North Wales Rambler Walks restarting after lockdown
Paths have become overgrown during lockdown. Footpath secretary Joanna Slattery snappped this beautiful Great Orme silver-studded Ron Williams suggests taking secateurs, and maybe a folding saw, blue butterfly during a quiet June. on your walks in order to do a bit of light clearance on your recce or as you go. It can make a difference! (photos: RW). Ron’s report is on N JUNE North Wales Area should have been hosting the Big page 4. IWelsh Walk, centred on Chirk Castle - see the last newsletter dated December . Planning for that now seems a lifetime ago. It is only now in late July / early August that organised walkers are emerging, blinking, into the light following revised guidance from government and the Ramblers. Of course it was possible to go walking during lockdown ‘for exercise’ but many of us miss the companionship of walking with a group. ere is no printed programme at present, so planned walks will have to be advertised using the national website, social media and email. Members are asked to keep up to date their friends who are not “connected” in this way. Although restrictions on organised walks have been loosened we are in a very fluid situation, with fresh restrictions already seen in certain areas. It is always advisable to check the latest guidance on the Ramblers’ website. e link for this is given below, but you can easily navigate there from the home page by selecting Volunteer zone and then Coronavirus is year also sees significant changes in the Ramblers’ arrange- advice. ments for insurance covering organised activities, including e key points are currently (as at Aug): both walks and path work. See Joanna’s note on page . • Group sizes are restricted to a maximum of , and your Ed. group may choose to limit the size further to keep everyone Link to latest Ramblers advice and guidance : safe. https://www.ramblers.org.uk/volunteer-zone/coronavirus/ • You’ll need to physically distance from anyone not in your volunteering.aspx household. Link to current Ramblers’ insurance arrangements for organised • Before you start out on your walk, you’ll be asked to register activities: your contact details with your walk leader. https://www.ramblers.org.uk/volunteer-zone/support-and- • Please also keep up to date and follow any local lockdown development/ restrictions in your area.
Newsletter of Ramblers North Wales Area August 2020 www.ramblersnorthwales.org.uk Secretary’s report
HAT an extraordinary year! To be publicised by the group. Not all walks easing and there are things we can all do Wstart we had two major storms during this time will be on the national now: causing chaos including washing away walk lists (GWEM) but they should be • Walks with people from our own the Miner’s Bridge near Betws y Coed on the group website and/ or the group’s ‘household’ and walks (staying and then the Covid Lockdown!! Facebook (or other social media). oudoors) with friends and family. Our very deepest sympathies go to Most people felt their leaders and • Recce walks you might like to share in any members who have lost family mem- groups would not want to rush into the future bers or friends over the recent period to restarting walks as soon as walks are • Take secateurs with you when you whatever cause. I’m sure we have all said allowed. Some felt they were unlikely to walk so you can cut back brambles and continue to say a huge thank you to restart until they were able to organise and small obstacles and report bigger all health and care workers, key workers walks in a similar way as we did before path problems and any unofficial and everyone who kept food on our the pandemic. closures tables and essential services going. ere are a number of reasons for Please keep checking the Ramblers’ It has been challenging in so many caution: and Welsh government’s Covid advice so different ways but many of us now • We do not know what restrictions you know the latest on what is permitted. know our local paths better than ever. may be imposed on us, nor when. Welsh Government latest advice: Hopefully some have made careful use of • Risks from Covid remain, especially https://gov.wales/coronavirus secateurs to help keep them easy to use to leaders and walkers who are over Ramblers latest guidance: for others as well. I have enjoyed getting or who have health issues them- https://www.ramblers.org.uk/volunteer- closer to our wildlife like the Great Orme selves or amongst family members. zone/coronavirus/volunteering silver-studded blue that I saw on a walk • Organising walks will be more com- Walks programme there in June (photo, p.). plicated, with risk assessments and ere is no General Council