National Federation of Women’s Institutes
Big walk, Little splash challenge
April - September 2012
The challenge… Walk, or swim, 209 miles - the equivalent of the distance between Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch to the Olympic Stadium, London (as the crow flies).
Radyr & Morganstown WI Glamorgan Federation, Wales.
About us
Radyr & Morganstown WI was formed in 1957 and quickly went on to become an integral part of the community.
In October 2011 we celebrated our 600th meeting. On 1st April 2012 we had 68 members ranging in age from 55 to almost 95!
Ours is a very active Institute and we have a number of special interest groups - reading (3), genealogy (2), walking and craft with some more in the ‘our WI is an pipeline - in short something for everyone. integral part of the We meet on the second Monday of each month in the local village hall. community’
At our last Annual Meeting in November 2011 our President, Secretary and Programme Secretary stepped down having come to the end of their term in office. Our enthusiastic new committee compiled an ambitious programme for 2012 and we have lots of new ideas for the year ahead - starting with the ‘Go On’ initiative which will commence in September 2012. We have matched experienced internet users with learners who, by means of monthly one to one sessions, will introduce them to the joys and benefits of going online.
Journal designed and compiled by Gaynor Leaf
Secretary, Radyr & Morganstown WI
Big walk, Little splash!
Our location - a perfect blend of coast and countryside. Radyr is located on the outskirts of Cardiff, just five miles from the City Centre. Many of our local walks involved going along part of the Taff Trail which passes through Radyr giving us the opportunity to go south to Cardiff and Cardiff Bay or north to Nantgarw and Pontypridd.
The 55 mile long Taff Trail is a multi-purpose route between the Cardiff waterfront at Cardiff Bay in the south and the Market Town of Brecon in the north.
A large proportion of the Taff Trail is designated "Traffic Free" which has been achieved by using the routes of former tramways, railways, canals and present day canal towpaths, including the original rights-of-way, embankments, cuttings and viaducts. Many of these routes have important historical significance to the industrial heritage of South Wales and make for very interesting walks.
Glamorganshire Canal
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Coast As we are situated just 6 miles from the coast we were able to include coastal walks when the weather permitted. We took advantage of the fantastic walks around Cardiff Bay and along the coastline for the challenge.
Old and new buildings in Cardiff Bay
Jackson’s Bay, Barry
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Big walk, Little splash! Our aim We used the Big Walk, Little Splash challenge to bring all members of our Institute together with a common goal - our aim was to get 100% participation and improve our general wellbeing. Members have a WE NEED diverse range of interests and span different age groups. Achieving this YOU! challenge in terms of mileage and participation would be no mean feat.
Some of our members are elderly and find walking extremely difficult so we created opportunities for them to be involved. Even walking a short distance would be a huge challenge for them. Without their involvement we would not achieve 100% participation and we think their contribution is worthy of recognition with a In fact they are all stars to us!
We were very keen that many of the group activities were carried out locally. Radyr is ideally placed just five miles from Cardiff City Centre and on the edge of the countryside.
To our delight members were very enthusiastic and rose to the challenge. We drew up a list of different types of group walks to showcase our local area. Members were invited to come forward to lead each group walk and also to take part in individual walks. Some of our members would be taking part in walks while on holiday and were keen that these walks could also be included in our overall total.
We came up with some innovative ways to help ‘not so mobile’ members get involved and bought a pedometer so that we could calculate the mileage accurately! Our walks varied in length and difficulty.
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Radyr & Morganstown WI
Walkers were spoilt for choice with lots of options for organised group walks including
Canal and riverside walks
Castle walk
Olympic celebration walk Golf Club walk
Mountain walk
Walks for our ‘Little Walkers’
A Quarry walk Members were also encouraged to enter the mileage for any individual walks they did with friends and family. And of course our swimmers could contribute as well.
‘Are you ready boots? 209 miles Start walking…’ Ready - Steady - GO...
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Big walk, Little splash!
Individual member walk
Date: 18 April 2012 Completed by: Diane Page
Total distance walked: 5.5 miles Description of the walk: Diane joined Ian Botham, members of the Barmy Army and over 100 fundraisers in ‘Beefy’s Great British Walk 2012’ in Cardiff. Walking along the Taff Trail from Cardiff Harlequins RFC to the Swalec Stadium a distance of 4 miles, she then continued to walk home to Radyr - an additional 1.5 miles. Before the walk a Leukaemia Research Doctor explained about the work that is going on in Cardiff and the walkers took part in ‘warm up’ exercises which Diane said were great fun. Ian Botham walked from Cardiff to join the group and then they all set off for the SWALEC stadium with Sir Ian setting
a very fast pace! Summary: By taking part Diane raised vital funds for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research and became our first participant as her miles were the first to be recorded in our Big walk, Little splash challenge.
‘Sir Ian set off at great speed’
Congratulations Diane!
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Individual member walk
Date: 18 April 2012 Completed by: Jane Parry Total distance walked: 6.8 miles Description of the walk: From Pontypridd to Taffs Well.
Summary: Jane Parry, our WI walking group co-ordinator, is a keen ‘following the walker and also a member of Cardiff Ramblers. She did this walk with route of the her husband. old Taff Vale Railway ‘ Starting at Pontypridd and walking through Ynysangharad Park they followed the Taff Trail down to Taffs Well and then back home to Radyr. The trail follows much of the route of the abandoned branch of the Taff Vale Railway and the old Glamorganshire Canal which were built in the 18th and 19th centuries to transport coal and iron ore from Merthyr Tydfil and the Rhondda Valley to the docks at Cardiff.
only 196.7 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash! Group walk - WI walking group to Llandaff
Date: 19 April 2012 Number of walkers: 5 Who took part: Rosanne Holmes, Enid Evans, Jane Parry, Marilyn Vaughan, Sue Llewelyn. Distance: 4.9 miles Description of the walk: Radyr to Llandaff along the Taff Trail and back. Summary: This is one of our walking group’s regular Thursday walks. The walk starts at the War Memorial in Radyr, crossing the bridge over the River Taff then continuing on the Taff Trail alongside the Glamorganshire Canal past the newly restored Melingriffith water wheel, which was originally used to power a water pump feeding waste water from the Melingriffith Tinplate Works back into the Glamorganshire Canal. The air was heavy with the scent of wild garlic as we walked along the Taff trail. We then continued along the river bank to Llandaff village where we enjoyed a cup of coffee and a welsh cake before walking back along the opposite bank of the river to Radyr. As usual we had a very pleasant morning.
