2014 Autumn Newsletter

Future Activities

Lakes week
Friday 19th to Friday 26th September, based in Keswick. Jenny is organising this year’s Lakes trip, based in Keswick and around 20 people have booked their own accommodation. A varied programme of A and B walks will be available, with good and poor weather options. It is planned to book a pub/restaurant for a communal meal on 2 or 3 nights, and also to meet up each evening to discuss the next day’s plans. Please contact Jenny if you are planning to come; offers of walks too please! (Phone 01223 811525).
Friday 17th October 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 National Park. There is great walking on our doorstep, close to Malham Cove and Tarn, as well as the pretty market town of Settle. There will be a choice of 3 walks each day including a short walk on Friday afternoon.. The house has elegant public rooms, an indoor swimming pool and new dining room. The total cost including 2 nights accommodation: evening meal, B&B, packed lunch (Sat), coach travel and gratuities is £203 per person for a shared room and £213 for a single room. At the time of printing, the hotel still has available 2 ensuite twin rooms on a first come, first served basis. So – those of you who are interested, it is still not too late! The final payment, to Meg please, is due by 28th August. Car parking is available at Cambridge Chesterton Bowling Club, Logans Way. We plan to leave there on Friday at 9.45am and return late on Sunday evening.

AGM Saturday 22nd November, Friends’ Meeting House, Hartington Drove, Cambridge, at 14.30. Please do support your hard-working Committee and come along to our AGM. We have refreshments and a speaker to follow our formal business meeting.

Wednesday 17th December 2014.  The venue for the Wednesday A Christmas lunch has not been finalised and details will be announced later – make a note!

11th January 2015 Sunday B and C New Year lunch walk from The Pergola, Harlton. There will be 2 walks, one for each group of about 5 or 6 miles, followed by a 2 or 3 course lunch for £15.50 or £21 including tea or coffee and a tip. Menus will be available from walk secretaries by email or on walks from November on. Cheques with menu choices must be received by John before Christmas.

Spring Coach Hotel Weekend Friday 27th to Sunday 29th March 2015 (2 nights), Long Mynd Hotel (HF). Church Stretton is set within a landscape of stunning variety and beauty. The only town within the Shropshire Hills Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, its 5,000 residents live in a rift valley between the heather-covered Long Mynd (Long Mountain) to the west, and the rocky peaks of the Stretton Hills to the east. Deposits are required by Monday 18th August to be sure of a place on this trip.  A mix of twin, double and single en-suite rooms have been reserved. But note – there is now a waiting list for single rooms. See
http://www.hfholidays.co.uk/holidays/longmynd/accommodation

The total cost for 2 nights’ dinner, B&B, packed lunches on Saturday and Sunday, coach travel and gratuities is now £190 for a shared room and £205 for a single room.  This means that for those of you who have already paid your £75 deposit the balance required is £130 for a single room and £115 each for a shared room.   To reserve your place, please send a non-refundable deposit of £75 per person to Alex (address on programme) with cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club, the balance to be paid by 2nd February 2015.   Car parking details will be given later.  Please include your address, email and telephone details with your deposit.  As usual we hope to offer 3 different walks each day – please let Alex know if you would be willing to lead a walk. We have had several offers already – many thanks. We hope to provide walks on Friday as well as on Saturday and Sunday; more leaders are always welcome.

Autumn Hotel & Coach Weekend Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th October 2015, (2 nights) HF Harrington House, Bourton-on-the-Water. Meg has provisionally booked sole occupancy of HF’s charming ancient Country House situated in this picturesque and popular north Cotswolds village. There are stunning walks for all abilities right on the doorstep and further afield, including the ‘chocolate box’ villages of Upper and Lower Slaughter, following the Windrush Valley, Stow-on-the-Wold, Sherborne and fantastic panoramic views from the hills near Chipping Camden and Broadway. The accommodation is in both the main house and adjacent cottages, with 41 places in a mix of single and shared en-suite rooms. It is too early to book the coach, but the total cost including evening meal, B&B, packed lunch, coach travel and gratuities should not exceed £210 per person for a shared room and £225 for a single. To guarantee your place please send a non-refundable deposit of £75 per head to Meg, with cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club.

Hostel & budget trips: These 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.

*Much Wenlock, Shropshire, Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th October 2014 (2 nights). We have sole occupancy of the 16-bed Granary at Stokes Barn, close to Much Wenlock, Wenlock Edge and the historic Ironbridge gorge. There is still one two-bedded room available, with dormitory accommodation in a mix of single and bunk beds. The cost is £40 per person for the weekend. A and B walks available.

*Stow on the Wold YH, Friday 31st October to Sunday 2nd November 2014 (2 nights). The hostel is right in the heart of this beautiful Cotswold town, with excellent walking straight from the door. Only dormitory rooms (4 or 6 beds) are available in the hostel – but you can book separately into one of the many nearby hotels or pubs. The hostel cost is £30 per person. A and B walks available. The hostel can provide meals.

