Weekend Reports Archive
2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013
On Friday 3rd October ninety-four Country Link members travelled to Kegworth, in Leicestershire, for the 40th Anniversary National Weekend. Members had travelled far and wide, and in testing weather conditions (more about those later!), to arrive at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. We were lucky to have our own entrance and meeting area, where members could enjoy complimentary tea, coffee, and biscuits whilst chatting to each other and watching the rolling screen of photos. This had been put together by Maria with photos from the 30th Anniversary Weekend in 2015. It was good to see familiar faces, and to remember those who are no longer with us.
As mentioned, the weather was wet and windy due to Storm Amy travelling across the UK, and Lorraine (from Warwickshire) discovered that Wollaton Hall, the venue for a whole day trip on the Saturday, was going to be closed. There wasn't much of a panic amongst the organisers... Maria rang the coach company and left messages. Meanwhile, the decision was made to go to the Great Central Railway in Loughborough instead.
On Friday night, members enjoyed a buffet supper whilst chatting, followed by a barn dance - organised chaos, but lots of fun.
After a hearty breakfast on Saturday, we left to go on our trips. Maria and I went to Taylor's Bell Foundry in Loughborough. The very knowledgeable guides told us about the history of the foundry. We saw bells, and learnt how they were made and tuned. Bells are still made in the traditional way by being cast in a mould. Luckily there are apprentices who are learning the trade. We regrouped and drove to The Milking Parlour, in Calke, for homemade pizza (so many varieties were on offer) and locally produced beer. We bumped into the three musketeers - Phil, Kenny and Robert - who were on their walk. After lunch we were welcomed by our host, Sue. Sue and her husband are tenants of the National Trust and farm on the Calke Abbey estate. We had a short walk around the fields to see stabiliser cattle, which originated from America, and are now classed as a breed in their own right. Sue is known in the stabiliser world as a very knowledgeable lady, driven by passion for cattle and for what they offer. We also had a walk around the fields to look at the sheep. The coach had parked down the road from the farm, so those not wanting to walk had a lift with Sue in the buggy.
The members who had opted for the visit to Wollaton Hall had to be re-directed (due to the closure of the parkland at Wollaton and Storm Amy) to the Grand Central Railway in Loughborough. Running from Loughborough to Leicester North it is the only double-track heritage railway line in the UK and runs for 8 miles. There are additional stations at Quorn and Rothley. Many of the members enjoyed train rides up and down the line during the day, hopping on and off at each station along the route.
John, from Nottinghamshire, joined an extra tour which took him through the engine sheds and along the route of the original railway line from Nottingham to Leicester. The rail tracks were removed in 1971 and the engine sheds have been built over where the tracks ran. There are now plans to replace 500 metres of rail track so the engine sheds have to be moved to accommodate this. The new track will eventually join up with the line to run north to Ruddington, near Nottingham, completing a total of 18 miles of double-track heritage railway. The work required includes the building of a viaduct to cross a factory car park. Full planning permission to complete the work is in place but a further £900.000 needs to be raised.
Lorraine (from Warwickshire) thoroughly enjoyed her day, especially as she was able to sit in the driver's seat of an engine that was being repaired. She learned how much coal and water are needed to fuel a steam engine. Read Lorraine's own account of the day on the 'Reports - Events and Days Out' page of the website.
On Saturday night, we enjoyed a very good three course dinner, which was followed by birthday cake. Committee members (past and present) who attended the weekend were each presented with a bottle of ruby port to celebrate 40 years of Country Link. We then danced the night away, thanks to DJs Mandy and Nick.
There was a bucket collection during the evening, to raise money for RABI and SSAFA. Thank you to everyone who contributed so generously.
After breakfast on Sunday there were more trips. Those going to Denby were taken by coach - so much better than driving! We had a factory and museum tour, as well as the chance of some retail therapy, with so much to chose from! Even their Christmas gift shop was open... Maria and her group drove to the University of Nottingham's dairy farm at Sutton Bonington where they were met by Ella, an agricultural student focusing on the dairy industry. Everyone was required to dip their wellingtons, for bio-security reasons, before going into the main shed to see the milking cows and the robot milking machines. There were also robots for scraping the muck and taking it away on a conveyor belt under the shed. Ella talked about calf rearing, the heifers, and the feeding of the cows. Some of the cows were on a test mix which was being monitored by tags, and computer. Another group of cows had additional space to see if that affected their milk production. Maria felt that Ella was a wonderful and knowledgeable host, a credit to the University, and also to the dairy industry. We are grateful to both Sue and Ella for making the farm visits interesting and possible. The money raised from the farm visits (£450.00) was donated to the Air Ambulance.
