Center Parcs - Sherwood Forest - 17 to 20 January 2020

 

Here are just a few pictures from our weekend sojourn at Center Parcs in Sherwood Forest.

 

We had house/chalet number 889 again, reached by foot, bike or (in Louise's case) invalid carriage, down pretty pathways and past some relatively new buildings that have resulted in the golf range being turned into a family crazy golf course.

 

 

 

On Friday night, we assembled in the sauna, and adjourned (when the beer bottles got too hot) for Gerry and Chris's excellent 'spag bol', before a 'slide show' of last year's canal trip and other stuff.

 

 

Stuart, Lyn, Louise, Gerry, Chris, Robert and Sue.

 

On Saturday morning I went on a nearby 5 km parkrun, on which I've already reported. It was a lovely morning, as I took a finishing line picture before heading back to base.

 

 

The lake was glittering in the sunshine as I walked past.

 

 

 

There's a new 'ride' in the pool area - here it is, wisely positioned just above a building that houses the medical centre.

 

 

The afternoon was spent on a variety of different courts, of which only badminton is pictured below.

 

 

 

 

Whilst most of us adjourned to table tennis, Chris struggled up a climbing wall.

 

 

Captions please?

 

 

The exercises concluded with a marathon game of floodlit tennis, in which it took Sue and Robert the entire hour to beat me and Stuart (both cripples) by 10 games to 8. Then it was back to the sauna, and a chicken meal from Louise.

 

Sunday started with an hour and a half of squash, which five of us managed to enjoy without getting too shattered.

 

Nearby, Greylag and Egyptian Geese pottered about expectantly.

 

 

 

Later, the short tennis (indoors with a soft ball on a badminton court) was interrupted by a visit to some owls.

 

Did you know that a barn owl, without its feathers, is no bigger than a blackbird?

 

 

Owls from Africa and Mexico were passed around, then the barn owl, then the European Eagle Owl pictured below.

 

 

This fine fellow can live between 30 and 40 years in the wild, and 40 to 50 years in captivity. This one is about 18 years old. They are breeding successfully in the UK, in particular on the Yorkshire Moors and in the Yorkshire Dales, according to their 'dad'.

 

 

Goulash followed more sauna, then we enjoyed 'Lyn's Log' - a documentary about a canal crew in the Stratford area.

 

Monday morning saw more table tennis, swimming, etc, before everyone hobbled away for a bit of recovery time before their next bout of exercise.

Monday 20 January 2020 - The Wabash Jazzmen at Eagley Jazz Club

 

We've seen this band a few times, but today the clarinet was in the hands of Eric Newton, who we last saw giving a presentation about his interesting life to SWOG members in October 2018.

Pictured on the left in the picture, Eric tells us he is still available to give talks about his life and times.

Another excellent Monday evening jazz night, with the added bonus of a winning raffle ticket for the second time running!

Center Parcs 2019 (2)

 

Some more photos may follow, but suffice to say we have enjoyed a variety of activities ranging from basket weaving to rock climbing, with lots of games involving balls of miscellaneous sizes in between. (Pool, tennis, badminton, short tennis, table tennis, etc.) As well as other stuff involving owls, gyms, cricket, football, slide shows, and the sauna that's attached to the chalet.

Sherwood Pines parkrun

 

 

 

This parkrun takes place only a couple of miles from Center Parcs, so I popped along whilst the others got a few minutes exercise on hydrobikes.

Curiously, there were 390 participants on the single lap course along forest paths - the same as Wythenshawe last week. Also, curiously,  I took exactly the same time as last week - 23.54, but my position was slightly different - thanks possibly to all the fast 11 year olds at Sherwood Pines.

Full results are here.

It was a lovely clear morning - ideal for this 5 km jog.

Center Parcs 2019 (1)

 

Here we are, duly assembled for another active weekend in Sherwood Forest. 

The TGO Challenge - Vetting Days (9)

 

Here, I'm packing up near the summit of Beinn na Caillich, on 18 May 2010, after one of the best nights I've had in a tent, with the door wide open and views across Loch Leven to Glencoe.

