This gallery is split over several pages. Each page displays pictures from a particular year or years as taken by members whilst on some of the shorter walks, including SWANS. The most recent are at the top of the page. The links below can be used to select the relevant year.
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2013
December's Walk
The final walk of 2013 was very well attended with 21 members turning
out for a circular walk from Ratby. Fran and Pete led the group and, as
usual, gave us interesting snippets of information about the area through
which we walked.
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Back into Ratby |
November's Walk
Our last Swans of 2013 was held on November 28th and attended by a record
number of 25! Some of these were only cygnets, but hopefully made to feel
very welcome.
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October's WalkThe Short Walks Group met on Tuesday, 1st October for a five-mile circular walk led by Valerie, starting from Barrow-on-Soar. |
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September's WalkThe Short Walks Group met on Tuesday, 3rd September for a five-mile circular walk led by Pearl. Seventeen members met in Burton on the Wolds on a warm, sunny morning. |
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On Tuesday, 6th August a record number of members, 21, participated in the circular walk led by Roger from the Gelsmoor pub. The theme of the walk was to visit sites of some of the former local rail and tram ways and to learn about their role in the industrial development of north-west Leicestershire. Everyone was amazed by Roger's knowledge of these historical features and his recall of facts associated with them. The interesting information, combined with delightful views, resulted in a very pleasant walk. Afterwards, most members stayed on for lunch at the Gelsmoor. |
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July's WalkOn Thursday, 25th July, eleven members of the SWANS Group met at Staunton
Harold for a circular walk to be led by Roger. |
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Thirteen members of the Short Walks Group met in Packington at the
Bull and Lion pub for a five-mile circular walk to be led by Ann. |
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June's WalkFor the June meeting of the SWANS Group, nine members gathered in the
car park at Forest Hill Golf Club on the last Thursday of the month.
Jean and Carol had volunteered to lead the walk to and around Ratby
Burroughs. |
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June's Short WalkThringstone, Whitwick, Belton and Osgathorpe |
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Thirteen members of the Short Walks Group met on Tuesday, 7th May in
Thornton for a circular walk of 5 miles led by Fran and Pete. The weather was glorious - sunny
and warm; it made a pleasant change to walk in light clothing.
From Thornton, we walked in the direction of Stanton-under-Bardon and then turned to cross the M1 towards Markfield. Our banana break was at the disused Markfield Quarry. Few of the group had been there before. The views were spectacular and in the quarry itself, the golden flowers of the gorse bushes looked very attractive against the dark rock faces. Refreshed, we walked into Markfield and were delighted to find handsome buildings and pretty gardens in the village. Following field paths, we headed back to Thornton. The countryside looked beautiful and we spotted a few early bluebells. It had been a lovely walk. Most of the group stayed for lunch at The Bricklayers Arms which was, as usual, a very pleasant way to end the outing. |
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April's WalkOn Thursday, 25th April, thirteen members of the SWANS Group met at Donington le Heath Manor House for a walk along footpaths and lanes in Hugglescote and Donington le Heath. Sue led the walk which was based on a short walk featured in the leaflet "Strolls on your Doorstep" produced by Leicestershire County Council. |
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On the cold, but dry, morning of Tuesday, 2nd April, nine members of the Short Walks Group met in Ticknall for a five-mile circular walk led by Rose.
Warmly wrapped up, we set off through the village and entered Calke Park near the Limeyards. We followed MUD-FREE paths towards the deer park. Here we saw a stag with its new antlers. We walked on to Calke Abbey itself where we took a break and enjoyed a warm drink. Refreshed, we followed the route out of the park towards the lane by Standley's Barn, then shortly turned right back across fields to the park again. Although the scenery in this area is always beautiful, few signs of spring could be seen. We were all pleased that Rose had included in the walk a visit to see the new-born lambs in the pens and marquee. After this delight it was a straightforward walk back to the cars parked in Ticknall. We concluded the outing with a tasty lunch at "The Staff of Life" in Ticknall. |
March short walk, Groby Pool and Newton Linford
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February's WalkThe area next to Snibston Discovery Park was the location for February's meeting of the SWANS Group. Twelve walkers, including new members, met at the Museum for a circular walk led by Roger on a dry, fine afternoon. |
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A record-breaking number of 19 members met on Tuesday,
5th February in Shepshed for the monthly Short Walk. Starting from "The
Jolly Farmers" pub, the circular walk was led by Sue in cold but fine
weather.
We had clear views of Ives Head from Iveshead Lane before following Ingleberry Road back towards Shepshed. The next stretch of the walk mainly followed the course of the now dismantled Charnwood Forest Railway which closed in 1964. We also saw the dry course of the Charnwood Canal. As we left the railway track, everyone was intrigued by an unusual brick-lined tunnel built underneath it. Fortunately, Pete was able to enlighten us all when he explained that it was part of the Charnwood Canal route - on this occasion, an ideal spot for our "banana break". Back on country roads, we walked by the landmark of Fenney Windmill and enjoyed marvellous views over Charnwood Forest. A short walk across a field and lanes took us back to our starting point. It was agreed to add on a visit to Morley Quarry, a Local Nature Reserve and important Geological Site with some of England's oldest rocks. It is a fascinating place and most of the group were discovering it for the first time. Back at the pub, our pre-ordered lunches were waiting and everyone was able to relax after an interesting and relatively mud-free walk. |
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Eleven members of the Short Walks Group met in Calke Park on Tuesday, 8th January for a circular walk led by Ann. Despite the overcast skies, we were able to complete the walk in dry weather. What's more, it was also dry underfoot! Ann had devised a route that took us along hard surfaces and firm ground with hardly a patch of mud to be seen - for which we were all extremely grateful. Calke Park provides delightful walking opportunities no matter what the season. On this occasion, we even spotted a few examples of catkins which cheered everyone. After completing the walk, we drove to the Ferrers Centre where a most convivial lunch was enjoyed. All in all, it was a terrific start to a new year of walking with our U3A. |
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