Tuesday 1 January 2013 – A Circuit from Beeston

This year opened in much the same way as we seemed to spend much of 2012 – with wall to wall sunshine.  The short drive to Beeston saw us parking up below the eight hundred year old Castle* and taking a stroll along the well marked paths of the Sandstone Trail, an excellent 34 mile walking route from Frodsham to Whitchurch, up to the junction where Hill Lane leads to Higher Burwardsley.

There were a few others enjoying the bright sunshine, though some did look a bit hung over.  Hill Lane took us to a brief spell of tarmac, and back to the Sandstone Trail, which we followed in the opposite direction until a stile with an ‘Eddisbury Way’ sign took us through a slithery wood and across a lane near the Pheasant Inn.

The Eddisbury Way is a 16½ mile route between Frodsham and Higher Burwardsley, where we joined it.  It provides an alternative to the Sandstone Trail rather than an opportunity for a long circular walk, as the two routes do intercept each other from time to time.

The Pheasant Inn is an excellent place for refreshments, as are the nearby child friendly Candle Workshops, but on this occasion we headed on along the Eddisbury Way to Yew Tree Farm.  The final field before the farm was decidedly gloopy.

We continued towards Woodhouse Farm, which looks recently renovated, but for the sake of their privacy the owners have rearranged the path to skirt the perimeter of their land, denying the public access to the farm lane.  So we turned back to reach the lane via the ancient footpath at Yew Tree Farm.

The Eddisbury Way signs seemed to follow our planned route all the way to the Shropshire Union Canal, luckily without any further gloops and with the benefit of a handy lunch bench by Newton Lane for our first picnic of the year.  We eschewed the attraction of a nearby Ice Cream Parlour, preferring to stay off road.  Anyway, we had plenty of cake.

To the south of the canal, we crossed a bridleway – the Bishop Bennet Way – that was being well used by ponies today.  After all, this is a 34 mile route for horse riders which can also be used by walkers and cyclists. It is named after William Bennet (4 March 1745 - 1820), an Irish Bishop who carried out detailed surveys of roman roads including those between Deva (Chester) and Mediolanum(Whitchurch).  The way starts near Beeston Castle and finishes near Wirswall on the Cheshire-Shropshire border. There are apparently hopes of extending it to Shrewsbury.  The way follows bridleways, byways and minor roads; half of it being along tarmac roads. Walkers can bypass the longer road sections on footpaths.

The canal was reached at an unexpectedly long underpass.  Was the canal really that wide?

The Shropshire Union ‘main line’ was the last trunk narrow canal route to be built in England. It was not completed until 1835 and was the last major civil engineering accomplishment of Thomas Telford, linking Ellesmere Port, by the River Mersey and the Manchester Ship Canal, with the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal, in the West Midlands canal system some 66 miles away at Wolverhampton.

We were soon striding along the towpath, with Beeston Castle again in our sights, savouring the bright sunshine and acknowledging the occasional passing barge.

The Shady Oak, well known for its friendly welcome to an itinerant clientele, was busy today, with resident swans looking for titbits and a selection of cruisers parked outside.  It was warm enough for the beer garden to be in use.

A little further along the canal, Wharton’s Lock signaled our point of departure from the canal, or indeed – our return to the Sandstone Trail and an encounter with yet another trail, the Two Saints Way, an 86 mile pilgrimage route between the cathedral cities of Chester and Lichfield.

I suppose all these different named trails do help to keep the footpaths open – the paths are very well marked, and well used, in this part of the world, despite a bit of mud at this time of year.

A road appeared to be under construction beside the railway line near Wharton’s Lock, but we concluded that it was probably just ongoing track maintenance in an attempt to protect the embankments from erosion.

We knew we must be nearly back when we encountered a family with two children in a push chair doggedly negotiating their way across a muddy field, and soon we were back below the ruined castle, admiring a fine looking cottage next to the car park.

