Reminder: Rangers'monthly lunch.

 All welcome at Don Amott's Café, Hilton from 12.30 this Thursday, March 3rd.

A Happy New Year to all

 and a reminder that the Rangers' monthly lunches continue on the first Thursday of the month at Don Amott's Café, Hilton.  Meet at 12.30 - 13.00  All welcome.
Eileen is expecting us!

New Month - New Lunch

 Rangers Monthly Lunch - this Thursday, November 4th at Don Amott's Café, Hilton.
Meet 12.30 - 1.00   All welcome.

Reminder:

 Nest Thursday, October 7th, being the first Thursday in the month, is of course the Rangers Lunch at Don Amott's Café, Hilton.

Meet 12.30 - 1.00   All welcome.

Late Announcement!

 Thursday, September 2nd - the first Thursday of the month, is of course, the Rangers Lunch at Don Amott's café, Hilton.

Meet 12.30 - 1.00 pm for a bite and a natter.  All welcome.

Happy New Year (and Easter)

 At last, the monthly Rangers' lunches have restarted.  Following a 'trial run' last week, they continue on the first Thursday of the month, meeting at Don Amott's Café in Hilton.

Today it was fine enough to sit outside - maximum of six to a table - so we used two tables.  If you haven't been for some time, they were busy over the winter installing new decking, so now plenty of outside seating.

The next lunch will be on Thursday, July 1st - all welcome:  Rangers old and new, wives, partners and friends.

Café Meetings at Don Amott's

The former café meetings are restarting this Thursday, September 3rd at Don Amott's Café, Hilton.  Meet from 12.30 - 1 o'clock.  There are some well-spaced tables indoors and plenty of outside seats.

Eileen is looking forward to seeing us.

No news is good news?

Greetings fellow rangers - hope you are all well - it's been rather quiet on this site for a while.

Is it time for the monthly meetings at Don Amott's to restart?  They have been open for a while now, serving at the door, with plenty of outside chairs.

For those on Facebook, you may be interested in the site "The Friargate Line (The Genuine FB Group)"

At the start of 'lockdown', I avoided the Mickleover Greenway, due to reports of it being busy, but have recently returned to find no major problems and only a little litter.  Some signs and plastic stickers have appeared, asking people to keep their distance and close the gates after them.  These have Derby City Council markings on them, although they are not the controlling authority.  I have a guess where these have come from, but will only confirm when I find out for certain!

Best wishes and hope to see you soon.

Nick P.  

Class 60 trials at Mickleover 1989

Mickleover Greenway Improvements

View north-east at the A516 underpass.  The path has been raised and levelled from beyond the old barrier site to the next bend, thus eliminating the muddy dip.

Notice of Site Works

Warning notices have appeared on the Mickleover Greenway, concerning work to renew farm crossing gates south of Mickleover and alter entrances at Ashe Lane and the Etwall Bypass underpass.  Work was due to commence on November 27th and last two weeks.

As at Friday afternoon on the 29th, no progress was seen.

Rangers Christmas Lunch

This year's Christmas lunch for Sustrans Rangers, ex-rangers and friends is on Thursday December 12th at 12.00  Don Amott's Café, Hilton.

The usual suspects should have received details in an email from James Thatcher.

Date for your Diaries.

Sunday, September 15th, is the annual Derby Triathlon based at Etwall Leisure Centre. Some of the local lanes will be busy with cyclists and Route 549, between Sutton Lane and the Kingfisher Bridge area, will be busy with runners.

However, you can start your winter shopping as Big Bobble Hats will have a stall at the leisure centre.

Calling All Steam Enthusiasts

If you would like to see some superb video of steam trains, take a look at "Steam in the West Highlands" on YouTube.
Click HERE

Pennine Cycleway

In May 2019 I cycled the Pennine Cycleway (NCN 68) and have now got around to writing up my experiences. You're welcome to read my ramblings (and download my GPS files) at https://dent.org.uk/cycling/pennine-cycleway/

There are a lot of hills!

Highly recommended.

The Old Engine Shed at Mickleover

This was the view at Mickleover Station before Derbyshire County Council took over the line between here and Egginton Junction from British Rail.  After the closure of the line from here to Friargate Station in Derby, the line had been used as a test track for various projects and we see here the engine shed which held a variety of locomotives.  The station can be seen in the distance.

The Mickleover Greenway opened in 2001 but the shed remained until 2003, when it was demolished, as it had an asbestos roof and had been subject to vandalism.  View looking Westwards.

After removal  of the roof and walls, we see here the demolition of the re-enforced concrete structure.  View looking Eastwards

The Good Old Days

I recently came across some old CDs which held photographs of the early days of the Derby Ranger Group. What happy times they were.
Here is a selection.

The little boy at the front was sponsored to the tune of about £1000 for the charity, his father being the manager of a supermarket.

Alan Locke is amused by the signing at the Bennerley Viaduct.
It says "Great Northern Railway Path".

Mavis, Peter, Martin and Alan riding on the newly surfaced Riverside Path to Elvaston.  Note Alan's same shirt as above.  He now has more than one shirt, we believe.

At Buckingham Palace.  The highlight of the year was our trips to London by train.
These were organised by Peter Ford and much appreciated by the rest of us, who had not travelled by train for years.  What a revelation it was.

At the Cutty Sark.

Alan, Mavis and Phil struggling through the mud whilst surveying what was later to become the Breadsall Greenway.

Latest News on Local Routes

More good news about the progress on improvements to our cycle paths here in Derby.
Work has started to construct a new all weather multi-user path through Darley Park alongside the River Derwent.  Apart from the obvious local benefit, this path marks the Southern end of the Derwent Valley Cycleway, which eventually will run all the way to Matlock, where it will join with the White Peak Loop.
Completion of the Darley Park path is likely in Autumn 2019.

On the right is the original desire line footpath.  The new path will be closer to the river and not straight, so much more attractive as well as more practical.















Also (below) the improvements to NCN Route 54 on Alfreton Road are now complete, making this path 100% safer for cyclists.

Sadly this cyclist does not use it, preferring to take his chance in the traffic.  The following driver will have to cross the double white line or perform a "Close Pass" to overtake him.  Both will come to a halt when arriving at the A38 roundabout ahead where there is a long queue of vehicles at the traffic lights.

Another Car Crash

Some car drivers travel far too fast on our country lanes, putting cyclists. horse riders and pedestrians in danger. Last year a car driver was killed when he crashed into a telegraph pole on Radbourne Lane.
A short distance away, another car has gone off the road on a sharp bend but this driver was lucky in that the car ran into a hedge and a ditch.
So watch out for idiot drivers!

Graffiti on R54/68

Graffiti has appeared on the wall of the A516 underpass at Etwall.

I am proposing to overpaint it on Tuesday next 25th June.



Wednesday 26th
Too wet yesterday to fix the graffiti, but OK today.

Job done!