Pickmere

Wednesday 5 November 5 miles

The splinter group - Jane, John, Donna and Martin

The forecast was for plenty of rain and even some sunshine! 

Started at the Red Lion, Park Lane, Pickmere  

From the Red Lion we crossed Pickmere Lane to join Spink Lane.

We crossed a few fields. As we were about to emerge onto Linnards Lane the rain started to get a bit heavier so waterproofs were put on. Going left we followed the lane and crossed Smoker Brook and came to the A556. The road was quite busy and noisy.

We past by The Smoker all still wrapped up after the fire. We turned off the A556 and went up towards Smoker Hill Cottage and joined a track heading towards the radio telescope.We walked past the Pickmere Radio Telescope,  We continued past Providence Farm with the fat sheep and onto Milley Lane.

We came to Frog Lane and turned left following the road, passing a women with a dog in a buggy, from a distance we had thought it would be a child!

At a junction, with a large pond to we turned left, going along Park Lane. After a short while, turned right into Mere Lane, walking down to Jacob’s Way, where a right turn brought us down to the lake.  

Pickmere looked pretty in the sunshine. We started to walk around the lake it was a bit muddy in places. A woman with some dogs told us that the path on the other side of the lake was now closed off. We continued along the muddy path a short way to the bungalow and decided to return and find somewhere to sit for lunch.

As we walked back the lake was very calm, there was a guy who had just come out of the water and he said that the water wasn't too cold. 

We sat on the benches with a view over the lake and Great Budworth in the distance. 

We walked back up Mere Lane and joined Park Lane following the road, back to the Red Lion. A large Robinsons lorry turned expertly into the entrance 

We went to Riverside Organic and sat on the soft sofas and had tea and coffee. 

 

Curry Night

Friday 3 October

Donna and Martins's for a get together.

Each couple took a curry.  

Great Barrow and Plemstall

Wednesday 1 October 6.9 miles

Hilary, Donna, Tracey and Jane 

It was cool in the morning with a little drizzle in the air, so it was hard to know how many layers to put on. The weather warmed up later and we were lucky again as the rain stayed away.

We parked by the Stamford Bridge, then turned left onto Barrow Lane. We turned right onto a signposted footpath a little way along the road and followed the hedge to a footbridge. The walk suggested that after prolonged rain  the low-lying meadows might be impassably flooded, fortunately for us it wasn't too wet. We walked straight ahead but the ground did get very wet so we couldn't walk that way. Then we noticed  a path made by the sheep to the side so we followed that pathway and made it past the boggy bit with the bullrushes.

Then we headed towards the Great Barrow church tower and when we got to Barrow Lane we headed through the village. The road was closed to traffic and holes were being dug in the road.

As we came to the cross roads we turned into Ferma Lane, going past Greyfields, a large mock-Tudor house and onto the track. We came to a junction and turned right to follow a hedged track towards Fema Wood. When we got to Ferma Wood we weren't sure if we should go through the wood but we decided the we shouldn't (it was not clear from the instructions). Hilary had provided written instructions but no map, so we had to make the decisions from the written word.

We continued on the track The instructions said about a kissing gate so when we came to a gate we took the one to the left and whrn we came to 'a farm bridge' we thought we were on the right path.

We walked across a field, aiming towards some farm building, and when we got to the River Gowy we turned right and followed the river to a  stilr. There were spme cows right in our path but Hilary just told them to 'shoo' and they did! The bridge we were to cross was hidden behind trees so we nearly walked past it.  We crossed left over the Gowy and past between the fields with a few horses in them.

At the farm we turned right along the drive, and crossed the railway at a level crossing. Then going left to reach Plemstall Church.