eBoot - July 2015

This month’s edition includes: • Coach trip - 6 September • Big Pathwatch 2015 • A Week in the Lake District • Bristol Walking Festival 2015 • Notices • Cereal Balls • Just a Tick • Tide Times • Ordnance Survey Maps • Planning and Environment • Wanderlust • Forthcoming walks • Commercial corner Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/bristolramblersgroup/

Guest Editor

Tony Parsons is the editor for this edition and the August edition. Please send any contributions for the August edition (including walk descriptions) to Tony.

Coach trip - Dart Valley, 6 September

After the sell-out trip to the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, the second coach trip of the year will offer linear walks in the Dart Valley, South Devon, on Sunday, 6 September. There will be three routes, with the approximate lengths being 14, 11 and 8 miles.

The coach will depart from the centre of Bristol at 8am, and tickets will be £13 (plus some modest ferry charges for some of the walks).

The walks will pass though some lovely villages and vantage-points overlooking the beautiful River Dart and the estuary, and if we are blessed with good weather, it should provide a glorious day’s outing. The longer walks will both begin in Totnes, progressing along the Dart Valley Trail, before going their respective ways at delightful Dittisham. In the meanwhile, the shorter walk will begin at Kingswear, travelling in the reverse direction. There will be some ferry-crossings for some of the walkers: this should hopefully add to the pleasures and interest of the day. We will end up in Dartmouth town, with the opportunity to savour some of its delights before heading back home.

The trip has been advertised across the Avon area and is now filling up fast so early booking is recommended. If you are interested, please contact [email protected].

1

Big Pathwatch 2015

The latest edition of the Avon Area News contains an article about this national survey of our rights of way network, which has been launched by the national Ramblers. Further information will be published in the summer edition of Walk magazine, and details are at www.ramblers.org.uk/BigPathwatch We would urge you to consider taking part by surveying one or more kilometer squares in the Avon area - note that you are not restricted to choosing squares within the Bristol boundary. If successful, the exercise will make a major contribution to protecting the quality of the network of rights of way.

A week in the Lake District

At the end of May, 23 members of the Group enjoyed a week of walking in the Lake District. The party was based in Keswick, and Nigel Andrews and John Wrigley provided a choice of excellent walks throughout the week. The weather was mixed, but the walking was only seriously affected on one day and the week was packed with high points, altitudinally, aesthetically and physically.

Bristol Walks Festival 2015

The UK’s largest walking festival took place from 1st – 31st May this year. Over 170 walks were planned in and around the city aimed at getting people involved in healthy activities and learning about local history and nature. It was also the opportunity to establish new walks, such as the Compass Walk - linking the NW, NE, SW and SE suburbs of Bristol to the City Centre - and the Bristol South Skyline walk.

Special thanks go to Ben Mackay, Wendy Britton, Stephen Draper, Keith Budd, Gwyneth Littlejohn, Tony Kerr, Julie Boston, Roger Griffiths, and Margaret Blake all of whom led walks. It is estimated that there were 3,000 participants in the walks festival, many of whom had not taken part in the previous years’ programmes.

Building on this increased enthusiasm and interest, work is already underway for Bristol Walks Fest 2016. Bristol Ramblers will continue to be a partner in this event which is now an established fixture in Bristol’s calendar. Look out for how you can help or participate in future editions of E boot.

If you want to find out more about this year’s Walk Fest the Evaluation report, once completed, will be on our website.

2

Notices

Ramblers Volunteer Development Day

Central Office has arranged a Development Day, to take place on 4 July in Bristol. Free sessions are available on a range of topics. See http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ramblers-volunteer-development-day- bristol-tickets-14651235239 for details.

Portway closures

The Portway is occasionally closed for events such as the Bristol half- marathon. As part of the Green Capital programme, it has been agreed that on these occasions the road will remain closed, to allow walkers and cyclists the opportunity to enjoy traffic-free walking/cycling. Remaining date this year is 13 September: see http://portwaysundaypark.co.uk/

If any Ramblers wanted to submit activities to be included in the programme, the website facilitates that. It is already proposed that there will be a number of guided and self-guided walks to introduce people to the paths from the Gorge up to the Downs and to Blaise and there are opportunities to make quite long circular walks, using the Portway.

The organisers are encouraging friends and supporters to find ways to make use of these rare opportunities to experience the Gorge in peace and quiet. And they are looking for volunteer marshals for each day, in case any Ramblers might be nursing a bad knee and need a day off!

Cereal Balls

Wendy has provided this recipe for cereal balls, an alternative to cereal bars which she recommends for walkers. This recipe makes approximately 30 golf ball sized balls.