‘the air was heavy with the scent of wild garlic”
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Individual member walk
Date: 23 April 2012 Completed by: Megan Delf Total distance walked: 2.5 miles Description of the walk : Walk in Anglesey
‘Plas Newydd, located in Llanfair PG or to give it it’s full name Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantisiliogogogoch, Anglesey is the home of the Marquess of Anglesey. It is in a most beautiful setting beside the Menai Strait with spectacular views of Snowdonia. On Monday 23rd April whilst my husband, son and grandchildren were climbing Snowdon my daughter-in-law and I explored the delights of this lovely house. Included in this was a two and a half mile walk through the woods bordering the Strait and along the shore. Signs of spring were everywhere and although it was cold the weather was fine and we even saw the sun!. Our walk concluded with lunch in the very pleasant Tea Rooms’.
‘signs of Spring were everywhere’
only 189.3 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash!
Group walk - WI walking group to Castell Coch Date: 26 April 2012 Number of walkers: 8 Who took part: Jane Parry, Lucille Sharp, Chris Dale, Rosanne Holmes, Gaynor Leaf, Jill Newbould, Louise Rigby, Enid Evans. Distance: 4.2 miles Description of the walk: Along the Taff trail to Taffs Well then up the hill to Castell Coch and back to Radyr. Summary: Crossing the River Taff we walked along the Taff trail northbound to Tongwynlais and then headed up the steep hill to the fairy like Castell Coch. The bluebells were in full bloom in the hedgerows as you can see in the photograph. Resting on ancient foundations the castle is relatively modern, built by William Burges for the 3rd Marquess of Bute as a rural retreat to compliment the opulence of his main residence - Cardiff Castle. Situated high on a hill surrounded by woodland there are wonderful views over Cardiff from the top of the towers. There is a nice tea room where we enjoyed a cuppa and a chat before we retraced our steps back home to Radyr.
‘the bluebells were in full bloom in the hedgerows”
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Group walk - Rhoose to Barry Island
Date: 30 April 2012 Number of walkers: 9 Completed by: Chris Dale, Jane Parry, Marilyn Vaughan, Janette Butler, Enid Evans, Pat Williams, Rosanne Holmes, Gaynor Leaf, Sue Llewelyn.
Total distance walked: 5.6 miles Description of the walk : We caught the train from Radyr to Rhoose and walked back along the coastal path from Rhoose to Barry Island. It was a beautiful day and we stopped at this monument marking the most southerly point in Wales for a photograph. And of course no visit to Barry Island would be complete without a stop for coffee at Marco’s café made famous in the Gavin and Stacey TV programme. ‘monument marking the most southerly point in Wales’
only 179.5 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash!
Individual member walk
Date: 30 April 2012 Completed by: Isobel Brown
Total distance walked: 0.5 miles Description of the walk : Isobel is one of our senior members. Due to a long period of hospitalisation last year she finds walking difficult and now has the help of a carer from Cross Roads Care who regularly takes her out for short walks. Isobel was keen to take part in our challenge and made a special effort to walk with her carer to our Treasurers house to pay for one of our outings. This involved walking along a relatively flat road and then one with a fairly steep incline before retracing her steps back home.
‘keen to take part in our challenge”
Well done Isobel, your contribution is greatly appreciated!
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Radyr & Morganstown WI
Individual member walk
Date: April 2012 Completed by: Louise Rigby Total distance walked: 15 miles Description of the walk : ‘I walk my Cairn Terrier, Meg, every morning and afternoon. Usually in the morning we walk about one and a half miles to a large field behind the Cricket Club in Radyr, where I live. This field is a favourite with dog walkers and we meet lots of people there. Meg loves having a good run with her friends and I enjoy a good chat with mine - so both of us are happy! In the afternoon we generally walk to Radyr Woods, a local wildlife area. This is a wooded area with streams and ponds. It is also home to lots of rabbits which Meg gets plenty of exercise chasing (but never catching) while I like walking around and looking at the plants and birds. ‘Meg enjoys a
good run with her friends while I chat to mine”
On Monday mornings we do a longer walk of about two and a half miles with my friend Elaine and her retriever Charlie. We walk through Forest Farm, another local nature reserve. It is a lovely walk and a very nice way only to start another dog walking week.’ Louise and Meg contributed one week of their walks to our challenge. 164 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash! Individual member walk
Date: April 2012 Completed by: Maureen Morgan Total distance walked: 6 miles Description of the walk: Holiday at Meadfoot Beach, Torquay. Summary: ‘Whilst on holiday in Torquay one of our daily walks was along the sea road at Meadfoot Beach. Some days the weather was lovely and pleasant, on other days the road was closed with the sea coming up over the sixteen foot high sea wall from the beach, leaving debris and large pebbles over the road. Over the past twenty years we have never experienced weather conditions such as this’.
‘we have never experienced weather conditions such as this’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Individual member walk
Date: 30 April 2012 Completed by: Lucille Sharp Total distance walked: 3.5 miles Description of the walk: Along the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path
Summary: Lucille and her family walked on part of the beautiful Pembrokeshire Coastal Path on the west coast of Pembrokeshire and the southern end of St Brides Bay. Although the sun was shining there ‘walking in were very blustery winds and in these conditions the walk seemed much very blustery further than it actually was. The photograph shows them sheltering from winds we the wind and taking a well earned rest at the Coastguard lookout station were glad to above St Martin’s Bay, the embarkation point for boat trips to Skomer take a rest’ Island, which can be seen in the background. Skomer Island is a nature reserve, leased to the Wildlife Trust for West Wales, well known as the home to approximately 6,000 pairs of Puffins and tens of thousands of other birds.
only 154.5 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash!
Individual member walk Date: 2 May 2012 Completed by: Marion Drake Total distance walked: 4 miles Description of the walk: Around the streets of the Radyr Summary: Marion, a former Lord Mayor of Cardiff, is an active member of the local community and our Institute. She was busy canvassing for the local elections up and down the streets around the village and was keen to put the distance to good use for our Big walk, Little splash challenge.
