20 January	Tealby, Lincolnshire
10 February	Hayfield, Derbyshire
9 March	Lockton, North Yorkshire
13 April	Buxton, Derbyshire
11 May	Hawkshead, Cumbria
15 June	Llandudno, North Wales
13 July	Helmsley, North Yorkshire
10 August	Tebay, Cumbria
14 September	Whitby, North Yorkshire
12 October	Prestbury, Cheshire
9 November	Castleton, Derbyshire
14 December	Caton, North Lancashire

 

10 August - Tebay, Cumbria

Walk descriptions (Microsoft Word document, 29k)

'B' WALK

Given that the rain buckets in the sky have been going into overdrive this 'summer' we did not set out very hopefully. Patches of blue brought cheer but nearby blankets of grey looked ominous. However, gallant as ever, 'B' party began their trek from Tebay West services after a slight dalliance for refreshment - well it was lashing it down at the time. We climbed steadily to Blease Fell with an everincreasing wind which threatened to blow us off our feet or at least remove several rucksack covers and intermittent torrents of rain to increase our joy. Auditions for Mary Poppins came to mind as we were forced to study the art of keeping our feet on the ground and the umbrella in the air. The summit was reached but concentrating on the view was life-threatening and so we turned back to the safety of the valley slopes and a comforting road which led us gently back via Raisgill and Coatflatt Hall to join the River Lune and finally the comfort of the Cross Keys in Tebay village. Many thanks to the leader and backup who struggled valiantly with the adverse conditions.

Report by Diane Exley

'C' WALK

Our walk deviated somewhat from the intended! Having watched the 'A' and 'B' parties disembark into the torrential rain we alighted at Tebay services for our usual cuppa. As we were preparing to set off on our walk, Eugene, our considerate driver, put forward the choice of 'going elsewhere' or battling with the elements. A vote was taken and 'elsewhere' won so we re-boarded the coach and ended up in Penrith. Some did their own thing but the majority did the Town Trail led by Glennys, which was very interesting. We did have some rain but only heavy showers and when the sun came out it was very warm. We left Penrith in sunshine only to hit the rain again as we approached Tebay. We felt a bit guilty at not doing our walk but when we saw the state of the others on their return, were rather glad we'd had another option. A definite 'one-off' and probably the first and last time it will happen but it was much appreciated. Thanks to Glennys for our alternative stroll.

Report by Joan Thompson

 

13 July - Helmsley, North Yorkshire

 

Walk descriptions (Microsoft Word document, 30k)

'A' WALK

Sunshine & shorts & not a rain jacket in sight ...could have been forgiven for thinking it was summer as the As & Cs debussed at Helmsley , No bacon & coffee for an army of "As" , our GPS wielding leader tearing out of the car park with her party close behind . Turning our backs on the Cleveland Way forest tracks were followed culminating with an ascent of Cowhouse Bank ; disturbing the peace of a lone camper as we basked in the views as the tree line cleared . Lunch near Potter House Farm then turning South East with uninterrupted views back across to Cowhouse Bank Wood . After passing through a campsite one Dalesrailer gave a successful demonstration on how to quickly dismantle a temporary road sign directing parents returning to pick their childern up ...if only he'd packed his hammer & a few nails ...who knows which way the arrow was supposed to point ! Tangles of brambles & nettles were somehow or other negotiated up High Tun Way & across to Reagarth Farm & Helmsley . An enjoyable walk making good use of forest tracks....and it stayed DRY !

Photos and report by Ian Hull.

'B' WALK

The 'B' walk was advertised as a mystery tour so we set off eager to solve it. Starting from Hambleton we dived into trees to emerge on Cote Moor. A short walk brought us to our coffee stop at Cold Kirby which' to our relief' was not cold at all but bathed in lovely hot sunshine. Energised with vitamin D we proceeded to make our way to Byland Abbey and thence on good paths to another site of pilgrimage, Rievaulx Abbey (an optional extra for some - ice cream included) Then spiritually and physically refreshed we girded up our loins for the final assault on Helmsley via the Cleveland Way. Our goal achieved we were able to enjoy the culinary delights and sights and sounds of this busy market town. Well done to Glennys and Pat for taking on the task at short notice.

Report by Diane Exley

'C' WALK

No doubt Joan must have been terribly relieved when she learned that Glennys had volunteered to do the 'B' walk. The thought of having to lead at least thirty odd 'C' walkers must have been quite daunting!! Having said that, she did a great job with the fifteen she got, and no doubt the Ryeburn Tea Rooms, Helmsley, were very glad to see them, too. Also, nice to see Paddy and Stuart and hear that Paddy is making good progress. Suitably fortified with scones, toasted tea cakes, tea and coffee, the group set off over pleasant meadows and up heavily wooded Ash Dale on a very tricky, nasty muddy path - at least in glorious sunshine, and were glad to climb out on to a firm track to the outskirts of the hamlet of Carlton and stop for lunch. Young lambs dashed up, expecting something to eat, but soon disappeared when the farmer arrived with a teated bottle. Back to the woods and a very difficult descent into the very pleasant wooded Riccal Dale, passing through a scout camp. Another climb out and then it was all down hill back to Helmsley with its bustling market square and ample choice of refreshments. A lovely walk in ideal conditions, with many thanks to leader Joan and her faithful back-up Margaret.

