2013 Autumn Newsletter

AUTUMN NEWSLETTER 2013

 

Future Activities

Saturday 21st September, Walk, views & picnic in memory of George Brewster. Meet 3.30pm at the Martin Car Park/Wheatcases Barn at the Coton Countryside Reserve. There will be a walk through the Reserve for around one hour led by Carolin Göhler (CEO of Cambridge Past, Present & Future) and John Harris, to enjoy the early autumn aura and views. The walk will be followed by a ceremony at the new seat funded by the Club and George’s many friends. Please come along to a picnic on the hill (4.30pm). Bring your own refreshments and food.

Cambridge Oxfam Walk, Sunday 6th October 2013, Chilford Hall This year’s Oxfam walk is on 6th October, with a range of distances from 4 to 26 miles.

Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd November 2013, Coach Weekend, The Pines Hotel, Swanage, Dorset.There are just 5 shared-room places remaining 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 We will leave Cambridge (Chesterton Bowling Club for parking) on Friday morning (with prior Ely pick-up if required) and return late on Sunday evening. The total cost for 2 nights’ dinner, B&B and coach travel, including gratuities, is £176.50 per person. To reserve your place, please contact Meg; cheques are payable to Cambridge Rambling Club.

Annual General Meeting, 2.30pm Saturday 16th November. The Hartington Grove Friends’ Meeting House was judged to be a very good venue last year, with lots of parking on-site. So we have booked it again. After the business meeting there will be a talk about Wicken Fen.

Christmas lunches: Wednesday A: December 18th at the White Hart, Fulbourn. Please book with Alex. Wednesday B: December 11th at the George & Dragon, Elsworth. Please book with Pam.

12th January 2014 Sunday B and C New Year lunch walk from The George, Babraham There will be 2 walks, one for each group of approximately 5 or 6 miles, followed by a 1, 2 or 3 course lunch for £14, £16 or £18 including tea or coffee and the tip. Please contact John on 01223 843717 for a menu. Cheques must be received by John by Christmas.

Friday 4th to Sunday 6th April 2014 – Coach Weekend, Hand Hotel, Llangollen. A mix of twin, double and 10 single en-suite rooms have been reserved in this well situated hotel, which stands above a beautiful stretch of the River Dee, close to the centre of the pretty market town of Llangollen amidst beautiful walking country. A, B and C walks are planned. There are lots of places to visit nearby, including Chirk Castle (NT) and the famous Pontcysyltte aqueduct. The total cost for 2 nights, dinner, B&B, packed lunches, coach travel and gratuities will be £149 per head for a shared room and £178 for a single. To reserve your place, please send a non-refundable deposit of £30 per head to Alex Andrews, with cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club, the balance to be paid by 21 February 2014. Car parking details in the next newsletter.

Friday 17th to Sunday 19th October 2014, Coach Weekend, HF Malhamdale, Newfield Hall is a grand 19th century Country House, situated on the southern edge of the Yorkshire Dales NationalPark. From here we can follow the valley north to the village of Malham and marvel at the immense cove, carved by nature from the limestone hills and beautiful tarn. To the north of Malham are the famous Yorkshire three peaks. The house boasts elegant public rooms, an indoor swimming pool and new dining room. There are 48 places in a mix of single and twin ensuite rooms. The accommodation cost for 2 nights’ dinner, B&B, packed lunch and gratuities will be £171 per person for a shared room and £181 for a single. It is too early to book the coach, but the total cost should not exceed £203 and £213 respectively. To guarantee your place please send a non-refundable deposit of £50 per head to Meg, with cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club.

 

Hostel (& budget) trips: These 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, with train travel also possible occasionally. Offers to drive or requests for a lift to Jill please. All bookings are handled by Jill Tuffnell, with cheques payable to ‘E G Tuffnell’. Please book with deposit or payment well in advance; the full balance must be paid 8 weeks before the trip. You are very welcome to book your own accommodation and join us on walks.

*Eastbourne YH, Friday 27th to Sunday 29th September 2013. We have sole occupancy of this new self-catering hostel just west of the town, only 400 yards from the start of the South Downs long distance footpath and close to the Seven Sisters. If you don’t want to walk there are regular buses into Eastbourne – just a mile away. The cost is £35 pp for the 2 night weekend. Lots of places still available.

*Youlgreave YH, Friday 8th to Sunday 10th November 2013.Again, we have sole occupancy of this very well – appointed hostel in the former Co-op department store in the lovely village of Youlgreave, close to Bakewell and Chatsworth House. The walk along Lathkilldale must be one of the highlights of the Peak District. Although self-catering, there are shops and pubs nearby. The cost is £35 for the 2 nights.

*Castle Acre, Norfolk – Old Red Lion Independent Hostel, Friday 7th to Sunday 9th February 2014 (2 nights) We have sole occupancy of this hostel in the centre of beautiful Castle Acre, near the priory and castle. Accommodation is on a self-service B&B basis, with use of a kitchen (and a pub nearby). The cost is £47.50 per person; please send a deposit of £17.50 to Jill with the balance payable by 1st December 2013.

