eBoot – November 2015

This month’s edition includes:

• Bristol Ramblers AGM • Big Pathwatch 2015 • Bristol Walking Alliance • Christmas lunches • Volunteer Development Days • What we did on our holidays • Forthcoming walks • Commercial corner

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Annual General Meeting

About 35 Bristol Ramblers enjoyed a convivial evening at the AGM on Tuesday 20th October. Many arrived early to take the opportunity to catch up with old friends, and again the Bowls club provided a friendly venue.

The formal part of the evening was concluded swiftly, with the existing committee being re-elected with the addition of two new members Susan Carter and Nigel Andrews. The Annual Report, AGM Minutes and Annual Accounts will be posted on the website. The Chair thanked all the many members who in a variety of different ways have helped make the Group what it was but urged all to think about getting involved.

The guest speaker was Cecile Gillard from . She gave an entertaining and informative account of the work of the Trust, including a reminder of how lucky we are to be able to walk in an area of such rich ecological diversity.

The Big Pathwatch

This national project is using volunteers to survey the state of the country’s network of public rights of way. You can contribute to this by surveying one or more kilometre squares. About half of Bristol has been surveyed, and the Council has been quick to respond to problems that have been identified.

But there is still a lot to do, both within the city and in the surrounding countryside. So please have a go and adopt a square. Within the city, we have some specific priorities, so if you are able to help, please contact [email protected]. !1 There are a number of ways of reporting your findings, ranging from paper (via Carew) to the internet or an app for your mobile devices. You can also submit digital photos, which Council staff find helpful.

The project runs until the end of December.

Bristol Walking Alliance

We are in discussion with a number of other local groups to see whether it would be worth establishing an informal coalition to campaign for improvements to the walking environment, in the way that the Bristol Cycling Campaign has successfully campaigned for cyclists.

If you have views about priorities for improvement to the local walking environment, please contact [email protected].

Notices

Christmas lunches

Wednesday walkers - 16th December There will be a choice of two walks (4/5 miles and 2/3 miles), starting at 10am (9.15am for the X3 bus from Bristol bus station), followed by lunch at the Rudgleigh Inn, Easton in Gordano at 1pm.

Details of menus /prices etc are available from [email protected] (0117 9513513/07779 374648) or [email protected] (0117 9684140). Orders/payment by 25 November please.

Sunday (B) walkers - 13 December Meet at St George’s at 10.30am. There will be a walk of 4/5 miles, with lunch around 1pm at a great pub at Iron Acton.

Early bookings are required (to secure our free wine!), so the deadline for the £5 deposit is 9 November. You can either give Jill Bird cash or send her a cheque (address: 16 Lynmouth Road, Bristol, BS2 9YH).

Volunteer Development Days To support a variety of volunteer roles, the national Ramblers have arranged another series of volunteer development days over the next 12 months. The events in 2015 were found very worthwhile by those who attended.

The nearest to Bristol is in Gloucester on 4 June 2016. Bookings are now open at http://ramblersvolunteerdays.eventbrite.co.uk?s=31534915

!2 What we did on our holidays - California’s Sierra Nevada

Carew Reynell visited his daughter in California, and took the opportunity to go hiking. He writes:

They do things differently there.

For one thing, the signs at the ‘trailheads’ warn of bears and mountain lions, poison oak and scorpions. But also, now, of ticks and lyme disease, and this has a more familiar air.

Secondly, there is no network of rights of way, built up over the centuries. Private land is private. Public land is public, but much of it is designated as ‘wilderness’, and there are various restrictions on use/access. For example, access to some areas is limited by issuing passes, and ‘hikers’ are usually encouraged to stick to the limited number of maintained trails. There are millions of acres of genuinely unspoiled wilderness, whereas pretty much everywhere in the UK, the land has been actively managed for centuries. Many American hikers seem to have an almost mystical view of their relationship to the wilderness. The emphasis on protection of the wilderness, as opposed to visitor access, feels very different from the management of our National Parks.

Thirdly, there are far fewer walkers per acre. Once you are off the main trails, meeting another walker becomes a major social event. There are hardly any hostels. The National Forest Service provides some ‘primitive campgrounds’. It was explained to me that the (western) American way is to unfold your blanket and sleep under the stars - or, nowadays, to park your massive RV (residential vehicle).

But I love it: • the sun always shines. Perhaps a slight exaggeration, and no doubt only true of the summer months, but in about three months, I have only had to put on a waterproof twice; • it is definitely a foreign country, but English, of a sort, is spoken. People are, on the whole, keen to help you to enjoy your visit. Things generally happen when and how they are supposed to, which makes it easy to organise things; • as suggested above, you really can get away from it all; • and these are real mountains, with lots of summits above 13,000’. Paths are sketchy at best, route finding is tricky, and the terrain is challenging, with plenty of scrambling. Sometimes, perhaps too challenging, but that’s another story.

If you would be willing to share what you did on your holidays with our walking community, please contact Carew.

