Sunday 15 December 2019 - A Christmas Walk from Bakewell

 

My 'Christmas Walks' have evolved from being planning sessions for the year ahead into a gathering where we learn of each other's activities from the past year. Having said that, Andrew put me in possession of a weighty tome entitled 'Alta Via Amelia - Spirits of the Dolomites' - which could place our plan to walk the 'Alpe Adria Trail' next year in jeopardy! Thanks Andrew...

 

24 of us duly gathered outside and inside the Lime Lounge café in Bakewell on a cool but sunny morning. Excellent conditions for walking after a few rather changeable days' weather. It was a shame that Jon had cried off ill, and Andrew would not be joining us until Ashford.

 

The River Wye was running high, but not dangerously so. (NB Click on any picture for a better version and access to a slideshow.)

 

 

After a short stretch alongside the happy ducks in the river, we headed through the town and uphill to the churchyard, and past the imposing spire.

 

 

The path undulates (mainly up) all the way to Dirtlow Farm. Today's timings allowed for a leisurely pace.

 

 

As we progressed, a buzzard flew lazily away from its perch on a gatepost just ahead of us, and flocks of redwings or fieldfares swirled in the fields as we passed by.

 

Shortly after Dirtlow, our route headed past a communications mast and down towards Ashford in the Water. Sue noticed the time and demanded 'Elevenses', from where there was a good view down to Ashford, and also up the Wye Valley towards Taddington.

 

 

 

We meandered down to Ashford, where the river was certainly not in meandering mode. The ducks had all gathered in an area of eddying calm beside the bridge.

 

 

Our path headed past the bandstand (? - Ashford must have a very small band?), and on around the church to the playing field where Andrew was waiting.

 

 

This would have been a good place for elevenses in the bright sunhine, but we'd already had them...

 

We stopped for a while anyway, whilst many of the party took advantage of the nearby loos.

 

 

Onwards over damp ground to the Crispin, and an excellent lunch. Some folk also had a go at part of a quiz I'd set for SWOG last Wednesday night - the picture section. I'll put it up on these pages shortly, and as it was designed for people from Stockport, those who tried to answer the questions did very well.

 

It had been sunny when we entered the pub at 12.30 after a two and a half hour walk. When we left, two and a half hours later, we noticed that it had been raining. It was particularly obvious to those of us who had left our boots outside.

 

 

My hat seems to have decided to try to impersonate the church spire in Bakewell...

 

 

As we crossed the fields towards the Monsal Trail, the light dimmed as dusk approached, and the camera was soon stashed.

 

 

Andrew peeled off to recover his car, and the rest of us enjoyed a convivial time on the easy, broad track, past Hassop and on to Castle Hill. I'd planned to continue to the end of the Monsal Trail at Coombs Road, returning to Bakewell through the fields, as on Wednesday, but the drizzle had turned to steady rain, it was dark, and everyone wanted to go home.

 

So we did just that.

 

We walked about 9 km in the morning, and a further 5 km after lunch - the route is shown below. The Crispin did, as they always do, remind me that they are open all year round, and you don't have to spend two and a half hours there - the service is actually very friendly and efficient.

 

 

I've added a label to this blog that brings up all the 'Xmas Walks' since the blog started in 2007, should anyone be desperate for a bit of reminiscence. And there's a route description for 2006 here! 2005's route is here. The best I can do digitally for 2004 and earlier is here, but I do have hand written diary entries from 1980! I'm not about to suddenly type them all out, although that might be a fun little project...

 

Thanks for coming, everyone, and have a great Christmas and New Year.

Saturday 14 December 2019 - Wythenshawe tourists at Woodbank parkrun number 537

 

Wythenshawe's waterlogged surfaces resulted in a cancellation there (you'll note from the previous entry in this blog that it has been raining), so a WhatsApp group sprung into life, resulting in an invasion of tourists from Wythenshawe at Woodbank parkrun in Stockport.

 

Woodbank never seems to cancel. Sue and I have been there before on a flat 'frost' course, but today it wasn't frosty and we got our first taste of the legendary hill that makes this 5km course a relatively slow one.

 

Our results are shown here, with Laura heading our contingent and being the second woman to finish. She's running well at present. She was not so closely followed by her dad, with Jan next of our contingent, followed home by me and Sue.

 

Ron had kindly volunteered to run with Owen, and whilst Owen's mum looked on, the rest of us joined them for their last lap of the three lap circuit. So five of us did four laps.  

 

This was as much a social gathering as a running one, and we spent well over an hour in the nearby café before making our ways home. In fact, the efficient Run Director had processed the results well before we left the café. Well done him, and thanks as always to the volunteers who made the run possible.

