A group of 15 Oreads and guests set off from Ticknall Village Hall in the South of the county on a dry but cloudy morning. Fortunately the same group, still dry, returned later in the afternoon after a 22km tour of some of the local highlights. We were pleased to welcome Pete Amour’s brother in law Tom, provisional member Seyhan on her first trip out with the club, and also Lydia and Linda, meeting us for the first time. We hope you enjoyed your day and that we will see you again soon.

First stop was Anchor Church, where there were no takers for the opportunity to swim in the chilly looking lagoon, or to climb on the gravelly conglomerate. Morning coffee was taken outside Foremark Church before a lunch stop at Carvers Rocks. Again there were no takers for eclectic climbing on greasy looking soft sandstone with some sparse bolts. The highlights of the afternoon were admiring a herd of alpacas and several well antlered deer, unexpectantly finding ourselves next to the Tollgate brewery allowing for a beer stop, and  inspecting some lime kilns before being plunged into darkness in a tunnel on one of the Calke Abbey Tramways. Thank you for your company everyone.

Janet Briggs.