The TGO Challenge - Vetting Days (8)

 

The route I'm currently vetting has a camping spot below the Munro summit of Creag nan Damh, on the South Glen Shiel ridge. Sue and I were there on 9 May 2008, in t-shirt weather.

 

This year's Challengers may not be so lucky - here's a panoramic view taken by Ali O on her 2019 Challenge, where a group of Challengers camped in the same (more or less - NG 986 111) spot in fine, but hardly t-shirt, weather. You'll need to click on the picture to view it properly.

 

The TGO Challenge - Vetting Days (7)

 

This one is for fellow vetter, Barbara, who asked about access to the Schiehallion path from Kinloch Rannoch (where ice creams are an essential purchase).

 

Here's Sue on 15 May 2019 at our camp (NN696554) along the track Barbara was enquiring about.

The TGO Challenge - Vetting Days (6)

 

Today I'm vetting a route that passes Ryvoan bothy, near Glenmore Lodge. I stayed outside the bothy on a lovely flat piece of grass, on my first Challenge in 2007.

 

I have a vivid memory of the ensuing sleepless night. Some might say I was disturbing the wildlife, but the troop of lekking black grouse acted as if I simply wasn't there, refusing to be shooed away from their night time mating rituals.

 

Don't camp here!

Saturday 11 January 2020 - Wythenshawe parkrun number 424

 

On a routine Saturday morning on the 5 km 'Reverse Flag and Sandcastle' course, Jan rests under the supervision of Oliver after speeding off ahead of me, despite my efforts to slow him down with inconsequential chat at around the 3 km mark.

 

Full results are here. Another good turn out of 390 people. Laura was first woman again, in another new PB, so well done to her - she's now flying ahead of her dad.

 

I was over a minute slower on today's (Sunday) faster 'Great Run Local' course, but as it was somewhat rainy, and I was wearing full waterproofs, I'll live with that.

Friday 10 January 2020 - A Walk from Stockport to Ashton

 

I did this walk on my own back in September, reporting on it here, where you'll find a bit more greenery in the pictures, and a map.

 

Today's outing was for the benefit of Sue and Paul, who I think were as surprised as me to discover that there's a completely off-road route through the suburbs of Greater Manchester between these two towns, thanks largely to the River Tame, and the canal engineers from over 200 years ago.

 

We travelled by train from Navigation Road, and it took a few minutes to extricate ourselves from Stockport Town Centre, where the frog pictured in September by the railway station has been removed. We soon found ourselves in woodland beside the River Tame, near to where it joins up with the River Goyt to form the Mersey.

 

 

It was a wintry view today, with greenery provided courtesy of the mosses and lichens that cover almost every bit of bare wood.

 

 

I dutifully showed Sue and Paul Harrison's Weir, dating from the early 1780s. It's in need of a bit of repair.

 

 

We normally cross the bridge leading to Reddish Vale Visitor's Centre on our bikes, without noticing the carved inscriptions at either side of the bridge, denoting the old border between Cheshire and Lancashire. Interestingly, there's a bee emblem on the Cheshire side, and a rose on the Lancashire side. I've rather amateurishly stitched a few photos together. If you click on the images you'll get a better version.

 

 

Amongst other information, these plaques state that Lancashire was formed in 1351, and that the Heatons and Reddish were transferred to the Borough of Stockport in 1916. They also state that since 1974, wherever you stand on the bridge you are in Greater Manchester. That makes these plaques quite recent.

 

 

From the bridge, there's a view over a small nature reserve - lots of varieties of ducks on view - and to the impressive Reddish Vale viaduct.

 

 

Our route headed east, under the massive arches of the viaduct.

 

We then passed under the M60 motorway and crossed some waterlogged fields that challenged the trail shoes that Sue and I were wearing.
 

 

Eventually, after more pleasant walking (and lunch on a convenient bench) beside the River Tame, we took a pretty walled path (see top picture) up to the Peak Forest Canal. The sun came out and provided some lovely reflections.