 

Friday 13 December 2019 - Exploring the Irk Valley

 

I've been here before - reports are here and here. They contain quite a lot of information, so today I'll be brief.

 

The two Pauls and I rendezvoused on the tram to Heaton Park, where on this occasion nobody else joined us. Not surprising really, as it was p*****g down with rain. We tried to dispel said inclemency by spending as long as we could in the café, before pressing on past the hall. The trick had worked, briefly, as the downpour seems to have paused for the above photo.

 

Not for long. Normal service from the skies soon resumed, curtailing the usual view towards the ever increasing mass of skyscrapers in the centre of Manchester. 

 

After a minor navigational hiccup, we exited the park, crossed the main A576 road near Victoria Avenue, and took a thin path on the west bank of the River Irk, which unsurprisingly was pretty full of water.
 

 

I suppose the walk was pleasant enough, and the company was good, but the camera remained stashed until we came across the usual rubbish in Hendham Vale. A victim of fly tipping on previous visits, and nothing has changed. It must cost the people of Collyhurst a fortune on their rates bill. 

 

 

Both Pauls looked on in dismay.

 

 

A little further on is th road bridge housing Queen's Road. By now the lens was misting up.

 

 

Just beyond here we walked under the viaduct that was the scene of a fatal accident a few years ago in 1953. Here's the Pathe News clip. These days Metrolink trams rumble gently along the re-laid tracks.

 

A little further on, 'Dreadnowt' is encountered, before reaching the H Marcel Guest paint factory that has been in business here for 80 years and is still going strong.

 

There's a wonderful commentary on this and other 'Irksome' matters in this great article from 2014.

 

 

Thanks to Paul S for discovering both the above links, which are well worth a click - they are certainly more interesting than this mundane report.

 

Closing in on Victoria, our pace quickened in an effort to get to somewhere dry. That place turned out to be the meagre shelter at Shudehill Metrolink station, from where we were conveyed by carriage to the sanctuary of our respective homes for a late lunch after our 13 km stroll.

 

Thanks for joining me, Pauls, you were brave (stupid?) to venture out today.

Thursday 12 December 2019 - An Evening at the Cinnamon Club

 

It was with great pleasure that Sue and I accepted Paul and Jeanette's invitation to join them for a visit to the Cinnamon Club in Bowdon. We last visited this venue many years ago, so it was great to be back. The event was well attended - we discovered that it had been planned for the smaller 'upstairs' venue, but that had been double booked, so lots of free tickets had been issued in a (successful) effort to fill the large downstairs venue.

 

The California Bums, pictured above, got proceedings off to a jolly start, then Victor Brox performed with his guitar. He's a class act, having performed with many leading musicians.

 

 

 

 

After Victor had moved to the piano to sign off his stint, the headline act, pianist Dale Storr, came on, with his 'Sounds of New Orleans'. He's a wonderful pianist, performing pieces from several different genres, and bemoaning the reluctance of performers in different genres (eg jazz/blues) to get together in the UK, whereas in New Orleans they all fall in to a big melting pot of music.

 

 

A thoroughly enjoyable evening, and thanks to P&J for inviting us. We must go to the Cinnamon Club again soon.

Wednesday 11 December 2019 - A Visit to Bakewell

 

We did this walk a couple of years ago - here - and will be on the same paths again in a few days' time, so here are just a few pictures from my recce of the route in preparation for this year's Christmas walk and lunch that I organise.

 

I parked in Great Longstone and headed into the sun towards the Monsal Trail, looking back from the same point to a wintry outlook, with frost on the ground where the sun hadn't dissolved it.

 

 

Once on the Monsal Trail, another look back...

 

… and a view along the frosty trail.
 

 

There were quite a few runners and walkers enjoying the fine morning. I joined the runners and jogged along to the end of the trail at the bridge over Coombes Road.

 

 

A stroll through the remarkably dry fields saw me reach Bakewell, where the Lime Lounge café looked to be going strong - still a good meeting point for our forthcoming walk, which will start in Bakewell.

 

 

After a pleasant amble alongside the river, I headed up past the church to proceed along a series of field paths.

 

 

These field paths, plus a bit of tarmac past Dirtlow Farm, led to a good view down to Ashford in the Water, where we will assemble for victuals and a rendezvous with Andrew on Sunday.

 

 

 

From Ashford, it's a pleasant walk back up to Great Longstone, and the Crispin, where Joanne assured me that our Christmas lunch arrangements were satisfactorily in place.

 

 

Before returning home, I enjoyed a bowl of soup here, happy in the knowledge that we wouldn't get mis-placed on Sunday, nor would we go hungry.

