The 100th Office Sqwalk

We arrived at Longnor around 30 mins behind schedule but to no avail. Half an hour was well spent and the Robinson's Trouper was on top form. The cake display was rather tempting but with lunch looming they remained untouched. To ensure we weren't late for lunch at The Packhorse in Crowdecote we headed directly down the road, missing out part of the original route. Ah well, more tarmac for DT.

THE 100th OFFICE SQWALK 25th and 26th April 2018

(Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the walk route maps..)

Up for both days were

Yup, Tony, Bill, 2Pie, Spikelett, Mothy, Stubbee, DCeen, DT and Knotty,

Up for the 1st day only were:

Ali G, Malc Jay, Jacko, Jaycee, Tom, Nige, Hecky Thump, Keithee,

To commemorate the 100th Office Sqwalk we based it on the very first walk enjoyed back in April 1992 which was completed in one day. This walk was split into 2 days with an overnight stay at Hartington Youth Hostel for the first 8 on the list above. The first day's clockwise walk included an area north of Hartington and was around 10 miles. It included a stop at Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese at Longnor and then lunch at The Packhorse Inn at Crowdecote. The second days walk of 12 miles was originally intended to be completed clockwise but due to emergency power cuts in the village of Wetton, the walk was undertaken anti-clockwise. Hulme End was the first stop, then on to Wetton Café, The Watts Russel Arms at Hopedale, and finally The George at Alstonefield for lunch.

The hostel rooms were fine for a night or so. There was just enough water trickling from the compact shower to get sufficiently wet, and the beds were almost long enough for dwarfs. Still, the radiators were hot and there was a drying room for those who needed it.

The sky darkened as we sat in the pub and unfortunately we failed to avoid the hail showers during the final few miles of the walk. Nige, Keithee and Tom shared a lift back to Hartington, avoiding the blackened skies. We studied the Pilsbury Castle information board before continuing.

Slightly damp we managed a pint in the Charles Cotton Hotel before the killer hill up to the YHA where we were staying overnight.

We finally set off around 10am, heading off along the lane behind the infamous cheese shop. The confident front-runners somehow missed the obvious first turning off to the right so we had to retrace our steps back past the recently demolished cheese factory. The first climb of the day lay ahead raising a few heartbeats but the route north after that was fairly easy and the weather seemed to be in our favor.

A few of us arrived at the YHA by minibus where we dumped our overnight bags under a suitably safe and secure table in the lounge. Others left their cars in the car park and joined us near the pond in the center of the village for a couple of toasts before setting off.

It was great to see Dasher and Debbie, who had just returned from yet another hospital appointment. They were just completing their meals before heading off back home but we managed to have a wee chat before they left.

The Wednesday ale became available and proved to be a popular choice. All the meals went down well, especially the Proper pie which retailed £3 less than the website prices. A proper price indeed.

A table had been booked for evening meals, which was general 'run of the mill' pizzas, pies, hunters chicken, chicken tikka kebabs and burgers, until they ran out. Bill unfortunately had fallen asleep in his room and missed out by ten minutes. A bag of crisps was slightly appeasing and Spike even offered up his pizza crusts, which were turned down. Despite having 2 hand pulls and rave reviews there was no ale available at the hostel. So we ventured to The Davenport Arms back down that blessed killer hill. The Farmer's Blond was very satisfying however so I suppose you could say it was worth it. We joined Mothy in celebrating the arrival of his grand daughter, Phoebe. Many congrats to Emily and family. We then creakingly crossed the road to Billy Cottons, but it was unfortunately closed, so we opted for an early night in lieu of returning to the Davenport. We must be getting old. Oh dear, the prospect of climbing that wretched killer hill again!!!

The 730am breakfast at the hostel was actually very good and easily matched an 'all you can eat' Premier Inn brekky (although Nails might not agree?). It also avoided the parties of schoolchildren who had arrived in neat and well-organized lines at 8am.

The slippery ascent past Thor's cave was avoided and replaced by the climb up the road to Wetton where Thor's cave could be clearly seen. 'Who's Thor', asked Stubbee. No one one could help, neither could Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thor%27s_Cave.

Challenges were discussed as we were struggling up the hill and Stubbee mentioned that his son had applied to enter the SAS challenge, similar to the Iron Man challenge. The climb up the road was very similar, and it was suggested it maybe should be termed the Iron Lung challenge.

Nails tried to round up some chickens as he began to feel a bit peckish.

The pub at Wetton had rang late on Tuesday to warn that they'd be closed on Thursday due to an emergency power cut in the village; so it was agreed to complete the walk anti-clockwise and have lunch at the George instead.

At Wetton, Austin led the group around the church and the churchyard to a broken stone relating to those lost in the 1st world war. Spike marveled at the wooden roof arches inside the church and when he finally came out, the leading group had disappeared. We found them sitting forlorn outside The Royal Oak as it was still closed due to the power cut.

Some, like Spike, soaked in a bath, but in his case he got stuck and had to be pulled out by his strong wife, Pam. The rest of us showered, as we knew we wouldn't get out of a bath without assistance

So, that's the final 100th office walk completed. I hope you enjoy the photos and notes which bring back such happy memories. Thanks to everyone who came along and made it a very special event. If you had completed all 100 walks (ahem) then you'd have walked around 1600 miles. Not bad eh. Here's another toast 'to the next 100'.

Cheers

Yuppers

(enjoy yer office sqwalks)

(See Proposed route and the original 1st walk below)

It was a long pull back to Hartington but the lure of a pint at The Billy Cotton drew us along. Spike arranged with Mothy for his case to be dropped off as he left for home so he didn't have to trudge up the killer hill again. A wise decision.

DT was waved off as we climbed the killer hill for the final time. It seemed much easier this time ……. not. The minibus was bang on time and at breakneck speeds we were home within an hour.

There were a few muddy stretches however due to the recent weather and one in particular proved almost disastrous for Yuppy. He could have sunk out of sight without the strong arms and assistance from Granpop Bill. Thanks for that Bill.

Glasses (well, plastic cups) were raised, one to the 100th office walk and one to absent friends. The latter list went on for some time, and beyond. Surprising how many had fallen by the wayside for one reason or another. Jameson's whiskey is always a fitting tribute to consume on these occasions. The three who were no longer physically with us, but not forgotten, were Len, John Perkins and more recently Joe.

DT efficiently took our food orders for lunch before we set off. It was difficult to avoid tarmac for the first couple of miles to Hulme End, especially as we happened to miss a stile, but at least it improved the pace. Hulme End gave the opportunity of a toilet break and a chance for DT to ring the George at Alstonefield with our orders. If only he hadn't left the list and phone no in his car!!

So we diverted to The Watts Russel Arms at Hopedale. Mothy pointed the way.... Jaipur and Lord Marples ales were available so we were tempted to try them both. Thank goodness we did as there was another killer hill waiting for us beyond the narrow double doors, sqwalking geese, and we needed the energy.