An old mates meander – Greenfield to Marsden

There’s a saying something like ‘life is what happens when you’re making plans.’ (John Lennon?)

For my walking compadres and I this weekend, life certainly happened whilst we weren’t looking. It snuck up and whisked away lots of years from us.

You might know that feeling too?

Yikes.

How could this be the first hike out together in around 22 years?

I have known Karl, David and Tim for about 28 years in all. We met via playgroup, the young dads of the village.

Tim’s fast approaching Big Six Zero (he wasn’t that young a dad, we’re all MUCH younger..) was the catalyst for us to get the train to Greenfield then meander back to Marsden.

Tim has a busy mind and likes to get out on the hills to slow down and hang out with nature. I’ll second that philosophy.

I’d forgotten quite how busy his mind is though and the continuous stream of consciousness was more tiring than the walk itself 🙂 I told him that a couple of times and his grin and a couple of swears told me what he thought of my observation.

Tim caught me out though: at one point I wanted to press on after a quick stop near Redbrook Res (we were with striking distance of a promised pint). But Tim admonished me: ‘ lets just sit and enjoy nature’.. this from the man who had chatted about 3 things at once, non-stop, for the previous 3 hours 🙂

His birthday walk, his rules. Quite right too.

I have walked back home from Greenfield before. But that was via the long way– up the Chew valley and over to Black Hill then Wessenden. This was a shorter route at 6.3 or so miles. Still a good leg stretching jaunt though. And nicely hot – the sun was with us all the way.

The walk back from Greenfield was towpath (Huddersfield Narrow) for half of the route then up on to the Oldham Way and crossing into Yorkshire at the Standedge cutting (although it’s ‘Old Yorkshire’ all the way – check it out, history fans)

It’s a great walk with a couple of coffee / snack / ice cream break options on the way. And beer stops too. We didn’t have a birthday beer until we were back near Marsden though.

We joked the walk was like an episode from Last of The Summer Wine. Old mates arsing about in the Yorkshire countryside. We didn’t find any karts or bicycles to race down a farmer’s field but we did find some old anecdotes and unearthed previous trip stories.

And remembered other’s names, result. That won’t last for ever but at least with this blog I’ll have a fighting chance.

I’m writing this post through my cheery chappy filter.. my default state of melancholic bewilderment at the rushing of life has been rightly subdued by the strength of old friendships.

A great day out.