WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016
Future Activities
17th January 2016, Sunday B and C New Year lunch walks from The Pergola, Harlton: There will be 2 walks, one for each group of 6.9 and 4.5 miles, followed by a 2 or 3 course lunch including tea or coffee. Menus are available from walk secretaries by email or on walks. Alternatively, please send John a stamped addressed envelope for a menu. Cheques with menu choices must be received by John by 21st December.
Spring coach hotel weekend 2016: Friday 18th to Sunday 20th March: Peveril of the Peak Hotel, Dovedale. This trip is now full. However, if you are still interested, contact Alex and your name can be placed on the waiting list. Final balances need to be sent to Alex by 29th January 2016 with cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club. Please make sure you include your address, email and telephone details and also provide contact details in case of an emergency. Please supply details of any special dietary requirements when paying your final balance. Car parking is to be finalised but it looks as though the fee will be £10 per car for the weekend. Details will be published when finalised
London Walk Saturday 23rd April 2016: David will again be leading a London walk in 2016 and, as previously, members will take the train from Cambridge to King’s Cross where David will meet them for onward travel to the start of the walk. On this occasion it will be a circular walk from Woolwich Arsenal. The route is quite hilly and there are also many steps both on the walk and at the stations. The distance is about 9 miles, often following the Green Chain Walk and going through commons and woods. Please email david.allard@ntlworld.com or telephone 01763 242677 and full details will be sent to you.
Summer Outing, Aldeburgh & Suffolk Coast, Sunday 26th June 2016: We desperately need an organiser for this popular annual trip. In the meantime Jenny is taking bookings; please send her a cheque for £15 per person, payable to Cambridge Rambling Club, giving your name and contact details: email if available.
Jill is organising the walks – and we need volunteers to lead A, B and C walks on the day. Please do offer!
Friday 14th to Sunday 16th October 2016 – Hotel & Coach Weekend, Abingworth, Sussex. We have booked sole occupancy of HF Holidays’ Abingworth Hall, a charming four-star property set in the peaceful Sussex countryside, with fantastic views of the South Downs National Park. Walking opportunities on and around the South Downs include the iconic Seven Sisters close to Eastbourne, as well as Devil’s Dyke and Ditchling Beacon. We can also include visits to the grand estates of Arundel and Petworth House. There are 44 places in a mix of single, double and twin en-suite rooms. The total cost for 2 nights dinner, B&B, packed lunches, coach travel and gratuities will be £225 per head for a shared room and £240 for a single room. Meg will be taking bookings in February 2016.
Lakes week: Keswick, Friday 9th to Friday 16th September 2016: Please contact Jenny Urwin for more information about this popular trip. There is a wide variety of accommodation available in Keswick. Please book your own & let Jenny know the details, especially if you have a spare room in your self catering cottage or would like to share with someone else. Phone 01223 811525, or email jenny.u@btinternet.com
Friday 31st March to Sunday 2nd April 2017 Hotel & Coach Weekend, Pickering, Yorkshire. Please note! More details will be available in the New Year.
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.
*Sheringham YH, Friday 5th to Sunday 7th February 2016 (2 nights): There are still plenty of beds available at this large, comfortable hostel which we have hired for sole use. There are good self-catering facilities, but also many options for eating out in the evening. The Norfolk coastpath is on our doorstep – and the National Trust properties Sheringham Park and Felbrigg Hall are nearby. We are offering both A and B walks. The cost is £36 per person.
*Arundel – Fontwell Park Travelodge Friday 8th to Sunday 10th April 2016 (2 nights): The rooms booked by the Club for this trip to the South Downs have been taken, but you can book yourself in at one of the two Travelodges at Fontwell, Arundel. ‘A’ walks guaranteed.
* Lledr House Hostel, Lledr Valley, south of Betws-y-Coed, north Wales, Thursday 5th to Monday 9th May 2016 (4 nights): We have booked the entire private Lledr House hostel in a beautiful quiet valley just 4 miles south of Betws-y-Coed in central Snowdonia, close to great mountains such as Moel Siabod and the Glyders as well as forests and lakes. The cost is £100 for 4 nights in the dorm rooms still available; please send a £25 deposit to reserve a place. The balance of £75 is due by 1st March.
*North Cornish Coast Path, Friday 10th to Friday 17th June 2016 (7 nights): We hope to walk most of the north Cornish coast path from Tintagel to St Ives. Based for the week at ‘Gannel View’, a 10-bedroom, 22 bed self-catering house just west of Newquay, we are well-placed to use local buses, trains, taxis and the occasional private bus to walk linear stretches of this fabulous coast. Accommodation costs are now confirmed as £130 per person sharing for the week. The balance is due by 10th April. There is just one bedspace still available – for a male sharer. Please let Jill know if you would like to book or be on a waiting list. Transport costs to/from walks will be additional. You can also book a B&B nearby and join us on walks.
