2012 Autumn Newsletter

AUTUMN NEWSLETTER 2012 (reposted 7 Aug 2012)

 

Future Activities

 

Saturday 8th – 15th September 2012. Lake District Week, Butharlyp Howe YH, Grasmere. Anyone interested in coming on the Club’s Lake District week should make their own accommodation arrangements. Please let Norman know that you are coming!

 

Friday 26th to Sunday 28th October 2012 HF’s Nythfa House, Brecon: All our places are now taken at this comfortable country house situated in mature grounds on the edge of the Welsh market town of Brecon, with the magnificent Brecon Beacons to the south, and Black Mountains to the east. The total cost for 2 nights dinner, B&B, packed lunch, coach and all gratuities is £181.50 for a shared room and £195.50 for a single room. Cars can be parked at owner’s risk at Chesterton Bowling Club, Logans Way, Chesterton, Cambridge CB4 1BL; the coach departs at 9.45am on Friday (with a prior Ely pick-up by arrangement) and returns late on Sunday evening. The final payment is due NOW, with cheques sent to Meg and payable to Cambridge Rambling Club. Please contact Meg (01223 570551) for late cancellations. To thank Chesterton Bowling Club we will be collecting a donation on the coach of £2.50 for each car parked.

 

Club AGM Saturday November 24th at 2.30pm. It has become increasingly difficult to get into Cambridge on Saturdays in the run-up to Christmas so we have decided, as an experiment, to use a venue with its own parking and on a bus route away from the city centre – the Friends Meeting House on Hartington Grove, just off Cherry Hinton Road. After the business meeting, we have arranged for a speaker from the River Cam Conservancy to talk about its work.

 

13th January 2013 Sunday B New Year lunch walk from The Maid’s Head, Wicken The walk will be 6 miles but not the same as in 2012, followed by a 1, 2 or 3 course lunch for £14, £16 or £18. All prices include a hot drink at Upware after 3 miles, homemade organic bread, tea or coffee after lunch and the tip. Please contact John on 01223 843717 for a menu. Cheques must be received by John by Christmas.

 

Friday 22nd March – Sunday 24th March 2013, Coach Weekend, Webbington Hotel, Loxton, Somerset:Mainly twin/double room accommodation now remaining at the Best Western, Webbington Hotel, Loxton, Somerset. The hotel is situated in extensive grounds on the southern slopes of the Mendip Hills near Crook Peak. It is well placed for longer walks to explore highlights of the Mendip scenery. Nearby are attractions such as Cheddar Gorge, Wells and Weston Super Mare which can also offer possibilities for day trips including shorter walks. We plan to depart from Cambridge (probably CURUFC, Grange Road) on Friday morning (with a prior Ely pick-up if required), returning to Cambridge late on Sunday evening.The total cost for 2 nights dinner, B&B accommodation also including packed lunches, coach travel and all gratuities is £143 for a shared room and £173 for a single. To reserve your place, please send a non-refundable deposit of £30 per head to David, with cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club. Offers to lead B & C walks are especially welcome! Details for suggested routes can be provided.

 

Friday 1st November to Sunday 3rd November 2013, Coach Weekend, The Pines Hotel, Swanage, Dorset. We are planning another stay at this spectacular location, with its glorious panoramic views of Swanage Bay on the south coast of Dorset near the historic village of Corfe Castle on the Isle of Purbeck. See www.pineshotel.co.uk There are great walks along the coast to both Lulworth and Studland Point, as well as attractive downland walking near Corfe. Meg has provisionally booked 48 places and the total cost for 2 nights dinner, B&B and coach travel, including gratuities, should not exceed £180 per person for a mix of single, shared and double rooms. To reserve your place, please send a non-refundable deposit of £40 per head to Meg, cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club. Offers of leaders to Meg, please.

 

Hostel (& similar) Trips: Hostel trips are informal affairs and, if a long way from Cambridge, are often for 3 nights or more. ‘A’ walks are guaranteed; ‘B’ walks depend on a volunteer leader – please do offer! Travel is normally in cars and we try to arrange car sharing. All bookings are handled by Jill Tuffnell, with cheques payable to ‘E G Tuffnell’. Please book with deposit or payment well in advance as the full balance must be paid at least 8 weeks before the trip. Offers to drive or requests for a lift to Jill please. You are very welcome to book your own accommodation and join us on walks.

 

*Leominster YH, near Ludlow, Friday 28th to Sunday 30th September(2 nights). We have sole occupancy of this very high quality self-catering hostel in central Leominster. There are 28 beds in total, including 6 two-bedded rooms with lots of places still available. We can walk the Hereford Way and Mortimer Trail to Ludlow and return by train; on Sunday we may walk in the Malvern Hills. The cost is £40 per person. There are nearby pubs for an evening meal.

 

*Alstonefield YH, Dovedale, Peak District, Friday 9th to Sunday 11th November (2 nights). We have sole occupancy of this very high quality 20 bed, self-catering hostel. There are 5 en-suite 4 bedded rooms, two kitchens and lounges. The cost is £35 per person.

 

*Blaxhall YH near Snape, Suffolk, Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd February 2013 (2 nights). We have sole use of this spacious self-catering hostel close to the Suffolk coast. We will include walks to Orford as well as Aldeburgh. The cost is £30 a head for the weekend.

 

*Losehill Hall, Castleton YH – Peak District Friday 8th to Sunday 10th March 2013 (2 nights). This new hostel is in the former National Park Study Centre in extensive grounds on the edge of Castleton, with fabulous walking on the doorstep. We have booked 14 dormitory beds at £40 per person and 2 two-bedded rooms at £47 per person for the weekend. Please send a deposit of £15 to secure a place. The balance is due January 5th 2013. All meals available as well as self-catering facilities.