 

 

Reaching the Portland Basin, the Peak Forest Canal meets the Ashton Canal and the Huddersfield Narrow Canal. Some of the street furniture there looks in need of renovation!

 

 

From the same spot - a rather better view towards the Portland Basin Museum (open) and its attached café (closed).

 

 

Ashton Metrolink Station is nearby, so we strolled along to it and caught a tram home.

 

We had walked about 16 km, taking around four hours, on this enjoyable excursion.

 

Next:

Friday 24 January

Day Walk

A 15 km circuit from Irlam Station, visiting The Salford Trail, Great Woolden Moss, and the Glazebrook Trail. Meet at 10 am. Lunch at the station (SJ 713 931).

The TGO Challenge - Vetting Days (5)

 

This photo is from 10 May 2009, when Sue and I camped near the summit of Gulvain. The route I vetted yesterday went very close by, and my enquiries about the route near the A' Chuil bothy led me to the explanation as to why Sue and I didn't find a bridge mentioned by my vetter at the time, Alan Hardy. We were on the wrong path through Glendessarry - we should have gone through the wood that's to the south of the main path.

 

I wish I could still climb trig points like that!

Wednesday 8 January 2020 - Motoring in the Edwardian Era - A Talk by Craig Horner

 

These two members of SWOG had clearly dressed for the occasion!

 

In a fascinating presentation, backed by the tome shown below, Craig explained that, even at the turn of the century, there was a thriving second-hand market, cars were available on finance, and number plates (when they were introduced in 1904), could be 'cherished'. If I heard him correctly, the first registration number to be issued in Cheshire - to Lord Egerton of Tatton - 'M1' - was sold in 2006 for £331,500, apparently to a mystery buyer who bought it as a birthday present for his six year old son. 

 

Craig has spent many happy hours transcribing the scrawled  ownership entries of all the cars registered in Cheshire since registrations began! This is just the first volume, and you can't see from the picture, but it's about 3 cm thick. Geek!

 

 

In the early days, most cars were manufactured on the continent, mainly in France, by people like Lutzmann. Most of the names from that period have been lost to common knowledge in the mists of time, but 'Benz' does appear, and I have another book that pictures a car built by Herbert Austin in 1895, ten years before the formation of the Austin Motor Co.

 

All very interesting, and it appeared to inspire Cary into measuring the Christmas decorations, which he then dutifully re-hung!

 

The TGO Challenge - Vetting Days (4)

I've had the pleasure today of vetting a route that includes a day that almost exactly replicates the day Sue and I spent on 19 May 2008. I wrote about it here.

I hope that Myles can enjoy his day in May on these hills as much as we did.

Sue is pictured above with the view from the summit of Lochnagar, back to Loch nan Eun.

Monday 6 January 2020 - Deco Delight Jazz Band at Eagley Jazz Club

 

Another excellent night at the Jazz Club, with an entertaining performance from this band of accomplished musicians, details of whom can be found here.

 

Music from the 1920's was the theme of the evening, and very good it was as well. They only seem to come once a year, and we missed them last year.

 

And just when we didn't need it, being just after Christmas, Sue and I won a large box of chocolates in the raffle!

The TGO Challenge - Vetting Days (3)

 

Another picture from the same (2009) Challenge as the previous two postings.

 

Our route joined the Great Glen Way for a while, passing by the southern end of Loch Lochy towards Gairlochy.

 

The views up Loch Lochy were immaculate, with birch and beech trees almost visibly bursting into leaf on the hot day.

The TGO Challenge - Vetting Days (2)

Here's our camp that preceded the idyllic spot beside the Finiskaig river in the previous posting. I suppose that given the pace of global warming such pictures as this will become a rare sight on the Challenge in May.

We were camped at about 680 metres by Allt a Choire Odhair, which looked like this when we pitched the tent:

 

A reminder of this, our first day out of Mallaig, is here.