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Walks 5 miles (approximately)
and Pub Lunch

CO-ORDINATOR: Bob
E-MAIL: rg.associates@btinternet.com

MEETINGS: Monthly 1st Tuesday am


Derbyshire Walking Baton Relay
to Celebrate U3A’s 40th Birthday

Derbyshire’s U3As took part in an epic Walking Baton Relay to celebrate our 40th birthday. The relay walk started on Wednesday 7th September in Derby and finished back in Derby on 23rd September having visited all of the county’s 17 U3A branches in between.

The U3A movement began in the UK in 1982, so September 2022 saw us celebrating our 40th birthday.

The Relay was ceremonially started by John Merrill, a major celebrity in the walking community and a man who loves walking in Derbyshire. He’s an author of more than 500 walking guides and a record-breaking marathon walker who has so far covered 227,527 miles, wearing out 151 pairs of boots.

New Mills and District U3A longer and medium walking group leaders organised our leg of the baton relay which took part on 14th September 2022. A few of our members met Buxton U3A at Whaley Bridge canal basin the day before and walked the final part of their walk with them along the canal to New Mills. Once at New Mills the baton was formally handed over to us.

The next morning, members of New Mills and District U3A gathered at the Torrs and proceeded to walk the 10 miles to Edale. Our route took us via the Sett Valley Trail to Hayfield, up to Bowden Bridge and over to Edale Cross. We enjoyed stunning views of the Hope Valley and the Great Ridge as we dropped down into the Edale valley via Jacob’s Ladder. We arrived in Edale in good time and took the opportunity to quench our thirst at The Rambler Inn where we had arranged to hand the baton over to the Hope Valley U3A for it’s onward journey. We returned to New Mills by train.

We enjoyed a fabulous walk in beautiful conditions and felt a real sense of achievement in completing the walk and enabling the baton to continue its journey. It was great to share our walk with regular members of the medium and longer walking groups as well as a few members of other activity groups.

You can see photos from the stages of the relay walk via the Derbyshire U3A Network Facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/u3aDerbyshireNetwork

Here are a few from our walk.

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2019 Walks

December 2019
mellor

In December 2019 on a rare sunny day we walked around Mellor and completed our day out with Christmas Lunch at the Pack Horse Inn.

Autumn 2019
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Autumn walk approx 6 miles around the Longdendale Valley from Padfield then back to the Peel Arms for lunch.

A great "autumnal" walk, cold to start off with but ending in bright sunshine to finish, with 16 people enjoying the morning.

August 2019
hayfield

In August 2019 we had fun in the fields around Hayfield and at the end of the walk we made our way to The George Hotel, Hayfield for a delicious lunch.  (Photograph from Pauline Whitelegg)

July 2019

errwood

The July walk was in the Goyt Valley when on a hot summers’ morning it was all smiles at a depleted Errwood Reservoir. 
We followed up with lunch at the Shady Oak.

A most enjoyable walk enhanced by a tricky little quiz compiled by Cathy Thompson. And a prize of home-made meringues!
Photo from Alan Franklin.

 

June 2019

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photo from Alan Franklin

The June walk was a glorious 5 miles around Bollington,
followed by lunch at the Poachers Inn.



September 2022