Health Walk - Tuesday 5th April 2016

Photos by Michael & Sandy - Please click on photos to see a larger one

There was blue sky to the west but it never quite made it to us however we had a dry morning with a cold wind that could be unpleasant at times.  Back to normal today with sixteen walkers - Alan, Bernadette, Brian, Colin, Elizabeth H, Elizabeth M, Frankie, Graham, Irene S, James, Linda E, Michael, Peter, Paul, Sandy and Suzie.   

I, Michael, leading, set off towards the Cinder Path.  I'd agreed with Brian, another qualified leader and sometime coordinator, that we would go into the north area of the Park and Brian would lead those who wished to cut their walk short back down the Cinder Path.

It's not my favourite walk because of the M6 and A49 but some of the walkers hadn't been on this walk before and it made a change.  It's hard trying to create different walks especially with the Park being so saturated - will it ever dry up?

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Brian, back marking, revealed that Peter and Suzie had declined to cross the M6 Bridge and had walked towards Cock Cabin Wood.   Peter and Suzie walked all the way along the cycle track, over the Stone Bridge, along the river, to the Wooden Bridge then up Cardiac Hill to the new building and back to the Barn - green route and arrows.

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Walking along the bottom, so far it had been muddier than I had expected.

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Unusually no one stopped to look into and around the pond, poor lonely seat

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This and the next four photos are Sandy's.  We've left the north area, run the gauntlet of the A49 and are heading back over the M6.

The noise from the Motorways seemed to be ever present and loud - a bit too much today to image the sound was waves breaking on the shore.

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You can just pick out some of us walking over the bridge - the noise was deafening but we were glad we weren't on the motorway rushing about for work.

As we reached the entrance to the Cinder Path Brian and Sandy chose to make back for the Barn - blue route and arrows.

The rest of us, now down to twelve carried on round Cock Cabin Pond and through the wood.  We dropped down into Walkers Wood and emerged to walk down the steep Bikers Hill, losing the Motorway noise at last, and turned up Snake Hill towards the new building

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The new visitors centre is now in sight.  The Park are inviting everyone to suggest a name for the cafe inside the new centre.

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Jim and John struggling with the waterproofing sheeting.

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The straw bales are clearly visible on the outside walls.  Inside there was a television crew filming, don't know who or why.

Today's walks

Michael Swarbrick