report registers needed and booking likely. We hope the next Combined Walk or Welsh Council report as these meet- • Walks will need extra planning. Programme(CWP) Winter to summer ings were postponed. If you signed up for Any leaders thinking about planning will come out as usual but we can’t training sessions that have been cancelled a group walk to take place this year begin to collect walks until walking or postponed look out for rearranged and maybe even next year will need to groups have restarted so it might have to dates or get in touch with any particular think about measures that make social start later than usual to allow time to get requests. e Big Welsh Walk planned distancing easier and reduce the risk of all the information in. from Chirk has also been cancelled for the transmission of Covid. ings like ere will be a new look to the CWP, this year. avoiding busy and congested areas, mul- we hope you will be happy with it but we As I get back into longer more chal- tiple stiles and narrow footpaths; using may need to make small adjustments so lenging walks I know I will have to take booking to limit numbers; having some please let me know if you have any com- time to rebuild strength and stamina walks without lunch breaks; circular or ments. Please think about how we can for long walks in the mountains. e there and back walks so public transport use the CWP to promote Ramblers and possibility of some remote routes having and car sharing are not needed; having walking. One of the reasons for changing become obscured or obstructed could good parking as there may be more cars the information was to make it more also be causing some problems. Many of being used. straight forward for non members to use. you will have missed seeing your friends If it becomes necessary to limit num- Cambrian Way on walks and some Groups have restarted bers on walks, they still have to be open walks, but it may be some time before to all including non-members. People e Cambrian Way is now fully way- others are able to start. Please be patient. were keen that any a booking system marked and the sharp eyed among you We are all volunteers and everyone’s should be fair. Suggestions included using may have spotted some of it featured on circumstances are different. phone booking as not all members use ITV Peoples Postcode lottery adverts. ere is no second Combined Walk the internet or platforms like facebook; It has been an interesting side effect Programme (CWP) this year. We are all not allowing multiple booking to try to to the lockdown that we have been able to keen to see group walks and footpath share around places; try to make sure enjoy the sounds of the countryside even work restart as soon as it is safe and people cancel if they are not going to in the towns and crossing roads was as practical to do so but we have to follow attend; ‘first come first served’ bookings. easy as years ago. It has definitely been Ramblers and Welsh government advice. ose joining walks will need to a short term boost for the environment It is very important that leaders respect social distancing, provide their with pollution levels dropping. If we can feel free to temporarily withdraw from own face covering, hand sanitizer and try to keep up some of the local walking leading whether due to health issues, gloves if wanted. to places like the shops as well as sharing age, what they feel comfortable with All our walk leaders are volunteers. some of our local routes for the next walk or because they prefer to wait until the ey are not responsible if someone programme then we can help continue extra issues/ responsibilities have gone. becomes ill aer going on a walk. ey that benefit. An Area “Zoom” meeting agreed that also cannot be expected to be available I have been very pleased to see that each group will discuss with their own to take bookings at all times so text mes- as well as the tree planting plans there is walk leaders and decide when their group sages may be best. increasing recognition of the importance can restart walks. ese walks will then e good news is that things are of other habitats in storing carbon. Nota-
