We say it every year, but 2022 has been our best year yet!

20 new NeWTs completed their Learn To Nordic Walk courses this year, opening the door to a wide array of walks, from Mossley to Macclesfield, and from Hollingworth Lake to the Lake District! We’ve enjoyed 2 amazing holidays to Grange-over-Sands and Guernsey – in fact, Guernsey was so good we’ve booked again for 2023 – and Daisy Nook is back on our calendar after two and a half years away, meaning we can end our Sunday walks at a cafe (& toilets!).

We started off the year with a longer walk from Hollingworth Lake….in the rain, followed by what should have been  great walk around Delph, only to encounter 40mph gusts and a LOT of mud! February was a washout with 3 named storms in less than a week, and it rained on 26 of the 28 days, but we discovered the fabulous Sweet Vintage cafe in Top Mossley!

March was a definite improvement. We enjoyed two longer walks – an (hilly) 8.5 miler from Grains Bar on a very windy day, and then a (flat) 6.5 miler around Sale and Chorlton Water Parks on what was the hottest day of the year at that point. If only we knew what was to come! April had 11 NeWTs on a weekend away in Grange-over-Sands, and 8 came back with Covid. Since 5 of those were walk leaders it put a stop to walks for a bit!

In May we heard a cuckoo on our annual cuckoo walk, we launched our Walk & Dines (returning in March 2023), and our amazing walk leaders stepped up to lead walks when Jane went and injured herself (again). The weather started to pick up (& just kept getting hotter and hotter for the next 3 months), Jane started leading short walks in June…and then developed a frozen shoulder in July.

August meant we FINALLY made it to Guernsey at the third attempt. A huge THANK YOU to Jo & Tina who led our Guernsey walks, having never visited the island before and relying purely on Jane’s descriptions and some printed maps! Can Jane make it through 2023 without injuring herself?!?! Ian led what can only be described as an eventful walk in Ripponden, and Tina made everyone climb 209 steps in Marsden.

The weather finally started to cool down, Jane went on holiday and experienced one of the worst hurricanes on record, Tina repeated our Delph walk in much better weather, Jo introduced us to Hebden Bridge, and for a change Ian led a hilly walk up to Higher Swineshaw reservoir.

In November, Jane led a longer walk from Bramall Hall through the aptly named Happy Valley, and her leg didn’t fall off. We got our first look at the inaugural NeWTs calendar, and Chris & Bev completed their Walk Leader training.

35 of you were able to join us for our Christmas meal at The Waggon & Horses, but it was tinged with sadness as we said goodbye to Debbie who is off to sunnier climes. Is a walking trip to Spain in our future??? The year ended with some extremely cold weather. Whilst we were able to keep most walks running, unfortunately our Christmas walks got cut short after the weather suddenly got warmer, but only enough for rain to fall and turn to black ice.

We finished the year as we started, with some very wet weather! Thank you to everyone that has joined our walks over the past year, you’ve made NeWTs what it is. We can’t wait to see what 2023 will bring!