Here’s our route – 13 km (8 miles) with about 200 metres ascent.  Allow 3 to 4 hours for this enjoyable and varied bimble.

There are a few more pictures from this walk here.

* Beeston Castle – according to Wiki it was built in the 1220s by Ranulf de Blondeville, 6th Earl of Chester, (1170–1232), on his return from the Crusades. In 1237, Henry III took over the ownership, and it was kept in good repair until the 16th century, when it was considered to be of no further military use, although it was pressed into service again in 1643, during the English Civil War. The castle was slighted (partly demolished) in 1646, in accordance with Cromwell's destruction order, to prevent its further use as a stronghold. During the 18th century the site was used as a quarry.

It is rumoured that treasure belonging to Richard II lies undiscovered in the castle grounds, but the many searches that have been carried out have failed to find any trace of it. The castle is now in ruins. The walls of the outer bailey, and the walls, gatehouse of the inner bailey have been separately designated by English Heritage as Grade I listed buildings.  It is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument, and is currently owned by English Heritage.

Friday 28 December 2012 - Silverdale

We chose to venture out on this walk despite a dire weather forecast.  We had planned it, so we were going.  The short itinerary enabled a lie in before we struggled up the M6 motorway with R and J in driving rain.

Leighton Moss RSPB reserve was our starting point, and after taking advantage of their café we managed to delay the start of our exercise until after 11 o’clock. 

We were soon loitering on Silverdale Golf Course, somewhat puzzled by the fact that our waterproofs were superfluous due to the rain having ceased just as we had set out.  Perhaps that was because of Richards energetic ‘Canute’ impersonations, though they had at first seemed more like futile efforts to chase ducks.

A good path beside Hawes Water on well wired boarding helped preserve our clean looks, and it wasn’t until we reached Arnside Tower, pictured above, that we hit the expected mud.

Low cloud hung over the village of Silverdale as we descended to Elmslack, where Richard and Sue vied for favours.

“Mine’s bigger than yours!” bragged Richard, producing one of his stock phrases.

 

The tide was in at the Cove.  Sue went to check and confirmed it wasn’t a mirage, whilst I wrestled with a wobbly horizon.

We hastened on to the Silverdale Hotel in a bid for sustenance.  This was a good move and we enjoyed the warm atmosphere and hot food for a good hour before stumbling along the path to Woodwell on the now gloomy afternoon.

But at least it wasn’t raining!

We admired the well that used to provide Silverdale with its water supply.  The water looked excellent.

Parked outside Gibraltar Farm was a purring beast, vibrating slightly but running with an odourless clear exhaust, unlike some of our absent friends.

A little further on we passed the renovated lime kiln at Jack Scout.  Apparently they tried to get it going after its renovation in 1985, but it obstinately refused to withdraw from retirement (I can empathise with that!).

Sue then headed relentlessly towards the beach and splodged through puddles whilst the rest of us slithered over some decidedly awkward rocks.

Eventually we reconvened by the chimney at Jenny Brown's Point.

"We need to be back by dusk" the others muttered, glancing at the soggy path alongside the salt marshes beside Morecambe Bay.  And off they strode, returning to Leighton Moss in plenty of time to purchase provisions for the ravenous tits and blackbirds that seem to rely on our garden scatterings version of a ‘soup’ kitchen.

Here’s our route: about 13km, with 200 metres ascent, taking 4½ hours including that long adjournment for lunch.

There’s a slide show with a few more images – here.

Christmas Day 2012

Oh dear, I’m miles behind with these postings.  Please bear with me.

This is very much for the family, with whom we enjoyed Christmas Day for the second year with four generations present. 

A late change to our routine involved a trip to Bacup, where Kate assumed the mantle of ‘Christmas Dinner Cook’.  I wasn’t complaining, having been incumbent in that role, through thick and thin, with successes and some notable failures, for almost thirty years.

Well done, Kate, you excelled yourself.