bly the seagrass meadows, here seeds from the area offPorthdinllaen are being Insurance used to collect seeds for restoring other S ANNOUNCED in the June . Walk leaders need a written risk areas. Also sphagnum moss peatbogs volunteer newsletter a new insur- assessment for each walk. ere is a which are threatened by air pollution, A ance policy has started. e plus side Ramblers template, and it is a fairly drainage and peat harvesting (for gardens is that walk leaders now have personal simple two sheets of A tick list. You so please buy peat free compost). Almost insurance for injuries to themselves on only tick what is relevant. You should all of the carbon absorbed by the moss recces and walks and that the age covered try to minimise a risk you don’t have stays in the peat bed unlike most other is now for walk leaders and other to solve it. e template is available plants including trees where it is released volunteers. via the link (page ) as Word or PDF when they die. Work is being done to e requirements for this policy have e risk assessments should be kept restore peatbogs: in Wales there is a also changed. To be covered: by the walk leader for a year. major restoration project in the Plumli- . All walk leaders must be a recorded as . Walk leaders are strongly recom- mon area with lots of other smaller ones. a volunteer on the Ramblers system. mended to take a register of walkers So next time your tread in a bog over is can be done by each of our walk but this isn't required by the insur- your boot remember what an important programme secretaries sending the ance. It is however currently required job the bog is doing!! names of all their walk leaders to for Covid- as we need to know Joanna Slattery London. In the same way that path who is on walks. e Assemble app [email protected] maintenance team organisers do. provides one way to do this but a written record is also ok. If you take bookings in advance you will have AGM report the details already. If you take a paper register you may retain it for weeks is year’s AGM was attended by members and visitors. Saturday th now, rather than the days required January was incredibly wet and the rain hammered down on the sports hall style by GDPR previously. roof making it hard to hear at times. As a result, this year’s AGM will be at a new Previous requirements that walks are part venue, Tŷ Llywelyn Community Centre, near the back of the Llandudno Hospital. of your group or area programme, are We remembered members who had passed away during the year and the advertised and any incidents are reported contribution they had made. also still apply. e following officers were elected: Walk leaders are still ‘strongly recom- President – Denis McAteer mended’ to recce the route and to have Vice Presidents – Max Grant and Gerald Moss a backmarker, who must be a Ramblers (It was decided to have our own members for this position: people who had made a member. significant contribution to the Ramblers and who wanted to stay in touch) Joanna Slattery Chair – Ron Williams Vice Chair- Simon Longman Treasurer – Jeff Nagle Secretary – Joanna Slattery Area Footpath Secretary – Ron Williams Natural Resources Wales Area Access Secretary – Stan Winstanley Area Statements Membership Secretary – Neville Fernley Countryside Secretary – David Allison RW has produced seven Area Newsletter Editor - Pete Bland NStatements that can now be Representative of Individual Members – Shirley Femor viewed on the Natural Resources Representative of Affiliated Organisations – Margaret Fernley Wales (NRW) website: Publicity & Promoting Walking Secretary- is post is currently vacant, please https://naturalresources.wales/ contact the Chair or Secretary if you are interested in taking up this role. Support about-us/area-statements. would be provided if wanted. ere are separate ones for North Refreshments were provided by Conwy Valley Group and they were thanked East and North West Wales. by the Chair. Margaret Norwood was thanked for having regularly lead the pre ese have been produced fol- AGM walk, in total walks, each one a bit different- a hard act to follow. lowing over two years of work and Chris Hodgson (Ramblers Cymru Chair and Board of Trustees) praised Max consultations. ey aim for sustainable Grant for his past work in Wales and as a national Trustee. Angela Charlton change through collaboration (Director Ramblers Cymru) also thanked Max for the support his background In each Area statement are a knowledge had enabled him to give to staff at Ramblers Cymru number of key themes with proposals. Guest speaker: Chris Potter from the Pilgrim’s Way gave an excellent and ese include ‘Reconnecting people informative presentation and inspired a number of those present to promise them- with nature’ (N. West) and ‘Develop selves they would try to walk(and boat) the mile route from Basingwerk Abbey and improve urban and rural green to Bardsey Island. infrastructure.’ (N.East). ere is a Chris thanked Ramblers members and groups who had been involved in set- feedback section aer each theme and ting up and waymarking the route. An official guide book was produced in . also an email address. eir website is www.pilgrims-way-north-wales.org Further meetings are planned.
