We arrived just on 6 PM, and set up camp at some picnic tables (near a small 'chalet', which would provide shelter in case the 'guessers' proved right after all...) and unpacked our picnic fare. There were six couples initially; Rod and Barb Swan, Barry and Jeanette Nation, Bob and Margaret Graham, Warrick and Betty Holmes, Frank and Alores Bakes, and Geoff Henry and Tony Sadleir, with Leon and Heather Ranson catching us up a few minutes later. Barb Swan declared herself starving and tucked in straight away (although she admitted she hadn't had any lunch; her fault, I say!)
The weather remained fine, so our picnic was held in delightful conditions. Sheltered from any wind, with a virtually-clear sky above, and surrounded by an open forest of trees, our happy group laughed and ate its way through our meal. Hollybank had originally been set up as a private reserve by the Alexander Tennis Racket company, to provide the timber for its product. Now run by forestry, it is a delightful area to visit, so if you haven't ever been here, make the effort and come for a 'look-see'.
On the aforementioned visit to Hollybank, it had actually been Bob Graham's birthday; this time, we were a week early. Nevertheless, Barb Swan had remembered 'Mr. Big's' happy event, and brought along a cake, complete with a battery-powered candle! So the forest rang to our enthusiastic rendition of "Happy Birthday", and we all managed to find room for a segment of the delicious cake; well done Barb!
Someone with an eagle eye spotted an 'Irish' sign nearby, requesting that visitors take their rubbish home with them; that would be fine, but it was situated less than 10 metres from a rubbish bin! One would seem to negate the need for the other...
Finally, around 8 pm, we decided to head for home. It had been an extremely relaxing evening, a pleasant run for the cars, and everyone left in a happy mood.
You can find more pictures from this event in the Hollybank Picnic Gallery.