Hi All
On Sunday 3 September the club took 1 coach of ramblers to Chirk in North Wales. Thanks to Ian Parkinson for his report of the F party walk.
F Party
F party braved the wet Welsh rain by leaving church and walking directly past the quaint railway station to the magnificent Davies Brothers gates at the edge of the Chirk Estate. Many members wondered about the red hand at the top of the gates. There are many theories but one is that the red hand put a curse on the Myddleton family, which can only be lifted if a prisoner in the castle dungeon survived 12 years, without cutting their nails. The remaining hand in the coat of arms proves no such prisoner ever lived longer than the
12 years.
Later we entered the grounds of the Chirk estate, with some viewing part of the castle open (the full castle tour not available until noon, after we had left) and we all enjoyed some shelter in a covered area near the estate cafe to enjoy lunch. There was then a short steep tricky descent alongside Offa's Dyke, before taking a meandering, sometimes difficult, track through wooded areas; before waking through meadows to go under the railway bridge and viaduct. After this there was a short steep ascent at the end of the footpath that returned us to Chirk with time to enjoy the towns delights before the return home. A pleasant, although wet, walk. Consideration may be given to changing the route for future visits to reduce the difficulty of the walk.
On Sunday 17 September the club took 2 coaches of ramblers to Holmfirth in West Yorkshire. Thanks to Arthur Jones and Dave Bilney for their reports of walks with B and C parties.
B Party
B, C and D parties left the bus at Wessenden Head. The weather forecast was for light cloud with rain in the afternoon, but once again it was all wrong. A damp mist saw all members donning waterproof jackets. The 9 members of B party were the first to set off. Resisting the temptation to enjoy a bacon sandwich at the roadside diner, we climbed a stile and descended a grassy slope to join the Kirklees Way. Looking back after a couple of hundred yards I saw that c party were still on the road. Were they stocking up on extra supplies?
Continuing on our way we were soon needing to put on full waterproof clothing as rain set in. Reaching a broad track, the walking became easier. The sun made a valiant effort to break through but very quickly decided to pack in and go home. On a reaching a convenient bench above Digley reservoir we stopped for a quick mid-morning break and then continued on; passing through a fair number of narrow squeeze stiles but fortunately none of the group managed to get stuck in them.
The small village of Holme was welcomed for the availability of the public convenience. At this point Eric reminisced about watching the 2014 Toure de France riders passing through the village. Shortly after leaving Holme we saw a stone gateway with an inscription stating that it was from Yateholme Farmhouse, which was mentioned in the Domesday Book. It is curious that it was there because Yateholme was is approximately 3 miles away on the other side of the valley.
We soon reached a woodland path high above Remsden reservoir. The path being very narrow and slippery with a fair drop to the right, great care had to be taken not to lose one’s footing. The path gradually lost height and we reached the dam between Remsden and Brownhill reservoirs where we saw C party on the far side. They had obviously taken a shorter route. When we reached the picnic spot on the edge of the reservoir C party had already claimed the best spots at picnic tables and benches. We made the best of things by perching on the surrounding walls. By this time the rain had stopped and the day started to brighten up.
After lunch we headed up through woodland and, staying with the Kirklees Way, followed various wide tracks and roads to reach Cartworth Moor Road which we followed to reach Upper White Gate, at which point we left the Kirklees Way and stayed on the road to reach Weather Hill Lane. Turning roughly East down Weather Hill Lane, we followed it for a short way before heading North again to follow a wide track. Following this we turned West on a footpath past a very exposed football pitch to once again reach Catworth Moor Road. A high wall, whitewashed for about 100ft in its centre section had us all speculating as to the reason for it. The mystery was soon cleared up when we saw that it was the boundary wall for a cricket ground, the opposite wall also being whitewashed. Both walls were serving as sight boards. The cricket ground was as exposed as the football pitch. There must be some very hardy sportsmen around Holmfirth.
Just beyond this point we saw a sign for Moorfield "Mistake " Farm. Rather a strange name and an internet search did not provide any answers for the name. Reaching the outskirts of Holmfirth, we followed several tracks and roads to reach the town centre. Here, The Shoulder of Mutton served a very nice pint which we drank in the relaxed atmosphere of the beer garden.
We then made the long trek back to the buses which were parked on the outskirts of the town. All in all, a good day out.
C Party go to Heaven and Hell (and Holmfirth)
Along with B and D Parties, C Party got off the coach at Wessenden Head but whereas they each headed for the Kirklees Way we struck out into the mist and the mossland of the Pennine Way. Whilst most of it had been paved with stone flags there were still some slightly awkward moments as we crossed the various streams, including Black Dyke but no sign of the Brass Band. With the narrow path and hoods up against the rain there was limited chance for conversation but that would be made up for later. Then the path we had planned to follow across to Issues Road was vague at best but with some sterling compass work from Dianne and some excellent yomping we reached the better trod path. As this dropped down to a stream crossing there was a little cover from the chill breeze and stones on which to sit so elevenses were called at the early time of 10.56am and reluctantly or not, coffee flasks were brought out.
With the weather improving all the time we went down Meal Hill into Holme village and pausing only to use the facilities and inspect the library in a phone box we took the footpath towards Brownhill reservoir being only slightly curious at the house name of Underhill as we turned of the road. A few yards further we were all looking over the fence at this property which, as the name suggests, was built into the hill with a green roof with only the glass roof vents giving a clue to its existence. We crossed the reservoir and made our way to the car park and picnic site, only just beating B Party to the best seats for our lunch stop. We were now on part of the Holme Valley Circular Walk. As walk leaders we always promise to lead the party to Paradise, they in turn complain that it is Hell we take them to.this walk took us to both! We walked first past Elysium and then Hades. However, neither had much to recommend them so we carried on walking.
As we reached Choppards a lovely lady invited us to a tractor rally with enticing promises of strawberry scones and cake. However, time was against us so it was only a couple of our walkers quicker on their feet than the rest who managed to grab some spoils! A selection of lanes and tracks took us down to the main road into Holmfirth and with a quick visit to the fictitious homes of Compo and Norah Batty some of us retired to the Elephant and Castle for refreshments whilst others chose a local cafe before finding our way back to the coaches.
Just to let everyone know that our Xmas party this year will be held at Legends Bar, Leigh Sports Village on Dec 1st at 7.30pm. The cost for the buffet and disco is £10 per person and payment is required in full by Sunday 29 October to Chris Cocks or any member of the social committee.
Thanks, Sue Witter