From the Area Footpath Secretary
HE lockdown restrictions have problems in a matter of minutes. Any before please get in touch with me. Taffected our footpaths and bridle- cuttings should be le in a safe place as Llangollen ways. e county councils have not been near as possible to where they were cut. able to carry out their normal service. Other problems such as ploughing, e other path is in Llangollen. It is the Some Rights of Way Officers were tempo- cropping, obstructions and issues with track that goes behind the High School. rarily transferred to other departments. gates and stiles should be reported to the is is also very popular with local None were allowed to carry oute site appropriate county council. If you are residents who have used it as both an visits for at least the first two weeks. As unsure of which county council you can access path to Dinas Bran and as part of a the restrictions have been lied the situa- email the details to me and please attach circular walk including the towpath. tion has more or less returned to normal. a photograph. Denbighshire County Council have e lockdown has also had an effect (ron.rambler@gmail.com) supplied Evidence Forms for users to on the state of the paths. ose near and Footpath Claims complete. If you have walked this route around communities have had increased anytime before October and are pre- use while those further away have seen Two popular footpaths in Denbighshire pared to fill in one of these forms again no activity at all. Previously some of are under threat. Both have been walked please contact me. these paths had been well used. is has by local residents for a very long while. My telephone number is particularly true of the promoted routes. e occupiers have now taken steps to Path Claim Successes e general rule is that well-used paths close them. require less maintenance. is means that Meliden North Wales Area have been involved in paths and furniture have been affected by two claims which were taken to public overgrown vegetation, So, what can we is footpath runs from the A just inquiry. In both cases the Inspector help improve these paths? west of the centre of the village near found in our favour, but one is still not Most of the problems especially Clewiston Motors to the disused railway final. See separate reports below. around stiles and gates can easily be line. Denbighshire County Council are solved simply by doing it yourself. I assessing whether to proceed with an Ron Williams would urge members to carry a pair of Order to put this path on the Definitive secateurs and perhaps a small folding Map saw. ese two tools can sort out most If you have walked this route any time
Lixwm claim Flintshire Deganwy level crossing . Although many local residents gave Local residents had been using this path At the foot of Pentywyn Road, opposite evidence at the inquiry of their use of for many years. It was also on maps since the Harbour View chippy,there is a level the crossing over many years, there were before . It was for some reason le off crossing over the branch railway to Llan- legal arguments from Network Rail the Defiinitive Map when it was drawn dudno, It used to lead to the foreshore which sought to discount this evidence. up in the s, possibly because the but now also connects to the walking and ere was also documentation show- parish surveyors thought it was a “road”. cycling route which runs along the estu- ing that the road (now Pentywyn Rd) In the s walkers have found obstruc- ary. e level crossing is handily placed reached the shoreline, pre-railway. tions and have been challenged when between Llandudno Junction and the e Inspector said that the case was trying to use it. Deganwy Marina for local walkers and finely balanced but she agreed that the Witnesses who had freely used the the wider public. crossing was in fact a public footpath, path before (and in some cases Although there has been public on the basis of common law dedication aerwards) without challenge completed access to the shore since the year dot, pre-railway. evidence forms. Flintshire CC eventually and the crossing has been used since the Network Rail appealed the Inspector’s published an Order to add the path as a railway was constructed, the path was not decision and the case came before the Bridleway in , to which the occupiers on the Definitive Map as a public path. High Court. of the properties involved objected. In Network Rail closed the e court hearing was supposed to be A public inquiry was held in January crossing, without notice. is caused in Mold, but because of Covid there was a but we had to wait a long time, until mid- local outrage and together with the ‘virtual’ hearing over two days in July. July, before the decision was published, local county councillor and MP we We heard at the end of July that because the planning inspectorate were campaigned to get it put on the Map. e the Judge turned down Network Rail’s not working from their offices as normal. formal claim was made by Guto Bebb appeal, and so the inspector’s decision e Inspector decided that there was (then the MP) and Conwy councillor stands. e next moves is up to Network sufficient evidence for a footpath. e Mike Priestley. Conwy CBC agreed there Rail, who might appeal again, or try and decision was published in July and the was an arguable case and published an find another way of keeping the path Objectors have days to challenge it. Order in . closed. Network Rail objected and this even- Pete B Ron Williams tually this resulted in a public inquiry in
Silver Slashers Go Digital!
