We woke to grey, leaden skies and drizzle in the air, but were cheered by a more optimistic forecast for the afternoon. By one o'clock, when our stalwart members met to set up the hall, the sun was out. What luck! We assembled chairs and tables, laid out the cups, saucers and plates and welcomed the makers of the cakes, fruit loaves, profiteroles and scones as they brought in their delicious creations. We also assembled a hamper to be raffled in aid of Denman.
About fifteen minutes before the walk was due to begin the first arrivals appeared. They were the lucky ones who found premium parking outside the hall. We had eight pairs of leaders who had all walked the route the day before, so, as planned, we set off in groups of about a dozen with a leader at the front and a sweeper at the rear of each group. The early arrivals were happy to leave ahead of the others knowing that they would be the first back and have first choice of cakes!
The route was not too ambitious, involving three miles or so, partly along the old Uttoxeter - Oakamoor railway track, then off up over farmland through cow-grazed fields from which we had beautiful clear views over the Churnet Valley to the Weaver hills. A very sharp descent led us back down into the valley where we regained the railway track and returned to the village.
All of the groups were soon reunited and were much relieved to be able to sit down for a cup of tea, cake and, most importantly, chat. Nobody seemed particularly keen to leave at the end of the afternoon which was a clear indicator that a good time had been enjoyed by all.
The afternoon ended with Sheila Moulton warmly thanking the Denstone WI for organising the event so well, and then Denstone president, Mary Spencer, added her thanks to everybody for supporting the walk and providing excellent company, all of which had made for a most enjoyable