It's All Over Now...

On Saturday 15 September, members from seven groups in Staffordshire gathered at the Tree House in Birches Valley on Cannock Chase for a celebration to mark the completion of the NWR 2012 Challenge of Walking the Staffordshire Way.

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The sun shone all day which almost made up for the wet conditions endured by many members during the course of their stages of the walk.

Talks from the Principal Rights of Way Officer, Paul Rochfort, and Head Ranger, Steve Archer, filled gaps in our knowledge about how access to the Staffordsire countryside is managed on our behalf and the increasing importance of volunteers in supporting their best efforts.

 

A lunchtime picnic was enjoyed on the veranda.

 

 

Sweet and or healthy treats were available for dessert.

 

 Many enjoyed a lunchtime stroll in the forest...

 



 

 





 ...or just sitting in the sun.

In the afternoon we did a reflective sprint down the Staffordshire Way to share our experiences and give tips about good cafes and pubs and scenic stretches.  These were captured on a unique NWR map of the Staffordshire Way. [For more details of the map see The Last Post]

 

Awards were made for various contributions to the blog.

 

One was for best scenic photo to the Shenstone Group

 

One was for best group photo to the Eccleshall group

 

One was for best blog entry to Sarah Matthews [far right] of the Long Walkers

 

We rounded the event off with a nice cup of tea and a piece of cake, specially baked by Sarah Akhtar of the Trentham group to celebrate the fact that she has been a member of NWR for 40 years!

 

Most memories of the walk were good ones.  Everyone was glad they had taken part.  Further recollections can be read on the last post on the blog, entitled The Last Post!