming scarce on the warm, damp evening, The pub appeared from the outside to be full of bikers, but we didn’t see much of them.

A visit to the lavender field was deemed essential, before we adjourned for rehydration activities, courtesy of Selwa, the generous pharmacist.

Here’s the route, though if it’s dry we would recommend Notchy’s 2014 route in preference. Tonight’s made for a sociable and entertaining little outing of 6.5 km with 32 metres ascent (although it seemed completely flat to me), taking a leisurely hour and a half. Thanks, Andrew.

The last of this year’s ‘Deepest Cheshire’ walks will take place on Thursday 18 August - Lower Peover – starting from The Bells of Peover (SJ 743 742) at 7.30 pm. All are welcome.

Saturday 16 July 2016 – Another Visit to Yorkshire Sculpture Park

By coincidence, we found ourselves at this fine venue for the second time in three weeks. Our first visit is recorded here.

This time we were attending Cathy’s 50th birthday party, involving lunch in the Hayloft. On another fine day, we enjoyed a stroll around the grounds of Bretton Hall, encountering others in the ‘party’ along the way. Cathy had provided disposable cameras that were used for ‘people pictures’, so our own photos concentrated on the exhibits.

I’m not sure what the sculpture above is called, but it is impressive.

Elizabeth Frink - Riace 111

The Not Vital (a person) exhibition was still in place, with a large number of differing pieces, including ‘Moon’, which gave us scope for a selfie. ‘Moon’ is a fine exhibit; others took more imaginative photos. Some items are up for sale. Would £500 on a polished bronze nose (Not Vital’s very own nose) be a wise investment? We’ll never know, my wallet was left in the car…

Since our last visit, a new exhibition in the Longside Gallery had been opened on 15 July. ‘Night at the Museum’ comprises a varied set of exhibits with the theme that they are paired by way of one exhibit looking at a second exhibit whose theme is blue.

Frank Dobson - 'Portrait Bust of Lady Keynes'

I didn’t record the name of the above exhibit.

Leonard McComb - 'Young Man Standing'

There was a side room containing some shelves of items that could be placed on a plinth by visitors with a view to ‘creating a collection’.

Returning to the Hayloft, we passed an assortment of exhibits, some more wacky than others. Sue said she wanted one of these in our garden. Or did I mishear her?

Dennis Oppenhein - 'Trees: From Alternative Landscape Components'

Eventually we returned to the Hayloft, on the first floor of the building pictured below, for tea and birthday cake in celebration of Cathy’s landmark birthday.

I’ve added another 49 images to the 72 image album created after our last visit. This can be viewed here. Click on the image on which you want to start, then click ‘slideshow’.

As previously noted: ‘The Sculpture Park is a great place for a day out. Highly recommended.’

Saturday 16 July 2016 – Wythenshawe parkrun

I’d planned to merge this entry with the next one, but they don’t quite fit, so here’s a quick update from Wythenshawe Hall.

It was a damp morning, as evidenced by the dewy picture below. The muddy passage was ankle deep in standing water, ie very sloppy mud leaving all 172 participants glooped in brown sludge by 9.45 am. At least the rain stopped and since Saturday morning the weather has changed from ‘cool’ to ‘tropical’.

Work continues on the hall, though I can’t see much change since the last picture.

Andy Holloway blew the rest of the field away today. Here are the results. The Picos de Europa contingent either stayed at home (Sue) or enjoyed a gentle jog (Martin and Cary).

The dewy grass gave off a purplish sheen that was quite marked at the time. I suppose I should have turned on a purple filter to replicate the scene!

Thanks go to all the volunteers who rose early to set the course in the rain and cheered people around the course. Despite the weather, there were half a dozen or so who were taking part in their first parkrun anywhere. Well done to them, and thanks to Paul B for keeping my ‘phone dry.

Pena Prieta (2) and back to Timperley

I'm writing from EasyJet's Airbus A319 from sunny Bilbao to Manchester. We've had a superb week at Collett's Picos de Europa base near Potes, the highlight being yesterday's fine walk up Pena Prieta from Puerto de San Glorio (1600 metres).

Compared with earlier days the air was cooler and perhaps a little clearer. Crystal clear. The ten of us on this walk comprised Emma, Nicol and Lorna, Peter and Paula, the other Andrew, and four fifths of our team, Andrew having chosen a ride on the Fuente Dé cable car and a short walk from the top station (which he very much enjoyed).

We moved slowly, with lots of pauses, taking a leisurely nine plus hours over the 18 km walk with about 1000 metres ascent. Emma and Oscar had done the recce a week earlier in five hours. The going was easy, though some faltered during the final descent of cow tracks through rampant broom, and Paula didn't like reversing a short scramble on the final stretch before the long, broad ridge pictured in the previous entry.

Unlike our earlier high level walks, this one  enjoyed some fairly flat sections and featured many superbly positioned 'pause points'. Views extended from the Picos massifs to the Spanish plains to our south. There were lots of flowers, many of which will be pictured later, including an exciting (for Sue) discovery of Winged Greenweed. The local variety of chamois were frisking on snow slopes far below us.

We were late back, leaving us just a few minutes to change and shower before dinner, which was postponed for a few minutes to allow for beer o'clock.