250g Butter 500g oat flakes (coarse or fine) 500g dried dates, or prunes, chopped 3 eggs Additions if wished: 2 handfuls finely chopped nuts (any sort) 1 -2 handfuls of raisins to add sweetness (not needed really). Possibly a table spoon of runny honey or else yoghurt to make the ‘dough’ more ‘sticky’

Mix the eggs with the chopped dates (use hands!). Mix the melted butter with the oats (use hands, nice and messy). Then mix everything together and add nuts. Dough should be fairly sticky but workable now. Form little balls or other fancy shapes and put on greased baking tray.

Off into the oven: 20 minutes at 170 degrees, or 15 min at 200 degrees. Enjoy!!

3

Just a Tick

We are now in the season when ticks are around. For further information on ticks see http://www.pressreader.com/uk/scottish-daily- mail/20150611/282187944640879/TextView

For advice on tick removal see http://www.cdc.gov/lyme/removal/

Tide Times

Sometimes when planning a coastal walk it is nice to know the time of high tide. Whilst such information can be found on the internet (e.g. https://www.tidetimes.org.uk) the information is only for a few days ahead. In the reference library of Bristol Central Library there is a book of tide tables giving information for all the year. Ask at the counter to see it.

Ordnance Survey Maps

You can now buy OS Explorer Outdoor Leisure maps, on your mobile phone. See https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/download-included.html

Planning and Environment

South Purdown

South Purdown is a beautiful public green space home to many protected species. Bristol council is planning to start works on South Purdown in October 2015 to level the fields and build sports facilities for Fairfield High School. As well as the wildlife being under threat, public access will be lost and footpaths re-routed. South Purdown is an important wildlife corridor and joins onto Purdown and Stoke Park. For further details and the option to petition see http://friendsofsouthpurdown.weebly.com/ There will be a meeting to explain the proposals at Eastville Library at 7.00pm on the 30th June.

Re-opening the Portishead Branch Line: Have your say

Proposals to re-open the Portishead branch line as part of the MetroWest phase 1 rail project have reached a major milestone, as statutory consultation on the proposals begins. There will be several exhibitions with the first on Thursday 2 July, 2pm-7.30pm at the Engine Shed, Station Approach, Temple Meads. For further details see http://travelwest.info/project/portishead-branch-line-consultation

4

Residents Parking Zones

RPZ’s will start soon in St Pauls, Montpelier, Southville and Bedminster East. As yet there is no information on when the revised parking restrictions on Clifton Downs will start. When the arena opens near Temple Meads there will probably be an RPZ in Totterdown. See http://www.southbristolvoice.co.uk/residents-parking-june-2015.html

The Vale

Three new villages - comprising of 4,500 homes - could be built on green belt land in North Somerset. Developer Taylor Wimpey has set out its vision for a new development, which will be known as The Vale, on a 305 hectare site on the edge of North Somerset. The site is bounded to the east by south Bristol and to the west by the A370 Long Ashton bypass and Barrow Tanks. See http://www.northsomersetmercury.co.uk/Vision-new-villages-North- Somerset-green-belt/story-26713073-detail/story.html

Wanderlust - a history of walking

Rebecca Solnit is an American writer. She writes from a generally left-of- centre and feminist perspective. See what you think.

On wandering, physically and mentally. Of course, walking inevitably leads to other subjects. Walking is a subject that is always straying. Into, for example, the shooting stars below the missile guidance station in the northern headlands of the Golden Gate. They are my favourite wild flower, these small magenta cones with their sharp black cones that seem aerodynamically shaped for a flight that never comes, as though they had evolved forgetful of the fact that flowers have stems and stems have roots. The chaparral on both sides of the trail, watered by the condensation of the ocean fog through the dry months and shaded by the slope’s northern exposure, was lush. While the missile guidance station on the crest always makes me think of the desert and of war, these banks below always remind me of English hedgerows, those field borders with their abundance of plants, birds, and that idyllic English kind of countryside. There were ferns here, wild strawberries, and, tucked under a coyote bush, a cluster of white iris in bloom.

On having one’s truck stolen. She wasn’t all that sorry it was gone. There was a joy, she said, to finding that her body was adequate to get her where she was going, and it was a gift to develop a more tangible and concrete relationship to her neighbourhood and its residents. We talked about the more stately sense of time one has afoot and on public transit, where things must be planned and scheduled beforehand, rather than rushed through at the last minute, and about the sense of place that can only be gained on foot. Many people nowadays live in a series of interiors - home, car, gym, office,

5 shops - disconnected from each other. On foot, everything stays connected, for while walking one lives in the whole world rather than in interiors built up against it.

Rebecca Solnit, Verso Press

Forthcoming walks

Full details of the walks programme are in the published programme and on our website and also on the national Ramblers Walkfinder. Further information about some walks is set out below.