‘canvassing for the local elections up and down the streets of the village’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI
Individual member walk Date: 4 May 2012
Completed by: Sue Duffield Total distance walked: 3.4 miles Description of the walk : Walk in the Malvern Hills
Summary: Sue and her husband were on holiday in Malvern and had a lovely walk in the Malvern hills. They went to the local tourist information office to pick up leaflets on walks in the area. They chose the longer walk in the walking brochure which took them up to the summit of the Worcestershire Beacon. From the top they turned downhill to St Ann’s Well, which was a popular port of call for water cure patients in the past. Today you are still able to take a drink of Malvern water from the spout. ‘lovely walk in the Malvern hills’
only 147.1 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash! Individual member walk
Date: 5 May 2012 Completed by: Janet Boyce Total distance walked: 10 miles Description of the walk: Walk around Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire. Summary: Walks were held all over Wales today to celebrate the opening of the 870 mile long Wales Coast Path. The Wales Coast Path is the first of its kind in the world and is a continuous route which runs from Chester in the North to Chepstow in the South. This is Janet’s account of the walk ‘My sister, her friend and I set off for Kidwelly on a beautiful sunny morning and were really looking forward to the walk up into the hills. The three of us were born and brought up in Kidwelly so were very familiar with the locality even though we have all moved away now. The walk would be a real challenge for me as I hadn’t covered this distance with my 5 year old artificial hips before!
‘I hadn’t
covered this distance with my 5 year old artificial hips before!’
Martin our leader, who had planned the walk, and David who worked for Ordinance Survey led us off promptly at 10am. From Glan yr Afon nature reserve (which in our day had been the town rubbish tip) we continued along the coast road then went up the hill to the village of Llansaint, from where we enjoyed wonderful views over Kidwelly and as far as the Gower Peninsula and Rhossili.
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Radyr & Morganstown WI
As we walked down from Llansaint an even more spectacular view emerged. Sitting down in the sunshine to eat our packed lunch we were able to see the coastline from Llanstephan with its castle right around to Tenby and Caldey Island - a truly magical view.
On next to St Ishmael’s Church which dates from the 6th Century, used by pilgrims as a stopping place on their way to St David’s cathedral in Pembrokeshire. I have passed this church many times but never before stopped to visit - which I shall certainly do in future. The next part of the walk was a real struggle for me due to the steep incline and my general lack of fitness - at one stage I even contemplated giving up! We walked up a very long bridle path which was quite narrow, however by making regular stops along the way up I made it to the top.
‘to celebrate the opening of the Wales Coast Path’
From here we proceeded from Broadway around to Allt Cunedda which gave us views across to Mynydd y Garreg, made famous by Ray Gravelle, the Welsh rugby player. We then made a big loop back to the Nature reserve where we had started and Martin confirmed that we had walked a total of 10 miles. I was very proud to say I DID IT! We then went to the Princess Gwenllian Centre where we enjoyed a very welcome cup of tea and a slice of cake in the shape of Wales only made specially to celebrate the opening of the Wales Coast Path’. 137.1 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash!
Group walk - Cardiff Bay Date: 5 May 2012 Number of walkers: 3 Who took part: Gaynor Leaf, Jill Newbould, Sue Llewelyn. Total distance walked: 6.2 miles Description of the walk: Circular walk of Cardiff Bay Summary: We started off at the lovely Norwegian Church, built in 1868 on land donated by the Marquis of Bute to provide religious and social care to thousands of Norwegian sailors who sailed into Cardiff docks for coal. This flat circular walk takes in many iconic buildings and we were able to trace Cardiff’s heritage as we walked along. We walked across the Cardiff Bay Barrage, a major civil engineering project that was the catalyst for the regeneration of the old docklands turning it into the vibrant waterfront community that it is now. The walk took us along Penarth Marina where we were able to cross the River Ely at the recently opened Pont y Werin (The People’s bridge) past the Wales White water rafting centre and the International Sports village before heading north along the river to the Ely bridge where we turned off the road to enter the Wetlands area and here we saw a pair of blue tits gathering reed marsh to make a nest. We continued on to Mermaid Quay with its numerous restaurants and bars and the beautiful old Pierhead building before stopping for lunch.
‘able to trace Cardiff’s heritage as
we walked along’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Group walk - Old Radyr local history walk
Date: 6 May 2012 Number of walkers: 10 Who took part: Liz Hopkins, Colleen Jenkins, Mari Lewis, Marilyn Vaughan, Anne-Marie Phillips, Gaynor Leaf, Rosanne Holmes, Jane Parry, Nora Starkey, Pat Williams. Total distance walked: 2.1 miles Description of the walk: Local history walk around Old Radyr Summary: As part of the Radyr Festival the local history society organise an interesting walk around areas of special interest. This year the walk was around Old Radyr, and we were blessed with a glorious afternoon, which was a welcome relief after all the recent rain. A group of over 50 locals met at the Radyr Court pub, formerly one of the oldest houses in the area before visiting St Johns Church which had been specially opened for us . In the churchyard we saw the Dahl family grave where Roald Dahl’s grandparents are buried. Roald Dahl lived in Radyr for a few years. ‘we saw the
grave where Roald Dahl’s grandparents
are buried’
only 128.8 Some of the walkers in front of the Dahl family grave miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash!
Group walk to the Quarry Date:10 May 2012 Number of walkers: 10 Who took part: Margaret Lewis, Diane Page, Pat Williams, Gaynor Leaf, Rosanne Holmes, Jill Newbould, Sue Llewelyn, Janet Boyce, Chris Dale, Lucille Sharp. Total distance walked: 4.3 miles Description of the walk: To and from the Taffs Well Quarry. Summary: We organised a visit to the local quarry for members to have the opportunity to see the results of a £14m investment programme. The quarry was started in 1921 with further excavations granted in the 1940s. In 2008 a major project was undertaken to re-route the traffic to and from the site. This involved boring a tunnel through the rock to create a new entrance and took more than two years to complete. We were given a presentation on the workings of the quarry before being driven up to a viewing platform 140m up on the rim which gave us wonderful views over the site and the whole of Cardiff in the distance. It was very strange to be able to look down at Castell Coch which is situated high on the opposite hillside.
‘see the results of a £14m investment programme’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI
‘from the viewing platform we had wonderful views over Cardiff’
Unfortunately the weather was not kind to us and the results of the recent heavy rain were evident to see all around. But in no way did this affect our enjoyment of the visit. The site is frequently used for filming Dr Who and other popular television programmes.
only 124.5 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash!
Group walk - An Olympic effort! Date: 13 May 2012 Number of walkers: 2 Who took part: Gaynor Leaf, Pat Williams Total distance walked: 10.3 miles Description of the walk: Radyr to Cardiff to mark Cardiff’s participation in the 2012 London Olympics. Summary: Meeting at Radyr Station we walked over the bridge and on to the Taff Trail to Cardiff. It was a glorious day and there were lots of walkers and cyclists on the path, there were also lots of rowers on the river as we passed the Llandaff Rowing Club. The river level was still high after the recent heavy rain. Walking through Bute Park we were able to enjoy the scenery and see the bluebells between the trees. We felt really blessed to have such wonderful open spaces where we can walk right in the heart of the City.