I didn’t have a camera, but Sue took a few pictures, the following one giving a fair assessment from Oscar’s viewpoint whilst the rest of us tried (and largely failed in my case) to play a game called ‘Logo’.

Thursday 13 December 2012 – Around Milwich and Burston

Yes, I’m still soldiering on with last year’s entries!

This was a tentative recce for a Christmas walk, as it passed by an excellent establishment, the Greyhound Inn at Burston, run by TGO Challengers Alan and Peter Jordan, with a sizeable restaurant that would meet our needs.

I enjoyed the walk, and there would be adequate parking at my start point in Milwich, but had the ground not been solidly frozen it could have proved to be a bit of a soggy endurance test.  Moreover, a large group would be delayed by the 45 or so stiles I encountered en route, despite a quarter of the distance being along a canal towpath.

So this walk is maybe best left for either a dry summer’s day or a cold and frosty winter’s day like the one I enjoyed.

The route is shown below, in both ‘Anquet’ and ‘Garmin’ style, and there’s a comprehensive slideshow to supplement the following brief description, here.

Parking up outside Milwich Village Hall and former school, I took a well marked path beside the Green Man, which hostelry could be used for refreshments by those wishing to start from Burston or the A51.

Well marked paths and numerous stiles offered easy walking on frozen ground, with lingering fog helping to preserve the hoar frost that coated much of the scenery on this cold day.

Sandon Wood looked as if it is home to a large colony of badgers, and a stile leading into the wood could be used to access a good night time observation point.  The path is to the right of that misleading stile, and it leads to a gate and a rough track through the woodland and bracken.

Numerous pheasants noisily tried to keep their distance as I proceeded through Sandon Park, where the sun was trying very hard to break through as I passed close to a folly that sits on a knoll in the centre of the park.

The fog was winning to the south, but the sun briefly dominated views back across the farmland to the north.

I missed a public woodland path to the right near Ritt’s Column and found myself in a narrow field between the A51 road and the London to Glasgow railway line, for the short stretch to the splendid construction that is bridge number 82 on the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Refreshments could be available in the nearby village of Salt, but I chose to head along the frozen towpath towards Burston.  With the first mile post I encountered showing Shardlow 43 miles away in one direction, and Preston Brook 49 miles in the other, I seemed to be rather far from anywhere.  No matter, after tiptoeing along the edge of the canal to avoid falling through a thin sheet of ice into a quagmire, I soon reached Sandon Lock, which thankfully delivered me to higher ground and a more solid path.

There were several barges moored within a short walk of the fleshpots of Sandon Lock.

The bridges (see slideshow) are all different on this section of canal, which I exited at bridge 85 towards Burston.

Burston was home to various members of the Stubbs family, about whom my father wrote a number of short essays.  I may even have met dad’s ‘Cousin Mary’ who lived in Stone near to various other relatives.  She died in 1953.  Hers is an interesting story – her dad, the black sheep of the family, was born in 1803.  But I digress.

I enjoyed looking around the village that was home to this strain of our family, wondering which of the houses had been their homes, before eventually wandering into the Greyhound Inn.  Hot soup and an excellent beer were savoured in the company of Alan Jordan, who was on our Turkish trip last year and is a seasoned TGO Challenger, so an hour wasn’t really sufficient.

But, suitably refreshed, I eventually left, in rather dimmer afternoon light, with wintry views back to Burston, from a hill beyond which, as dusk approached, the unseen path to Milwich lay ahead.

Here's my route - 18km, 250 metres ascent, in 5.5 hours including a good hour at the Greyhound.

Here’s what the Garmin gadget recorded:

And here’s a link to the slideshow again.

Have fun!

Happy New Year!

I’ve noticed some bloggers raising doubts as to whether they will continue making postings beyond the immediate future for reasons such as the issues they cover having been exhausted, or the feeling that they are unable to add usefully to the subjects they cover.  I pondered their dilemma whilst we were engaged in the pleasurable festive activity featured in this posting.