1 July - Freshford to Avoncliff (6 miles) For this themed Wessex Wanderer Railway Walk take the 10.49 from Bristol Temple Meads to Freshford (arrives at 11.16) for a gentle LINEAR walk of 5 or 6 miles that includes a visit to Iford Manor Gardens – Free to Historic Houses Association members – cost is £5.50 for adults and £5 concessions) Look at the website for further details www.ifordmanor.co.uk The walk finishes at Avoncliff and the return train departs at 15.53. Please buy a return ticket to Avoncliff and alight at Freshford in the morning. Please bring a packed lunch. Please check the website at www.wessexrailwaywalks.org.uk for further details.

4 July - Pen y Fan full moon walk (B hill walk, 12 miles) Meet at the Water Tower on the Downs at 23:59 on the Saturday night. We will head for the Brecon Beacons National Park where, with the light of the full moon, we walk the classic horseshoe of the four peaks (Corn Du, Pen y Fan, Cribyn, Fan y Big). We aim to be at the summit of Pen y Fan for sunrise (04:30). Breakfast at end of walk. This walk is very much ‘weather dependant’ and won’t go ahead in the event of rain/strong winds/cloud cover. Please ensure you contact the leader on Saturday morning for confirmation (Martin Summerell 07973 353512). Bring a torch and a spare.

5 July - Heddon’s mouth (A walk, 15 miles) A fine coastal walk, starting at Combe Martin. Cliff tops, punctuated by sharp descents and ascents (including the highest point on the South West Coast Path) where streams reach the sea. Pub stop at the Hunter’s Inn. Be prepared for a lengthy drive to get there.

5 July – Cirencester (B walk, 13 miles) This is a walk taking in the interesting town of Cirencester, through some of the neighbouring valleys and through part of Cirencester Park. Part of the route is on the Macmillan Way and another part on the Monarch’s Way. The lunch stop is at North Cerney a village with an interesting church. There are no steep climbs making it an ideal walk for those who have spent the previous night on the Brecon Beacons.

6

7 July - Sculptures of Central Bristol and Historic Old Market (4 m) We will meet in the middle of Queen Square at 18.30 for an evening walk near the river, across Castle Park and into the Old Market area for a tour of its many historic and fascinating buildings, before taking a different route back to Queen Square, viewing more sculptures as we walk. Optional drink at a local hostelry.

8 July - Weymouth circular (10 miles) This Wessex Wanderer Railway Walk is another opportunity to enjoy a visit to the seaside. Take the 08.41 train from Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth (arrives at 11 0’clock) for a walk along the South West Coast Path, the Rodwell trail, Ferrybridge, Charlestown, and Radipole Lake to returning to Weymouth. This walk is a 10 mile circular walk. The return train is at 17.30. Please check the website at www.wessexrailwaywalks.org.uk for further details.

11 July - Severn Beach circular (10 miles) This is a Wessex Wanderer Railway Walk visiting a seaside with a difference. On arrival of the Weymouth train at BTM at 09.05 we catch the 09.16 train to Severn Beach seeing urban Bristol, Avonmouth (and its industry) and arriving at Severn Beach at 09.53. This is a 10 mile circular walk which goes inland via Northwick to Aust and returning via Old Passage and New Passage back to Severn Beach. The return train departs Severn Beach at 15.54 to Bristol Temple Meads. Please bring a packed lunch. Please check the website at www.wessexrailwaywalks.org.uk for further details.

12 July - Holford and Triscombe (A walk, 14 miles) The walk starts from Holford and heads through Alfoxton Park towards Smith’s Combe. This is followed by a steady climb to the summit of Beacon Hill. We then head south along the crest of the Quantocks to Crowcombe Gate from where we descend to Triscombe and lunch. A steep climb takes us to the summit of Wills Neck before the easier walk to Black Hill and the beautiful and gradual descent to Holford. This is a standard A walk with no particular difficulties.

12 July - Willsbridge, Hanham lock (B walk, 10 miles) This will be a fairly easy walk of about 10 miles. We will be walking through the Willsbridge Mill nature reserve, then through fields to Bitton to join part of the Monarchs way to the River Avon. The lunch stop will be by the river at the Chequers, Hanham. We then head a little further along the river towards Bristol before climbing up through the woods and heading back to Hanham court and through fields back to Willsbridge.

7

15 July - Upwey circular (10 miles) This is the last walk of the Wessex Wanderer Railway Walk of the 1st half of the 2015 season. Take the 08.41 train from Bristol Temple Meads to Upwey (arrives at 10.55) for a 10 mile circular walk to Hardy Monument. Please bring a packed lunch. The return train back leaves at 17.35. Please check the website at www.wessexrailwaywalks.org.uk for further details. (NB no more Wessex Wander walks until Thursday 4 September 2015 due to engineering works in the Bath Spa and surrounding areas with the electrification).

