Cambridge Rambling Club - Spring/Summer 2007 Newsletter

Future Activities

* 10 May 2007: Thursday evening walks.
        Spring has arrived. First walk 10 May, starting at 6 p.m. from Toft Methodist Church (B1046) where one can park; led by George tel: 01223 301615. Walks every Thursday evening thereafter during the summer.

* 6 May 2007: Bartlow; Three Counties charity walk: 2, 8 or 13 mile routes. £10 entry minimum, for the Lewin Stroke Unit at Addenbrookes Hospital and Bartlow St Mary's Church Restoration Fund. Registration 9.30 to 10.30 at the village paddock. See the Bartlow village website for more details.
* 20 May 2007: Oxfam walk :
This year is the 40th anniversary of this walk which raises about £50,000 with some 1500 walkers. It starts and finishes at Stourbridge Common, Cambridge, with 4, 9, 13, 17, 23 & 26 mile routes out along the river. To register for the walk go to
www.oxfam.org.uk/walk . There is also a need to recruit over 100 marshals and stewards for a few hours, half a day or even the whole day, and this can be combined with one of the shorter walks - if you can help contact Graham on 01638 604667. Any other information obtainable from Simon Watkins on 01223 526157.

* 2 to 9 June 2007: Walking in Cantabria. Please contact Roger on 01223 842546 or roger.campbell@dsl.pipex.com for latest details.
* 1 July 2007: Summer Outing
        Suffolk coastal path taking in Dunwich, Walberswick and Southwold. An interesting and picturesque area with easy terrain. 10 or 13 mile walks or a shorter stroll. Coach leaves Harvey Road at 8.30 a.m. sharp, returning to Cambridge by 8 p.m. To book please send cheque for £12, payable to Cambridge Rambling Club, to George, 12 Chedworth Street, Cambridge, CB3 9JF (tel 01223 301615).

* 3 to 18 July 2007:  Italian Dolomites.
     So far there are 6 takers. Stansted to Venice Ryan Air. Feder 3-17 July, Venice 17-18 July.  2star family run hotel in tiny village on south facing slopes. Good food, approx £355 half board, £421 full board. Car hire dependent on numbers c £75. Excellent paths rising from c.500 to 1300 metres; wonderful flowers. Contact Vivien 01223 246041.
* 31 August to 7 September 2007: Lake District Week  Grasmere Butharlyp Y.H.
        We still have 12 spaces left on the popular Lakes weekend in September, of which 6 are in 2 bedded rooms. Cost is £16.50 per night in dorms, £37.50 per night for a 2 bedded room. Please note this does not include transport which is undertaken personally. Anyone interested please contact Chris Browne a.s.a.p for more details. At this stage, £55 per head deposit is needed - would those who have already paid a £5 deposit please send Chris a further £50 by cheque payable to the Club a.s.a.p.
*** 16 September 2007: 80th Birthday Celebration***
        This year the club is 80 years young and your committee is planning a party to which all members are welcome. Full details are on the enclosed leaflet. For those travelling from afar, there is a Travel Lodge opposite the college and various B&B's locally. 'We are seeking photos/slides/cine film of club activities, the older the better, to display at this function. Anyone willing to make these available on the day please contact John Pym.
* 28 to 30 September 2007: Skipton, Yorkshire Dales, coach weekend.
        Coach leaves Ely 5.15 p.m.  Cambridge St. Johns Innovation Centre 6 p.m.
2 night Bed & Breakfast plus evening meal on Saturday at Rendezvous Hotel. Cost £120 for weekend, with £30 supplement for single rooms. 1 double room remaining, 5 singles and a number of twins- anyone who would like a single room, please contact Chris a.s.a.p. as we may hand some rooms back to the hotel if they do not fill up. To reserve a place please send a deposit of £30, (single rooms £60), to Chris. Cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club please.
* 28 to 30 March 2008: Ventnor Isle of Wight coach weekend.
        We now have confirmation of a booking for the Best Western Ventnor Towers Hotel for the above weekend. The coach will leave Ely at 10.15 a.m., and St. John's at 11 a.m. The cost will be £145 for the weekend including Dinner, Bed & Breakfast on both nights. Accommodation will be largely in double and twin rooms. There will only be 1 or 2 single rooms available and single accommodation cannot be guaranteed - we will assess need nearer the time for anyone who may have a valid medical need. To reserve a place please send a deposit of £30 to Chris. Cheques payable to Cambridge Rambling Club please. This promises to be a very popular trip and early booking is advised.
* 14 to 27 August 2008: Route St. Jacques France- Ramblers Holidays Ltd
        As some of you may know, Chris also doubles as a leader for Ramblers Holidays Ltd in his spare time!! One of the most popular walks in the brochure is the route St. Jacques, grade D, a continuous walk from Le Puy to Conques with transported baggage. The total mileage is around 125 miles, with daily mileages of 10-15. The longest day is 17 miles. Subject to 16-20 people committing to the tour, Ramblers are prepared to allocate the departure planned for the 14th August 2008 solely to our group. Chris is available to lead, and if there are adequate numbers, there will be a 5% discount on the 2008 brochure price. By way of a guide-this year's price is £850 for the 2 weeks, half board. Further details may be found in the current Ramblers brochure, or at
http://www.ramblersholidays.co.uk/Default.asp. We have until autumn to tie this up, but early confirmations would help decide if there will be enough interest. Please contact Chris a.s.a.p. if you would like to reserve a provisional place at this early stage.

