|
We usually meet on the last Wednesday of each month at 9:30am by the village hall. Walks are not long or strenuous; 5 or 6 miles on average, each with a different leader.
Group Leader David Burke
2024 Walks
U3A Walk Wednesday 31 st January 2024
U3A walk Wednesday 28th February 2024
Fifteen of us met in the car park at Spud Wood, near Lymm, complete with waterproofs and brollies. Surprisingly, the weather men had got it wrong, as, apart from one short mild rain shower, it remained dry throughout most of the walk.
Spud Wood, is managed by the Woodland Trust, who acquired the land a few years ago and planted the trees. It used to be potato field, hence its name.
After a walk around and through the wood, we found an ancient footpath that led us into Lymm village, which still has it's old stocks and a Village Cross with seating around it. It was a lovely place to enjoy our coffee break.
Lymm has a stream flowing through the village, so we followed it until we eventually crossed the A56 over Lymm Dam. The Dam was built in 1824 specifically to allow the A56 to pass through Lymm. The side effect of the dam was the creation of a lake. We were able to follow the paths around the lake, stopping at one point to eat our packed lunches, before returning to walk back through Lymm village.
An enjoyable walk with better than expected weather. Jeff Mortimer
U3A walk round Peover Superior 27/03/2024
Some of us met at High Lane Village Hall car park at 09:30, whilst others went directly to the designated start point near Peover Superior school and cricket ground. In total, 21 people were on the walk, which had an estimated distance of 7.6 km.
Peover (/ˈpiːvər/ PEE-vər) is a largely flat rural area in Cheshire with narrow incised gullies along streams. It takes its name from the main brook called Peover Eye, which is formed from several springs and field drainage and runs west into the Wincham Brook a short distance northeast of Lostock Gralam. It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as "Pevre",[3] from a Celtic word meaning "the bright one" and it is thought that “Eye” comes from the Saxon word for a brook
To start our walk we headed towards Peover Hall which is a Grade II listed Elizabethan country house built in 1585 and which is still in use today as a family home.
The day started overcast but without any rainfall, although it had rained hard overnight and the ground was wet. Due to flooding on the road near the entrance to the Hall driveway, we had to divert and take an alternate path via the Village Hall. This gave us the benefit of a much better view of Peover Cottage and a good panorama of the Hall and stables as we approached. Peover Hall was built by Sir Randle Mainwaring in 1585, with a new wing being added by the fourth baronet Sir Henry in the 1760s before the Peels bought the hall and estate in 1919. The Brooks family acquired the property some 20 years later, and the family continue to live in the Hall today.
St Lawrence Church is the parish church of Over Peover and was built in three stages which started in 1456 when the South Chapel was built. This was followed by the building of both the North Chapel and the Tower in 1648 and 1741 respectively. The Nave of the church was finished in 1811. During his stay at Peover Hall, General Patton used to visit the church to pray, and so on his departure, he presented the American flag which is now displayed. There is an interesting story concerning the building of the South Chapel. When Sir Randle Mainwaring died, his wife, Margery, honoured his wish to be buried in the churchyard. Afterwards, however, she erected the chapel and tomb over him, where they have lain together since her death. The South Chapel is a Chantry Chapel where the priest said daily prayers for the souls of the departed. Spaced between two pointed windows is a fine, canopied tomb, the reason for building the chapel originally. The ancient stained glass window in the South Chapel portraying Thomas Becket, the famous saint, is a rarity, one of only two in England to survive destruction on the orders of Henry VIII. The North Chapel is a mortuary chapel, never used for services. It was built in 1648 by the widow of the then Lord. She installed a marble monument with life-size effigies of them both. The Lord’s actual armour hangs on the wall. Their coat of arms can be seen in an elaborately-carved timber ceiling and the semi-circular windows depict their family crests. The other monuments in this chapel were moved there when the main body of the church was demolished and are equally interesting. The North Chapel displays a Cromwellian helmet and breastplate. Lady Ellen Mainwaring is known to have assisted Cromwell’s cause and legend has it that Cromwell’s troops were frequently billeted in the church. All the more surprising, therefore, that the glass in the South Chapel has survived. A more recent feature of interest is the William Morris Window, this is a memorial window (dated 1936) in the north-west corner of the nave, portraying the charitable activities of a much-regarded parishioner. By the time we were ready to leave St Lawrence church and continue our walk, the rain had stopped.
We continued through the gardens of the Hall and out onto the open fields once more, heading away from the Hall, along the main driveway.
We then passed by the Barclays Technology Centre (Radbrook Hall), and what appeared to be a huge new hydroponic tomato growing facility.
By 13:20, we had returned to our cars, at which point those who had brought a packed lunch were able to avail themselves of the seating in the park, whilst the rest adjourned to the Dog Inn at Peover Heath for pub lunch.
Rick Hedley
|