19 July - Sewell Wood (B hill walk, 13 miles) Starting by the alms houses, west end of Marshfield, we make our way along the High Street (loo stop) before descending down to Denscombe Brook. From there to Euridge Manor Farm via Marshfield Wood, Lucknam Park & Thickwood. A descent into the valley bottom is followed by a long ascent up to Colerne for our lunch stop at the church – lots of benches. The pub stop is the walker friendly community pub (Fox & Hounds) in Colerne. After lunch down into the valley to pass between Ryder’s Wood & Stowell Wood then up to The Oaks Farm. We return to Marshfield passing Pixtons Green & West Lodge. 1400 ft. of ascent.

21 July – Shirehampton (6 miles) Meet at 18.30 at Shirehampton Green. This walk takes in local downs and riverside and possibly a visit to the Lamplighters pub.

22 July - Box Circular (B walk, 5.5 miles) Meeting at 10.00am at Selwyn Hall Car Park. This is an undulating Cotswold walk which follows some of the MacMillan Way. We start by soon passing Peter Gabriel of Genesis recording studios and follow the Bybrook river across water meadows. We ascend some steep lanes and paths up to Box Common with good views, through woods passing old stone quarries. We follow farmland footpaths to Chapel Plaister and the tiny 13th century pilgrim’s chapel. Our route then takes us down the drive of Hazelbury Manor, a 15th century Fortified Manor House. We then take woodland paths up to the small hamlet of Henley and back down to Box along the MacMillan Way with lovely Cotswold views.

22 July River Frome Walkway Plus (B walk 8 miles) A pleasant walk following the River Frome from the centre visiting Eastville Park, Stoke Park Estate and St. Werburghs.

26 July Blorenge & Mynydd Garn Wen Linear (16 miles)

This outing is a first for the Group – a linear hill walk using the train. Please note the earlier meeting time of 7.45 at Great George Street. This should ensure that we arrive at Pontypool and New Inn station in good time to catch the 09.06 train to Abergavenny. The train journey takes nine minutes and our walk back to Pontypool will take somewhat longer. It starts with the direct ascent of Blorenge which is steep and long. We then head over to Blaenavon before a woodland descent to Cwm Afon. 8

After an easy stroll along the cycle path another steep climb takes us to the ridge near Mynydd Garnclochdy from where we descend to meet an old friend – the Goose and Cuckoo! After lunch we’re soon climbing again, this time to Mynydd Garn-wen. We then follow the ridge southwards to return to the cars. This walk is in the middle of the hill walk grade, mainly due to the long early climb. The train fare is £4.80. Unfortunately it is not possible to do the whole journey from Bristol by train this early on a Sunday morning.

29 July - Castle Combe & Biddestone (Midweek 'A' 15 miles) A long stroll thru' pretty countryside & quintessentially delightful villages via fields, woodlands & streams - If the sun shines, there are some idyllic settings to be had.....!

9 August – Meander to Cheddar (B walk, 12 miles) Yvonne and Susan will be leading the second part of their exploration of the West Mendips from Wells to the sea. This stage starts from a car park above Ebbor Gorge. Fine views are a major feature of this walk, which takes in a succession of grassy nature reserves. The route descends to Westbury-sub-Mendip and Rodney Stoke, with a climb back up the scarp slope from there. There will be another, more gradual ascent after lunch in Cheddar and then a return over Westbury Beacon. There is very little shade, so bring a hat and plenty of water if it is hot.

26 August - Goblin Combe and Corporation Woods (B walk, 5.5 miles) A forest full of rock faces gives a walk of crag tops and hollows.

Commercial corner

Ramblers Holidays (and Ramblers Holidays Worldwide) is the Ramblers holiday walking partner. If you book a holiday with Ramblers Holidays, this Group will receive a contribution if you let them know that you are a Bristol Ramblers member (£10 for UK holidays, £20 for short haul, £30 for long haul). See www.ramblersholidays.co.uk/page/thewalkingpartnership.

Note that this has no impact on the price you pay for the holiday.

Discounts for Ramblers members Most outdoor gear shops offer discounts to Ramblers members. Cotswold Outdoor is the Ramblers national sponsor, and their discount is 15%. Taunton Leisure sponsors this local Group, and also offer 15% discounts, rising to 20% at their regular special events: see the Walks Programme for dates.

Oswald Bailey The shop at 61 The Horsefair in Bristol is having a closing down sale with 50% discounts.

9

10