HE Ynys Môn Ramblers Footpath work to occupy an average of people iPad experience, using one of the Saints TMaintenance volunteers are not every week is a problem. Our last outing Walks. e tablet is about x cm (” averse to engaging with a bit of IT, twenty resulted in the installation of H frame x ”) with good screen resolution and two of our twenty three volunteers are stiles, an extended A frame stile and the a fairly intuitive operating system. e online, and Friday work details are route waymarked in three and half hours GPS tracks your location and problems emailed out to them weekly. e Isle by ten volunteers. can be recorded whenever encountered of Anglesey County Council (IoACC) Reading the latest RoWIP I came by selecting a category and sub-category, Footpath Sections notify our organiser across a repeated ambition to survey adding a brief description for clarification with the work plans and include a map, and re-open previously created Saints if necessary and a photo uploaded each with work detail annotations, taken Circular Walks which had been very time. All path furniture and signage is from their in-house mapping system. popular and something the group had marked on the map and the state of each In addition Anglesey’s Definitive Map talked (moaned) about not being in good piece is reported on and photographed (DM) is digitalised, available to view by repair. ere was a lightbulb moment from both sides. As our confidence the public via the Council website. Once – what if some of our volunteers could grew we were more stringent in what we registered one can report and record survey the paths instead of being excess deemed acceptable - mud or a too narrow footpath problems directly onto the path to requirements on a maintenance day a kissing gate corral were hotly debated concerned on the DM and attach photos. and any required work incorporated into with our Council trainer and it will be is automatically gets flagged up so it our programme. e Principal Footpath interesting to see if our stringent assess- can be prioritised for attention. Officer, Arwel Evans, was agreeable and ments survive the post survey review. Having set the background and accepted our only proviso - replacement We await feedback from this session painted a picture of how one gets insidi- furniture would comply with ; BS because as it was all going so well, with ously sucked into using these technolo- , Gaps, Gates and Stiles standard to dates for the remaining four prospective gies I need to digress slightly in order to improve Ease of Access, a standard that surveyors being finalised and discussion draw some threads together. slipped in . about adding additional Saints Circular Each Council is required to have Six Slashers signed up, allowing Walks to the programme, a microscopic a Rights of Way Improvement Plan them to work in pairs, and initially three virus came along and all group activities (RoWIP) and the second ten year plan paths were identified. Arwel purchased had to cease. was published in and ours is only a new tablet and had the survey soware e Silver Slashers have found digital available online! e RoWIP was a statu- installed. e soware is called ‘Coun- technology useful for keeping in touch tory requirement under Section () of tryside Access Management System’ over this time and as we individually the CRoW Act . Its main purpose (CAMS**) and is used in the Footpath celebrated our th Anniversary on th was to adopt a strategic approach on the Section office and CamsMobile, a cut- April by walking paths we had worked management and improvement of the down version, installed on tablets. When on in our vicinities, some with photos public rights of way (PRoW) network. To surveys are carried out the office system were posted on our Ynys Môn Ramblers be able to hold the Council to account is synced with the tablet before and aer Facebook page and with over a thousand on their stated aims and objectives has survey. e pre-survey sync ensures there ‘likes’ other walkers will discover what is proved beneficial to us when trying to is up to date information on the tablet. on their doorstep. make improvements in specific areas of Post-survey sync loads new data and We look forward to getting back our footpath network. photos into a holding area in the Public to work, to resuming the surveys and Of course not everything in the Rights of Way (PRoW) database, where it engaging with the digital world! RoWIP gets done, priorities change, is reviewed and authorised before being Sue Stubbs funding and posts reduce and reality committed to the master database. is Ynys Môn Ramblers Footpath wins over ambition. e Silver Slashers procedure is the same as that applied to Maintenance Secretary have the opposite problem – our priori- reporting issues onto the Definitive Map ties do not change, we have more mem- mentioned earlier. **CAMS is used by a number of councils bers, we have become more efficient and e first training day was on th to manage their public rights of way. our labour is free. Trying to find enough March, for two of us who both had Online discussion forums ACK in a Ramblers’ discussion RamblersNet was the first to start you need to be a Ramblers member to Bforum was started using the Yahoo and at the time of writing a total of , join, although the forums are entirely Groups platform. Apart from General messages have been posted over the unofficial. e forum has a wider Council and Welsh Council there were years. Activity tends to be highest when membership (e.g. BHS etc) and focuses then few opportunities for active vol- there is something controversial or diffi- on “Lost Ways” - unrecorded paths. unteers to exchange views on hot topics cult going on, like the departure of a CEO https://groups.io/g/RamblersNET with their counterparts on the other side or the resumption of organised walks as https://groups.io/g/RamblersFP of the country. Somewhat surprisingly Covid restrictions ease. https://groups.io/g/RamblersIT the forum is still going, albeit on a differ- ere are specialist forums for Rights https://groups.io/g/ ent platform - now using groups.io of Way and for IT issues. For all three PB
