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When? Started: 1993 Who? Started with staff and friends from U H S, Chester. Organiser: Martyn Harris We walk every Wednesday and Saturdays, New Years day and May Day. How many walk? Walks take place as long as there are at least 2 wanting to walk on that day. More walk on a Wednesday than on a Saturday. Most ever: 29. Current group size walking: 2-10 in mid-week and 2-4 on Saturday. Where do we walk? Saturday: Anywhere in North and Mid-Wales, Peak District, Shropshire and the Long Mynd and as far North as the Trough of Bowland. Thursday: Anywhere within about 40 miles of Chester. Type of walk: Distance: 6 – 14 miles (but usually under 10 miles). Climb: up to 4000’ (but usually very much less!). People involved on walks in 2020:- Martyn Harris, Fran Murphy, Sue and Michel Pelissier, Mike Dodd, David Savage, Wendy Peers, Celia de Mengle, Wendy and Ian Peers, Roger Smith, Paul Collinson, Ed Meads, Nigel and Elaine Taylor, Celia de Mengle, Sue Pearson.

Tuesday 3 January 2017

West Kirby, Red Rocks and Grange Hill 2nd January 2017

West Kirby Marine Lake from its Southern end.
Roger's bird - the Little egret.
Brent geese between the Royal Liverpool Golf Course and Hilbre.
Point of Air Lighthouse seen between Middle Eye and Hilbre Island.
Leaving the beach at Red Rocks.
Grange Hill Memorial see from the path on the West side of the Municipal Golf Course.
Hilbre Island from Grange Hill.
Looking towards Leasowe and New Brighton from Grange Hill.
At the trig point on Grange Hill.
Birds roosting on the rocks by the old baths on East side of  the Marine Lake at West Kirby.
Mainly Dunlin?
Walk stats: Distance: 5.8 miles. Climb: 217'.
Time: 3 hours 7 minutes. On the move walking average: 2.5 m.p.h. Overall walk average: 1.9 m.p.h.
Group: Martyn, Sue and Michel, Roger, Annie, Sue and Dave P and Terry Wellerman.
Oveall this was as uperb day for our first walk of the New Year. Glorious sunshine and temperatures that may have justified it being a shorts walk!
 The walk started with a clockwise circuit of the Marine Lake, followed by stroll along the beach to Red Rocks.
 This is always the best part of the walk, especially as the tide was starting to come in and the wind was a North westerly, carrying the evocative sound of the tumbling waves so that we could clearly hear them as we walked along the beech.
 There were plenty of birds to see as well, including over twenty Brent geese.
 The next high point was on the top of Grange Hill where we ha superb views in all directions, n one direction Hilbre Island was now completely surrounded by water and the massive cranes at the new mega dock facility at Liverpool docks could be seen in another direction.
" Lunch" was taken on Grange Hill, taking advantage of some of the Sandstone rocks avalable and some even used one of the many benches available on this delightful spot. The usual fruit cake and on this occasion crystallised ginger was provided to those that dared to sample.
 We arrived back at the cars to find that West Kirby Promenade and its Marine Lake was now the must go destination on this gloriously Bank Holiday . We were all glad that we had made a much earlier start that they had!
 Birds seen or heard today included: Red breasted mergansar, Great cormorant, Turnstone, Common redshank. Grey heron, Common buzzard, Jackdaw, Little egret, Herring gull, Black-headed gull, Brent goose, House sparrow, Feral pigeon, Common coot, Moorhen, Shoveler, European robin, House sparrow, Canada goose, Woodpigeon, Goldfinch and Common blackbird.
 After walk drinks were enjoyed at the Wheatsheaf at Raby where Trappers hat and Plum Porter went down well.
 Let's hope that all our walks in 2017 will be as good as this one.

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