‘a lovely walk through the park on a glorious day’
Coming out of the park near the Castle we headed for the Civic Centre where the Olympic rings have recently been erected in front of the City Hall to mark Cardiff’s participation in the 2012 Olympic Games. These have
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Radyr & Morganstown WI quickly become a tourist attraction and there were lots of people taking photographs there - we thought it an ideal photo opportunity too.
Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium will host the opening matches of the Women’s football which will be the first competition in the 2012 Olympic Games. We then headed for the Millennium Stadium for another photo opportunity.
‘the Olympic rings have
recently been
erected to mark Cardiff’s
participation
in the 2012 Olympics’
In keeping with the theme of this walk we went to a World Buffet restaurant for lunch - we really were taking on the International spirit of the Games now!
Instead of taking the bus back home we decided to ‘push ourselves’ a little more and walked back through the park to Llandaff adding significantly to our mileage. This was a few miles more than we had only planned to walk but we thought it worthwhile and a truly OLYMPIC EFFORT! 114.2 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash! Individual member walk
Date: 13 May 2012 Completed by: Sylvia Middleton Total distance walked: 3.2 miles Description of the walk: Walk up the Garth Mountain Summary: Sylvia took her two granddaughters, Eva and Brigitte, for a walk to the top of the Garth mountain which can be seen from all over Cardiff. It was quite a climb but the fantastic view from the top was well worth the effort. Photo shows Sylvia and the girls taking a well earned rest at the top of the Garth mountain on a beautiful sunny day.
‘it was quite a climb but the fantastic view was well worth the effort’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI
Group walk - coffee at Gelynis Farm Date: 16 May 2012 Who took part: Marion Rees, Rose King, Margaret Lewis and Jo Smith Distance: 0.5 miles Description: A walk to the local fruit farm for a cuppa
Summary: ‘Braving the showers we went for a short walk to Gelynis Farm which is situated just under the M4 motorway in Morganstown. The farmhouse was built in 1574 for the master of the Pentyrch Iron Foundry and was at that time one of the most important houses in the area. It has now been restored and operates as a B&B with a fruit farm and cosy coffee shop where we enjoyed a welcome cup of coffee and some delicious homemade cakes’.
‘cosy coffee shop where we enjoyed a welcome cup of coffee’
only 110.5 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash!
Group walk through Radyr Woods to Llandaff Date; 17 May 2012 Number of walkers: 3 Who took part : Sue Llewelyn, Jane Parry, Gaynor Leaf. Total distance walked: 4.4 miles Description of the walk: Through Radyr Woods to Llandaff and back. Summary: Walking through Radyr woods, where the bluebells were still in bloom, through Llandaff North past Llandaff Cathedral to the coffee shop on the village green where we took time out for a coffee. Then a leisurely walk around the Cathedral before going back alongside the river to Radyr.
‘the bluebells were still in bloom’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Group walk - Clyne Gardens
Date: 24 May 2012 Number of walkers: 3 Who took part: Jane Parry, Marilyn Vaughan, Enid Evans. Total distance walked: 6.0 miles
Summary: ‘Weather permitting we try to fit in a visit to Clyne Gardens in Swansea every year when the plants are in full bloom. The gardens are internationally famous for their superb collections of Rhododendrons, Pieris and Enkianthus and offer a haven of tranquillity in a parkland setting. From there we walked over to Mumbles Head to have lunch at Verdi’s, a well known Italian restaurant overlooking the sea’.
‘a haven of tranquillity in a parkland setting’
only 100.1 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash!
Group walk - Tuesday morning walkers
Date: 22 May 2012 Number of walkers: 9 Completed by: Christine Davies, Val Convery, Jean Brown, Lucille Sharp, Janet Boyce, Mari Lewis, Enid Spencer-Davies, Sue Coysh, Lesley Hall. Total distance walked: 3.0 miles Description of the walk : The group meet every Tuesday morning to do this circular walk from Morganstown along the Taff Trail and the Glamorganshire Canal to the Melingriffith Water Wheel and back along the opposite bank of the river to Pugh’s Garden Centre where they enjoy a coffee and a chat. ‘regular Tuesday morning walk’
We recorded one of these walks in our challenge.
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Group walk - Penarth to Cosmeston
Date: 24 May 2012 Number of walkers: 6 Completed by: Jane Parry, Rosanne Holmes, Val Convery, Enid Evans, Marilyn Vaughan, Sue Llewelyn
Total distance walked: 5.2 miles Description of the walk: A walk along the coast to Cosmeston. Summary: A lovely walk on a gloriously sunny day gave us beautiful views along the coast. We drove to Penarth and walked along the cliff top enjoying wonderful views of Flatholm and Steepholme. Near Marconi’s point we turned inland to go to Cosmeston Lakes for a coffee before retracing our steps back to our cars.
‘’beautiful views along the coast’
only 91.9 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash! Group walk - Olympic torch walk
Date: 26 May 2012 Number of walkers: 2 Completed by: Rosanne Holmes and Gaynor Leaf Total distance walked: 2.1 miles Description of the walk: Walk to see the Olympic torch arrive in Caerphilly. Summary: We parked outside the town centre and walked in to join thousands of others lining the streets to welcome the Olympic torch to Caerphilly. There was a party atmosphere and a sense of community spirit as everyone gathered in the sunshine to wait for the torch to arrive. The streets had been closed and a whole host of activities organised including a BBC Blue Peter Roadshow, an Olympic sporting village and a Food and Flower Festival.
After the torch had passed we walked through the park to see the BBC Blue Peter and Horrible Histories performances and sporting challenges. Sir Steve Redgrave was just one of the celebrities taking part. We then walked around the castle, after which we proceeded to sample the delights of the food festival before returning to our car.
‘a party atmosphere’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI
‘thousands of people lining the streets’ to welcome the Olympic torch’ We were just two of the thousands of people in Caerphilly celebrating the arrival of the Olympic torch on a gloriously sunny day.
only 89.8 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash!
Individual member walk
Date: 26 May 2012 Completed by: Elizabeth Hopkins Total distance walked: 3.5 miles Description of the walk: A walk in the Black Mountains Summary: Elizabeth belongs to U3A in Cowbridge who have been fundraising for the 2012 National Eisteddfod, which is being held in nearby Llandow, for more than a year. This sponsored walk took them to Partrishow Church which is situated on the southern slopes of the Gader Range in the Brecon Beacons National Park, just north of Abergavenny.
