A group of 19 of us gathered in the Stiperstones Inn car park for our last walk of 2025. As the mist covered the hills, we all decided to stick to lower ground and headed off in the direction of Buxton Wood. As we left the Inn and crossed the road, we were treated to fantastic views of a female kestrel hovering in the nearby field. We marvelled at the wonderful old trees along the way and all the fantastic fungi, like the wonderful hairy curtain crust and witches’ butter.
We walked towards Tankerville and along to the old Tower where Julian gave us an insight into the local mining history. Crossing the road, we went past a waterfall and up the hill – stretching our legs and enjoying the fresh breeze at the top. It wasn’t the day for enjoying the views as the mist was still hugging the hills tightly. As we walked back down the hill together, we learned more about the different local landowners and Julian showed us a disused mining shaft, once a hive of human activity but now home to lesser horseshoe bats.
After a lovely walk we all retired to the Inn for an enjoyable celebratory Christmas lunch followed by a wildlife quiz. It has been a great year of wildlife walks, getting to know new and enthusiastic people, learning from each other and enjoying being outside and experiencing the beauty of our local area.