Gordon Emery ORDON EMERY, known to Gmembers in the Wrexham area as a long-standing footpath campaigner, has ‘retired’ to the Lake District, where he has existing family connections. Knowing Gordon it won’t be retirement as most of us understand the term. Gordon’s father started the ‘Caterpil- lars’ a walking group at Glaxo on the edge of the Lake District, so he was walking early in life. At he became a secretary/ walks leader for the CHA and led par- ties up mountains in the Highlands. He later became supervisor for a Task Force North team working on the Lake District fells. When he moved to Coedpoeth, Wrexham in he bought all the Path- Gordon at work on a dry stone wall in Elterwater, Lake District (photo: Emery) finder maps of the area, intending to walk all the paths. What he didn't know is that put in stiles annually at an agreed definitive map and others that were in the he would have to clear them all first, a price. In Overton-on-Dee he worked wrong place so went through the lengthy task which took years! with a local councillor Ken Farrell who process of getting witness statements and Aer being threatened with a gun by walked all the paths with him, visited the claiming the path to add to the definitive a farmer in Minera, Gordon reported the landowners and even dug a few holes for map. On one path beside the River Dee problem to the local Ramblers secretary, the stiles. When the Overton work com- he supplied witness statements which John Marchant. Gordon then worked menced there was only one unobstructed were turned down by the council and with John for Clwyd CC for two years path in , and stiles were need to then again by the Secretary of State for writing ‘Walks Around Wrexham’, but open up the paths. Slowly, working Wales. He realised that the council was he found that all the circular routes the on one community at a time, the path not following the law, which states that team wanted to use were obstructed. He network was opened up. Stiles were now ‘if a path subsists or is reasonably alleged started replacing the barbed wire with the Wrexham “standard” stile with one to subsist’ the council had to make a stiles, at first with timber from skips then or two steps dependent on height, each footpath order, to which, if there was an treated timber supplied by Wrexham stile having a high post to help Ramblers objection by the landowner would then Maelor Borough Council. ere were few climb over. Aer the Ramblers asked for go to a Public Inquiry. kissing gates then and the stiles just had gates instead, he started work putting in Seeking help from head office and bar steps. gates where possible, and changing his indemnified by them for costs, he took He carried on putting stiles in when stiles put in years before, to kissing the case to High Court where the judge he took over from John as FP secretary gates or pedestrian gates. A one kilometre ruled in his favour that he had had a for the Wrexham Group. By had put path in Holt at Commonwood had legitimate expectation that the path order in stiles voluntarily ( on the Maelor galvanised gates on it, self-closing should have been made. e government Way with Bob Symmons, an out-of -work pedestrian gates with kissing gates at the appealed but in the Appeal Court it took landscape gardener). e completed roads. only a short while for the three judges to Maelor Way (MW) joining Offa’s Dyke For years, with a few years’ gap in decide unanimously that Gordon's read- Path in Chirk to the Shropshire Way the middle, Gordon worked as a contrac- ing of the law was correct. e result has at Grindley Brook, was opened by the tor for the council and formed a year had a dramatic effect on footpath claims mayor on th April . Gordon wrote maintenance list, winter leaf clearance list ever since. (see footnote **). the official guidebook. A few years later for paths with steps and a strimming list, When Gordon retired as a contractor the Olympic torch was carried along part all which the council still use. Meanwhile he continued to report path problems of it. e MW was based on an idea from he continued to do voluntary work as it and occasionally serve notices on the Jack Baker, founder of the Mid-Cheshire was oen easier just to get on with the council for obstructions. In the last Footpath Society. Jack's knowledge of work than go through the long process few years, together with the North paths was extensive and he wrote walks of reporting it and waiting for a contract. Wales Wildlife Group, he managed to for the Liverpool Echo under the pen- He also (late s) took on the chair of get the council to open up its last few name 'Rambler'. By