Memorial Walk for Andew Reynolds
By Pat Reynolds
On Saturday 2 June a select group of 19 met at the free car-park in Eyam for a walk in memory of Andrew Reynolds. Attendees were: Pam Barratt, David Burkitt, Geoff Causey, Roger Chappell, Paul Headland & Juli and two girls, Roy Holmes, Neil McAllister, Pete Moore, John & Julie Oaks, Justin Reid, Pat, Jonathan & Rachel Shaw, Vanessa Wright and Kaitlin. At least 6 others who were out of the country or had prior commitments were with us in spirit.
The route led us
through Eyam to read some of the plaques on the history of the
plague and past the graves, down to Stoney Middleton to sample the
warm water spring (not running very warm due to cloudy conditions),
up steeply and over the top and down into Coombs Dale and up to
Black Harry Gate. From there we circled south round the
strange Great Longstone quarry with water and scary looking
industrial wasteland, towards Wardlow, 200m of road, then down into
the northern end of Cressbrook Dale. We sat for our lunch looking
down at the view, and John took a photo revealing that the party
represented over 50 years of membership of the Lincoln MC, starting
from the 1960s when of course, Andrew had joined. The mass of
flowers, especially the orchids, caused some and Rachel, in
particular, to be down on her knees with bum in the air to
photograph them (I believe). After crossing the A623 we walked
north then eastish, crossing Silly Dale into Foolow where the
temptation to call into the Black Bull was resisted, and then the
last 3km across the fields and about a dozen stiles into Eyam
again.
Roger & Pam were out at point with Pat, the only person who REALLY knew the route, as the back-marker. Consequently, there were times when the party had to back-track a few metres. But at the end, spread out by then over about a mile (!), we all arrived back safe & sound to enjoy tea and well-deserved cake at the Eyam Hall café. Thank you to all who came, the walk was a favourite of Pat & Andrew and clearly not well known to most of the people attending.