I Can See Clearly Now the Rain Has Gone

Today 40+ NWR members (mostly from Staffordshire, but several from Cheshire and one from as far afield as Beverley in N Yorkshire), got together to share in the third annual rambling day organised by Staffordshire Moorlands group. We started the day at The Tea Junction, a refurbished former railway shed now a cafe and visitor centre in Hulme End. After registration we were given a delightful talk on herbs by Jane Greenland, a long-standing member of the Herb Society who has a wealth of knowledge on historical and present day uses of common and not-so-well-known herbs. We learned about Royal Herb Strewers, Tussiemussies (you may have to google for more information!)cures for shingles and much much more. After a delicious lunch, we set out to work off some of the calories by walking parts of the beautiful countryside around Alstonefield. Three different walks were graded according to the level of difficulty and after weeks of rain the weather was extremely kind to us although it was very muddy underfoot in places. The area was once famous for the mining of copper and lead but there is now little trace remaining of the old mine shafts and workings. We were treated to stunning views of the Manifold Valley on our six mile walk before skirting the Castern Wood Nature Reserve and returning to our starting point. The lovely Rebecca, proprietor of The Tea Junction, welcomed us back with an array of homemade cakes and reviving tea. We all agreed it had been a really lovely way of spending a Monday!