Lichfield's Three Spires, the Gaia and a Chinese Meal
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Join us in Lichfield – one of England’s smallest cathedral cities – for a leisurely afternoon walk (4.5 miles / 7 kilometres) around the city’s green spaces, ending at the cathedral to see the stunning Gaia installation currently on display. The cathedral closes at 17:00 hours, from where it's a short stroll back into the city centre. For those who want to stay on for a meal, we’ll go to a nearby Chinese restaurant for an early evening meal. This is optional. Cost of the meal, if we go for a 3-course set menu, will be around £22 + drinks.
Lichfield is an attractive and intimate city, more like a town. It has a cathedral with three spires, an unusual feature. Lichfield was the birthplace of Samuel Johnson, the writer of the first detailed dictionary of the English language. The city was also the home of Erasmus Darwin (not to be confused with his grandson, Charles Darwin!), doctor and intellectual whose ideas on science are known to have influenced his grandson. We’ll also see an impressive statue of the captain of the Titanic – Commander Edward John Smith – who famously went down with his ship. He was born in Hanley, Staffordshire and has no direct connection with Lichfield, so why his statue is here is a mystery!
The Gaia installation is a 7-metre illuminated globe of the Earth, suspended in the nave of the cathedral and created from detailed NASA imagery of the Earth’s surface by Luke Jerram. Although 1.8 million times smaller than the real Earth, it enables us to gain an impression of the Earth as astronauts would see it from the Moon. A really impressive sight, and not to be missed!
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Dogs - the walk is suitable for well-behaved dogs on a lead.
Photo credits - all photos are by the event leader and permission is granted to ODL for their use.
What to bring
Outdoor trainers or walking shoes will be fine for today's walk. We'll be walking on gravel paths, tarmac or other hard surfaces.
Warm clothing and a rainproof jacket are recommended, depending on the weather forecast.
A small backpack to carry snacks and a drink will be useful.
Food & drink
Bring a drink if you wish. There will be opportunities to purchase additional drinks and snacks on route, if required. There's a café in Beacon Park, where we'll stop around an hour into the walk.
For those who want to go for the early evening meal, we will be going to the Lee Garden Chinese restaurant to eat at 18:00 hours. I suggest their set menu @ £22 per head (drinks at additional cost) as follows:
- Chicken and sweet corn soup
- Sweet & sour pork
- Chicken in lemon sauce
- Duck with Chinese mushroom and bamboo shoots
- Young Chow fried rice
- Ice cream or lychees, for dessert
Alternative vegetarian dishes are available
Please message me, the event leader, to confirm whether you are staying for the meal or not, so that I can confirm numbers with the restaurant.
Lee Garden Restaurant, 50 Tamworth Lane, Lichfield WS13 6JJ. Website: leegardenrestaurants.co.uk