Our group continues to flourish and we’re still finding new songs to sing!
At our June meeting we sang Motown and Beatles hits, featuring some from the Sgt Pepper LP.
Our next theme is Summer Songs and a tribute to Brian Wilson.
All are welcome!
Edinburgh Tattoo
Edinburgh Tattoo
5 day holiday
5th – 9th August 2026
Staying at the Waverley Castle Hotel, Melrose
with Breakfast and Evening Meals
(apart from the Tattoo day when we are in Edinburgh for the full day)
Included excursions:
Full day in Edinburgh and Tickets for the Tattoo
Visit to the Kelpies
Visit to the Falkirk Wheel
Cost: £585
A non-refundable deposit of £140 is required with your choice of room type. No single supplement.
For further details, please contact Chris West on
0771 2255397 or 0115 9636224 to book your place
Medium Walks
After battling with the ‘Ring go’ roadside parking app (other parking apps are available), 15 members departed from the café at Grindleford Station, suitably fed and watered, in ‘period surroundings’. We headed upwards towards Hathersage, in our second foray into the Peak District this year, stopping to look at some relics of the area’s industrial past.
Enjoying perfect walking weather, the walk began with an exhilarating escalation of elevation that was eminently worth the effort, as the views were super. After descending into Hathersage we passed the popular open-air lido before proceeding to the lunch spot at the side of the Derwent and the final push back to the café to complete the 6 mile walk.
Along the way, we were entertained with Mark Jackson’s ‘guess the house price’ competition (answers of at least 7 figures), and also gruesome information about the abandoned riverside chapel, now grade 2 listed.
Our next walk will be in the Ollerton area on Monday 21st July.
New members are always welcome to join this group.
John Tedstone and Mark Jackson
Short Walks
The June walk started at The Cricketers pub in Nuncargate. The pub takes its name from its close ties to the local cricketing heritage. It’s situated right next to the cricket ground where Harold Larwood, one of England’s most legendary fast bowlers, first played the game. Inside the pub there is memorabilia celebrating his life and career.
The route meandered alongside the Robin Hood Line and on some of the old rail tracks in and around Portland Park before we reached the site of Kirkby Castle – sometimes referred to as Castle Hill – which was once a significant fortified manor in Kirkby-in-Ashfield. Though no visible ruins remain today, archaeological surveys and historical records confirm its existence near St Wilfrid’s Church.
Terry and Phil take a break at the Church
Recent research suggests the castle was an open-courtyard structure, about 33 by 40 metres in size, and served as the heart of the local manor.
It was an exceptionally hot sunny day and before returning to the car park we had a welcome stop at The Wild Rabbit Cafe in the park. (not open Tuesday and Wednesday)
Next Month – 17th July a local walk starting from Linby Village
21st August – I have arranged a guided walk and talk at Bennerley Viaduct
David Rose
Not So Grumpies
For our visit and guided tour/talk to the D H Lawrence Museum on Victoria Street in Eastwood on 12th June we were joined by some members from the real Grumpies.
We found it very interesting to see the house in which D H Lawrence was born on 11 September 1885 set out as it would have been in the late 19th Century and to learn about his life and background. His experiences of living in a coal mining town deeply influenced his writing. His father, Arthur, was a miner, while his mother, Lydia, was a former schoolteacher with literary aspirations. The tension between their backgrounds shaped Lawrence’s early worldview. Eastwood’s industrial landscape and working-class life became central themes in his novels, especially Sons and Lovers.
We also learned that he was a sensitive child, often ill, and found an escape in books and nature. He attended Beauvale Board School and later won a scholarship to Nottingham High School, marking the beginning of his journey from miner’s son to literary icon. He was a prolific writer, poet and painter producing a large body of work in a relatively short life dying of TB at the age of 44.
To celebrate our visit and to pay homage we adjourned to the nearby Wetherspoons establishment The Lady Chatterley for food and drink.
David Rose