Future Activities
Guided Visit to Bourn Windmill: As a ‘thank you’ to the Club for helping to fund a new gate next to Bourn Mill on the footpath linking Bourn, Caxton and Cambourne (see ‘Walking Partnership’ update below), Caxton Parish Council is offering to give Club members a guided tour of this historic windmill, which belongs to Cambridge Past, Present & Future (CPPF). Only one person has come forward – but the offer is still open; please contact Jenny if interested. Otherwise, the Mill is open to the public on Sunday afternoon 16th September.
Lakes’ week Saturday 8th to 15th September. We are returning to Windermere for a second year, having now researched local hostelries and walking opportunities. Many thanks to Susan who is sharing the planning responsibilities with Jenny for the 2018 trip. Susan is taking over as Co-ordinator for 2019. If you book accommodation and have a room or two available for other Club members please let Jenny know.
Friday 12th to Sunday 14th October 2018, Hotel and Coach Weekend to Llandrindod Wells (2 nights). We still have one twin room, or possibly a single, for this weekend staying at The Metropole Hotel (www.metropole.co.uk). This is a spa town on the edge of the Elan Valley. We are organising 2 walks on Friday afternoon and 3 on both Saturday and Sunday. The cost for the weekend is £215 for a double or twin shared room, and £245 for a single room. To fill a vacancy please contact Sally (details on Programme); cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club, please. Please provide your address, email and telephone details, emergency contact and any dietary requirements. Do let Sally know if you are happy to receive further details by email.
13th January 2019 Sunday B and C New Year lunch walk This will be from the Five Miles from Anywhere Inn at Upware. There will be 2 walks, one for each group followed by lunch. Menus will be available from walk secretaries by email or, on walks from end November or December (as soon as pub has supplied). If you are not on the Sunday B or C Walk Secretaries’ email lists please give them your email address. Alternatively, please phone Miranda or Penny and arrange to send a stamped addressed envelope for a menu. Cheques with menu choices must be received by Miranda or Penny by 21st December.
Friday 5th to Sunday 7th April 2019, Hotel & Coach weekend based on Buxton, Peak District (2 nights). The Club has booked the Best Western Buxton Lee Wood Hotel, Buxton, Derbyshire, for our 2019 Spring coach/hotel weekend. There are 45 places in a mix of single, double and twin en-suite rooms. See http://www.leewoodhotel.co.uk/ Buxton is a spa town with the highest elevation (about 1,000 ft above sea level) of any market town in England. It is the gateway to the Peak District National Park but there is also much of interest to see in the town itself. http://www.visitbuxton.co.uk/
We plan to arrive in time to have a walk on the Friday afternoon, or maybe some of you would like to explore the town. As usual, we hope to offer 2 walks on Friday afternoon and 3 different walks on Saturday and Sunday – please let Alex know if you would be willing to lead a walk. Leaders are particularly needed for B and C walks. The total cost for 2 nights, dinner, B&B, simple packed lunches on Saturday and Sunday, coach travel and gratuities is £220 per head for a shared room and £250 for a single room. To reserve your place, please send a non-refundable deposit of £75 per person to Alex (address on the current programme). Deposits are required by 30th September 2018, with cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club, the balance to be paid by 1st March 2019. Car parking details will be given later. Please include your address, email and telephone details with your deposit and any dietary requirements.
New Spring weekend coach/hotel organiser wanted!
On a separate note, Alex says that this will be the last Coach and Hotel weekend she will be organising. After 6 years in the post, she thinks it is time for someone else to take over. Alex is very happy to help anyone get started and she has a location in mind for Spring 2020. Please contact Alex or Jenny Urwin if you are interested in taking over. And many thanks to Alex!
Summer coach outing Sunday 23rd June 2019. Yes, a note for your 2019 diaries! We will be walking in and around Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk. More details in the spring 2019 newsletter – but offers to Caroline for B and C leaders are very welcome now!
Budget trips. These trips, using a mixture of budget hotels, hostels and large self-catering properties, 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 leader – please do offer! Or come along to do your own thing. 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, with cheques payable to ‘E G Tuffnell’ or contact her for BACS details. Please note that the full balance must be paid at least 8 weeks before most trips. You are very welcome to book your own accommodation and join us on walks.
*Great Malvern, Friday 21st to Sunday 23rd September (2 nights). All rooms booked by the Club at the new Premier Inn at Great Malvern have been taken. We are close to an iconic Spa town, the Malvern Hills and Ledbury, with a restaurant on site. This is great walking country close to Worcester. Please let Jill know if you book independently. A walks guaranteed, but shorter walks require a leader – do offer!
*Cirencester Travelodge, Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th November (2 nights). The rooms booked by the Club for this trip to Cirencester in the Cotswolds have been snapped up. If you would like to join us, please book your own accommodation. A and B walks available.
*Cromer, Friday 8th to Monday 11th February 2019 (3 nights). The Club has booked two self-catering properties in Cromer in early February 2019: the 9 bedroom, 7 bath/shower-room, Birch House and 4 bedroom The Dingle. Although booked for 3 nights, (the minimum stay), the cost per person is very reasonable at £50, so it is very cheap even if you have to get back home on Sunday! Twin and double rooms available. The deposit is £20, with the £30 balance due 10th December 2018. A and B walks on offer.
