| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Group leader: | |
| Group email: | Walks - Challenging group |
| When: | Monthly on Thursday mornings 9:00 am Last Thursday |
| Venue: | Variable |
The Challenging Walks Group meets on the LAST Thursday of each month for walk between 8-10 miles. There are no fees required to walk.
If you would like to join us please open this webpage and click the "Walks - Challenging group" link to send me a message.
https://burton-on-trent.u3asite.uk/u3a_groups/walks-challenging/
I will need your name, email address, U3A membership number, phone number, and the name and phone number of an Emergency contact.
A walk details email will be sent out to the group a week or so prior to each walk.
For each walk, I need you to confirm your intent to participate as soon as possible, so that I can organise car-shuttles and/or public transport as smoothly as possible.
Final details will be sent to those who have confirmed their attendance a few days before the walk.
If you wish to be removed from email messages for this group please let me know.
The May 28th walk was The Ecclesbourne Way Stage1, from Idridgehay to Duffield. See details and photos below.
The next Challenging Walk will be The Ecclesbourne Way, Stage2 on Thursday, TBA, 2026.
Walk details will be sent closer to the day. We will be taking public transport to Wirksworth and back from Duffield, as well as taking the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway ...Please stay tuned for updates...
A bit of history about the group.
I started The Challenging Walks Group in 2017 because of some of the Long Walkers interest (primarily Chrys Smedley) in walking The National Forest Way. The Glenfield U3A had walked the NFW, and their story had featured in the u3a matters national magazine.
The group name was chosen to maintain continuity with the name used by the Glenfield U3A.
The idea was to do some longer walks (10-12 miles) than we were doing in the long walks group (6-7 miles) with the challenge being to walk the entire Way from start to finish, not to climb mountains.
The first challenge was to walk the 75-mile National Forest Way, from Beacon Hill in Leicestershire, to the National Arboretum in Alrewas.
John Alton, from the Glenfield U3A, was kind enough to send me the details of the stages that he had used when walking the NFW.
We walked the Way from east to west in 8 stages, with the first stage being on February 23rd, 2017. The first challenge was to walk the 75-mile National Forest Way, from Beacon Hill in Leicestershire, to the National Arboretum in Alrewas.
John Alton, from the Glenfield U3A, was kind enough to send me the details of the stages that he had used when walking the NFW.
We walked the Way from east to west in 8 stages, with the first stage being on February 23rd, 2017.
Since then we have walked The Ivanhoe Way, The Way of the Millennium, The Manifold Way, The Bonnie Prince Charlie Walk, The Derwent Valley Heritage Way, The Derby Nomad Way, The Erewash Valley Trail, most of The Trent Valley Way and The Centenary Way….plus lots of Circulars when lockdown forced changes to car-pooling and public transport.
In 2025, during my 7-month hiatus, the group focused more on Circular Walks, and the distance was set to a perhaps more appropriate 8-10 miles.
I plan to get back to walking Ways now, but in keeping with the 8-10 mile distance. I hope that the interest in walking Ways is still there!
We sometimes meet to arrange carpools, either at the Newton Road car park, between the Trent Bridge and The Sump (park in the main car park where there are toilets available), or at the Rolleston Club car park (at the back near the bowls green). (links below)
Newton Road Car Park
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Burton+Canoe+Club/@52.810043,-1.6184827,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x487a0265fa130547:0x8449a59a11bc6ac3!8m2!3d52.810043!4d-1.61629
All plans are open for debate and input from the walkers who attend is encouraged.
Thank you very much, and…
Happy Hiking,
Herb
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The May 28th walk was The Ecclesbourne Way Stage1.
Six of us bussed up to Duffield and took a free ride on the Ecclesbourne Valley Railway heritage train, as no tickets were available at Duffield Station, or on the train.
We enjoyed a nice 6-mile walk from Idridgehay back to Duffield. Some photos are posted below.
There could have been 10 of us, but Sue, Elspeth, David and Julie had other commitments on the day. No one else expressed an interest.
Happy Hiking,
Herb