There is no such dilemma on these pages.  This blog remains true to its header, written when it was set up over five years ago:

“The main purpose of this blog is to keep in touch with friends and family, and maybe entertain others with common interests, particularly in relation to the outdoors. We hope you enjoy it, and your comments are valued....”

The blog actually followed on from over five years of reporting on our outdoors activities through our website that continues to this day (though a ‘programme’ for 2013 is somewhat overdue).

The on-line record, which starts with Sue’s account of our Tour of Mont Blanc trip in 2000 – thanks go to Alan Rayner for reminding us last night of that lovely trip – follows on from a diary that started in 1980 (thanks, Laurie) and has now reached Volume 74, albeit latterly through a lot of copying and pasting (literally) from these pages.

So this blog will continue in one form or another for as long as I’m around to make the postings.  You could say that it’s in its 33rd year!

Family and friends can now call in to Picasa, etc, at will to view images of scenes in which they may have been present, and I do get satisfaction from the fact that digital images can be displayed for all to see.  What a contrast to days past when the photos or slides received a cursory glance before being boxed or albumed and eventually relegated to the loft.  I even have a set of negatives from my first venture across the Channel in the 1970’s which have never even been printed.  I must dig them out and scan them sometime!  If you are reading this, Jacqui, Roger or John – be warned!

I also gain pleasure from the comments and viewings by complete strangers who visit these pages to seek information that may be useful to them, whether it be a route, image or a gear review or sundry piece of information – this blog and our website receive over 200 such visits every day; we hope that some of those visits provide the answers or information that is being sought.

I could ramble on, but I’ll finish by thanking Richard, Jenny and Dot for their assistance with this seasonal indulgence, and Nell and Keith for providing it in the first place.  It was fun…

 
… and it brought back happy childhood memories.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

December in Timperley: occasional sunny periods…

4/5 December 2012 – A Visit to Ghyll Head

At this time of year, East Lancs LDWA traditionally arrange a trip to Ghyll Head Bungalow, just south of Bowness on the eastern slopes of Windermere’s shore.

After zooming back from Center Parcs a quick turnaround saw us heading on up to Ghyll Head, where the LDWA group had already been in residence for a day.  Most of them had enjoyed a circular walk to Staveley, including a visit to Wilf’s Café, under the expert guidance of Peter Haslam.

Tuesday – Holme Fell and Black Crag

We woke to cloudy skies and a light drizzle that pestered us all day.

Whilst a few folk headed up to Borrowdale for an assault of Cat Bells, and Reg headed south for some ‘essential repairs’, the majority, pictured below at Glen Mary Bridge car park, took the road to Coniston for a pleasant, albeit short stroll over Holme Fell and Black Crag.



A field path from Glen Mary Bridge to Yew Tree Farm led to a gentle ascent over rough ground through a meadow occupied by hardy sheep and a herd of Belted Galloways.

Our first summit, Ivy Crag, was soon under our own belts.  This modest peak which fails to measure up to even 300 metres sports excellent views to the south down the length of Windermere.  We were able to savour that view despite the lingering cloud.

Beyond Ivy Crag, a steep gully led to the 317 metre summit of Holme Fell.  We spotted a small group of deer as we ascended, though Little Ann may have missed these as she needed all her concentration to master the climb to these dizzy heights, where elevenses and fudge brownies were utilised to resuscitate everyone.

Nearby, the snowy slopes of Wetherlam were cloaked in cloud, but there was a clear view north to Little Langdale and Lingmoor.

Soon we reached Hodge Close Quarry, a site of Cathy’s erstwhile diving exploits.  She recalled finding a wheelchair in the depths of the quarry, but thankfully no skeleton was attached to it.

After lingering for a while at the quarry we enjoyed a pleasant path which led to High Oxen and an idyllic cottage notwithstanding the drizzle.