Other members visited Shardlow on Sunday morning. Shardlow is an inland port on the Trent and Mersey canal close to where it meets the River Trent. In the days of canal transport Shardlow was known as a transmission port where goods were moved from the bigger river boats to the narrower canal boats, or vice-versa, for onward transport.
There was a very knowledgeable guide (Sheila) who took us from the heritage centre, over the bridge and onto the canal side. As a health and safety warning Sheila advised us not to get too close to the edge of the towpath as the grass is long in places and grows out over the edge. She followed this by saying if anyone did fall in not to worry, just stand up as the water is only 2' deep! We walked along the towpath towards the centre of the village with Sheila pointing out places of local and historical interest, all relating to the waterways. We crossed the canal again at the next bridge where there were two pubs, The New Inn and The Malt Shovel. Sheila told us the history of The Malt Shovel before continuing through the village and back to our starting point. We then spent time in the heritage centre where there were many artefacts relating to the bygone era of the canals, and a short video to watch. Finally, we visited the on-site pub and restaurant, The Clock Warehouse, for a restorative coffee before going off for lunch and travelling back to the hotel.
The members meeting in the afternoon was well attended, and lots of topics were discussed. Maria handed the weekend key to Lorraine who is organising the Spring 2026 Weekend.
The hotel had a gym and a swimming pool, which we were able to take advantage of during the weekend. The pool was lovely and warm, as I discovered on Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday night, members enjoyed a buffet supper and a couple of quizzes. I had found the quiz from 2015, reworded some questions and checked the answers. Thank you to John (from Yorkshire / Durham) for helping with that. Everyone needs a John in their quiz team!
After breakfast on Monday morning members set off on their homeward journeys. The weather was so much better than on our arrival on Friday! We look forward to meeting again in Bromsgrove over the weekend of Friday 29th May to Monday 1st June 2026.
On Friday 9th May 2025 Somerset Country Link, along with Dorset and South Wiltshire groups, welcomed members from across the UK to the Spring National Weekend in Kent. This is the first time a National Weekend has been held in this part of the country and it was well attended by more than 75 members. Many of those who came had decided to make it part of a longer trip away from home. Some had a few days either side of the weekend staying and exploring the area under their own steam, while a contingent from Derbyshire spent the previous night in London and attended the VE Day concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Pat from Nottinghamshire joined the Derbyshire members for this event on the way down to Kent.
The weekend started with the Friday night buffet and disco during which the fancy dress competition was held. The theme this time was hats and headwear. This was meant to make things easier for those travelling by train but there were quite some creations around! Sue Chilton from North Yorkshire / Durham won the prize for the ladies, Rodney Robbins from Oxfordshire won the men's prize, and the couples prize was won by Lorraine and John Clarke from Warwickshire. The competition was judged by Albie Matthews, a guest from Farmer's Weekly magazine. Albie is the rural communities reporter at the FW and had come along to see what we get up to, and to talk to people about their experiences as a Country Link member. Albie has written a report which is to be published in the Farmer's Weekly on Friday 20th June.
Three of our members, from across the UK have written about their experiences of the weekend.
Kirsteen Henry from Ayrshire visited Chatham Docks on the Saturday and had this to say:
"A full bus of Country Link members went to Chatham Dockyard on the Saturday.
First we went into the Command of the Oceans Gallery. There was a large area of artefacts dating back to the age of sailing ships. There were the remains from sunken ships including 'The Invincible' which sank in 1758. Cobblers made square-toed shoes so that they would fit left or right feet. Meal plates were wooden and square from which it's thought the saying '3 square meals a day' originated.
Some members had chosen to do the Ropery tour which was very interesting, with a few members having a shot making a rope. They've been making ropes here for more than 400 years, originally for the Navy. and this is still operational as a business called 'Master Ropemakers'.