Forthcoming walks

!3 Full details of the walks programme are in the published programme and on our website and also on the national Ramblers Walkfinder. But note the additional A walk on 27 December, and a switch of B walks between 29 November and 6 December.

Further information about some walks is set out below

1 November - Secret Valley and Y Grib (A Hill walk, 13 miles) The walk starts at Capel-y-ffyn and takes a beautiful path up a so-called secret valley towards the north edge of the Black Mountains, from where we head for a spectacular view point. The route traverses Y Grib and then ascends steeply up a shoulder towards Waun Fach. We will then cross the dam at Grwyne Fawr reservoir from where a path climbs to the Blacksmith’s Anvil and back down to Capel-y-ffyn. 3,740 feet (1139m) of ascent. This is a hill walk with two very steep descents and a particularly long steep climb on pathless and rough terrain. There is some reprieve around Waun Fach where a new made up path means an end to the usual bog hopping and the ugly concrete block has been removed.

Remember to meet at the Water Tower on the Downs for the walks on Sunday 8 November.

8 November - from Burrington (long A walk, 19 miles) Note the 7.30am start, and please bring a torch. From lower car park, we climb steeply up to the ‘settlement’ of Burrington Ham to pick up the through to . We visit Row- berrow and to skirt the Cheddar Woods. From Cheddar we climb the gorge walking through some of the most picturesque parts of the Mendips. An old favourite, but it is to be hoped that there will be a few footpaths that are new to some people.

8 November - Chepstow (A walk, 13 miles) The last time this walk appeared on the programme Tintern was recover- ing from flooding and it rained all afternoon. Hopefully we shall be blessed with autumnal sunshine for this comparatively gentle 13 mile A walk. We head north using sections of Offa’s Dyke Path and the Gloucestershire Way before visiting the Devil’s Pulpit. From here we descend to Tintern and lunch. A short steep climb then leads us to the quiet countryside to the west of the Wye. Turning south, we reach a good vantage point above St Arvans before joining a short section of the Wye Valley Walk. We then pass the ruined house of Piercefield to reach the rails of the back straight of the racecourse. As this is not a hill walk we shall not attempt the jumps but instead the route leads us back to Chepstow without any undue exer- tion.Chepstow 8 November 2015 (Meet at the Water Tower)

8 November - Avebury (B walk, 10.5 miles) The walk from Avebury features historic stones and barrows, Silbury Hill, part of the Ridgeway and views across the Wiltshire countryside. The

!4 route includes only gentle hills. This is a figure of eight walk, so the break will be in the village, where you can choose between pub, cafe or exploring the stones.

11 November - Mendips (midweek A/B walk, 12 miles) The route of Susan Carter's walk on 11 November is still a mystery. It will certainly start from the car park in Burrington Combe and will go over Dolebury Warren at some point. It will also reach the top of the Mendip escarpment and there will probably be views of . Susan will be able to supply more details nearer the time.

11 November - Cotswold Canals (Wednesday walk, 5 miles) Number 6 in a series of 10 walks along the Severn/Thames Walkway. This walk covers the canal towpath leading to the Sapperton Tunnel, the highest point of the canal. The walks from here on start at 25 or more miles from Bristol, so we will be meeting at 8.30am at Horfield Leisure Centre to arrange car sharing.

11 November - South Bristol (Wednesday walk, 6 miles) To get to Bedminster Library take the 52, 75, 76 or 90 bus to Bedminster Parade. We will start at 10.00 and make our way past one Adventure Playground, two rivers, three lavatories, four parks and hundreds of war graves. Victoria Park, Redcatch Park, Arnos Vale Cemetery, Arnos Vale and Spark Evans Park all provide soothing stretches of green. The path along the River Avon to Temple Meads Station is testimony to the creativity of the hard working people of Bristol, past and present. Return by train or bus.

18 November - Gloucester city walk (Wednesday walk, 5.5 miles) A Town Tour ignoring the 1960ish bits that the city is, rightly, reconstructing. The route weaves through back alleys (historical oddities and decayed mattresses) to the Docks, round the Docks (including a rare injected steam locomotive - see below), about the prison, and back to the outside of the Cathedral. Incineration of Bishop: "Much Praise to God, little Laud to the Devil". Latish lunch and an afternoon free to visit whichever sites take your fancy.

What is an "injected steam" locomotive? An engine without a fire box. Instead, a tank topped up with high pressure steam from a factory boiler. Used on industrial sites, such as munition factories, where sparks and flames are somewhat dangerous, The only other example I know is in Norfolk.

18 November - Dyrham/West Littleton circular walk (Wednesday walk, 6 miles) This is based on http://www.walk4life.info/node/25976, with a change of meeting point to avoid using the overcrowded car park near the M4 junction 18. Meet at the south end of the NT Dyrham car park (opens at !5 10am) for a 10:30am start. Grid reference ST749755, nearest post code SN14 8HY. There is no charge for the NT Dyrham car park but NT members are encouraged to show there membership card.