Hostel Weekends ; Hostel weekends are relatively informal affairs, with walks on Saturday and Sunday and overnight accommodation on Friday and Saturday. Trips a long way from Cambridge are often for 3 nights or more. 'A' walks are guaranteed, with around 6 hours walking; 'B' walks depend on a volunteer leader. 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 well in advance as the full balance must be paid 8 weeks before the trip. If you can offer to drive or want a lift please let Jill know. You are very welcome to book your own B&B or hotel and join us on walks.

* Pembrokeshire Coast backpacking : Friday 25th May to Thursday 31st May – Bank Holiday (6 nights)

Fairly energetic inter-hostel backpacking, but a 'Coast Hopper' bus may help and take the strain!. Call Jill for details of waiting list.

* Alstonefield YH near Dovedale : Friday 13th to Sunday 15th July (2 nights)

We have sole use of this very smart newly-converted barn, with 20 places in total. Call Jill for waiting list. Just £20 a head for the weekend. Self-catering, but 2 pubs close by.

* Litton Cheney YH, near the Dorset coast : Thurs 9th to Sun 12th August (3 nights)

This well-modernised self-catering hostel, next to the village pub, is close to the Dorset beaches, so expect some excellent coastal walking. We've booked 14 places. Cost per person per night is £13 - so £39 for the 3 nights.

* Coalport YH, Ironbridge Shropshire : Friday 12th to Sunday 14th October (2 nights)

Set in the heart of the Industrial Revolution, the surrounding Shropshire countryside is delightful and you can combine a visit to this award-winning museum complex with 2 days of excellent walks. The cost for 2 nights stay is £31. Meals available or nearby pubs. There are 2 two-bedded rooms for the first applicants!

* East Meon, South Downs Hampshire 'Wetherdon', an independent hostel: Fri 8th to Sun 11th November (2)

Searching for a new venue for our November trip, we have booked at this eco-friendly independent hostel right next to the South Downs Way in Hampshire. The cost is £35 for 2 nights, including a buffet breakfast and all bed linen and towels. You can find details on the independent hostels website.

* Rent a hostel at Blaxhall YH, Suffolk : Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd February, 2008 (2 nights)

We have sole use of this comfortable hostel near Snape and Aldeburgh. 'B' leaders wanted! Cost £25 a head.

* Streatley YH, Friday 7th to Sunday 9th March 2008 (2 nights)

Streatley offers excellent walking in the Thames valley. Prices for 2008 have yet to be confirmed but are likely to be £30 per person for the weekend. Food available at the hostel or in nearby pubs.

News and Notices


* 'C' Walkers news - Messages from Sheila.
 Sad news: Suzanne Smith.  A large contingent from the Club attended the recent funeral of our late friend from Gt Gransden. Suzanne will be sadly missed by us all, especially for her knowledge of birds and plants. Her husband Claude, to whom we send our sincere condolences, has said that he may join us again sometime in the future and we look forward to that.
London Amble 11 March. A wonderful day was had on and around Hampstead Heath including a visit to Kenwood House. Unfortunately Pam fell early in the walk and fractured an ankle. She is now recuperating at home and we wish her a speedy recovery. Thanks to Ken and Thelma for organising the outing and to Joan and Myrtle for looking after Pam.
Lunchtimes. We have had the great pleasure of members, who for various reasons are unable to walk, joining us for lunch at the public houses. This has made lunch times even more enjoyable. PLEASE continue to come whenever you can as I cannot stress how much we all look forward to seeing you all.

* Tony Palmer woodland memorial. Further to the collection announced in the Club's last newsletter, the Woodland Trust has now planted 32 trees in memory of Tony Palmer at Cow Hollow Wood, Waterbeach. The original certificate has been sent to his sister, Mary, who replied on the family's behalf: "I am writing to say how touched we all are that you still think enough of him to make this special donation. I know that many of you already gave to MSF and this is another act of generosity and friendship. He would have been so pleased to think of those trees being planted in his name. Once again I thank you all for being such good friends to him."

* Club e-mail system. This is working well and speeds up communication. If you would like to be added to the list please e-mail Chris Browne at browneace@screaming.net.
* Archivist. A volunteer(s) is still required to take over these duties from Ailsa. Anyone interested in this fascinating role please let John Pym know.
* Accommodation. :  Southern France, Barjac (Gard). Auberge with B & B or half board. Walking/Cycling- Pont du Gard-Nimes-Millau Viaduct, River Gorges all within easy reach. Gourmet cuisine very reasonable. Double half board 63 euros per day ( 2006 ). Details from John tel 01223 843717.
  Malvern Hills. Stone barn recently converted into a holiday let. Dating from c1850's, built of Malvern stone restored to a light, open, airy style on 3 levels. Gas c.h., tiled and wooden floors and white walls interspersed with pine beams and black ironwork. Outstanding view of hills and many attractive walks. For further information see website www.rhyddbarn.co.uk or contact Rosemary e-mail roseyboaz@gmail.com

* Sunday 'B' Programme Secretary: Welcome to Sally, who has taken over the role of programme secretary for the Sunday 'B' group from Chris. And thanks to Chris too!
* Wimpole Hall now has a £2 car parking charge if you don't have a National Trust card to display.

* Next Newsletter - contributions welcome.
        Any items to be included in the next newsletter should be sent to John Pym by 20 July.