We went on a tour of HMS Ocelot, a Cold War submarine which was fascinating. There is very little room throughout, and we had to squeeze through bulkhead hatches, and keep ducking regularly, to avoid hitting our heads on pipes and valves etc.
Included in our day was a walk round HMS Cavalier, a Second World War Destroyer. We saw all areas of the ship, except the bridge, which was under maintenance. It was captivating to see this ship for ourselves, rather than in films or on the TV.
We could walk freely about HMS Gannet, a Victorian Sloop, which was both steam and sail powered.
There were many buildings and exhibitions in a large area, it was a lovely day so it was pleasant walking between the various areas and also sitting having lunch outside, and chatting with others.
In one of the 3 former ship building halls there was an extensive exhibition plotting the history of the RNLI. It's the largest collection of lifeboats in the British Isles, ranging from oar-powered boats to some of the more modern self-righting boats.
'Call the Midwife' is filmed here, and there was an option to do a location tour.
This was a great full day visit!"
Another member, Caroline Heath from Shropshire, went on the guided walk of Rochester. This is Caroline's account of the visit:
"On Saturday 10th May a group of 17 Country Link members visited Rochester as this was one of the trips on offer at the Spring Country Link National Weekend. On arrival in Rochester we were met by two guides, and split into two groups.
The guides took us on a walking tour pointing out interesting buildings and telling us tales of the past. One story was of Charles Dickens Swiss Chalet which stands in the garden of Eastgate House. It was taken from Dickens house at Gads Hill and put on the railway in 58 boxes - a bit like IKEA. The chalet is now in need of repair so we couldn't actually enter the building, only look at it from the garden. Rochester also boasts having the oldest school in England called "Kings School" where pupils have been educated for over 1400 years under the watchful gaze of Rochester Cathedral and Castle.
Our guide took us past the impressive Cathedral but unfortunately we could not enter as there was a service taking place to ordain new priests. The Castle sits opposite the Cathedral and is strategically placed to guard an important crossing on the River Medway. The main part of the Castle was built from 1087 to 1089, but the Norman Keep was built in 1127 by William of Corbeil, the then Archbishop of Canterbury. After our informative tour of Rochester the group had free time to explore the town's many small independent shops and street market. I think we could say Rochester is a very pleasant place to visit and I am sure the rest of the group would agree."
And finally - Paul Peak from Essex said this about the weekend, and some of the activities on the Sunday:
"Somerset Country Link, in collaboration with South Wiltshire and Dorset groups, did a splendid job of organising a thoroughly enjoyable weekend made all the more so by wall to wall sunshine.
The hotel staff were very welcoming on arrival and the function room afforded lovely views over the adjacent private fishing lake, against the backdrop of trees on the edge of Shorne Country Park.
Wendy Swain organised a very enjoyable walk on the Darnley trail on Sunday morning, ably assisted by Barbara Cary. Seven of us set off from the hotel through part of Shorne Country Park. Although it was quite hot we were shaded by trees for quite a bit of the walk.
After a short break, at the excellent Eco friendly visitor centre in the park, continuing on we crossed a bridge above the busy A2 and continued through Cobham Wood where we took a slight detour to view the unused Darnley Mausoleum. This opened in 1808 and was restored in the 18th century. It is managed by the National Trust and is open from April - September on the first Sunday of each month.
The woodland is part of the parkland laid out by Humphrey Repton. Like many woods in Kent, Shorne Country Park and Cobham Wood bore the legacy of the October 1987 hurricane with lots of big tree trunks lying around - some of which have sprouted tall thin saplings from being in contact with the soil. We had a welcome break at The Ship Inn at Cobham and made our way back to the hotel after a very enjoyable walk giving us plenty of time before the evening BBQ on the patio overlooking the lake.
Following the BBQ, we were kept quiet trying to solve the various quiz questions from the handouts. All in all a very enjoyable weekend, and all credit to the organisers."
On Monday morning the official weekend was finally over. Some members took the opportunity to stay on for a few days and enjoy more of the area, while others went straight home.
Hope to see you all in Derbyshire in October
© Country Link 2012 - 2025 All rights reserved | site design by HLGD