Photos and report by Trevor Grimston

 

15 June - Llandudno, North Wales

 

Walk descriptions (Microsoft Word document, 30k)

'B' WALK

Off we sallied to the land of the leek and the daffodil leaving the dark clouds of Yorkshire far behind. 'B' party embarked on a walk of three halves - don't go into the maths - which proved very pleasant. The first half was through undulating meadowland which led us, by lunchtime, to a magnificent front row view over the sea. The second half took us to the beach which luckily was dry and firm enough for us to walk on after we had negotiated the monster pebbles. The third half was the sting in the tail - the ascent of Great Orme which we had been able to see looming for some time. However, heads down - all the better to see the butterflies and flowers - and muscles primed we made it to the top. Here, two of the party bravely went to rescue a sheep which had unexpectedly toppled onto its back. The sight of them bearing down soon gave it the momentum to jump up and run away and we continued our descent to the ancient church of St Tudno with its fascinating graveyard. It was downhill all the way from there and we arrived in time to sample the culinary delights of Llandudno. Many thanks to our careful leader and his faithful backup.

Report by Diane Exley

'C' WALK

Photos by Trevor Grimston

Due to unforeseen circumstances Stuart Twidale was unable to lead the walk so at 24 hours notice Trevor Grimston stepped into the breach. Armed only with a computer print-out map of the area and Stuart's brief outline of the walk we set off along the prom - straight into the beach cafe for our 'usual'! The walk took us round Little Orme then past Penrhyn Old Hall, through open countryside, parts of which we could have done with a machete to chop down the nettles and brambles - bare arms and cropped trousers were not a good idea - eventually passing Bodysgallen Hall before dropping down into Deganwy with a brief glimpse over the bay to Conway Castle. The final stretch was along the seafront back into Llandudno. This was a lovely walk with sea views near and far throughout the day and wall to wall sunshine was the icing on the cake. Trevor did a sterling job, getting us all back safely in time for fish and chips! Our heartfelt thanks go to Trevor for standing in at the last minute - THE BOY DID GOOD!!

Report by Joan Thompson

11 May- Hawkshead, Cumbria

Walk descriptions (Microsoft Word document, 30k)

Sketch map (Adobe PDF document, 398k)

'C' WALK

After a sight seeing tour of the Lake District, the 'C' party finally debussed in a hot and suuny Hawkshead, the omens were good and coffee and scones were taken at leisure in the Hawkshead Coffee Shop. Leader, Joan, set off across rolling fields and through bluebell carpeted woods, with hazy views of Wans Fell and the Fairfield Horseshoe. After passing through the grounds of the magnificent Wray Castle (built in 1840 and rented by Beatrix Potter for family holidays), lunch was taken on the shore of Lake Windermere, watching the antics of the "Hooray Henry's" with there 'G & T's on their yachts and cruisers. A delightful path along the lake shore brought us to the quoted "sting in the tail"!! The route now left the shore on a long, steady slog up through the forest. About half way up, while taking a breather, spots of rain started to fall. The phrase "Don't think it'll be much, forecast was good, it'll pass over" was bandied about!!! Within minutes these 'spots' became the size of 20P's and came lashing down, accompanied by lightening and deafening thunder!! As far as "passing over" was concerned, the damned storm appeared to move at the same speed and direction as we were going, and stayed with us most of the way back to Hawkshead, the path now a small stream, with most of the group soaked through. How on earth Annette Little stayed so dry is a mystery?? What a relief to reach the coach, dry shoes, the café and the pub, and get wet on the inside!! Many thanks to Joan and Margaret.

Report and Photos by Trevor Grimston

 

13 April - Buxton, Derbyshire

 

Walk descriptions (Microsoft Word document, 30K)

 

'C' WALK

Photos by Trevor Grimston

As we left Leeds in pouring rain we thought we were in for a typical Twidale walk - wet!! How wrong we were. We all had teacakes and coffee in the Duke of York in Burbage which was very welcome after what had been a very long journey. The walk, (which turned out to be quite hard and yompy due to the very boggy moors), commenced with a long steady climb on to Berry Clough, no views though as we were in very low cloud at the time. The weather stayed fine and we had a lovely lunch stop overlooking Errwood Reservoir. The 'excitement' of the day happened later in the afternoon when Paddy unfortunately slipped on the boggy path and broke her ankle. Why can you never get a mobile phone signal when you need one? Brian and Glenys climbed out of the valley and did eventually get through to the police and fell rescue. As there was nothing the rest of us could do, Philip took over the leadership of the 'C's and when the 'B' party passed the accident area, Lynn Saleh with her medical expertise also stayed with them. By the time we got back into Buxton, Stuart, etc., were already back having been dropped off by the Fell Rescue team but Paddy had been transported to hospital near Stockport. Stuart contacted the hospital when we got back to Leeds to find that Paddy was being kept in and that it was a very bad break, in three places, necessitating an operation to pin it back together. This has obviously curtailed her walking for some time and we send our love and best wishes for her speedy recovery. We thank Stuart and Paddy for the initial walk, Philip for taking over and leading us safely back and Brian, Glenys, Lynn and Fell Rescue for their much appreciated assistance.