The church dating from the 11th century has an intricately carved 15th century rood screen and one of the oldest fonts in Wales. It was the site of murder and miracles and people still leave offerings there. It certainly sounds an interesting place to visit and the group were delighted that their walk added another £180 to the U3A Eisteddfod fundraising total.
‘fundraising for the 2012 National Eisteddfod’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Individual member walk
Date: 28 May 2012 Completed by: Helen Kyte Total distance walked: 6.1 miles Description of the walk: Radyr to Cardiff Castle through Bute Park
Summary: ‘This walk is part of the Taff Trail. I enjoy walking very much and starting at Radyr I walk by the side of the Taff River, where I often see heron waiting patiently for fish and ducks bobbing about on the water. The walk takes me near a small new housing development and then on to Hailey Park, a much loved space by young children and dog walkers. Trying to avoid the many cyclists and joggers on the walk I meet the river again where rowers and canoeists from Llandaff Rowing Club can be seen on the water. I skirt the new Swalec cricket ground and I am in the Bute Park, part of the castle grounds, donated to Cardiff by the Marquis of Bute. Fortunately for me the castle grounds also have a few very nice coffee stops, my favourite being the Secret Garden, where I have a well earned rest’. ‘I often see heron waiting patiently for fish and ducks bobbing about on the water’
only 80.2 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash! Group walk - a walk in the park!
Date: 29 - 30 May 2012 Number of walkers: 4 Who took part: Sue Llewelyn, Jill Newbould, Gaynor Leaf, Rosanne Holmes Total distance walked: 4.8 miles Description of the walk: A walk through Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park. Summary: An early arrival in London on the day before the WI AGM in the Royal Albert Hall gave us the opportunity to take advantage of the lovely weather and have a walk in Hyde Park. Leaving our hotel in Lancaster Gate we walked through the park to Kensington Palace where we went on a tour of the house. After a refreshing cup of coffee we proceeded to walk through the park to the Serpentine.
At the Round Pond we were amused to see that a bird had made a nest on one of the lifebuoys.
‘we were amused to see that a bird had made a nest on one of the lifebuoys”
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Radyr & Morganstown WI
The following morning we left our hotel early to walk through the park again, this time to the Royal Albert Hall for the WI AGM.
‘first time
some of us had been to the Royal Albert Hall”
It was the first time some of us had been to the Royal Albert Hall and it certainly lived up to our expectations.
To see the hall packed to capacity and hear everyone singing Jerusalem only and the National Anthems was truly amazing and something we will long remember. 75.4 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash! Individual member walk
Date: 29 May 2012 Completed by: Pat Williams Total distance walked: 2.5 miles Description of the walk: Walk through Hyde Park, London Summary: ‘As our Link Group delegate for the WI AGM I travelled to London in a coach with fellow delegates from Glamorgan. After travelling for a few hours in the coach it was nice to be able to go out and stretch my legs. Leaving my hotel I walked through Kensington Gardens to meet friends. It was a beautiful afternoon and a lovely walk, we took advantage of the good weather to stroll through the park, stopping for coffee en route to Kensington Palace’.
‘it was nice to be able to go out to stretch my legs’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Individual member walks
Date: 3 June 2012 Number of walkers: 12 Completed by: Mari Lewis, Gaynor Leaf, Rosanne Holmes, Pat Williams, Jill Newbould, Lucille Sharp, Anne-Marie Phillips, Sue Llewelyn, Jane Parry, Marilyn Vaughan, Maureen Morgan, Janet Boyce. Total distance walked: 2.4 miles Description of the walk: A walk from our various homes to Radyr Golf Club and back. Summary The Queen’s Jubilee Celebrations in Radyr came to a climax with an all day concert in Radyr Golf Club. We enjoyed the sunshine and sat on the bank to watch the bands performing. There was a varied programme, something to suit everyone and it was good to see so many people joining in the celebrations. The evening ended with some splendid fireworks and the lighting of the ‘evening community beacon. ended with some splendid fireworks’
only 70.5 miles to go!
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Individual member walk
Date: May/June 2012 Completed by: Alex Broad Total distance walked: 10 miles Description of the walk : Alex had a very serious car accident last year which means that she now has difficulty walking. To help her gain mobility she undergoes regular physiotherapy sessions and visits a gym to work with Dan, her personal trainer, once a week. ‘on her first Summary: This is Dan’s account of Alex’s activities attempt Alex managed ‘Alex has been training with me once a week for the last eight months. three minutes When Alex reached a certain stage in her rehabilitation she came to see me of walking” to have some personal training with the hope of progressing further with things like balance, core stability, mobility, flexibility and at the top of her list, walking. When Alex fist came to the gym, she had to learn how to walk on a treadmill which is not as easy as it looks. I’m sure she would agree with that! The treadmill would become an important part of her training regime over the following months as both a warm up and a fitness enhancer. On her first attempt Alex managed a whopping three minutes of walking before feeling both tired and a little unsteady on her feet. The plan was to steadily increase both the pace and the distance of her walking so that she could really start to feel the benefits outside of the gym. Over the next few weeks the treadmill work improved greatly and after four months, Alex was able to walk unassisted for 25 minutes. Unfortunately for her you never arrive at the final destination with gym work, it just gets harder and more demanding the better your fitness and general conditioning gets. So we didn’t stop at that. Over the following weeks the incline started going up so that now Alex was effectively walking up the equivalent of Everest! Well not quite but it wasn’t far off!
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I’m pleased to say that Alex has improved so much that she now walks for between 20 and 30 minutes every week at the beginning of her sessions and that the work that follows is a lot more demanding than when she first started. If you know Alex, you will know that patience isn’t something that she’s quite grasped yet and she still wants the results of her hard work to come yesterday, so we try our best every week to make this happen. In the last couple of months Alex has walked well over 10 miles and I’m pleased to say she definitely qualifies for this challenge’.
Well done Alex, you have made a great contribution to our challenge!
‘has improved so much that she now walks between 20 and 30 minutes each week””
only 60.5 miles to go!
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Individual member walk Date: 6 June 2012 Completed by: Lesley Hall Total distance walked: 4.6 miles Description of the walk: Dog walking along the coast Summary: Lesley and her husband take their dog, Harry, out for a long walk during the day and a shorter walk each evening. We have included one day of Harry’s walks in the challenge. Lesley describes what they did that particular day. ‘We started at Penarth Pier and walked up the hill to the Common where Harry was able to run around to his hearts content. Then getting back on to his lead we went along the coastal pathway to Lavernock Point passing the stone hut where Marconi made his first wireless signals over open sea between Lavernock Point and Flat Holm island, some 6 kilometres away on 13 May 1897. A plaque to commemorate this achievement has been erected at the nearby St Lawrence Church. We enjoyed the wonderful views over the sea towards Weston Super Mare before retracing our steps back to the Pier. In the evening we took Harry for his evening stroll locally’.
