Our first walk of the year was on Saturday 7th January, when Graham Gill led a party of 23 walkers on a 5.2 mile walk to Barlow Fishing Ponds and back. Starting from the Pentland Road shops car park
in lovely sunshine, and unusually mild for January, the outward route took in Kitchen Wood, Cowley Lane, Cartledge and Brindwoodgate before arriving at the ponds. At more or less half way, the coffee stop was
taken here by the top pond, still in bright sunshine, where chocolates and jelly babies were handed round courtesy of Eileen and Graham. After a 20 minute break we walked down past the rest of the ponds and the cafe to Lee Bridge where we turned left and headed back towards Dronfield. A
few light clouds had started to gather on the return journey which took us along Galloping Close to Barlow Lees Lane. We turn left in the dip and followed the path up to Cowley Lane where we turned right and then left at Cherry Tree Farm. We then turned right and followed the path back to the starting point via “Tellytubby Hill” and Sindelfingen Park. On the way round we saw a Buzzard circling, a Jay and heard Nuthatch amongst the more common Crows, Magpies, Wood Pigeons and House Sparrows.
Not much in the way of flora was seen – Gorse, Dandelion and Daisy in flower – pretty much par for January. The walk was billed as “opportunity for lunch” afterwards, and the majority went in the Jolly
Farmer for lunch or a well earned drink after changing out of their boots. A really nice walk to start the year.