The walk follows the south boundary of the park to join the Cotswold Way heading north, then returns via West Littleton.

22 November - Uphill figure-of-eight (B walk, 11 miles) You can do morning, afternoon, or both. The morning B walk is a mixture of flat land and steep hills, meandering between Uphill, Purn and . If the weather is nice, we'll have coffee early on Purn Hill – a good viewpoint. At lunch we have the choice of two pubs and an Italian Restaurant. The Italian morphs into an English cafe at lunchtime with a choice of delicacies which include baked potatoes, tea-cakes and cream teas. The afternoon C walk starts steeply uphill up Uphill Hill to the beacon viewpoint – well worth the climb. After coming down, it's flat all the way through residential back streets of southern Weston-Super-Mare, not dismal-land at all. We emerge close to the aquarium, for afternoon tea on the prom, or in a cafe nearby. Then it's back along the beach.

29 November - Laurie Lee Wildlife Way + (A walk, 14 miles) If you enjoyed, Cider with Rosie, you might try this. A figure of eight walk in the Painswick and Slad valleys, half of which follows the Wildlife Way, complete with poems en route.

29 November - Gordano (B walk, 10 miles) The walk starts from Portbury and goes over the hills past Charlton Farm towards Wraxall. Lunch will be at the Old Barn Inn where walkers are usually allowed to consume their lunch on the premises. The return will be via Naish Hill back to Portbury. This is a walk appropriate to the short hours of daylight at that time of year.

Note that this walk appears in the walks programme on 6 December, while Andy Steward’s Chepstow walk appears in the programme on 29 November. Andy’s walk will on take place on 6 December, meeting at Great George Street at 8.30am.

2 December - Malago Greenway (Wednesday walk, 4.5 miles) A walk following the Malago wherever we have the chance to see it. Start in Asda (Bedminster) carpark, near the petrol station, at 10.00. There is a two hour restriction on carparking, though there are plenty of buses to get you there (buses 75, 76, 90, 24). This is a linear walk, so that we finish in Withywood from where we will return by bus and stop off at a cafe/pub in Bedminster.

5 December - the Harbourside and Clifton (Saturday walk, 5 miles)

!6 Meet 10am by Neptune Statue in Centre (at top of “waterfall” steps, if roadworks make Neptune inaccessible) - ST586727. We will walk along the south side of harbour, up to Suspension Bridge via Rownham Woods (could be muddy so boots and a pole or two are advised). Return via Clifton to Centre. There is a possible cafe lunch, if wished.

6 December - Blorenge and Cwm Llanwarthen (hill walk, 13 miles) From Govilon, we will walk beside the canal before zigging our way beneath Blorenge to the Punchbowl, then zagging back to its summit. After visiting Foxhunter’s grave and the Keeper’s pond, Pwll Du is our next hill before we plunge down into the beautiful, secretive and little-used paths of Cwm Llanwarthen via The Tumble and Llanwarthen House. All being well, expect to be disorientated and delighted by turns.

9 December - Leigh Woods/ (Wednesday walk, 6 miles) Starting from the George at Abbots Leigh, we briefly join the Monarch's Way before entering Leigh Woods. After winding through the woods, we head for Ashton Court where a short detour to the Golf Cafe is on offer. From there we skirt the deer park, eventually reaching the beautiful Abbots Pool (thought to have originated as a pond to provide fresh fish for the Abbot of St. Augustine's Abbey). Then it's a short distance back to the George for lunch or a picnic nearby.

13 December - Nailsworth (A walk, 14 miles) Starting in Nailsworth, this walk will skirt Nympsfield and Owlpen eventually dropping down to Horsley for lunch. We will then head for Avening, returning via Hazel Wood and the lovely descent to Nailsworth. Expect woods, a deserted (hopefully) trial bike circuit, pastoral landscapes and a few ascents.

The famous Solstice Stomp will take place on Sunday 20 December.

27 December - Out of Redbrook (A walk, 16 miles) Note: this walk is not on the published programme Starting from Redbrook, we climb up to Forge Wood before walking through Newland via the beautifully named Savage Hill. Using a mixture of footpaths and sunken paths, we make our way up to Rookery Lane before descending to walk along Slade Bottom prior to a short climb up to St Briavels for a lunch stop. After lunch we immediately start to lose height following a delightful but eroding path through woods to join the Offa’s Dyke path down to Bigsweir Bridge. Crossing the bridge, we head north towards Whitebrook and Pwllplythin Wood. Continuing first north, and then a bit south and east, we return to Redbrook. For most, this will be a well walked area but I hope to find a few paths that might be new to some (ExpOL14, SO536099). .

!7 Commercial corner

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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.

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Cotswold Outdoor is the Ramblers national sponsor, and their discount is 15%.

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Taunton Leisure sponsors this local Group, and also offer 15% discounts, rising to 20% at their regular special events. The next Shopping Evening is 3 December.

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