‘Harry loves his daily walks’
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Group walk - an uphill struggle!
Date: 9 June 2012 Number of walkers: 5 Completed by: Rosanne Holmes, Sue Coysh, Janet Taylor, Louise Rigby, Pat Williams
Total distance walked: 5.5 miles Summary: After several cancellations due to the inclement weather the group finally managed to complete the walk up The Garth. The Garth can be seen from all over Cardiff and is on the opposite side of the valley to Castell Coch. From the top there are magnificent views, on a clear day you can see across the Bristol Channel to Weston-Super-Mare. ‘finally managed The film ‘The Englishman who went up a Hill but came down a Mountain’ to complete starring Hugh Grant implies that The Garth was the subject of the story and it the walk’ has become very popular with tourists as a result.
The group at the top
and the bottom
of the Garth! only 50.4 miles to go!
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Group walk - Radyr Golf Club (take 1) Date: 11 June 2012 Number of walkers: 6 Completed by: Anne-Marie Phillips, Jan Doody, Marion John, Jo Smith, Sue McKerlich, Gaynor Leaf Total distance walked: 2.3 miles Description of the walk: Around the perimeter of Radyr Golf Club Summary: Although we have lived in the village for a number of years many of us had never had the opportunity to walk around the Golf Course. Our golfing members arranged this and took us around the perimeter of the course so that we could enjoy the wonderful scenery. It was a beautiful morning and we were able to view the course in all its glory and see why so many people want to come here to play.
A very pleasant morning was rounded off nicely with a coffee in the club house.
‘able to view the course in all its glory’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Group walk - Radyr Golf Club (take 2)
Date: 18 June 2012 Number of walkers: 6 Completed by: Val Convery, Anne-Marie Phillips, Nora Starkey, Alison Morris, Eileen Brownsell, Alison Skidmore.
Total distance walked: 2.3 miles Description of the walk: Around the perimeter of Radyr Golf Club Summary: The first walk proved to be so popular that we had to repeat it the following week to give another group the opportunity to go around.
‘so popular that we had to repeat it’
only 45.8 miles to go!
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Individual member walk Date: 20 June 2012 Completed by: Lynda Goodwin Total distance walked: 3.0 miles Description of the walk: Walk to the Briksdal Glacier, Olden, Norway Summary: ‘In the morning we had a leisurely walk into Olden to limber ourselves up for the hike to the Briksdal Glacier in the afternoon! We were taken by coach to the Jostedaisbreen National Park. We then walked through the woodland past some waterfalls to the Glacier - about 1.5 miles each way. When we arrived it was spectacular. While we were there, there was what sounded like thunder and some chunks of ice separated from the Glacier. Thankfully that’s all it was!’
‘some chunks of ice separated from the Glacier’
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Group walk - Cardiff Bay Treasure Trail Date: 20 June 2012 Number of walkers: 4 Completed by: Anne Maclarg, Rosanne Holmes, Sue Austin, Pat Williams Total distance walked: 4 miles
Description of the walk: Cardiff Bay Treasure Trail Summary: ‘The weather was hot and sunny when four members of our WI teamed up with four members of Treforgan, our neighbouring WI, and had a very pleasant day completing the Glamorgan Federation Treasure Trail around Cardiff Bay. A caffeine intake was required at the start to ‘hone’ the brains. The Treasure Trail caused much discussion, especially trying to find the three legged dragon! Our efforts were rewarded with £5 and seven sweets to share between the ‘we were eight of us!’ rewarded with seven sweets to share between the eight of us!’
only 38.8 miles to go!
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Individual member walk Date: 21 June 2012 Completed by: Mary Pearce Total distance walked: 4 miles Description of the walk: Penallt Wild Flower Meadows Summary: ‘I have a lifelong interest in flora and am a member of Plantlife. The Penallt reserve is in the care of the Gwent Wildlife Trust and is a pleasure to walk round the fields of wild flowers and to do some bird watching. There is an excellent pub in Penallt but sadly on this occasion we had no time to visit’.
‘a lifelong interest in
flora’
Our dog, Seren, enjoys all our walks too.
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Individual member walk Date: 24 June 2012 Completed by: Mary Pearce Total distance walked: 2 miles Description of the walk: Walk around Beachy Head
Summary: ‘Whilst on holiday we travelled by bus from Eastbourne to Brighton and broke our journey to walk on Beachy Head. Areas of the downs were covered with early orchids and cowslips. There were many sad reminders of those who had ended their lives here but the weather was sunny and the views were wonderful.’
‘downs were covered with early orchids and cowslips’
only 32.8 miles to go!
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Individual member walks
Date: June 2012 Completed by: Jean Dodd and Margaret Lewis, Audrey Skidmore and Barbara Sullivan Total distance walked: 0.4 miles Description of the walk: Walking to WI Summary: Some of our members are unable to walk long distances but manage to walk to our WI meetings, they were pleased to be able to add this mileage to our challenge.
‘pleased to be able to contribute to our challenge’
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‘Little Walkers’ walk - St Fagans Date: 27 June 2012 Number of walkers: 6 Who took part: Mary Thompson, Jean Hooker, Anne Ogden, Ros Bray, Sharada Sharma, Rosanne Holmes, Pat Williams. Total distance walked: 0.5 miles Summary: A group of ‘little walkers’ led by Mary Thompson, our veteran walker, donned raincoats and walking shoes and visited St Fagans, the Welsh National History Museum on the outskirts of Cardiff. ‘Dodging rain and parties of school children we visited the Church of St Teilo, a 5th Century church from the Llwchwr Estuary that has been painstakingly reconstructed stone by stone. We had a fascinating talk on the history of St Teilo and the beautiful paintings on the interior of the Church by one of the Wardens before proceeded to the coffee shop for some refreshments and a chat!’ ‘beautiful paintings
on the interior of the Church’
only
31.9 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash! Individual member walk
Date: 28 June 2012 Completed by: Judith Jones Total distance walked: 3 miles Description of the walk: A walk in Mannlichen, whilst on holiday in Switzerland. Summary: ‘We stayed in a campsite in Interlaken. We had beautiful weather while Radyr was having miserable weather (11th June until 30th June) - in fact it was so warm some days that we had to go up the mountains to get some cool air!! The picture were taken at Mannlichen which is over 2,000 metres above sea level and can be reached by cable car from Wengen on one side and by Grindelwald on the other.