We continued past Low Arnside for an al fresco lunch in light rain near Iron Keld.  “Where’s the pub?” clamoured my charges, somehow forgetting that I’d told them that despite the proximity of the Drunken Duck, there was no pub on this walk!

After that we wound our way up to the high point of the day, Black Crag, 322 metres.  Barbara showed off…



Dancing on the trig point became de rigueur, as most of us took turns to occupy the pedestal.

The pleasant stroll was soon under way again, and the slithery path past Pullscar Plantation proved too much for Little Ann's slippery soles.  A number of my assistant leaders manfully rescued her whilst Cathy and I looked on, puzzled as to why some of the group were taking so long to descend the stony path.

After we had plodded about in the rain for a while, Tarn Hows finally put in an appearance and its ducks were duly fed.

One Peter then found a money tree, which delayed his progress for some time, enabling the other Peter to do his Plank Impersonation Trick. [Later, John 'The Plank' Picton showed everyone how that should be done by remaining in situ as a Plank for well over three minutes.]

The descent from Tarn Hows to Tom Gill Waterfall, in gathering gloom, proved most scenic.



The steep path soon degenerated into an easy stroll back to the car park, from where a scenic journey back to Ghyll Head preceded an evening of good food and frivolity, the latter being stage managed by Quiz Mistress Cathy.

Today’s route was about 14km (9+ miles), with 600 metres ascent, taking 5 hours or so.

Wednesday – Birch Fell and Gummer’s How

Wednesday morning brought fine views (see header image) as we looked up from our breakfasts and gazed across Windermere to the Coniston Fells as they were slowly emblazoned by the rising sun.

After breakfast I set off with Roy and Sue, up Ghyll Head Road, whilst others headed to Helm Crag or to indulge themselves with some seasonal treats (ie a shopping trip!).

Soon we left the road and headed up towards Ludderburn Park, from where there were fine views across the M6 divide to the snow-clad Howgill Fells.



Passing puddles frozen into delicate ice formations, we proceeded rather erratically to the summit of Birch Fell, which was in a forest.

From there an easy stroll took us to Gummer How's 321 metre summit, an excellent viewpoint from which many photos were taken.  That's Windermere and the Helvellyn massif in the distance.



After chatting to some children who were enjoying a stay in the main building at Ghyll Head, we soon followed them down to cross a minor road then head east towards the Mason's Arms at Strawberry Bank.  We had taken butties, but they weren’t needed.  Beer and soup was the order of the day for me and Sue, whilst Roy was somewhat more indulgent.
We didn’t feel any need to hurry, so by the time we left the pub the sun had dipped low and we made our way back across waterlogged fields to cross the River Winster in the gloom of the afternoon at Birks Bridge.

From here a cool breeze blew us along, past an old lime kiln, towards Winster, where a clay pigeon shoot was in progress.  It was coming to an end as we arrived, and the shooters seemed friendly enough.

Moving on towards Ghyll Head, we took a roundabout route and circled anti-clockwise around some woodland to reach an impressive memorial bench at Rosthwaite Heights, before moving on to the actual summit, which sports a fine view across Windermere.

Later, we enjoyed another excellent meal at Ghyll Head.  Sue had to work the following day, so sadly we had to skip the bingo and quizzes and shoot off homewards.

Our route today was about 20km (12+ miles), with 600 metres ascent, taking a little over 6 hours.



This was a most pleasurable couple of days, in excellent company.  Thanks, everyone.
There’s a fairly comprehensive slideshow here.

And here’s a plug for Ghyll Head, which in these times of recession is having to become more commercial to survive.  The bungalow is an excellent self-catering venue for up to 16 people housed in small dormitories.  It’s eminently suitable for a birthday gathering, or just for a group of people wanting a few days away.  It currently costs £22-25 pppn so long as there are at least 10 people in the group.  As well as the many paths for walking, this is a good mountain biking area, and instructors are available at extra cost should anyone need them – kayaking, climbing, etc are on offer.