*Tunbridge Wells, Kent (North Downs): Friday 14th to Sunday 16th March 2014 (2 nights). We have arranged a weekend’s stay at the Travelodge in central Tunbridge Wells. Family rooms have 2 separate beds and there are also double rooms, (all en-suite). Rooms booked by Jill and notified on the Club’s website have all been taken. We suggest that you book directly with Travelodge ASAP if you want to take advantage of cheap advance booking rates. B walks’ leader required.

*Brecon Bunkhouse, Thursday 1st to Monday 5th May 2014 (4 nights). Again, we have sole occupancy of this independent self-catering hostel just 4 miles south of Talgarth, close to the Black Mountains and Hay-on-Wye for the bibliophile! There is excellent walking straight from the door and a pub nearby for evening meals. There are 3 rooms for two people at £70 per person; beds in larger dorms cost £60 per person. Please send deposits of £20 to secure a place. The balance is payable by 1st March 2014.

*South West Coast Path, Friday 23rd to Friday 30th May 2014 (7 nights). We plan to walk a stretch of the wonderful South West Coast Path from St Ives to beyond Lizard Point over the Bank Holiday/half term week. We have booked the first 4 nights at Penzance YH (23rd to 26th), then transfer to the new Lizard YH for 2 nights, (27th and 28th), returning to Penzance for the final night on Thursday 29th May. This makes it easier to travel by train to/from Penzance! We will use a combination of taxis, buses and hired mini-buses during the week to enable us to walk the best parts of this wonderful National Trail. There are 2 double rooms and 12 dorm beds booked. The double room price is £150 for 7 nights per person; the dorm bed cost is £130 per person. Please send deposits of £30 to Jill; the balance is due on 20th March 2014.

*Northumberland coast & hills, Thursday 7th to Wednesday 13th August 2014, (6 nights). What a wonderful area for walking: close to the Cheviot, river valleys, coast and islands! We start with 3 nights in Rothbury, a small market town next to the fabulous NT Cragside estate, staying at the new ‘Tomlinson’s Café & Bunkhouse’, with opportunities for breakfast and evening meals on site. All rooms are en-suite and finished to a high standard. We move on to YH Wooler for 3 nights (food available). We plan to visit Alnwick, the coast and possibly Lindisfarne, depending on tides. There is one double room at Rothbury and two at Wooler. The cost is £108 per person for the double rooms and £105 for dorm beds. Please send deposits of £20; the balance is payable by 1st June 2014.

News and Notices

Switch to emailed programmes & newsletters – if you want!With 2nd class stamps now 50p the Club’s Committee has discussed how we can reduce both costs and administrative work. One way is to offer members emailed copies of both the Programme and Newsletter. We aren’t forcing change – but if you are happy to receive these documents electronically, email: membership@cambridgeramblingclub.com and let us know. We can also check that we have your up-to-date email details. Posted documents will still be available for those who prefer them. Around 70 members have already signed up.

Wednesday C walks: After many years providing sterling service as Secretary for Wednesday C walks, Sheila has retired. Barbara Ann and Josie have taken on the job together. We wish Sheila well – and a speedy recovery from her bad fall in late May.

Sad to report:We are sad to record the death of Des Cheale in the spring. Des was very active in the Club for many years, as a regular leader, auditor and representative on the local RA Cambridge Group. Des was amiable, musical, a cricket lover and a great conversationalist. Many CRC friends were able to attend his funeral.

Roger: Roger suffered a severe stroke in the spring whilst on holiday in Cumbria, but it is great to report that he is responding well to physiotherapy. We wish both Roger and Janet well.

Beginners’ map-reading course. We reported recently that Norman is willing to provide a basic, beginners’ level map-reading course, including use of a compass. This is now likely to take place next spring near Royston Heath – but we need to know about interest in taking part before Norman spends time on developing the course. Please contact Norman.

What do our grades of walks mean? Over the years the Club has developed a wide range of walks; back in the 1970s there was just one Sunday walk on offer. But whilst we give guidance about the distance, we say nothing about the speed. The Committee is aware that there can be friction when some people see 5 miles as a speed challenge, whilst others want a leisurely stroll! So – to help a bit with speeds:

  • Sunday A: brisk

  • Sunday B: moderate to brisk

  • Sunday C: leisurely

  • Wednesday A: moderate to brisk

  • Wednesday B: moderate

  • Wednesday C: leisurely

We have dodged the issue of actual speeds, but this depends on mud, vegetation, quality of paths, gradient etc. And – most important – the leader of any walk WILL DETERMINE the actual speed on the day!

Finding a suitable place to park. Jenny has offered to keep a database of places where we can park, including location and contact details. Village halls, churches and parish/town car parks are included, rather than pubs. Please don’t just assume that a church car park can be used mid-week without any advance contact; funerals and weddings do happen!

The Walking Partnership: If you are going on a Ramblers Worldwide Holiday don’t forget that the Club can benefit financially. Just contact RWH by phone or online, give your holiday booking reference and say you are nominating Cambridge Rambling Club under The Walking Partnership scheme.

For sale: Mountain Warehouse Egret Walking Boots size 7; cost £59.99. On sale for £25 (boxed). Please contact Anne on 01223 701150.

Next Committee Meeting is on Tuesday November 12th at the Wesley Church, King Street, at 7.30 pm.

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