*Pitlochry, Perthshire, Monday 15th to Monday 22nd August 2016 (7 nights): We are exploring Scotland for the first time for years! The Club has booked a large private self-catering house close to the theatre and river in this beautiful area. Dunfallandy House has 8 bedrooms – and following publicity on the Club’s website is now fully booked. The balance of £85 for those who have paid a deposit is due by 15th June. There are lots of B&Bs, guest houses and self-catering properties in the town for anyone who wants to join us.
*Maidenhead Travelodge, Friday 30th September to Sunday 2nd October (2 nights): We have taken 9 rooms at Maidenhead Travelodge for a weekend at the start of October. There is excellent walking nearby, using the Thames path, and an opportunity to visit Cliveden (National Trust). The hotel is close to the railway station and there is parking nearby. It also has a restaurant – so there’s no need to rely on a DIY breakfast! All rooms cost £73 for the weekend; please contact Jill if you want sole occupancy or are prepared to share. A and B led walks available.
*Hathersage Youth Hostel, Friday 4th to Sunday 6th November 2016 (2 nights): We have booked sole occupancy of this 40-bed self-catering hostel close to Frogatt Edge and some of the best walking country in Derbyshire. It is situated in a delightful village with lots of tea shops and pubs! The cost is £40 per person for the weekend. B walks leader wanted. You are welcome to join us on walks if you book a B&B separately.
News and Notices
Sad news: CRC stalwart and keen walker David Simmons died in August and it was good to see so many Club members at his funeral in early September. For many years David was the Wednesday ‘A’ Secretary and a regular, careful leader. Latterly David led for the Wednesday ‘B’ group and on Club coach weekends.
Welcome to Jim: Jim has taken over from Simon Watkins as Treasurer of the Rambling Club. Many thanks to Simon for sterling service for more than 10 years. To show the Club’s gratitude, Simon was awarded Honorary Life Membership at the recent AGM.
Annual General Meeting: We had a good turnout to our AGM on 21st November, with the opportunity to review past and future activities as well as hear about the work of our local Ramblers Group and Cambridgeshire’s Local Access Forum. We also had a presentation from Ramblers Holidays. Welcome to Anne, who has taken over from Rita as a Committee member. Thanks to Rita!
Autumn Coach/Hotel Trip organiser wanted! After 6 years, Meg wishes to retire from this post – so we need a successor. Please contact Jenny if you can help.
Wednesday B(M) Group goes from strength to strength! Numbers walking with the new Wednesday B (morning) group have increased steadily over the past year – as have offers from walks’ leaders. It is great to see that the introduction of a morning-only walking group, keeping up a good pace, has filled a void. Many thanks to Derek for his hard work.
CRC Membership cards for 2016 are now available. Don’t forget that your card can be used to get a discount on purchases in a number of Cambridge outdoor shops, including Cotswold (15%), Open Air, Mountain Warehouse, Hobbs on Sidney Street and Trespass in the Grafton Centre, (all 10%). You can save your Club subscription over and over again!
CRC 2015/16 Subscriptions now due: If you pay your subscription by cheque, please do consider switching to a Standing Order. It saves time for you and our new Treasurer. Forms are available from Jim – email treasurer@cambridgeramblingclub.com.
Wednesday B (all day) and C walks. We know that there can be pressure on parking and pub capacity. It is essential that anyone planning to come on these walks contacts the leader in advance; please don’t just turn up at the pub/car park without notice.
Reporting problems on Rights of Way: A guide to reporting problems with rights of way in Cambridgeshire and adjoining counties has been posted on our website. Please do report all problems; without this information resources devoted to maintaining our paths could soon be lost entirely!
Using our ‘Walking Partnership’ funds. Between 2012 and 2015 the Club has received £1,500 from Ramblers Worldwide Holidays under the ‘Walking Partnership’ scheme – more than any other Club in the UK! We have used this fund to promote and support walking locally. In September we paid for the installation of a new kissing gate in Coton, replacing a difficult, high stile and improving access for people with mobility problems. We have also asked Parish Councils and our local Ramblers’ Group to identify more practical schemes which will improve access for walkers. If you have any proposals please contact Jenny. And please keep nominating the CRC to receive ‘Walking Partnership’ funds if you go on a Ramblers’ holiday! We receive £30 for any longhaul trip, £20 for every holiday in Europe and £10 for each UK holiday.
The ‘Big Pathwatch Survey’ – the Ramblers check on the condition of our Rights of Way: Launched in July 2015, this project has involved thousands of volunteers inspecting public rights of way across the country, reporting problems to the relevant Highways Authority, mainly County Councils. Cambridgeshire CC has been notified of around 150 problems every month.
Please switch from paper & post to email for your Programme & Newsletter! We now have to pay commercial printing rates and high postage charges, so this is a good time for anyone with an internet connection and a printer to switch to email delivery for Club programmes and newsletters! Please do let Anne know if you are happy to switch. It will save the Club £££s.
Next Committee Meeting: Tuesday March 15th at the Wesley Church, King Street, Cambridge at 7.30pm.
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