*North Downs, Kent – near Rochester, Friday 15th to Sunday 17th March 2019 (2 nights). We have booked sole occupancy of the comfortable, self-catering 15 bedroom YHA Medway in mid-March. This converted oast house is well-placed to explore paths close to the Thames Estuary as well as rolling countryside in the North Downs. This is Charles Dickens country and there are many places of interest nearby, including historic Rochester and Chatham Dock Yards Museum. Most rooms are small, although the few singles available have been snapped up by early birds! The cost is £45 per person; a £15 deposit with the balance of £30 payable by 10th January 2019.
* Bala, north Wales, Friday 3rd to Monday 6th May 2019 (3 nights, Bank Holiday w/e). The Club has booked a large self-catering property close to Bala town for the first May Bank Holiday weekend. There are great walking opportunities close by, including the Berwyns, Arenigs and Arans, as well as Lake Bala itself. There are limited places available – please check with Jill before booking, or arrange your own independent accommodation. The cost is £90 for the 3 nights, with a £20 deposit and balance due 1st March.
*Bude, north Cornwall coast: week Saturday 8th to Saturday 15th June 2019. The Club will be walking the Westward Ho! to Tintagel stretch of the North Devon/Cornish coast path in spring 2019. We will be based in Bude in self-catering accommodation and will again book a private coach to enable us to walk linear stretches of this fantastic route. Just one female share place is available in the three properties booked by the Club – so if anyone else wishes to come you must book your own accommodation. Do let Jill know if you are booked independently and want to use the coach.
*Summer 2019 – a week in Whitby, Friday 9th to Friday 16th August, The Club has booked 6, Abbey Terrace, a 9-bedroom property in central Whitby on the north Yorkshire coast for a week’s summer walking break in 2019. Rooms are a mixture of doubles and twins. There are lots of great walks nearby, ranging from wonderful coastal paths to the North York Moors. There is even a steam railway for a leisurely day. The cost per head is £195, with a £60 deposit payable initially and the balance of £135 due on 10th June 2019.
News and Notices
CRC’s 90th Anniversary Celebration. 145 Club members joined together at the Fulbourn Community Centre on Sunday 22nd April – some to walk and all to meet up with old and new friends, enjoying an excellent tea. Many thanks to everyone who organised such a successful event. The historic photo stream is available to view via the Club’s website, as are photos taken at the Anniversary.
Map-reading course: Norman led a very successful map-reading course for 6 people in May 2018 and is willing to run a repeat course in May 2019. Please contact him if you are interested in taking part: norman.njd@gmail.com or phone 01223 870121.
Club representation on the Cambridge Group of the Ramblers. The Club would like to be represented by a member at the local Ramblers’ Committee, which meets once every two months. If you are interested in issues affecting rights of way, such as path diversions and plans for new housing, please contact Jill.
Footpath changes on the Wimpole estate. The National Trust has submitted proposals to Cambridgeshire County Council to alter the routes of a number of footpaths on its Wimpole estate. Some of the diversions effectively regularise paths on the ground as they have been walked for many years, but others are new. Paths are being diverted away from farms and other buildings; difficult, often muddy, cross-field routes are being re-routed to permanent field edge paths. The local Ramblers’ Association has been consulted and is supporting the changes. There will be notices to show the new routes, once approved. Hopefully, the diversions will be in place soon.
Club discounts. Club members wanting to buy goods on-line from Cotswold Outdoor must provide a code in order to benefit from a 15% discount on ‘full price’ goods. Please contact Jill Tuffnell at jill@cambridgeramblingclub.com to be emailed the code, which currently runs to 31st August. We hope to arrange an extension for this discount rate. If you are buying in-store, your Club Membership card will suffice. Stores offering Club members a 10% discount include Open Air, Mountain Warehouse and Trespass. If you are a Ramblers, Cambridge U3A or HF member you can get a discount at Rohan stores.
Support our ‘Walking Partnership’ funds. Between 2011 and early 2018 the Club received £2,760 from Ramblers WalkingHolidays under the ‘Walking Partnership’ scheme. We have used this money to promote and support walking locally, most recently contributing to a new gate on a path next to Bourn windmill. Please nominate the CRC when you book on a Ramblers’ Holiday! We receive £30 for a long–haul trip, £20 for holidays in Europe and £10 for UK trips.
Please switch from paper & post to email for your Programme & Newsletter. Postage charges have recently increased again! Just let Anne T know if you are happy to switch to email. It saves the Club ££s.
Club subscriptions. If you currently pay by cheque or bank transfer, please switch to a Standing Order to take effect on 1st November 2018 and thereafter on 1st November each year. Please contact Jim for the Club’s bank details.
AGM 2018: 2.30pm Saturday 24th November. The venue is again St James Church, Wulfstan Way, Cambridge, with parking on site. The business meeting will be followed by tea, a chat and a speaker – TBA.
Next Committee Meeting. Monday November 12th, at the Wesley Church, King Street, Cambridge at 7.30pm.
