3rd January Croston Alan Carr 07949 379266
7th February West Kirkby Margaret Schumacher 07960 435235
7th March Peckforton Alan Carr 07949 379266
4th April Beamers trail Witton Country Park Margaret Kendall 07810 730936
2nd May Douglas Valley Peter Willox 07899 103122
6th June Malham Tarn Dave Cadwallader 07790 081778
3rd January Ormskirk Train
7th February Thornton/Little Crosby Bus
7th March Rimrose Valley Train
4th April Hootn/Parkgate Trian
2nd May Hesketh Bank Train/Bus
6th June Billinge Loop Car
Eighteen intrepid walkers braved the rain today and completed a 5.5 mile walk around Burscough, trekking across muddy fields and paths before adjourning to the Hopvine for a lovely Christmas lunch. Thanks to Sue for leading the walk. Can I take the opportunity to thank all those who have recced and led walks throughout the year? Without the support of these people the group would not be able to function, and your help is very much appreciated, not only by me, but by everyone who goes on the walks. As notified the walking group takes another turn next year, when we split into Ramblers and Easy Walkers. Both groups will go out on Thursday 3rd January. Full details will be published here in the New Year.
Following discussions with members of the group it has been decided that from January 2019 there will be two distinctive walking groups. The first group will be Ramblers, who travel further afield using car share for transport and the walks will be more challenging. The second group will be Easy Walkers. This group will use public transport and will undertake shorter walks, mostly on the flat. The changes reflect the differing needs of U3A members and should accommodate the abilities of all walkers. Both groups will still walk on the first Thursday of each month.. Details of both walks will be posted on the website and on the noticeboard at the coffee morning.
Details of 2019 program can be found below. Continue reading
The foodie group met yesterday for our final meeting of the year as the December meeting will be our Christmas meal. Once again we had lovely tasters made by group members and as you can see by the photo gallery they were demolished with rapid speed. This year we have a picnic in Brenda’s lovely garden, been to a couple of guest chef evenings at L20 restaurant where we sampled foraged food and a Nordic menu, and dined on tasters at the meetings again made by group members. These have included dishes made with pasta, rice and grains, pies and salads, Continue reading
16 of us set off from Maghull today and made the very short journey to the outskirts of Leigh where we started our walk around Pennington Flash Country Park. This 200 hectare country park is located between Leigh and Lowton in Greater Manchester, but we could have been miles away from the urban conurbations. The 70 hectare lake at the centre of the park was formed as a result of mining subsidence and flooding. This has now created a haven for wildlife and is known as one of the UK’s premier sites for bird watching, which might be of interest to the bird watching group. There are many bird hides located throughout the park, which apparently attract over 6000 birdwatchers annually. Continue reading
The Pedal Pushers plus two easy riders took advantage of the unexpected late sunshine today. Cycling along the Cheshire Lines as far as Formby we enjoyed lovely weather and were also treated to an unexpected sight of hundreds of geese feeding on the crop stubble. On our outward ride we were caught unawares and weren’t quick enough to catch on camera the spectacle of them taking flight as they caught sight of us. However, on our return, after a coffee stop on the lovely outdoor terrace of the Sparrowhawk, we pushed our cycles when in the vicinity of the fields and managed to catch the upward flight. Truly a great sight and well worth creeping quietly along the hedge line! Return distance today just under 16miles, made even more enjoyable by good company and the late summer warmth.
11 members of the walking group completed a 6.5 mile circular walk today. Starting at The Griffin Pub at Bold Heath, an 18th century inn on the old Warrington to Prescot turnpike road, we walked along country lanes to reach the site of Bold Old Hall, where the stone piers and now dried up moat are still in evidence. The land all around here formed part of the old Bold family estate, but is now intersected by the M62 motorway which created something of an obstacle on our walk. Continue reading
The foodie group resumed our usual monthly meetings today. At the last meeting we did a recipe swap and exchanged recipes that members considered among their favourites. We drew lots for these, with group members then making the recipe they had drawn from the hat. Todays offerings were Chicken Jalfrezi, sausage parcels, cheese scones and lemon tart with crème fraiche. The tasters were well received and empty plates vouched for the success of the swap. Another 5 people are doing their recipe swap next month. New members are always welcome to join the group.
Seven members of the walking group set out today to do the last long walk of the year. Led by Dave Cadwallader we joined the Wirral Way at Hooton to walk the full length back to West Kirby, detailed to be 12 miles although in fact was nearer to 13!. Starting off in drizzly rain we concentrated on keeping our footing on the muddy paths, an indication that after the glorious summer, the weather has turned distinctly autumnal. Although the route is a well known path for walkers, cyclists and dog walkers, apart from the seven of us there were very few people in evidence today, especially at the early part of the walk.
Continue reading