From Carol's House

Saturday 13 October 4.5 miles
Carol, Jane + Hilary

The forecast was for wild weather and a very high possibility of rain. We decided we wouldn't chance the weather in Chester. Carol suggested doing a walk from her house and having lunch at the Badger - that seemed like the better option unsurprisingly!

We walked from Carol's house going down their lane to the road, crossing over to join the canal towpath this the Middlewich branch of the Shropshire Union Canal. The canal is closed between Stanthorne Lock 2 and Wardle lock 1. We started with our jackets on as there was a bit of a breeze but once we walked along a bit the jackets came off. 

There was a heron standing on the path and even though we came quite close it left it until the last minute to fly away to the other side of the canal - it was obviously very keen to get some breakfast. The canal was very quiet as there is no access to the canal in Middlewich due to the embankment collapse, hopefully it will have been repaired by the end of the year.

A rose bush had fallen across the path, it was a dog rose and very thorny so was hard to avoid being caught up in its spikes. We tried to hold it out of the way but it was difficult.

We left the canal to go towards Church Minshull the noise of the trees blowing in the wind was quite tremendous, we passed the farmhouse and joined a path to cross the River Weaver by a bridge. By the river there were groups of white flowers with fern like leaves and tiny groups of white flowers, I thought they looked like an achillea. 

Just before we reached the main road we noticed a house with a very nice extension and an electric gate, it didn't leave much garden at the back, but plenty of glass to let the light in.

Then lunch at the Badger, the choices were a mezze platter, Shropshire brie on flatbread, and a 'fish finger' bap! We did have to wait a while to be served (perhaps the fish took a bit of cooking!), it is a bit disappointing when that happens.

We returned the way we came, this time with the sun in our eyes. Even with the wind still blowing we still didn't need our coats or fleeces so it was T-shirts in October! Sometimes it was hard to hear each other in places as the wind blew across our ears.

We didn't see many people on the canal either just a couple with a dog as we once again had to negotiate the rose thorns and attempt to not get too caught up. We passed two swans on the canal they looked very white in the sunshine. The wind across the surface of the canal created little wavelets but that didn't stop them from feeding on the bottom of the canal.

Then it was back to Carol's house for a cup of tea and looked at lots of lovely pictures of the wedding!

A walk from Carol's House

Saturday 6 January 2018  6 miles

 
Carol, Hilary, Donna, Tracey and Jane

We were pleased with the weather we saw some blue sky and sunshine, but there was a cool wind.

The ground was very wet, we had no choice but to go through it.

The fields that were growing a crop with spaces between the plants meant that our boots collected the soil making them very heavy. We attempted to clean off our boots after the first field, we then walked across a field with stems flat on the ground so some of the mud was dislodged, but we came across quite a small field that we had to cross but when we reached the road we were really muddy.


We had our lunch at the side of the road by a gate and near some trees, the sun came out for us, and was even warm. We chose the right time to stop because once the cloud returned it was really cool so we moved on. We had all managed to get mud all over us, Carol thought she had the most mud on her clothes!

Walking on the road to return to the house was easy. Instead of returning to the house across the fields we went to the canal and back around.

Tea and cake at Carol's house. Planning 2018

Walk from Carol's House

Saturday 31 October 6.5 miles
Carol, Donna, Jane and Hilary

Added the walk from Middlewich to the Aqueduct Marina, so Hilary added 6.5 miles, Jane added over 7 Miles. There was warm weather this week so we thought it wasn't going to rain so we could walk to Carol's house.

The incident of the cow

Carol and Donna met us on the canal near to the Aqueduct Marina then we walked to Church Minshull. 

Lunch at The Badger

There is a large field with no obvious path across it so we walked all the way around it. Some people were waking their dogs so I asked them where the path was likely to be, the man pointed back towards the trees. Carol found the little bridge as we walked back, it was a bit hidden from view, walking around the field added a good half a mile of walking!!

walk over the fields and along lanes to Aston-juxta-Mondrum

Cows in the field

A cup of tea at Carol's - very welcome

Aston-juxta-Mondrum walk + planning

Sunday 18 January
Carol, Hilary, Tracey, Jane, Donna

Cold and frosty morning with snow on the ground. It was also foggy.

Crossing the first field the grass very pretty as it was sprinkled with snow. The ground was wet from the rain this week but was covered with a layer of ice but we could here the ice crack as we walked on it.

church bells ringing

Foggy lanes, wooded path with the trees coming very low and close.

Ploughed fields

Train line with trains

lunch sitting in the church yard (St Oswald's Worleston) a very pretty church
We carried a bench from the back of the church to the front (as suggested by the gentleman just leaving the church) so that we could all sit comfortably. We were lucky that the sun came out, but it was still very cold. 

Walked along the canal in the rain - so we got wet.

Donna and Hilary still need new boots.

Back to Carol's for tea and cake, the planning meeting and then tea and cake again!