coincidence Gordon's the Wrexham County Committee. Along obstructed paths around the Wrexham father, Bryan, had followed Jack as chair with another Rambler he started to strim Industrial Estate and ‘Living Landscape’ of the Mid-Cheshire Group. the paths on Ruabon Mountain. Going in Isycoyd. Apart from waiting for a few Gordon persuaded Wrexham was slow cutting the thick heather, path claims in a five year queue and a to employ him as a contractor and metres a day each. Five winters later the Magistrates court case he took personally continued to put in stiles a year paths were clear. on the partly-obstructed Bridleway in but expenses exceeded earnings. Aer Whilst working on footpaths he Overton, the paths in Wrexham are clear. a couple of years the council agreed to found paths that were not on the Gordon has moved to the Lake District
A Guided Walk No Moor BBQs Phone Apps in Cwm Idwal ERALD Moss has drawn atten- OME members may have tried out Gtion to a campaign by the British Sthe Ramblers App (I haven’t yet). You Mountaineering Council (BMC) to try can use it to follow , walks routes, Y introduction to Cwm Idwal, and combat the thoughtless conduct of a although caution may be needed if you Wales’ first National Nature M few people which has caused devastating use the mapping in an ‘always on’ way, Reserve, was as a geography student moorland fires in recent years. We lost as it may run your battery down over when the emphasis was on the glaciated ha of moorland on the Llantysilio the day. ere are some advantages for features (first recognized by Charles Ridge two years ago, and some will recall getting discount at Cotswold and for reg- Darwin) and land use. en there was reports of the blazes near Winter Hill and istering your contact details on organised the time when living near Bethesda, we in other places. Ramblers’ walks. I am aware some mem- could visit in an evening. Our son was e BMC website says “Over the bers are worried about using the App for introduced to rock climbing on the Slabs. weekend of May , more than reasons of personal data protection and Later there have been guided walks from significant moorland and grassland fires privacy, but it has to be borne in mind experts who have added to one’s knowl- were reported with devastating affects to that Ramblers centrally have to obey all edge and enjoyment. some of our most iconic landscapes in of the data protection laws, including the In anticipation of current restrictions areas such as the Peak District, the York- recently introduced ‘GDPR’. being lied, I am recommending poten- shire Dales and the New Forest. Since Snowdonia National Park have also tial walk leaders to utilize the excellent , it is estimated that over km of brought out their own phone App, called services of the National Trust wardens. It moorland in the Peak District alone, has the Snowdon Walks App. It says that it was Ryan who (pre- lockdown) took us been destroyed as a result of wildfires, “covers the main paths to the summit of through ‘Tin Can Alley’ on to the ffridd. many of which were caused through Yr Wyddfa …[it]tracks your progress as Cattle and sheep have been excluded disposable BBQs.” you ascend. is works offline, meaning since to allow natural regenera- ere is a petition and BMC are seek- no internet or phone signal is required.” tion. ere is some controlled grazing ing legislative change. Ed. and we walked among a herd of sleepy miniature ponies. Since my last visit, considerable work that has gone to create List of Group AGMs a clear footpath. We learnt the names of the surrounding physical features, noted October 2020 the vegetation changes, the outlines of 17 Sad/Sat CV Conwy Valley Tŷ Llewelyn Kevin hut circles and were introduced to a 14:00 AGM community centre, 01492 874563 tiger moth caterpillar to mention a few Llandudno highlights. SH785810 e easy to follow path is about . 31 Sad/Sat ME Meirionnydd Llanelltyd Village Hall Jacky miles which circles the Llyn, but there are 10:00 Ramblers SH714196 01654 761561 more demanding routes which can access AGM 07929 062412 the peaks of Y Garn and the Glyders. ere is a SNP (pay) CP and toilet and November 2020 basic cafe facilities at Ogwen Cottage. 9 Llun/Mon BW Berwyn AGM Catholic Social Club, Dave Contact Simon or Ryan: 19:30 Regent St, Wrexham, 07973 510122 [email protected] LL11 1RB [email protected] 10 Maw/Tue DE Deeside AGM Rivertown Church, Kathleen 19:00 Chester Rd West, 01244 813211 Margaret Lowe Shotton CH5 1BX 11 Mer/Wed W Wrexham Wrexham Lager Social Anne & Tony 19:30 AGM Club SJ 3305 5056 07894 831972 continued from page 6 12 Iau/Thu CL Clwydian Daniel Owen Centre, Shirley where he does voluntary building and 19:00 Group AGM Mold CH7 1AP 01352 753901 teaching drystone walling on footpaths. 17 Maw/Tue VC Vale of Clwyd Ysgol y Castell, Janet Gordon has published many books 19:00 AGM Hylas Lane, Rhuddlan, 07776 363 038 including walking guides and local his- LL18 5AG tory, which you can see on his website: https://www.gordonemery.co.uk 18 Mer/Wed YM Ynys Môn Ex-Servicemen’s Hall, Dave **Regina v Sec of State for Wales ex 19:00 AGM Benllech 01248 812987 parte Emery [1997] EWCA Civ 2064. SH518829 07908 128768 See Blue Book at 5.3.6 and the PINS 19 Iau/Thu ER Eryri AGM Royal Victoria Hotel Dafydd ‘Consistency Guidelines’. 19:00 SH583386 07563 794377
NB. Please check the details before travelling in case there has been a change.
