Registration at the Horse & Jockey  from 9.15 am                   

9.45 am Festival Launch by Luke Neal, Community Officer for the Meres and Mosses  Landscape Partnership Scheme, principal sponsor of the festival. This will be followed immediately by the walk below.
9.45 am

Festival Launch at the Horse and Jockey, Grindley Brook and 5 mile walk on the Cheshire border taking in Old St Chads, Tushingham – the church in the fields, followed by pub lunch (optional, pay on the day). Led by Jenny and John Wilson of the Whitchurch and District U3A Walking Group.
The 41 bus to Chester leaves Whitchurch bus station at 9.20 am and arrives at Grindley Brook at 9.26 am. Return at 12.44 pm or 2.44 pm . Parking also available at the pub.
 

This walk follows the style of the popular twice-monthly walks run by the local U3A group which always return to a pub for lunch.  Lunches will be pre-ordered and paid for on the day. However, anyone wanting to join the 2.00pm walk to Brown Moss will need to forego the pub lunch and make their own arrangements. There is a bus back to Whitchurch at 12.44pm and another at 2.44pm [14.44]. Full timetable

This is an easy 5.2 mile walk with 9 stiles starting from the Horse & Jockey in Grindley Brook. The first leg follows the Sandstone Trail along the Llangollen Canal, passing The Land of Canaan, and on reaching the Willeymoor Lock the path crosses several fields to join up with the bridle path on the Bishop Bennet Way just below Moorhead Farm. Then a bit of a climb up to the picturesque Old St Chads “All alone in the fields” complete with a horse drawn hearse. The Church and hearse house will be open to view. The return to the Horse & Jockey is mainly along quiet lanes following the Bishop Bennet Way. Bishop William Bennet was born in 1745 and became Bishop of Cork and Ross and later Bishop of Cloyne. He carried out detailed surveys of roman roads including those between Deva (Chester) and Mediolanum (Whitchurch). The way was named after him and is a route for horse riders, walkers and cyclists starting at Beeston Castle and ending at Wirswall. There are hopes to extend it to Shrewsbury.