Health Walk - Thursday 22nd February 2018
Photos by Amanda & Michael S - Please click on photos to see a larger one
Today we had twenty-eight walkers and Paddy who were rewarded with a lovely sunny walk although there was a cold wind and lots of mud
Carmel led the main walk with Cheryl back marking. Susan S led the Elite group without a back marker.
Over to Keith:
Today’s group may not have hit the heady heights of Tuesday’s in terms of attendance, but there was no less pleasure in store for the nature loving ‘twalkers’ who turned up on a beautiful morning in Cuerden Valley Park. There was just the odd patch of frost still lingering from the night before, but that was totally inconsequential and, having been spared any rain for a couple of days now, the muddy sections are becoming less hazardous with conditions underfoot as good as it gets for this time of year. Whilst there was a little more cloud around today, the sun was determined to make it’s presence felt and, with only the lightest of breezes compared to Tuesday, temperatures were perfectly comfortable. Carmel was at the helm throughout today, with Cheryl back-marking, and lead everyone to the dark side. Dark side, light side, any side is the right side when it comes to the park, and so we set off to the right of The Barn, around the back to the rear of Sue Ryder, down the private road past Wilbraham’s Wood
Photo 1 Photo 2 Photo 3 Photo 4 - Amanda
(Amanda spotted this funghi
and got Eileen & Michael S to photograph it as well - Michael)
and along the Cinder Path to the bridge crossing the M6. At t’other end we passed the dragonfly breeding site to our left, crossed the car park, walked along Wigan Road and re-entered the park through first gate on the right after dipping below the madness of the M65. Once back in the peace and tranquillity of the park, Carmel lead us on an
Photo 5
anti-clockwise circuit of the field containing those other-worldly trees which never fail to fascinate me, not least because I’d love to know what type of wildlife could be living in that
Photo 6
extraordinary entanglement.
Photo 7 Photo 8
From there we passed one of many proverbial millponds, even strangely devoid of wildfowl today although, having not visited the lake and as the wonderful close-up photos posted so far demonstrate, there was a pair of geese
Photo 9 - Amanda
chillaxing near the pond in the field that looks up towards Sue Ryder on the right. Having skirted past Dixon’s Farm,
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we then came back to our re-entry point to the park, from where we backtracked to the ‘light side’ of the M6
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bridge, (Across from the Wigan Lane car park the greenbelt being razed for IKEA and other Businesses - Michael) ignoring the Cinder Path this time in favour of swinging left to weave our way through Cock Cabin Wood (what I think of as being ‘Bird Box Wood’ because of their proliferation), past the now fabled pond, down
Photo 12 - Amanda Photo 13 Photo 14
Bikers Hill with Walkers Wood to our left – (The photographers snapping each other - Michael)
Photo 9 - Amanda
the two geese to our right, at the bottom of which we broke the rules of snakes & ladders to climb the
Photo 15
(The Pied Piper leading the children to do some River
Sampling - Michael)
Photo 16 - Amanda Photo 17 - Amanda Photo 18 - Amanda
former back up to The Barn. Splitting the difference between the disparate results of identical apps, run on the same make of mobile phone with the same service provider (?), it was 3 miles of pure pleasure this morning, with a delightful spirit within the group, who heartily tucked into their brews & biscuits back at The Barn. After the challenging conditions for both walks the previous week, this week’s weather has been remarkably kind on Tuesday and today for which, along with the heart-warming company of my fellow Happy Health Walkers, I am truly grateful. Very many thanks to everyone! PS to Sheila… hoods and Lahore bells!
Back to Michael;
The Elite walkers, as expected when Sue is leading, went the opposite way going down Snake Hill, over the Stone Bridge, up the slope, through Dog Kennel Wood, Gravel Hole Wood, over the Wooden Bridge into the Pinetum and back to the Barn.
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Today's walks (Red Main Group, Green Short Walk Option Group).
Where there are green arrows on the red route it means the Elite walkers had followed the main >> or the main group had followed the Elite walkers >>.
Today's walkers
Main Walk - Amanda, Bernadette, Bill, Carmel, Carol W, Cheryl, Colin D, David H, Eileen P, Geoff, Graham, Helen G, James Mc, Janet S, Keith, Linda E, Michael S, Moira, Sheila & Vic & Paddy, Geoff's dog
Short Walk Group - Ann S, Carol R, Carole, Dianne, Linda D, Mary, Norman & Suzi
Compiled by Michael Swarbrick
Cinder Path Cuerden Hall Hawksclough Farmhouse Cam Lane Lower Kem Mill
The Chorley Walks.