Later, the other Andrew entertained us with the film from his video camera, played back through the Posada's TV.

We slept well and today enjoyed a leisurely start in the company of Oscar, upon whom 'cleaning duties' had fallen on another glorious day. Then we visited the museum, just a few hundred yards down the road, with its superb exhibits covering the fauna and flora and geology of the area, with films about cheesemaking, clog making, spinning, distilling, shepherding, etc, accompanied by discreet comments on the adverse effects on the environment of tree felling (reduces oxygen levels), cattle (too much methane) and other detrimental features of alpine industries.

After this pleasant interlude we hopped in the cars and visited Humphrey's recommendation, the church of Santa Maria de Lebeña, a wonderful building  that dates from 925. It has a separate clock tower. There are some later additions, but the main interior space is Mozarabic - pre-dating romanesque and perhaps reminiscent of a small mosques. For €1.50, visitors like us are locked into the church and treated to an entertaining talk about its history from a little old lady. There were laughs, but none of us knew enough Spanish to understand the jokes. We just sat there and absorbed some of the ambience of the place. Humphrey would no doubt love to have been there.

Then it was an easy journey via coffees outside a café in Panes. Once we were on the scenic motorway we stayed in sixth gear all the way to Bilbao. If only UK motorways were as free of traffic...

Hertz managed their (and most other major car hire companies) usual trick of upsetting me. The car was vetted and no damage and a full tank were confirmed. However, in order to get a receipt I would have been required to wait in a long queue, so the paperwork was handed in and I have no record of the clean bill of health, as getting the flight home was a higher priority than waiting in a Hertz queue. How do these companies survive/get away with their atrocious attitude to their customers?

PS All that Hertz stuff is fine I suppose - probably no repercussions. Manchester Airport wasn't much better today, with only a few e-passport readers working (long queues - good practice for Brexit repercussions) and nobody available to unload the bags from the plane. Otherwise a smooth journey with no 'Stag and Hen' problems - unlike on the outward flight!

PPS Can you spot all nine walkers descending through broom in the third picture from the bottom, taken near the end of yesterday's walk?

Pena Prieta (1)

Today was a fabulous mountain day for the ten of us who climbed Pena Prieta, in the Cordillera Cantabrica. The return trip took nine hours, plus nearly an hour's drive each way. So we haven't had much spare time as we've also enjoyed a most sociable final evening here in Tama.

I will add more, but for the moment a picture taken near the summit of Pena Prieta, looking in the direction of the Picos de Europa, may whet your appetite for this area.

Pico Jano and a Monastery

On another fine morning with high cloud, all five of us enjoyed this short 9 km stroll from Dobargans including 500 metres ascent. (Yesterday's stats were about 27 km with 600 metres ascent.)

We were soon joined by another chap who we named "Go Away". In time, however, this friendly soul was renamed "Dog" or "Mutt", and Andrew protected him as we passed a herd of goats that were guarded by a couple of fierce looking Pyrenean Mountain Dogs.

The route was marked with at least 38 carefully positioned wayposts, so there was no chance of losing Dave. A proliferation of flowers and Sue's discovery of a Tasty looking Boletus mushroom illuminated our journey to the prominent summit at 2446 metres for a minor European convention with a Belgian mountain biker, a Dutch/German couple and several others. We got on fine once we'd all nailed our 'Remain' flags to the trig point.

Yesterday we saw Crag Martins and Short-toed Eagles, as well as the usual vultures and wheatears. Today's birds were tuneful but well camouflaged songbirds.

There were great views from the summit of both the Picos de Europa and the Cordillera Cantabrica mountains to the south.

An easy descent led us back to the car in 4.5 hours including lots of long stops.

Afternoon tea at Posada El Corcal was enhanced by the last of the brownies and a big slab of one of Cary's birthday cakes. We were joined by Nicol and Lorna, guests from Inverness who are warming up for a hut to hut traverse of the Picos arranged by KE.

Sue and I then visited the nearby Monasterio de Santa Toribio. It allegedly contains part of Christ's original wooden cross in an elaborate display. A nice chapel, and pleasant cloisters, briefly held our attention before we returned to base in keen anticipation of beer o'clock, which tonight was in Potes as Collett's have Wednesdays off.

Dinner at the La Sol Ore Ria restaurant rounded off an excellent day.

The Cares Gorge

The Cares Gorge is a 'must visit' for anyone on a Picos de Europa holiday.

The five of us headed to Poncebos, just over an hour away, and enjoyed a coffee whilst hordes of folk set off on the path to the gorge. It took all morning to pass them.

Apparently the cloud was down to around 1800 metres, but this didn't hinder us on what was another fine day.

We met other Collett's clients as we progressed towards Cain, on the southern end of the deep cleft through which a canal runs deep and fast, providing hydro electric power for the area.

The gravel path is wide but it has steep drops that are reminiscent of Madeira's leads.

Lunch was taken by a busy bridge, from which Andrew retraced his steps, armed with instructions on how to order two (one would apparently be too hard) beers on his return to Poncebos.

Meanwhile, the rest of us found an ice cream shop in Cain. Sue found a cuddly cat. Then we returned by the same route past goats to join Andrew and his two beers.

Later, another lovely evening was spent on the Collett's table at Posada de Curcal.