12/1/13 - Astle is the King

Distance - 5.25 Miles
Geocaches - 7 Found, 3 Not Found
Walk from - 100 Walks in Warwickshire and West Midlands

Netherton

This is the very definition of a varied walk.  We have had woodland, canals, coal mining, clay pits, high rise towers and housing estates.  A couple of nicely received surprises on the way around as well.

The walk starts to the right of Merry Hell.  Instead of turning to the shopper's paradise, we turn into the bowels of Netherton and park at Saltwell Country Park. 

The initial walking is woodland, uphill and after a failed cache find, we arrive at Lodge Farm Reservoir, just as the scuba divers are getting into their rubber suits.

Church bells were ringing

 

We then pick up the canal.  Not sure I can claim cache two as a find, as this is all we found.

 



All that remains

 

No joy at all at the next cache but then we do have our first surprise of the day.  I have read about this bridge and then find myself here by accident.  As a lifelong Albion fan, Sonia thought I was getting all emotional, but I blamed the cold winds making my eyes water.

 

 



From Below
 

From Above (Lifted from the Web)

Sonia is hoping for a bacon sarnie and a cup of tea.  The next surprise of the day is stumbling upon Bumble Hole cafe, in an area that is the most picturesque part of the canal walk.  Dogs allowed, so we enter.  I ask if they do bacon sarnies and my enquiry is met with a blank.  We settle for cups of tea and mini chocolate digestives, which with a thoughtful touch, are delivered with doggie biscuits.

 

Now Molly is well known for her fussiness and after helping me polish of the choccy biscuits, I put hers into the packet.  This attempt to fool her is thwarted when she unceremoniously spits it out.  I didn't even know that dogs could spit.

 

 

Bumble Hole, Cobbs Engine House behind



 

We cross the canal, and at the forth time of asking, find a cache at last.  Well Sonia does.  The walking takes a turn for the worse as we cross some very rough ground.  Molly finds something to use as perfume, which we notice as we take the tunnel under the road and then we walk past high rises around Baptist End, before picking up Saltwells Country Park again.

Four caches in here which we do find.  The terrain turns to unexpected heathland, before picking up the canal again.

Yes, we are in Dudley

The canal drops us down into a council estate, before picking up the final couple of caches of the day in very nice woodlands, that bring us back to the carpark, where I make a new friend.

 

 

A surprisingly varied walk, with some real nature spots amongst the industrial heritage.  I am sure I will be here again - I can drop off Ellie for shopping, whilst I do something more interesting.

6/1/13 - The Seat of Learning

Distance - 5 Miles
Geocaches - 11
Walk from - Country Walking Magazine - Spring 2011
Christmas is now officially over and Ellie needs to be returned to Manchester for her 2nd term at university.  The boot is fuller than on her journey down, so I can only assume that Santa was very kind to her.

It was nice of her to keep me company until we hit the straight bits on the motorway.  The last sound I heard before pulling into Hulme Asda at 10:50am was "How do you make these seats go down?".

The supermarket doesn't open till 11am.  It felt like queuing for the Boxing day sales.  She does the big shop and then I drop her off at her flat and get a glimpse of what the next generation "Captains of Industry" are learning whilst they rack up 9K per year in student debts.

If you can zoom in closely to the top right of the charts, there is some lovely animation.  And Chloe has a reputation.

 

The great thing about my hobby is that I can combine long haul taxi services with walking and geocaching.  But where to go in the big city?  From the amount of people I see on this walk, Mancs love nothing better than a nice walk around some water.

Country Walking magazine provides a perfect little five miler and a bonus is that there are a lot of Geocaches.  Park up at the visitor centre, and make friends with a terrier puppy with very sharp teeth.

 

The walking is very straightforward and water is never out of sight.  First off, its a circumvention of Sale Water Park.

  

 



Whats Mancs do for fun

 

There are so many people out today, it makes the caching hard.  The first one cannot be attempted as there are a family having a big old chat at GZ.  Cache 2 is found, but is guarded by a hoody with a rottweiler.  A bit of a mexican standoff ensued, as neither of us would move on.  I hope he wasn't taking his dog out cottaging.  Eventually, he's off and I get the cache and the TB.

 

The next stretch of water is the River Mersey - surprisingly fast flowing and with a choice of an upper of lower path.  There's even a bridge for me to get the cache on the opposite side.

 

 

Should have tucked my shirt in

 

Follow the river upstream.  Two more caches before I cross over at Jackson's Bridge.  There is a cache under here, but too many people around.  Continue on the other side a couple more micros, before hitting the next body of water - Chorton Water Park.

 

Again, loads of people - on bikes, horses or just walking.  Another four caches around here and then follow the mersey back up to Jackson Bridge and the pub.

 

 

Great facilities to end the walk - we must be close to Moss Side

 

And there are less people at the bridge, so I make like a troll and grab it.

5/1/13 - 11th Day of Christmas

Distance - 7.4 Miles
Geocaches - 1
Walk Inspiration

Every year since 2005, I have completed a Xmas walk from Tintern and the surrounding area.  This year's rain, meant that I nearly missed it.  I'm not driving all this way for a miserable soaking.

Lets stay on the subject of weather.  Two years ago, it was -17 here, with ice flows down the Wye.  Today, it is 12 Degrees, a shift of 29 Degrees.  This country's bizarre weather continues to confound.  I could have done this walk without the soft shell.

