About us Regional Groups Ultreia Mancunia Recent updates / upcoming plans - August 2023 Our Zoom calls are monthly – but having the Summer off. Our last call was Monday July 24th; and our next call is Monday September 25th We walked on Sunday July 23rd to celebrate St James’ day. Ken led the walk through some interesting countryside around Wigan. We stopped at St James church and were treated to an excellent buffet lunch. There was a warm welcome from the parishioners and a tour of the church. Ken has also produced some walk leader notes to assist other members to lead walk. Watch this space! Our Practical Pilgrim Day will be in Manchester on Saturday October 14th. Julian and Tony are busy putting plans together. Keep the date in your diary. Booking – via the CSJ office – will be open soon We will be planning a Christmas social - date TBC - where we will meet for food / fine wine / fellowship at a convenient location in the NW. July 2023 St James’ Day walk on Sunday 23rd July Meet at 9.30am at Low Hall Car Park on the A58 between Platt Bridge and Hindley, postcode WN2 3UD. Parking is also available in Crompton Street, opposite the car park. This walk visits the St James Centre on the edge of Wigan, and also explores some of the quite surprising green areas nearby, including the Wigan Flashes, some of the Leeds to Liverpool Canal where it drops down a succession of locks, the Three Sisters Nature Reserve, and some disused railway lines including the Whelley Loop. This walk is dry and essentially flat, with the only accents being very short over river and canal bridges and crossing some roads. We will be walking down the canal as it drops through the locks. There will be two stops, the first at the St James’ Centre where there is a tea-bar and toilets, and the second at the Three Sisters Reserve where there is a small café with toilets. The nearest railway stations are probably Hindley, Wigan or Ince-in-Makerfield. I would however encourage those coming to seek lifts from others rather than coming by train to make an easier prompt start. Please note – there will be a refreshment stop which is “Donativo” – please bring a bit of cash!! Please also bring your own packed lunch! Please email Ken Miller, on [email protected] to let him know that you are coming, so that we do not leave behind anyone that is delayed or lost. (PS - If you get stuck on the day, his phone number is 07773677397). June 2023 WALKS: A walk is planned on July 23rd – more details to follow Anyone fancy organising a walk in September? Please let Tony know - [email protected] Group Leader: Ned Spencer To celebrate my 60th birthday I walked the Camino Francés in May 2013. As with many pilgrims it had an interesting effect on my life!! I can tell you some stories over a glass of Rioja maybe? During the Summer of 2013 my family and friends started to tire of my stories – Did I tell you about when we slept outside? So when I was approached by someone else who had recently walked The Camino and wanted to meet up – I said “YES”. Eddie Heakin was his name – and if he is reading this – come back Eddie, we miss you. We advertised our meeting and ended up with about 25 people in a pub in Manchester. It was a lovely afternoon and so Ultreia Mancunia was formed.We are linked to the CSJ in London and we try to support their events (such as the AGM) where we can. But it isn’t compulsory to be a CSJ Member to attend UM events. We have members from all over the North West / Wales / Cumbria and Yorkshire. There are now about 106 people on our membership list So what do we do? We organise a Practical Pilgrim’s Day each year – usually March. This is intended to help people who are planning their first Camino to meet up / ask questions / get advice etc. This is always well attended and we always end up in a bar somewhere! We have a Social meeting in December – this could be anywhere in the North West. Then we organise about 3 walks each year. Mostly these are day walks but we did do The Peak Pilgrimage over 3 days – a lovely walk! We are looking at doing The Welsh Camino. We have a Facebook page and members are encouraged to use this to swap photos / stories / information etc. Click here to see it! There is a monthly Zoom call for UM members, organised by Barbara Jones, on the fourth Monday of each month, and we look forward to organising many more events whenever possible! Email the Ned for contact details. Manage Cookie Preferences