2018 Summer  Newsletter

SUMMER  NEWSLETTER 2018

Future Activities

Map-reading course: Norman is running a map-reading course for up to 6 people on Saturday 26th May from 2.00 to 5.00pm at Therfield Heath near Royston.  Please contact him if you are interested in taking part: norman.njd@gmail.com or phone 01223 870121.

Bartlow 3 Counties Charity Walk Sunday 6th May: With no ‘A’ walk on this BH Sunday, do consider supporting local charities Addenbrooke’s, Linton Health Centre and Bartlow Church. There are 13, 9 and 6 mile routes, starting from Hills Farm, Bartlow CB21 4PW between 9.30 and 11.00am. You can book online or on the day. See www.bartlow3countieswalk.co.uk

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). Please contact Jenny if you would like to come – probably on a Sunday. Alternatively, please note that the Mill is open on Sunday afternoons on 13th May, 24th June, 29th July, 19th  August and 16th  September.

Sunday 24th June Summer Coach Outing to Cromer, North Norfolk coast: Bookings have been slow to start with – so please do come along and support the Club’s annual summer coach trip! We don’t want to cancel…We will explore the coast, including the newly opened ‘coastal access’ footpath east of Cromer and Overstrand. The coach will leave Milton P&R site at 8.30am, returning here around 7.00pm. There will be A, B and C walks – or explore Cromer at your leisure. The cost is again £15. Please send a cheque to Caroline (see Programme Card for address), payable to Cambridge Rambling Club. Further details will be circulated by email where possible.

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 and will take 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 a mixture of single, double and twin rooms 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 plan to organise 2 walks on Friday afternoon and 3 on both Saturday and Sunday. Anyone willing to lead a B or C walk would be much appreciated.  The cost for the weekend is £215 for a double or twin shared room, and £245 for a single room. To reserve a place please send a non-refundable deposit of £75 to Sally (address on Programme); cheques payable to Cambridge  Rambling Club please. The final payment is due by 31st July 2018. Please include your address, email and telephone details, emergency contact and any dietary requirements. If you prefer to pay by BACS please ask for details. Do let Sally know if you are happy to receive further details by email.

Friday 5th to Sunday 7th April 2019, Hotel & Coach weekend based on Buxton, Peak District (2 nights). Advance notice for your 2019 diaries! Booking details will be published in the next Newsletter.

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 leader – please do offer! Or come along with a group 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.

*Llangollen, Friday 4th to Monday 7th May 2018 (Bank Holiday weekend – 3 nights). The Club has booked sole occupancy of this well-equipped independent self-catering hostel in central Llangollen, close to excellent walking country. There are a few upper bunks in shared rooms still available – but please check with Jill before booking. The cost is £75. A walks available.

*A week’s walking on the Pembrokeshire Coast Path: Friday 18th to Friday 25th May 2018. All places booked by the Club in and near Newport are taken, but there may be a late cancellation – please check with Jill if interested. And if you arrange your own accommodation do let Jill know. The area offers some of the UK’s best coastal walking and the flowers in May are magnificent! We have hired a private coach for our linear walks, with A and B options available.

*Bishop’s Castle, Shropshire, Friday 6th to Friday 13th July 2018. Our week’s summer trip is to glorious Shropshire, staying in self-catering accommodation in the Old Schoolhouse and adjacent Cottage. There is one double room still available, or you can book independently. The total cost is £175 per person, with a deposit of £55 required now and the balance payable by 12th May. A and B walks available.

*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). All 17 rooms booked by the Club for this trip to Cirencester in the Cotswolds have been snapped up, so if you would like to join us, please book your own accommodation. Both 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 don’t get put off 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, with a few singles available for early birds! The cost is £45 per person; a £15 deposit with the balance of £30 payable by 10th January 2019.

*Advance notice – Bude, north Cornwall coast: Saturday 8th to Saturday 15th June 2019: Too soon to book, but please note that 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. Please let Jill know if you are interested.

News and Notices

90th Anniversary Celebration. Too close to our printing deadline to report on this event, but thanks to everyone who bought a ticket and came along to support the Club  – now 500 strong – and meet up with old and new friends! A full report will be posted online.

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 road schemes and plans for new housing, please contact Jill.

Data protection and implications for Club members’ personal contact information. New regulations are coming into force in May this year regarding how organisations hold and safeguard personal contact information relating to their members. The Club is keen to ensure that we continue to adopt ‘best practice’. Rest assured that we NEVER pass any personal contact details on to other organisations. All members who receive their programmes and newsletters by email have requested this. Members who walk with one of our regular groups have been asked if they are happy to receive information by email. Detailed information relating to trips or other Club events is often distributed by email, but only where members have indicated that they are happy to receive it in this format. If you no longer wish to receive the newsletter and/or walks’ programme, please contact Membership Secretary Anne.

Network Rail’s proposals to close level crossings – update. The Public Inquiry into the closure of around 20 level crossings in Cambridgeshire began in December and closed at the end of February. Club and Ramblers’ Secretary Jill Tuffnell appeared as a witness to object to the path diversion proposals for the Harston level crossing, which involve building two flights of around 20 steps and the necessity to cross the London Road twice, as well as the closure of a crossing between Wicken and Soham on a lightly-used line. The diversion proposed by Network Rail uses a footpath that has been blocked for years and leads to another level crossing on a drove road used by HGVs. The outcome is unlikely to be published before the autumn. Meanwhile, many crossing closures in Suffolk and Essex are under the Inquiry spotlight.

Club discounts. Club members wanting to buy goods online from Cotswold Outdoor must provide a code in order to benefit from a 15% discount on ‘full price’ goods. Please contact Jill at jill@cambridgeramblingclub.com to be emailed the code. If you are buying in-store, your Club Membership card will suffice. This benefit runs to 31st August 2018. Stores offering Club members a 10% discount include Open Air, Mountain Warehouse and Trespass in the Grafton Centre. If you are a Ramblers, Cambridge U3A or HF member you can get a 10% discount at Rohan stores.

Information on local pubs. Please check out the ‘pubs’ section on the Club’s website as there have been a number of changes recently, including the re-opening of several village hostelries. And if you know of other openings or closures, please let Jill know.

Support our ‘Walking Partnership’ funds. Between 2011 and late 2017 the Club received £2,580 from Ramblers Worldwide Holidays 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 keep nominating the CRC to receive ‘Walking Partnership’ funds 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 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 consider setting up 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 Advance Notice: 2.30pm Saturday 24th November 2018. The venue is St James Church, Wulfstan Way, Cambridge.

Next Committee Meeting. Wednesday, July 18th, at the Wesley Church, King Street, Cambridge at 7.30pm.

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