With all the rain, and the fact that I was heading into the Wye Valley, I felt it was prudent to check if the roads down were OK.  No problems reported on the Web and no indication of floods.  I set off in confidence.

Battle my way down the M50, which has two long strecthes of 40MPH speed limits and then pick up the Wye Valley at Monmouth.  Get three miles down it and yes, you've guessed it - the road is closed due to flooding.  Come on Wales - the Internet is dynamic - you are meant to update it. With information.

I am forced to take a detour through Newlands and then Clearwell before dropping back down to the Wye at Bigweir Bridge.  Interesting diversion.  Would have been easier in a 4x4.

Park up and more bad news - they have started charging for parking at the Abbey.  From nothing to £3.  An impossible amount of inflation to work out.  However, I have the last laugh.  The machine is broke.  Up yours Parking Pataweyo.

New years resolution - protect trousers with Gaiters.  If only they weren't so fiddly to put on.  Especially when a pleasant middle class lady is trying to determine the breed of your dog.  Achieving Sartorial Elegance, we head off over the bridge to walk downstream of the opposite bank, following the course of an old railway line.

This Year - We are east side, downstream

 

 

This Year, I will be mostly wearing gaiters

 

 

I have the path to myself, walking higher than the river with decent paths.  Soon, we are forced to climb uphill to reach Offa's Dyke Path.  Its steep and relentless but mercifully, soon over.  The fallen tree looked too comfy to pass by.

 

 



Too Many Mince Pies

 

 

Offa's Dyke path has had some work since I last came along, taking you slightly off the ancient monument.  I wanted to come back up here for the views from the Devil's Pulpit and to get the only cache on route.  I had a go at this cache in my first month of geocaching four years ago.  I must have been rubbish then - how could you fail to spot an ammo can under camo, with a perfect hint?  Today it was soon found.

 

Surprisingly, I have the Devil's pulpit to myself.  This is a small rocky tower, overlooking the abbey and I have the freedom of practicing the legend of trying to convert the monks below away from Christianity.
 

They would have been happier if I was preaching roofing services.

 

 

Sonia has done us proud with sandwiches, and this is the ideal spot for them.  This is the only time Molly wags her trail all route.  O, to have a joyful dog.

 





Lunch time at Rock Tree

 

We leave the pulpit and follows the Dyke around Caswell Wood, before doubling back on ourselves to wind our way downhill.  Back across the bridge and to the car to de-gaiter. 

 

 

This Year's Abbey Photo

 

Just have to consider the way to go home... battle the floods and roadworks?  Then I have a moment of inspiration - Eastbound Severn Bridges are toll free.  If only I could have stopped for a photo.

28/12/12 - Walk in the Woods

Distance - 4.5 Miles
Caches - 3
Walk From - Julie Royle's Worcestershire Walks

Worcester Woods Country Park

A special short walk, ear-marked for when I didn't fancy a massive day out in the mud.  The sky planner is not going to clear itself.

It's time for my monthly walk from Julie Royle's Worcestershire Walks - the collection of walks from the Worcester Evening News.  It contains some great ideas but some terrible maps.  This was meant to be 3 miles but somehow, I have added 50% onto it.

Park up at Worcester Woods Country Park.  Try and work out if I need to pay to park - barrier controlled but no machines.  I'll work it out at the end.

Head off for the woods and immediately get stuck between around 30 dog walkers who seem to be on a public pre-arranged met.  Molly and myself get split up - I am at the front and she is nervously hanging around the rear.  I have to double back to pick her up - and we head away from this mass dog walking exercise to look for cache 1.  This involves another slop through the mud to find something the size of your thumbnail under dense tree cover.  Quite pleased to get it.

To show the extremes of geocaching, the next find is a huge old sweet jar.  I can now leave caching behind and am following the route in reverse, coming to a footpath next to the hospital.  Next time I come visiting someone, I will have to bring my boots - the footpath goes right through the grounds.



Visiting Time

This brings us out to the foot of Leopard's Hill.  There are footpaths to the top but my route has us skirting the perimeter and neither quite providing the stunning views over the City to the Malverns which I am sure it can provide.  We drop through a rather pleasant housing estate, before picking up the main road.



Ronkswood Meadows - Leopard Hill

Road leads to Ronkswood Hill meadows - waterlogged - and tromp our way around to Perry Woods.  The only surprise about the young lads drinking beer in the woods is a) It's 11am b) they are asian and c) Special Brew!  A new breed of far eastern hobos in the making.... its a special kind of boozer that does AM tramp juice.

On exiting Perry Woods, we have to go through a slighly shabbier housing estate.  The route directions from Julie are useless, so its a case of trying to work out from the OS map if there is an alley to get back to the visitor centre. 

At the third attempt, I manage to find an exit and have to slosh across the fields to get into the woods.

Cache three is soon found by leaving the main paths behind.  This is OK, as the woodland is far less muddy than the main throughfares which are ankle deep.

Back to the visitors centre and I cannot resist a go at their dog bathing station.  Not quite as good as the jetwash, but it kind of worked.



The Public Baths

A nice quick blast of fresh air, but I have to say, I am looking forward to some frost to firm up the ground a bit. 

And the really good news - the barrier went up on its own on exit.