Remembering Our Members Walk

Meet Leader: Jim Gregson
Members: Christine Beeston, Virginia Castick, Mark Garrod, Sandy Gregson, Jim Gregson, Michelle Harvie, Lester Payne,
Dave Shotton.
Guest ( former member): Colin Garthwaite

The weather for this day was unfortunately a typical dreary and wet/damp November day as we gathered in the Goyt Valley, a long-favoured and traditional KMC haunt. Undaunted we walked up past the ruins of Errwood Hall with a short uphill detour to take in the Grimshawe family burial ground which lies on their former family esate (for more info consult the wikipedia pages for “Errwood Hall”).  After descending the hill-top site we wound up into the valley below Foxlow Edge to reach the rather quaint-looking Spanish Shrine, erected by the Grimshawe family in memory of their children’s governess. This was an appropriate spot for us to hold the two-minute silence in memory of all of the 80+ deceased members of the KMC with a period of thoughtful and respectful commemoration of those fellow mountaineers, climbers and walkers who in their day shared our common interest in the mountains.

After proceeding onto the tarmac of The Street road for a short while, we came up to the ridge crest in quite thick fog and heavier rain to proceed along over Cat’s Tor and on to the trig point at Shining Tor. While we were paused here for a little while, the summit was approached by folks so pre-occupied with their own lives that they were filming themselves on their phones mounted on selfie sticks and even on tripods. We left them to it, after a short performance from the stowaway canine that Virginia had smuggled onto the meet in an attempt to discomfit the meet leader (who has a broad sense of humour anyway). In the chilly rain we progressed over to the cafe by the Macclesfield road where we purchased warming drinks and sat at the outside tables to partake of some sustenance from our rucksack contents.

A brief visit was made up to the Cat & Fiddle, always a gloomy-looking spot and no more cheery in its current incarnation as a distillery rather than a pub. We threaded our way back through some tussock territory to regain the track down Stake Edge before cutting down into Shooter’s Clough to descend back into the Goyt. Passing close by Errwood Hall again we reacherd the road and the carpark.

Thanks to those members who emailed the meet leader with messages of regret that they could not attend in person but who supported the idea of the meet, and a big thanks to the small but select group of KMC stalwarts who did turn out for the occasion.You all did our past members proud. Your presence added to the opportunity which was marked by much stimulating conversation and sharing of a wide range of KMC anecdotes and memories of incidents in club history causing much laughter to counteract the miseries of the weather. Would that more of the membership might have stirred themselves to join those who did.

Jim Gregson