Cambridge Rambling Club - Autumn 2007 Newsletter
Future Activities
31 August to 7 September 2007: Lake District Week Grasmere Butharlyp Y.H.
At the time of writing we have 6 spaces remaining at Grasmere. Would anyone who has not yet paid the balance of £60.50 let Chris have a cheque payable to the club immediately. It MAY still be possible to accept late bookings - please ring Chris for more information.
Skipton
Coach Weekend 28th September
We
still have 2 single rooms (£150) and a small number of twin
room places (£120) available for the Rendezvous Hotel at
Skipton. Absolute Final Booking date 31st August, by which time
please ensure you have sent to Chris the balance of your booking and
car registration details. Ring Chris for more details
Ventnor,
Isle of Wight Coach weekend 28th March 2008
We
have already allocated over half the places for the Isle of Wight
next year, so it appears tickets will go quickly. Total cost £145
including transport and 2 nights D, B and B. Deposits of £30 to
Chris to secure a place - don't be disappointed!
Route
St Jacques - France - with Ramblers Holidays - 14th August 2008
Chris
is currently negotiating with Ramblers Holidays to run a private
group to do this continuous 14 day walk from Le Puy to Conques in
France. It is a 126 mile linear walk with transported baggage, and
will attract a 5% discount against the normal price if we can put
together a group of 16 people. Whilst some 6-7 members have expressed
interest, we now need to firm up numbers before the end of October to
ensure we can retain our slot. If you are seriously interested,
please let Chris have a deposit of £100 payable to C P Browne
asap. Feel free to ring Chris for more details.
27
November 2007
AGM
New Venue this year
The
Annual General Meeting will this year be held at the Wesley Church,
junction of King Street and Short Street in Cambridge, starting
at 7.45pm. Please note change of venue.
12
December 2007: Wednesday 'A' Walkers' Christmas Lunch
This
will again be held at the 'George and Dragon', Elsworth. There will
be a short walk in the morning followed by lunch at 1.00pm. The cost
is £17 for a 3 course meal with coffee. Please give/send a
deposit of £5 to Norman, by 18 September..
27
March to 29 March 2009: Forest of Dean, coach weekend
Advance
notice of our return to this wonderful hotel and walking area – by
popular demand!
80th Anniversary Celebration, Hills Road 6th Form College 16th September, 4-8pm
If you have not yet purchased a ticket, please note the closing date is 26 August. Tickets are available from the General Secretary, Gillian, or the Programme Secretaries and cost just £5. You are welcome to arrive from 4.00pm and a buffet meal will be served from 5.00pm. Tea and coffee will be served but you are welcome to bring any other drinks and glasses. Parking is available at the College approached from Purbeck Road. Signage will direct you to the hall. There will be three separate walks on the day: 'A' led by Jill,'B' led by Roger and 'C' led by George. Please see your walk card. Please note: anyone with special dietary requirements please contact John 01480 380285. There is a no smoking policy throughout the college campus including outdoor areas.
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. And you are very welcome to book your
own B&B or hotel and join us on walks.
* 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. 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. Please book by 20th August; phone Jill first before sending any money after this date.
* East Meon, South Downs Hampshire – ‘Wetherdon’, an independent hostel: Fri 9th to Sun 11th November 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. Closing date for bookings 15th September.
* 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 for 2 nights. The hostel is self catering.
* 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. Closing date 10th January
*
Kings YH, near Dolgellau, north Wales, Bank Holiday w/e Thursday 1st
May to Monday 5th
May (4 nights)
Set
at the foot of Cader Idris, close to the coast and Barmouth, we have
re-booked at this isolated hostel in north Wales. We have booked
evening meals to avoid a long drive each evening! Closing
date 3rd
March
* St Cuthbert's Way (and more) 'light' backpacking: Bank Holiday w/e Friday May 23rd to Thursday 29th May (6 nights)
Many Club members have expressed an interest in walking this beautiful and varied 60 mile route from Melrose in Scotland to Lindisfarne, (Holy Island) and here is your chance! This is a 'light' back-packing tour. We start in Melrose on the Saturday with a day walk to explore the River Tweed west of this historic town with its ruined Abbey. Sunday, sees our first stretch of the route but with a daypack, as we take a bus back to Melrose in the evening. We leave Melrose on Monday with our packs, first taking the bus east and then walking through to remote Kirk Yetholm hostel (but next door to a pub/hotel). The third day on the Way sees us cross the head of the Pennines over to Wooler in England. We can leave our kit here on the fourth day as we walk through to the coast by Lindisfarne. We may be able to walk over on the tidal causeway today otherwise this will be done on the Wednesday, as we have booked a second night at Wooler. Then we can either walk up the coast path back to Berwick and a train home or return to Melrose for our transport. Please send a deposit for £10 to Jill to reserve a place.
News
and Notices:
Condolences
Sadly,
Alf Cutter died on 5th June. Alf was a loyal member of the Wednesday
'B' Group; both he and his wife Peggy have regularly walked with
us over many years. Alf will be greatly missed and our condolences go
to Peggy. The Club was well represented at his funeral service held
in the URC Chapel at Duxford.
Commiserations
were sent to Ann Childs, our friend in America, whose husband died
recently. Also we are very sad that Muriel Key is no longer with us.
Muriel was a "character" to say the least, and a regular
walker with the Wednesday 'B's. She passed away on 24th
July and will be missed by us all. Muriel was 87 and a dear friend
to many still walking and full of beans until very recently.
Mary Scott was a fairly new Club member, but very active with both the Sunday 'A' and 'B' groups. This followed her recent partial retirement remaining a librarian but retiring from another job as a children's nurse at Addenbookes, giving Mary free Sundays. It was very tragic to hear that she was killed in a terrible road accident in Histon when she was knocked off her bicycle by a lorry; Mary was a very competent long-distance cyclist as well as a walker. The Club was represented by several members at her packed funeral in July.
News
from the Wednesday 'C's
Thank
you everyone for my being able to complete the list for September to
December walks in record time! Derwent warrants a special
'thank you' as he is leading three walks. What would we do
without him! Irene, Zoe, Vera and Arthur have all joined us sometimes
for lunch only. Please keep coming. Alan and Joan, Gwen and Neville,
(our Treasurer for many years), Roy and Eileen and Yola and Eric have
purchased tickets for our 80th Anniversary on the 16th September. It
will be like old times to see them all. Happy walking to everyone.
Sheila.
Club
Subscriptions
Annual subscriptions of £4 are due on the 1st November and for those of you who have set up a standing order no further action is required, a programme will be sent to you in December. It would be of great help if everyone paid by Standing Order, where possible, as problems are being met keeping accurate records when members pay by cash. A form can be obtained from the Treasurer, Simon or through your Programme Secretary. If you really need to pay by cheque, please send it to the General Secretary, Gillian. Please, please also avoid paying cash to Club officers. Thank you for your help.
Dawn
writes: I
have found a super walking holiday 'Walking in Petra' 7 days £695,
March 11th
2008 with Voyages Jules Verne and wonder if other walkers may be
interested?
Committee Meeting
The next Committee meeting, for those involved, is on Tuesday November 13th at the Wesley Church.