Monday 9 December 2019 - The Tame Valley Stompers at Eagley Jazz Club

 

We know that Christmas is imminent when we pop up to Bolton for the Jazz Club's annual bash. The Tame Valley Stompers always brighten the occasion, and tonight was no exception, with some classic trad jazz, with a Christmas slant, in front of a full house of diners, well fed by Percivals, the usual caterers.

 

I've written about the band before, notably here. Tonight I couldn't help noticing that Paul Broomhead's Christmas hat made it look, from the angle I was seated, as if he was sporting a lavish blonde wig.

 

Here they are at work.

 

 

And later, posing for the 'family album'.

 

 

It was good to see Reg at this event - his first outing since major surgery, and thanks go to all those who put such an effort into making this an enjoyable evening for everyone.

Pyrenees HRP - 2004 - Day 51

Amelie-Les-Bains - lunchtime

 

Sue and Martin's Big Adventure

 

Day 51 - Tuesday 14 September 2004 - Stage 42

Postcard Summary

Gite in cloud to Amelie-Les-Bains

Foggy descent, mainly on Deserted Dirt Roads – 4.2 hours, 16 km, 100m ascent

The gite looked a bit like a prison, but we spent a pleasant evening in the restaurant next door with Vincent and Ann.  Vincent is a fiddler who busks in Paris.  We spent most of the morning in a cloud, then had a nice lunch in Amelie, a lazy afternoon and an extra walk up a gorge, and a very nice evening meal in Le Poivre Vert.

 

 

Diary Entry (by Martin)

Wake at 7.15 in our gîte dormitory and had a chatty breakfast with Vincent and Ann, our novice walking friends. Ann tells us about her job as a production manager in a lasagne and pasta making factory. She looks like a student.

 

It is still foggy outside. We have only seen this place in the fog, and it does look a little prison like. But it has served its purpose well and at 8.35 we stride off into the fog. We follow Joosten's descent route to Amelie - a few amendments to his description are needed as usual. Waterproofs go on and off. They are not really needed, but it's a bit damp walking through cloud from 1500 metres down to 400 metres.

 

Dirt roads all the way until the last few hundred metres through beech, etc woods. This is a nice path along a rocky south east crest. We've been on a ridge (or next to one) all morning, but the ten metre visibility hasn't revealed much other than the dirt roads we travel on, a few trees, four cars, two mushroom collectors - dressed like chefs - a fine collection that they proudly show to us - Cepes and Girolles and more, and a man just above Amelie.

 

The hedgerow came alive at times, with bright blue, yellow and white flowers (Mountain Lettuce, Golden Rod, Yarrow, Forget-me-nots, etc), shining out of the fog. The glistening, ripe, sweet blackberries were very difficult to pass by without stopping. The Heather (Ling) is still going strong. Sweet chestnuts are weighing trees down as they ripen, and small bat-like birds harvest the flies above. (They may have been bats?) Overall though, fungi have replaced the hedgerow plants in our line of view, autumn colours are well on the way, fungus covers some of the damp rocks, and we wind our way down a path of leaves.

 

Even when we get below the cloud, trees block our view of Amelie-les-Bains, but down below there are Aloe Vera plants and tropical looking trees. Tall grasses and vetches line the path into Amelie, where we soon find a café for lunch (12.45 arrival - salad and cheese baguette) before it starts to spot with rain. So rather than our planned camp in the sun, we go round the corner to Hotel Residence Jeanne d'Arc and nab a room with a sink and a bidet (all en-suites are taken!).

 

As we utilise the facilities the elements let loose and there is a big storm. Again we have avoided the worst of the weather. And so, after showering, washing, texting Kate, diary writing, etc, we set off to continue to enjoy our second wedding anniversary by seeking stamps for all the cards written since Luchon (!!) and tomorrow's lunch (as well of course as a suitable venue for tonight's feast).

 

Amelie graffiti

 

(Later.) Stamps found, cards to be posted after breakfast. Walk around town. Ice creams. Walk up Gorges de Mondony as far as we can from the town centre. (Thermes - this is a hot spring town.) Old concrete platforms are attached to the side of the gorge. It all has a rather worn look, but at least the place is busy. We choose Le Poivre Vert as our favoured eating place and book a table. Later, realise why lunchtime prices are higher: fewer evening customers - there must be day trips to Amelie - heaving at lunchtime, quiet in the evening (like Gavarnie). And so - nice meal - liver and bacon salad, steak and chips for Sue, chicken and chips for me, etc, etc. Very nice - then back across the road to our sparse room - bed by 10 pm. Nice rosé wine again here.

 

Stats and route (Viewranger):

16 km, 100 metres ascent, 4.2 hours

 

 

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