Thursday 8th August saw thirty eight of us setting off from Central Square  for a six mile ramble around Clapham in North Yorkshire.  (The coach driver thought he had drawn the short straw and was destined for Clapham in London!!).

The weather was very kind to us, sunny but not too hot. We started up the street and into the gloom of  a couple of tunnels about 100 metres long, leading to an upland track. This was quite a slog as we were climbing for about a kilometre. After a short stop to catch our breath we continued on the track and then crossed fields to see the Norber Erratics (granite boulders brought down by glaciers in the Ice Age and deposited on a bed of limestone).

After our lunch stop in a field, we regained the track and wended our way down to the village of Austwick.  Here we had a very welcome stop for liquid refreshment at the Gamecock pub. We then returned to Clapham over meadows and fields arriving back in good time for the coach to leave for home at  5 o’clock.

Our next walk starts from the Hop Vine in Burscough on September 5th starting at 10.45am.

We had a walk in Coniston yesterday (9th May) and my usual run of good weather for the longer rambles came to a shuddering halt. Instead of wall to wall sunshine it was wall to wall rain. Forty four of us set out from the southern end of Coniston Water in a slight drizzle but by the time we arrived at the boating pier the rain was coming down in stair rods so we all migrated to the boathouse cafe for a very welcome bowl of soup.

After much discussion thirty three people opted for plan B and walked directly into Coniston while  the remaining eleven completed the longer walk as planned. We all eventually met up in one of the local hostelries where we stayed until the coach left for home.

I am writing this epistle on Friday morning looking out at the rain pouring down and saying a big Thank You to Him upstairs that our ramble yesterday was blessed with wall to wall sunshine all the way. Although it was a bit chilly, at least there was no mud as it had hardened due to the frosts.

We started from Ormskirk bus station the older parts of Ormskirk and up to Aughton having a very welcome cup of tea/coffee at Cafe Vista at the Christ Church Millenium centre. We continued to Gaw Hill reservoir, around to the Nature Reserve where we met Aughton u3a ramblers making their way back to the Millenium centre for lunch. We carried on and worked our way down to the Five Ways pub where we had a lovely Christmas carvery. There were 35 of us and lo and behold the Family history group were already in there for their Christmas lunch so the Five Ways had been taken over by the Maghull & Lydiate U3a.

Our next ramble is on January 17th starting from The Running Horses, Bells Lane Lydiate at 10.30.

Reg regrets that all his walks for December and January have been cancelled. As they say, watch this space.

Another wonderful outing!! The sun shone from start to finish. Fortyfive of us set out from Maghull Square and our first stop was at the Devonshire Arms Hotel in Cracoe where the landlady had tea, coffee and the most delicious biscuits waiting for us. At £1.50 per head it was extremely good value for money – a Hotel I can highly recommend.

We all walked together from Cracoe to the Hamlet of Thorpe where we had our picnic lunch. We then divided into two groups, one led by John & Ann went to Grassington by way of Burnsall where much of “Calendar Girls” was filmed. The other group led by my wife Ann & myself  took a slightly shorter route via the pretty village of Linton.

After an hour or so spent exploring Grassington, we all returned to Maghull tired but happy having had a most enjoyable day’s walking.

Yesterday was our monthly ramble and didn’t we do well!! We had the one day of unbroken sunshine so far this July.

Thirty of us set off from the Hop Vine Hotel, crossed the road and started walking along a passageway between the railway and the premises next door. What a good job I brought secateurs with me. The passage was utterly choked with brambles and nettles so slow progress was made whilst clearing the jungle. (This is supposed to be a main footpath from Burscough to Martin Mere). I don’t think very much of Lancashire County Council’s footpath maintenance. Once through this obstruction the going was relatively easy and we arrived at Brandreth Barn for a welcome coffee/tea stop. Onwards over tracks and fields, eventually walking back to  “Top Locks”via the Rufford canal and joining the Leeds Liverpool canal for the last three quarters of a mile back to the Hop Vine where we had a very good lunch together with their home brewed beer. It can be highly recommended. The walk was nearly six miles long and the only one who suffered fatigue was ME. Was I glad to get back to the pub.

Reg wishes to lead a few rambles during June as follows

Friday 1st June   To Leasowe  5 km

Meet at Maghull station for the 9.45 train

Thursday 14th June  Burton Manor  7.5 miles

Meet Maghull station  9.30 train

Friday 22nd June  Parbold   5km

Meet Maghull station at 9.30 to catch the 10.18 bus from Ormskirk – some rising land on this walk.

Friday 27th June  Hilbre Island meet at Maghull Station for the 9.30 train

Reg is planning these walks primarily for those people who do not like walking in large groups & for new members who would graduate to the main walk each month.

Today’s outing took forty ramblers to Grasmere for a five and three quarter mile walk around both sides of Grasmere and Rydal Waters. Starting from the coach park we walked up to Loughrigg Terrace, along the Terrace to the caves where we had lunch,and then down to the Glen Rothay Hotel or to Rydal Hall  for a swift half or a cup of tea depending upon whatever you fancied.Restarting we returned back to Grasmere along the old Coffin trail into the village for a mooch around and more tea before leaving for home at 5 o’clock. we had wall to wall sunshine all day and every body enjoyed thenselves.

Here are some pictures taken on the walk. Click on an image to enlarge.

Extra walk planned for Friday 30th March. Reg Moore is leading a ramble around Irby, Heswall and Parkgate. Meet at Maghull for the 9.30 train

Further details by ringing Reg on  07858745515

On a bright sunny day a couple of dozen intrepid ramblers set off from Freshfield Station.
The walk originally planned, had to be amended several times due to circumstances beyond our control.
Fisherman’s Path was closed to enable Sefton Council to carry out repairs to the path surface, so we headed straight down Victoria Road to the National Trust Squirrel reserve.
Here we made our way through the pinewoods and on to the sand dunes where we met a major obstacle. Our arrival on the beach co-incided exactly with the Spring Tide at its highest point. Fortunately there was a narrow bit of beach untouched by the tide so we were able to walk along for a couple of hundred yards before we were faced with a choice of starting to paddle or to stay dry and climb back over the dunes. We opted to stay dry, climbed back over the dunes and made our way through the car park. After meandering through some former asparagus fields we reached the Pinewoods pub where we had a very enjoyable meal.