*Wells next the Sea, north Norfolk, Friday 30th January to Sunday 1st February 2015 (2 nights). We have sole occupancy of this 30 bed self-catering hostel in the delightful coastal village of Wells, close to Holkham Hall. The regular coastal bus enables us to walk part of the Coast Path. The 3 double rooms have been booked but there are plenty of bunks in 4-bedded rooms available. The cost for these is £35 per person for the weekend. A and B walks provided.

*Hastings Travelodge weekend – March 13th-15th 2015 (2 nights): Following the success of the Club’s March 2014 trip to Tunbridge Wells, we have arranged a similar venture in 2015. A news item was posted on the CRC website back in May – and all 10 booked rooms were snapped up within 36 hours! Unfortunately prices have risen significantly, no doubt due to our booking. They may subsequently fall again – but it could be cheaper for anyone wanting to join us to book a B&B in the town. There is good coastal walking as well as opportunities to explore Rye and Winchelsea.
*Corris, near Cadair Idris, south Snowdonia, Wales: Thursday April 30th to Monday May 4th 2015, (4 nights, first Spring BH weekend). The Club has sole occupancy of this private hostel in the village of Corris, just south of Cadair Idris and close to Dolgellau. As well as the Snowdonia mountains, it is close to several RSPB reserves, such as Golden Valley. With 44 beds available we can luxuriate in loads of space! There is still one double/twin room available at £25 per person per night. All other dorm beds cost £20 per person per night. Communal facilities include a lounge with log-burning stove. See the website for Canolfan Corris. The hostel has a self-catering kitchen but can also provide meals; and there is a pub nearby. More information from Jill; initial deposits of £25 please, with the balance due 1st March 2015.
*South West Coast Path in Cornwall: Falmouth to Looe, Friday 5th to Saturday 13th June (8 nights). Spurred on by this year’s very successful trip to Penzance and the Lizard we have worked out a follow-up trip for 2015 – walking most of the SW coast path from Helford River to near the Crewell ferry, just outside Plymouth. We have booked 3 nights at a private hostel in Falmouth, 2 nights at Boswinger YH and finish up with 3 nights at a luxury self-catering house in Looe with 22 beds in 9 bedrooms! Our overnight bags will be transported separately, so we can walk with day sacks. We can travel by train down to Falmouth and return from Looe by branch line, using a mix of local buses, taxis and perhaps a private coach to do a mixture of linear and circular walks. Anyone wanting a day off can visit the Eden Project. The accommodation cost varies from £181 for someone in a ‘dorm’ to £208 for sharing a double/twin room and £217 for luxury ‘sole use’ of a double room at Looe. Large deposits have already been paid so £60 is required now to secure a place, with the balance due on 1st April 2015. Transport costs within Cornwall are extra – so budget for at least £50.

News and Notices

Additional Wednesday B morning walking group planned from January 2015 (B-am). Derek and Linda are setting up a new morning only Wednesday walking group to offer a 5-7 mile walk at a moderate (not slow) pace. There will be a stop for coffee (from flasks) en route but no pub lunch arrangements.  Derek and Linda are setting this group up now ready for a January 2015 launch. If you would like to help us in any way by providing or leading walks or have any queries then please email Derek at walthamchase@talktalk.net.

We will need a new Wednesday B (day) walks’ secretary ASAP – please do offer as we want to keep this group going strong!

New Sunday & BH bus services from Cambridge to Gamlingay via Wimpole Hall. Funded by the National Trust & South Cambs Council, two new Sunday/BH bus services started on 27th July for a year. They have a bike-trailer – but are also very useful for walkers! For example, the 9.00am bus from Station Road Cambridge gets to Wimpole Hall at 9.35; the 16.07 from Wimpole returns to Cambridge at 16.42. There are two routes: see www.scambs.gov.uk/bikebus-explorer

Map reading course, Thanks to Norman for providing a very successful introductory course covering basic map reading and navigation (compass use) skills. Norman has a waiting list with 6 names and plans a second course in September and will provide further courses if there is interest. Please contact Norman for more details and to secure a place, (01223 870121).

Sad to report. We have recently been notified of the deaths of Dorothy Sumner and David French. Both played a significant role in the Club’s activities for many years and are greatly missed.

Using our ‘Walking Partnership’ funds. The Club has received more than £500 over the past year from Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, under the ‘Walking Partnership’ scheme. We promised to invest this windfall in promoting walking and have already distributed Club leaflets to many GP practices, encouraging people to join. The July Committee meeting discussed other uses of this income. It was agreed that we should invest in improved maintenance of rights of way in our area – as many paths have suffered from overgrowing vegetation this summer. Jill has contacted the County Council and they suggest that the money could be offered to Parish Councils who are part of Cambridgeshire’s ‘Parish Path Partnership’. The County Council will match fund our contribution – and PCs are to be asked to bid for work such as additional cutting of vegetation on paths. Please keep nominating the CRC under the Walking Partnership!

Next Committee Meeting is on Tuesday November 11th at the Wesley Church, King Street, at 7.30pm.

(Visited 439 times, 1 visits today)