Conwy Valley Pathwork Group
N Monday th August, the Conwy OValley Ramblers Pathwork Group had its first post-Lockdown session. Fully compliant with all of the Covid-related guidance issued by Ramblers Cymru, seven members spent an enjoyable and satisfying day in the sunshine re-opening a PROW on Nant y Gamar near Lland- udno. We were treated to instant gratifica- tion when, as we were walking off the site, tools in hand, the first group of walkers happily ambled down the path, unaware that they were walking through what had been, a few hours earlier, impenetrable blackthorn and brambles!
Kevin Slattery
North Wales AGM There will be a new venue for the AGM on 9th January 2021 at 2 pm. Tŷ Llywelyn, Ffordd yr Orsedd, Llandudno LL30 1LA Grid Ref: SH784809 approx
Directions If you are not local the easiest approach is from the A55, which you should leave at Junction 18, signed to Conwy and Deganwy. Follow the A546 past Tesco (roundabout) and at the next roundabout take the second exit, signed to Deganwy and Lland- udno. Continue on the A546 through cc-by-sa/2.0 - © Colin Park - geograph.org.uk/p/2148068 Deganwy and in about 2.4 miles you RIVE South from Oswestry to from Crewgreen or from Middletown will see a red H sign for Llandudno DWelshpool and near Arddleen on villages, along well used Rights of Way Hospital (minor injury unit) signed as your le you will see the Breidden Hills, routes. e area holds special memories a right turn. topped at a by a monument, a of past members for our group and I will Take the right turn into Hospital Road foot stone column called Rodney’s certainly be giving a donation to the new and in less than 200 metres turn right Pillar. It is a well visited landmark with repair charity. e charity was launched again into Ffordd yr Orsedd. Ignore spectacular views and it is a Grade II* in and is available on the internet. the hospital car park on the right and listed building. So why this interest? Press reports suggest that the pillar is reach Tŷ Llywelyn in a further 200 m. e column is in danger of falling down now ‘out of bounds’ due to the danger. and a fund hass been launched to pay http://saverodneyspillar.org.uk/home/ views are excellent, and a walk there is for repairs. Many Ramblers know this Admiral Rodney was a naval hero oen combined with a visit to the memo- scenic wooded area which overlooks of the th century, and took oaks from rial to the Gypsy King on Moel y Golfa. the meandering Severn, and which lies the area for his ships, the memorial dates e memorial says he could beat any just inside Wales. You can walk there from and is said to have been built man at ‘Fisty Cuffs’ and his descendants by local landowners to celebrate the qual- were known as boxers, but that is another ity of their oak trees. story. It is a stiff climb to the pillar, but the Dave Collins, Berwyn Group.
Published for North Wales Ramblers, LL30 1PS. Layout by Scrooge Graphics 08/2020 Views expressed in this publication by individual authors do not necessarily represent the official view of Ramblers Cymru. The Ramblers’ Association is a registered charity (England & Wales no 1093577) and a company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales (no 4458492). Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW Printed by: W O Jones Printers, Ltd, Llangefni, LL77 7JA. Tel. 01248 750253