The walkers Christmas bash

Fifty three (yes 53) walkers set out for our Christmas walk. We do a combined walk for the Long and Intermediate  Walkers, then have a buffet and a knees up at the Comrades Club in Haltwhistle.

I wore my sheep hat with flashing Christmas lights (as you do).

The walk was just the right length, although the stiles proved challenging for the large numbers. As you can see, the light was extraordinary when we had climbed up above Haltwhistle. The storm did not reach us until we were safely back in the Comrades.

By then we numbered about 80, because we were joined by spouses, partners and the walkers who had not wanted to get muddy.......!

A series of awards were given for some of the mishaps/misdemeanours of the year. Poor Jaqui was crowned Bog Snorkeler of the year after falling face first into a stream last week. The golden flipper went to Kev for a walk when the heavens were open from start to finish.

When it had all ended, I had a big surprise. The walkers had bought me a gorgeous bouquet because I'm retiring from the Walking Festival committee at Christmas. I'll post it on Facebook for everyone to see.

It was a bit of a dash to arrive at the Forum Cinema in time for The Winter's Tale. In the end I mistook the time and was very early indeed. Judi Dench showed yet again just how to speak Shakespeare's lines so that they are fully understood. It's a silly play with some very awkward undertones, but was well done.