10 Ramblers completed a 10 mile circuit today starting and ending at Kelsall Village Hall in Cheshire. Once again we were lucky with the weather, and needed hats and sun tan lotion rather than overtrousers and waterproofs. From Kelsall we crossed over a busy trunk road and then headed through lovely fields and woodlands onto the Eddisbury way. There were a significant number of stiles on varying quality, and at one point we were walking through dense nettle filled undergrowth aided with the use of some strategic secateurs to make the way passable!
Having negotiated the nettles we stopped in a field for a quick snack stop only to find we were in a field of cows. All was well until ” cow whisperer” Dave decided to communicate with them, and we were quickly surrounded. At this point we decided it would be best to beat an orderly retreat to the next stile, but not before we were followed by the very curious herd. Luckily the beasts were just merely curious and caused us no harm. Walking into the area of Manley we left the Eddisbury Way and joined the Sandstone trail into the Delamere Forest area. The sun was particularly warm so we were glad of the dappled shade through the forest until we reached our lunch stop at the visitor centre, where some of the group decided the lure of an ice cream was too hard to resist! Fed and watered we then took a detour up Old Pale Hill. Here, because of the clear day, we were able to view seven counties and identified many landmarks using the markers on the monument. From here it was literally all downhill, and we returned via lanes and roads back to our start point. Divested of boots and sweaty socks, we walked back into the village centre to enjoy a drink at the local pub and reflect on the lovely walk. Thanks to Nigel for leading todays ramble. The next ramble will be on 6th October. Details will be posted in due course.