Finally, my apologies for the lateness of this posting – there are numerous competing priorities at this time of year – I hope the wait was worth it!

Happy Christmas!

  
Wishing all our readers a very Happy Christmas.

Just in case anyone has a desire to follow a summary of what we’ve been up to, as in previous years we’ve written a short piece on 2012, mainly for family, here.

Have a Good One….

Tuesday 18 December 2012 – An Evening Yomp up Shutlingsloe, and Memories of Half Dome

I organise quite a few evening walks during the course of a year.  They are attended by a very select group of enthusiasts, sometimes numbering just one person!  However, as last year, this traditional yomp up Shutlingsloe was the best attended evening walk of the year, with twelve people turning up on a lovely calm evening.  Well done everyone, it was most pleasurable.

There was a smidging of mist on the summit, which reflected any attempt to get a reasonable group photo, but this one seems to include everyone but me and Richard, who was still en route from work at this point.

We spent some time on the top, waiting for Richard (we met him later on the way down), congratulating Alistair who announced that he was to be a dad for the second time  (big congratulations to him and Lynsey, and we hope the morning sickness diminishes soon, Lynsey), and singing a small selection of Christmas songs led by choir-mistress Sue in the absence of JJ who was on ‘Dad Duty’.

There was also a selection of goodies which for a change rested calmly on the trig point, and Diana had brought a huge flask that looked more like a rocket launcher and contained fuel that propelled the younger members of the party back down the hill with no significant complaints.

As you can see, images were obtained basically by pointing the camera in the dark and pressing the shutter at random:

(I never realised Joe’s legs were so short!)

Here’s Andrew hoovering up the flapjack and helping Diana dispense fuel from her rocket flask.

On the way down we met Richard, puffing his way up the hill after another hard day at work.  He made it back down from the summit just as we reached the cars, and was in plenty of time for a pint at the Leather’s Smithy, where for some reason the conversation turned to ‘Adventures on Half Dome’.

I think Richard found the ascent of that iconic hill rather easier than I did, as he zoomed up beside one of the ‘handrails’, whereas I nearly met my demise on the very steep and scary slope and will never venture there again without a via ferrata kit.

Sue’s report on our day up Half Dome is here (I think Graham may be amused by it).

My Garmin gadget shows the evening’s 5.3 km outing to have followed the following dark course.

Sunday 2 December 2012 – Center Parcs

It was our annual day out at Center Parcs.

Thanks go to Robert and Lyn & Co for inviting us along to enjoy a somewhat active day from which my muscles have still not recovered.

It was great fun – a slideshow (for those who were there) is here, and a record of all our visits since 2007 is here.

Sue still has the squash bruises; Roger’s knee still hurts; Stuart remains a poseur; Louise has taken to wearing a lion’s suit to work; Chris is still building submarines; Robert remains a disturbingly lanky 6’ 9” after the stretching exercises; Lyn is busy preparing next year’s shopping list; Jim is practicing his tennis serve; and Peg has ordered herself an American Pool table for Christmas.

Winter Plumage

Sue took this picture of Jake a couple of weeks ago.  He’s in search of ducks…

Thursday 29 November 2012 – Y Garn and The Glyders

Is it really nearly five years since I did this walk?  It appears so, as I last recorded it on 1 January 2008.  Details of the route etc are given in that posting.  Since then I’ve been up Y Garn on one of Bill Birkett’s ‘Great British Ridge Walks’ – described here.

So it was a pleasure to be able to take advantage of a fine day after much rain.

There’s an annotated slideshow here, so I’ll be brief.

The kiosk at Ogwen has gone.  They are building a new ‘Ogwen Centre’, to be opened next summer.  Meanwhile, the toilets are still there, and the parking is free for the time being.