Report by Joan Thompson

'B' WALK

Accompanied by the reassuring sound of church bells 'B' party left the village of Taxal to climb up to Taxal Moor Road and thus to Taxal Edge. The wide-ranging views promised were obscured by lowering mist and clouds. We reached the stone flagged path leading to Shining Tor with a sigh of relief. Views improved but the going below our feet did not. We slopped, slid and tumbled our way down to Goyt Moss with eyes glued to the ground in case it suddenly precipitated us into the bowels of the earth. On our way we passed eight wild-eyed slithering souls (the 'A' party, we believe!) More drama was to come. As we made our way across Wild Moor we came across the leaders of the 'C' party waiting for the emergency services to reach them, as Paddy, the backmarker had fallen and sustained an injury to her ankle. In that frustrating way of mobile phones no signal could be received from where they were and others members of the 'C' party were to be seen wandering the hillside trying to make contact. Having reassured ourselves that Paddy was as comfortable and warm as she could be under the circumstances, we continued our journey to Buxton, catching up with the rest of the 'C' party who were now being ably led by Philip. In the distance we heard the wail of an ambulance siren and hoped that it was coming to rescue Paddy. Arriving in Buxton we scattered to various watering holes with plenty to talk about. We hope that Paddy is making a good recovery and look forward to seeing her out and about soon.

Report by Diane Exley

'A' WALK

 

 

A wonderful rollercoaster of a walk enjoyed by a select few not put off by the A-plus grading . Start as you mean to go on , splashing through mud uphill from Chapel en le Frith then down to the railway station for coffee . We could have cheated & caught the train to Buxton ; instead continued up & up to the clouds on Comb Edge ; one walker who shall remain nameless heard to shout " must we go up here ?"....is the Pope Catholic ?!

Moorland "paths" were much the order of the day as the sun broke through with far reaching views across to Manchester from our lofty perspective . WIth sticks flayling our leader marched on with his troops in hot pursuit ; even cyclists were overtaken on the Midshires Way before lunch near Errwood Res .

A skid pan of a descent claimed no casualties before the highlight (!) a steep vertical climb on to aptly named Wild Moor & long distance views across the reservoirs with the C party glimpsed far below . The massed gatherings forming the "B" party were passed heading in the opposite direction to the "As" ...surely we weren't going the long way round to Buxton !

To the delight of the Damson one the road was shunned in favour of a narrow moorland path above the River Goyt ....which parelled said road to Derbyshire bridge . A final pit stop & onwards & upwards to the trig point on Burbage Edge in bright sunshine & all round views . We could finally see Buxton , it was there after all (!) ; by way of a greasy steep descent to a lane & a final loop through somebody's back garden , woodland & the golf course to Buxton's Pavilion Gardens .

A memorable coach walk , well devised & led on a not very obvious route by Martin & ably backed up by Yvonne.

Photos 1 to 15 and report by Ian Hull. Photos 16 to 21 by Martin Housley.

9 March - Lockton, North Yorkshire

Photo above by Martin Housley

 

Walk descriptions (Microsoft Word document, 29K)

'A' WALK

Photos above by Ian Hull

Photos above by Martin Housley

'B' WALK

Photos above by Diane Taylor

 

C' WALK

After the weather of the last week, the Gods were good and the 'C' party were blessed with a beautiful day. After a very slippery descent from Lockton and along an equally muddy path through the pretty wooded valley of Wedland Slack, it was a pleasure to hit the road, albeit very steep, up to Levisham. Not having a refreshment venue in Lockton, Joan had arranged coffee/tea at "The Horseshoe Inn" and it was enjoyed on the green in front of the pub. From here the route across Levisham Moor along a firm track, gave wonderful distant views and down into the "Hole of Horcum". From the lunch break on the rim of the "Hole", the Fylingdale Early Warning Station, stood out like a giant Trig. Point! and opinion was that the old "Balls" were more attractive!! Descending into the "Hole" and the route through, gave some idea of its huge size. Out of the "Hole", it was up and down across muddy field paths which brought us back to Lockton and the waiting coach, ready to take us back to the finishing venue and the delights of the bar of the "Fox and Rabbit". A most enjoyable day on a very interesting route and many thanks to Joan and her faithful back up, Margaret.

Photos above and report by Trevor Grimston

 

10 February - Hayfield, Derbyshire