This area of Switzerland is one of my favourite places and this was the 5th time I have visited. The air is so pure and the scenery is magnificent with the backcloth of the Eiger and the Jungfrau - it is an ideal walking area’.
‘the air is so pure and the scenery is magnificent’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Individual member walk
Date: 29 June 2012 Completed by: Gillian Price Total distance walked: 2.6 miles Description of the walk: Tenby to Penally Church
Summary: ‘Today we walked to Penally Church from Tenby. We thought it would be a tranquil walk but it turned out to be quite hazardous as we had to walk through a golf course with its associated risks and also an army firing range!
‘it turned out
to be quite hazardous’
Built in the 13th Century, Penally Church was originally dedicated to St Nicholas, but is now also dedicated to St Teilo, a contemporary of St David said to have been born in the village. In the south transept, are two elaborately carved Celtic crosses. Before being brought into the church, they stood in the churchyard for about 1,000 years’. only
26.3 miles to go!
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Group walk - Annual Tenovus Charity Walk Date: 1 July 2012 Number of WI walkers: 13 Completed by: Betty Fitzgerald, Rosanne Holmes, Janet Boyce, Anne- Marie Phillips, Jill Newbould, Sue Coysh, Chris Dale, Marilyn Vaughan, Lucille Sharp, Eileen Brownsell, Pat Williams, Marion John, Una Scott. Total distance walked: 6.0 miles Description of the walk: From Cardiff Castle to Radyr Summary: The Radyr and Morganstown Friends of Tenovus group was formed as a result of a talk in our WI in 1985 and has gone on to become one of the most successful Friends of Tenovus groups in the country. A number of our WI members have, and continue to be, key figures in the group and many others are involved in fundraising for the charity. To date ‘formed as a the Radyr and Morganstown Friends have raised over £250,000 for this very result of a worthwhile cause. talk in our WI’ The annual Tenovus walk and strawberry tea is a regular fixture on many of our members calendars.
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Starting at Cardiff Castle the walk goes through Bute Park to Llandaff and then follows the Taff Trail to Radyr where walkers are able to relax and enjoy a delicious strawberry tea in the gardens of the New Schoolrooms.
‘relax and enjoy a delicious strawberry tea’
only 20.3 miles to go!
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Individual member walk
Date: 2 July 2012 Completed by: Barbara Fairfax Total distance walked: 3.0 miles Description of the walk: Walk with grandson Summary: ‘Come rain or shine I take my nine month old grandson, Gabriel, out for a walk near our home a couple of times each week. Usually we walk through Thompsons Park then down the hill to Llandaff fields, along the side of the Cathedral School playing fields an up to the Cathedral Green in the heart of Llandaff. We both enjoy the lovely open parkland and meet lots of other walkers along the way’.
‘come rain or shine we enjoy our walk’
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Individual member walk
Date: 2 July 2012 Completed by: Marjorie Patreane Total distance walked: 1.0 miles Description of the walk: Walk to Radyr library Summary: Personal circumstances have prevented Marjorie from coming to WI over the past few months. However she was very keen to participate in our challenge and walked to the newly refurbished library in Radyr where this photograph was taken.
‘a walk to the newly refurbished library in the village’
only 16.3 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash! Group walk - Llandaff to Blackweir
Date: 3 July 2012 Completed by: Elen Lewis and Margaret Lewis Total distance walked: 1.2 miles Description of the walk: Llandaff to Blackweir, Cardiff Summary: ‘It was a beautiful day as we set off from Llandaff Cathedral to walk through the extensive Llandaff fields and parkland to Blackweir. Llandaff fields are well used for recreational purposes and consist of a large number of football and rugby pitches in a beautiful parkland setting. We enjoyed a cuppa at one of the coffee shops in the park before going home’.
‘It was a beautiful day as we set off’
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Individual member walk
Date: 4 July 2012 Completed by: Gaynor Leaf Total distance walked: 2.8 miles Description of the walk: Walk in Florida
Summary: ‘I was on holiday in the United States on 4th July and marked the occasion with a couple of walks along the beach in the morning and evening. I was given a flag by a local barman especially for the photograph! It was nice to be there to see how Americans celebrated. Families had been gathering on the beach all day in preparation for the evening celebrations. The main fireworks were set off from a barge out at sea and then the families on the beach set off theirs to add to the occasion. The celebrations went on well into the night and gave us fantastic memories of the day’.
‘nice to see how the Americans celebrate the 4th of July’
only 12.3 miles to go!
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Group walk - Radyr Bounds walk
Date: 11 July 2012 Number of walkers: 8 Completed by: Jane Parry, Rosanne Holmes, Enid Evans, Val Convery, Janet Boyce, Marilyn Vaughan, Chris Dale, Gaynor Leaf. Total distance walked: 4.0 miles Description of the walk: Radyr bounds walk Summary: Our WI walking group meet at the War Memorial in the village every Thursday morning. We vary the walks depending on the weather and other commitments. This day we decided to walk the perimeter of the parish boundary. Starting at the Radyr War Memorial we walked along the bridle path through Radyr Farm and alongside Radyr golf course. Continuing along Pantawel Woods we walk through Castle View estate across the M4 motorway bridge to Morganstown then down to Pugh’s Garden Centre for a well earned cup of coffee before continuing along the River Taff back to the memorial. A round trip of four miles.
‘we meet at the War Memorial in the village every Thursday morning’
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Group walk - Around Llandaff
Date: 12 July 2012 Number of walkers: 3 Completed by: Kate Boyle, Pat Williams, Gaynor Leaf Total distance walked: 0.2 miles
Description of the walk: Llandaff city walk Summary: Personal circumstances have prevented Kate from coming to our WI meetings recently so we took the opportunity to go and meet her for a coffee and a chat. Afterwards she took us for a walk around Llandaff.
‘met for a coffee and a chat’
only 8.1 miles to go!
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Group walk - Denman College grounds
Date: 13 July 2012 Number of walkers: 18 Completed by: Alison Skidmore, Sue Llewelyn, Anne Rees, Lesley Hall, Mary Thompson, Barbara Fairfax, Jo Smith, Margaret Lewis, Rosanne Holmes, Gaynor Leaf, Jane Parry, Janette Butler, Jean Hooker, Marilyn Vaughan, Nora Starkey, Jeanne Hughes, Anne Maclarg, Jean Brown Total distance walked: 0.5 miles Description of the walk: A walk around the grounds of Denman College. Summary: After a tour of Denman College we took advantage of the good weather to take a walk in the beautiful grounds, stopping to admire the flowers and plants, followed by the obligatory group photograph! It was the first time some of us had visited the college we had all heard so
much about. - it certainly lived up to our expectations.
