WHITLEY WI

The heat was on when seven members of Whitley WI set off, on what proved to be one of the hottest days of the year, for their September walk.
Leaving Hartford Hall for a circular walk taking in the River Weaver, they took two right turns along School Lane eventually entering Stones Manor Lane.
Here they followed the sign for Marshall ‘s Arm Nature Reserve, situated in valley which is a classic example of a water-worn valley, known locally as a ‘clough’.
Winding their way through a wooded area up and down the well-maintained paths, occasionally passing over narrow wooden bridges, they eventually reached the path alongside the River Weaver.
This path took them to the locally named ‘Blue Bridge’ which is a fine example of 1930’s road bridge with characteristic truncated stepped ‘pyramids’ at each end.
They crossed the bridge to get to the other side of the river turning left on to another path to walk 1/2 mile down river to Vale Royal Locks, where a narrow boat was slowly going through the locks. Sadly time was too short to watch the whole procedure.

Their route also passed beneath the Vale Royal railway viaduct built by Joseph Locke and George Stephenson for the Grand Junction Railway in 1837.… YES, Lots of history along the way.
Arriving back at Hartford Hall, hot and tired walkers were reunited with member Joan who had returned early to sketch a picture of the Hall. A thirst quencher and tasty lunch combined with lots of chatter in the lovely garden setting was an enjoyable way to relax on this beautiful day.

THANKS GO TO LEADER ANN. WHITLEY WI’s WALKING GROUP COULDNT MANAGE WITH OUT YOU, AND LOOK FORWARD TO THEIR NEXT WALK.

To celebrate our first face to face monthly meeting at Whitley Village Hall since August 2020, we decided on a topical theme – the Tokyo Olympics. Pat Sharp organised a most wonderful evening of games, quiz and much more. Lots of smiles and laughter and we optimistically look forward to meeting up again in September.

It was a rather grey looking morning with a few drops of rain falling from the skies when ten enthusiastic walkers of Whitley WI set off from the car park at The George and Dragon in Great Budworth.

Several new members had joined the group, all of whom were made very welcome.

The group started their walk by initially turning left along the road, passing the village bowling green, then finding the path which took them through a few fields, some with cows, eventually turning right when they reached the main road. The weather was beginning to brighten up by the time they passed and chatted with the owners of Ice Cream Farm, located in Heath Lane. (Sadly, it did not open until 12.00 noon). Another field path was located, this time around the perimeter of what would soon be ‘a maize maze’ for happy children to get lost in, which took them to Budworth Heath Lane where they turned right making their way along this road until they reached Westage Lane. Jokes were made about a previous time when they had tried to walk down that lane, only to find it closed as an under passage for badgers was being constructed, and undignified climbs over and under fences had to be made. Continuing along Westage Lane until they turned left following a lovely tree lined pathway, with distanced views of Jodrell Bank. This ancient pathway led back to the church and many picturesque cottages, which have been used in film sets on many occasions, eventually leading to the George and Dragon.
All enjoyed the walk and were ready for a refreshing drink and tasty lunch.

THANK YOU ANN… another super successful day out.

Ten of our craft group ladies helped dress the tree with yet more new residents.

Murray Jacobs, a Cambridge Green Badge Guide, gave us a fascinating Zoom virtual tour of a ‘Must See Street in Cambridge’. His talk about King’s Parade, which is in the main tourist area of Cambridge, included stories of a rather eventful visit by a monarch, student antics that hit the front pages, and intriguing details of King’s College Chapel, to name just a few.

The Corpus, or Grasshopper clock, outside the Taylor Library is a gold plated stainless steel work of art. The grasshopper, or Chronophage meaning “time eater” at the top of the clock devours every minute as it passes with a snap of its jaws. The clock has no hands or numerals, but displays the time by opening individual slits in the clock face, backlit with blue LEDs; these slits are arranged in three concentric rings displaying hours, minutes, and seconds.