The warm rain in Manchester had fallen as snow above Llyn Idwal, so I enjoyed a day of glistening snow and glassy lakes.  Stupidly, I’d forgotten to pack my ice axe and crampons, so when I found myself unable to move backwards or forwards on a steep slope near the top of Y Garn, I was left with no option but to deploy the Yaktrax foot grips that lurk in my rucksack all winter.  One went on easily enough from the awkward stance, but the other one catapulted off down the icy slope.  At least it wasn’t me who slid down the slope, but this was a harsh reminder to don such footwear before it’s needed, not at the crux of a climb!

Several others were on the hill – a group of four climbers, a young lad who had lost his sunglasses, and a couple of chaps coming up from the south. 

The firm snow on Y Garn contrasted starkly with the softness of the Glyders’ covering.  Here I bumped into a few more folk – everyone was chatty today and of the dozen I saw there was just one other pensioner, the rest being people who’d simply taken the day off to go for a walk.

There were excellent views of Snowdon (see above), and crampons weren’t really needed in the softer snow of the Glyders.  However, once I’d removed my remaining Yaktrax I kept slipping on the black ice that’s a feature of the descent below the snow line back to Ogwen Cottage.  No damage was done though, and I was home in time to cook tea after a most pleasurable day out, as you will gather from the slideshow images.

Happy days…

Here’s the route – 12km with about 1000 metres ascent.

Sunday 9 December 2012 – A Christmas Walk around Hartington

There are other excellent and more timely reports on this fun day out, so I’m just providing a brief overview here before moving back a couple of weeks to try to catch up with some overdue postings.

Gayle’s report, composed literally as the walk was finishing, is here.

Alan R managed to raise himself from his sick bed just in time to take part and his report, which sadly doesn’t seem to offer much for his tractor spotting fans*, is here (‘Martin’s Christmas Mud Fest’).

My short slideshow (not many pictures were taken) is here.

Last year’s report on the same walk, with route details and more information, is here.

Briefly:

28 sundry strollers set off gently in unusually persistent rain, along the Tissington Trail, whose surface had the texture of gluey cement which was soon replaced on our boots by the gluey mud on the descent to Mill Dale, where we were led by the unlikely apparition of a mud loving vampire dressed in a Sherlock Holmes outfit (see above).

The stupid and lazy ploughed through a flood beside the bulging River Dove, leaving them with rather moist underparts. The more sensible avoided this obstacle and even occasionally gathered for a head count (I was taking my leadership duties seriously).  All 28 were still in tow by the time we approached the junction between Wolfscote and Biggin Dales.

It being time for elevenses, a fair number of the party ably demonstrated that they were only there for the cake.  And more cake.

Then it stopped raining and some blue sky appeared, as is customary on most of my walks.  Spirits were high as we ploughed on past a heron and a kestrel to the narrow bridge that marks the entry to Beresford Dale and the last lap to the Charles Cotton Hotel, where we arrived early and left late, after the usual sumptuous Christmas lunch.  Thanks go to all the staff who looked after us so well, albeit they failed to nail the vampire, who very strangely seemed to run out of puff on the latter stages of the subsequent stroll back to the cars in the dark.  Before the night had completely engulfed us we passed through a field of sheep notable, as last year, for the newborn lambs that were tottering around in the gloom.

Then there was much fumbling with Christmas cards in the dark, and we went home.  Thanks for coming, everyone – it’s great to see you, albeit only once a year in some cases!

A quiz took place at lunch time.  Mick, Gayle and Jeff won it, and they lightened my bag by relieving me of some prizes.  If anyone would like to have a go at this quiz – and there’s another prize on offer for the ‘best’ submission by 31 December – it’s reproduced here.

Next year’s walk will be on Sunday 8 December 2013, with further details not yet decided.

* Alan’s blog has an astounding number of followers due to his lifelong obsession with tractors and the tantalisingly occasional iconic images with which he teases those fans!