*Clun YH on Offa’s Dyke Path – Easter 2013 Thursday 28th March to Monday 1st April (4 nights). We have booked 15 beds at this former watermill – an intriguing building in the ancient Shropshire town of Clun near the Welsh border. The hostel is self-catering, but there are pubs nearby The walking is very varied in this quite unspoilt countryside. The cost is £65 per person, with a deposit of £20 to reserve a place.

 

*Tremadog, north Wales: Snowdon Lodge – Thursday 2nd to Monday 6th May Bank Holiday 2013, (4 nights). We have sole occupancy of this 35 bed private hostel one mile from the sea – the birthplace of Lawrence of Arabia! Close to the Lleyn Peninsula, Porthmadog and Snowdonia there will be opportunities to walk on the new Welsh coastal path as well as in the mountains. You can even be a tourist, with Harlech and Portmeirion nearby. The accommodation includes 3 double and 3 twin bed rooms – provisional cost £100 per person. The price of a bed in 5 and 6 bedded rooms is £90. The costs are based on 25 people; if we get more booking there will be a reduction! Please send a deposit of £20 to secure a place. The hostel is self-catering, but with pubs in the nearby village. See www.snowdonlodge.co.uk

 

*Mini back-packing trip to North Yorkshire, Friday 24th to Wednesday 29th May 2013, (5 nights over the Bank Holiday). It is proving increasingly difficult to arrange back-packing trips as so many hostels have closed. This is second best! We start with 2 nights at Malham YH in Airedale, giving us one day to walk locally. Then we backpack over to Kettlewell YH for a two night stay, exploring Upper Wharfedale for a day without a pack. On the Tuesday we will walk back by a different route to our final night’s stay at Malham. Both hostels provide meals or there are pubs nearby. There is one two-bedded room available at both hostels. The cost is £90 per person for a ‘dorm’ bed & £102 for the two-bed; please send deposits of £20.

 

News and Notices

 

London Walks – volunteer(s) wanted! For the past ten years the Club has been very lucky to have enjoyed many great London walks, researched, organised and led by Audrey, helped by her sister Margaret. Now Audrey and Margaret have retired and we need a volunteer – and preferably two – to take over the organisation of this very popular event. We have detailed walks’ descriptions for not only all of Audrey’s trips, but also those prepared by Ron, the previous organiser. Please contact Jill Tuffnell if you would be prepared to help out.

 

Spring Coach weekend organiser: Alex has kindly volunteered to take over from David as one of our weekend coach organisers. Thanks to David for his great contribution!

 

Wednesday ‘C’ walkers: Sheila writes:  We have increased in numbers and continue to have a very social gathering. The walks are NOT slow as the more active go ahead, followed by the slower ones who walk a shorter mileage but all meet up for lunch which is perfect. I cannot imagine life without the Wednesday Social Club! On a sad note, after many years sterling service, Mac & Barbara have decided to retire as walk leaders and will be sorely missed.

 

Sad news: Many long-standing members of the Club will remember Margaret Hudson who was Secretary for many years. Margaret died in June after suffering ill-health for a number of years. Several Club members attended her funeral.

 

Problems with overgrown paths: Everyone walking in our local countryside will have noticed just how overgrown the paths have become this year. The long wet spring and summer has also made it impossible to get grass cutting machinery onto many field edge paths and bridleways. Cambridgeshire County Council has decided to delay the second ‘cut’ of vegetation it funds until August/September to ensure that paths are clear for the autumn. However, if there are major problems, the County Council should be informed now and they will try and help. Cross-field paths through crops – which are the responsibility of farmers to keep clear – haven’t suffered quite so badly.

 

Reporting path problems made easy: ‘FixMyStreet’ is available as a Smartphone App or for internet connection on a PC. This service allows you to report any problem which is the responsibility of a local authority to the appropriate Council. The App allows you to take a photo of the problem using the inbuilt phone camera; the photo is tagged with your current location using the inbuilt GPS. A report was recently made about a very overgrown path near Grafham Water; Cambridgeshire County Council was duly notified and responded with proposed action. We can’t guarantee that the problem will be sorted – but it will be recorded. This is particularly useful when you aren’t sure what Council should be contacted. The app is also very useful for reporting potholes, dangerous pavements etc. Further information is at http://www.fixmystreet.com/ They are getting over 1,000 reports a week!

 

The Walking Partnership: If you are going on a Ramblers Worldwide Holiday the Club can be paid a donation. Just contact RWH, give your holiday booking reference and say you are nominating Cambridge Rambling Club under The Walking Partnership scheme. (This can also be done online). The Club receives £10 for every holiday within the UK, £20 for each holiday in Europe and £30 for every long-haul trip.

 

Pub closures: In July the ‘Pubmaster’ company went into administration and closed pubs immediately. This may affect walks you plan to lead soon; for example, the ‘Rose & Crown’ in Ashdon is now up for sale.

 

Discounts at local outdoor shops. Club members should be able to get a 10% reduction on all full-price goods purchased at Open Air, Cotswold, the Mountain Warehouse, Simpers and Hobbs – just show your membership card.

 

Sawston Health Walks – leaders needed. Sawston Medical Practice would like someone to help lead local ‘health walks’. The walks should be 3 to 4 miles, starting around 11.30am on a Tuesday. Could you help once a month? Please contact Jill Tuffnell.

 

Next Committee Meeting is on Tuesday November 13th at the Wesley Church, King Street, at 7.30 pm.

 

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