SUMMER NEWSLETTER 2013
Future Activities
Thursday evening walks start on May 16th and run through to August 22nd; the first walk is from Chesterton in Cambridge. Ranging from 5 to 6 miles, they offer a great opportunity to meet folk from all parts of the Club.
Summer Outing – 23rd June 2013 Norfolk Coastal walks. Book your place now!The cost is £15, with cheques made out to ‘Cambridge Rambling Club’ and sent to Angela please. We will be leaving Harvey Road, Cambridge at 8:30am, (free on-street parking). The expected departure from Cromer will be 5:30pm, to arrive Cambridge around 7:30pm. The A walk will be led by Jill: 14 miles from Blakeney to Cromer via Cley & Sheringham. The B walk will be led by Angela: 11 miles Cley Bird Reserve to Cromer via Sheringham. The C walk will be led by John: 6 miles from Sheringham to Cromer. Please be prompt for a timely departure. Any problems call Angela (mobile: 07794 848776). Please bring packed lunch with drink, suitable footwear etc.
7th July 2013 Sunday B bring and share meal and walk. The Sunday B walk will be followed by a bring-and-share meal in a garden in Cambridge. Please put the date in your diary and contact Victoria on 01223 573813 or Miranda on 01223 881588 for details. Please let Miranda know if you would like to come and what food you will bring. Details will be on the website nearer the time.
Friday 13th– Friday 20th September 2013 Lake District Week – Patterdale.There are still places available on the Lake District Week with participants booking their own accommodation. Please see the Club website or previous Newsletter for further details. Leaders are very welcome for ‘A’ and ‘B’ walks. Please contact Norman if you are willing to lead a walk; in any case please let Norman (01223 870121) know if you plan to come. More information will be sent out in July to all participants; if you wish to receive this by email please make sure Norman has your email address!
Cambridge Oxfam Walk, Sunday 6th October 2013, Chilford Hall Advance notice that this year’s Oxfam walk will be in early October, with a range of distances.
Friday 1st November to Sunday 3rd November 2013, Coach Weekend, The Pines Hotel, Swanage, Dorset. There are 16 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 There are great walks along the coast to both Lulworth and Studland Point, as well as attractive downland walking near Corfe. We plan to leave Cambridge (parking at Chesterton Bowling Club if possible) 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, with accommodation still available in twin 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. (final payment will be due by 31st August 2013). Offers of leaders to Meg, please.
Coach & Hotel weekend Spring 2014; Friday 4th to Sunday 6th April: Llangollen – date for your diary
Next year’s spring coach and hotel weekend runs from Friday 4th – Sunday 6th April 2014. Bookings will be taken in September 2013, with details included in the autumn newsletter. Costs are not yet finalised and the price is likely to be a little more than the Mendips weekend. We shall be staying at The Hand Hotel, Llangollen 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 acqueduct.
Autumn 2014 Coach & Hotel trip: No details yet, but potential plans for a visit to the Yorkshire Dales.
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. 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.
*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 and close to the Lleyn Peninsula, Porthmadog and Snowdonia. See www.snowdonlodge.co.uk You can even be a tourist, with Harlech and Portmeirion nearby. The hostel is self-catering, with pubs in the nearby village. There are still a few places available at £90 for 4 nights, or £67.50 for a 3 night stay.
*Mini back-packing trip to North Yorkshire, Friday 24th to Wednesday 29th May 2013, (5 nights over the Bank Holiday). After 2 nights at Malham YH in Airedale, and a local Saturday walk, we backpack over to Kettlewell YH for a two night stay, exploring Upper Wharfedale for a day without a pack. On Tuesday we walk back by a different route to our final night’s stay at Malham. Both hostels provide meals or there are pubs nearby. Please contact Jill for late bookings – cost £90.
*Port Eynon, the Gower, South Wales Thursday 8th to Monday 12th August 2013 (4 nights). We have sole occupancy of the new 34 bed YH Bunkhouse on the Gower at Port Eynon for 4 nights in August. It is self-catering, with a pub nearby. There is glorious scenery and walking available straight from the door. There are still a few dorm beds available (in rooms with 4 beds each), cost £90pp. Deposits of £30pp to Jill please, with the balance due by 1st June.
*Stackpole Centre Bosherton south Pembrokeshire, Monday 12th to Friday 16th August (4 nights)
Anyone interested in a 4 day extension, staying at the National Trust’s Stackpole Centre on the south Pembrokeshire coast should contact Margaret G. There are still a few twin rooms available at £50 per room per night.
*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.
*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): probably Friday 14th to Sunday 16th March 2014 (2 nights). As a new venture we plan 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). If we book early, rooms (without breakfast) cost just £23.00 a night – so you may want the luxury of a double room to yourself! Breakfasts are available and there is limited parking on-site (at a small charge). We cannot book rooms more than 325 nights in advance – i.e. from 26th April 2013 on. Jill will try and book 5 family rooms (for up to10 people) early on; if you want to book your own accommodation please check with Jill first. B walks’ leader required. If successful, we may well make more use of budget hotel accommodation in future.
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 keep costs (and also administrative work) down. One way is to offer members emailed copies of both the Programme and Newsletter. We don’t intend to force any change but if you are happy to receive these documents electronically, rather than by post, please fill in this simple form and let us know. It will also be very useful to check that we have your up-to-date email details. From autumn 2013 on you will receive these documents by email. Posted documents will still be available for those who prefer them.
AGM: The Club’s 2013 AGM will be at 2.30pm on Saturday 16th November at the Friends’ Meeting House, Hartington Grove, Cambridge – judged to be an excellent venue. Please let Jill know of ideas for potential speakers.
Congratulations! It is great to report the marriage of two Club members: Gillian and Chris. Chris & Gillian are getting married on 20th April; after a very brief honeymoon they are back to work, leading trips for Ramblers Worldwide Holidays!
Sad to report: We are sad to record the death of Geoffrey Burgess, a Life Member of the CRC, aged 95. Geoffrey instigated the London Walks, introducing many people to forgotten green byways in and near the capital. Geoffrey moved to the south-west many years ago, but kept in touch with some Club members, including former President Dorothy. It is also sad to report that Ron Wilbraham has died – a regular Wednesday A walker for many years.
Footpath clearance & waymarking. Please let Jill know if you are interested in helping with local footpath clearance and waymarking. Lots of good exercise!
Wednesday ‘C’ walkers: Sheila writes: Thanks to Jane who led her first walk and to David J who is to lead his first. It is nice to have “new” leaders. Also to Margaret R who has agreed to help this time.12 of us represented the Club at Audrey Allen’s funeral. Due to ill health we, (the “older” members), had not seen Audrey for some time. I have heard a rumour that my position WILL be taken over in December 2013. I do so hope so!
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.
Ramblers Holidays – Hassness House, Buttermere Anyone interested in a discounted 3, 4 or 7 night stay before 31st October 2013 should contact Jill for details. There are many dates available for this special offer.
Next Committee Meeting is on Tuesday July 9th at the Wesley Church, King Street, at 7.30 pm.