‘it was the first time some of us had visited the College’
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‘a walk in the beautiful grounds’
only 7.6 miles to go!
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Group walk - Little Walkers at the Physic Garden
Date: 28 July 2012 Number of walkers: 10 Completed by: Mary Thompson, Nancy Gilmore, Marjorie Patreane, Sue Duffield, Val Convery, Sharada Sharma, Rosanne Holmes, Pat Williams, Jill Newbould, Gaynor Leaf. Total distance walked: 1.0 miles Description of the walk: A walk around the Physic garden and then on to The Bear Hotel for lunch, followed by a little retail therapy in Cowbridge. Summary: Sue Duffield, one of our members, is a volunteer at the Physic Garden in Cowbridge. She gave us a talk about the garden at our July meeting and we were keen to go and see it for ourselves. We chose a day when Sue was working there and Mary Thompson organised the visit on behalf of the Little Walkers (with a few hangers on!).
‘keen to go and see it for ourselves’
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Sue told us all about the concept and design of the garden and how all the plants there are species that would have been around in the 1800s. The scent of the roses wafted over on the breeze as we walked around.
The garden looked so mature it was difficult to believe that it had been created in just 7 years. It ‘the scent of was an oasis of peace and calm the roses and we could see why it is so wafted over in well used by the local people. the breeze’
There was a stall in the garden selling home made preserves so naturally we took the opportunity to buy some before going over to a local hotel for a delicious lunch.
only 6.6 Some of our ‘Little Walkers’ miles to go!
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Splash - our bathing belles
Date: May, June and July 2012 Who took part: Sue Coysh, Sue Llewelyn, Pat Williams, Sue Austin, Jeanne Hughes, Anne-Marie Phillips Distance: total lengths of a 25 m pool by all our swimmers amounted to 4.5 miles Summary: Pat’s summary of her swims ‘Whilst on holiday with my two grandsons from 16—25 July we have been swimming lengths of the 25m pool at our holiday resort on a daily basis, which has been great fun. Although I do not mind getting my hair wet I intensely dislike putting my face underwater so it has been quite challenging for me. But I was determined to complete as many lengths as possible to add to our challenge’.
‘swimming on a daily basis whilst on holiday
with my grandsons’
Our bathing belles were very keen to contribute to our challenge but very reluctant to have their photographs taken in their swimwear. Fortunately Pat and Jeanne were not quite so reticent!
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Photo shows Jeanne enjoying her
daily swim at her holiday hotel in Marmaris, Turkey. Jean also swims 30 lengths every week at Fairwater Leisure Centre
when she is at home.
Our three Sue’s (Austin, Llewelyn and Coysh) are also regular swimmers in local Leisure Centres.
Anne-Marie Phillips added her daily 20 length swims of this 20m pool in her holiday complex in Camp de Mar, Majorca to our total.
only 2.1 miles to go!
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Big walk, Little splash! Group walk - meeting for coffee
Date: 6 August 2012 Number of walkers: 3 Completed by: Pat Ash, Sue Llewelyn, Anne Rees Total distance walked: 0.1 miles Summary: ‘On a beautiful Monday morning Anne Rees and I left Radyr and drove to Miskin, another village about four miles away, to meet Pat Ash who, due to personal circumstances, has been unable to attend WI recently. We were made very welcome and had the opportunity to have a chat and a coffee. Pat is unable to walk very far, however she took us for a little stroll so that she could contribute to our challenge’.
‘Pat took us for a little stroll so that she could contribute to our challenge’
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Individual member walk
Date: 20 August 2012 Completed by: Val Fox Total distance walked: 2 miles Description of the walk: A walk in Chepstow
Summary: ‘I decided to undertake my walk for this challenge whilst on a summers day out to the historical town of Chepstow. Family from Bath, Southport and the Vale of Glamorgan joined me on what turned out to be a beautiful sunny day. Starting down by the river the walk took us for a good mile straight up to the summit of the hill, our grandchildren found an interesting play park there and after a while we went to the grand Castle itself. They had great fun exploring all the nooks and crannies whilst pretending to be knights and princesses! Walking on for another half mile or so down the hill we were rewarded with a cool drink and a pub lunch. Fantastic fun and WI walk accomplished!’
‘great fun exploring all the nooks and crannies’
0 miles to go
Whew!
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WE’VE DONE IT...
209 miles and the all important 100% membership participation!
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Overall summary
Little did we think when we suggested taking part in this challenge that it would have had such an effect on our Institute. It captured everyone’s imagination and members thought up a range of innovative ways they could get involved. Even those who had difficulty with mobility thought of ways that they could contribute - and contribute they did, in all sorts of weather, as you can see from this journal. Everyone played their part in helping us achieve 100% participation.
We organised group walks so that some members could visit areas they might not have explored previously with people from outside their immediate circle and new friendships were formed.
The challenge has also provided us with a lasting legacy as one of our most senior members, Mary - a sprightly 94 year old, has now started a monthly walking group for those members who are unable to walk very far. They are calling themselves ‘The Little Walkers.’ Whilst their walks might not cover great distances they provide a means for them to get together once a month for a stroll, a cup of tea and a chat.
We have thoroughly enjoyed taking part in this challenge, the first our Institute has participated in for many years, and hope that the pleasure it has given us is reflected throughout this journal.
Gaynor Leaf Secretary, Radyr & Morganstown WI September 2012
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Mileage record form
Date Description Miles Total
18 Apr Diane Page took part in Beefy’s Great 5.5 5.5 British Walk along the Taff Trail.
18 Apr Jane Parry - Pontypridd to Radyr 6.8 12.3
19 Apr Thursday walking group - Radyr to 4.9 17.2 Llandaff and back.
23 Apr Megan Delf walk in Anglesey 2.5 19.7
26 Apr Thursday walkers walk to Castell Coch 4.2 23.9
30 Apr Chris Dale and group walk from Rhoose 5.6 29.5
to Barry 30 Apr Isobel Brown walk with carer 0.5 30.0
Apr Louise Rigby and her dog Meg - a week of 15.0 45.0 walks Apr Maureen Morgan’s holiday walks in 6.0 51.0 Torquay
30 Apr Lucille Sharp walking the Pembrokeshire 3.5 54.5 Coastal Path
2 May Marion Drake canvassing for local 4.0 58.5 elections
4 May Sue Duffield walk in the Malvern Hills 3.4 61.9
5 May Janet Boyce celebrates opening of Wales 10.0 71.9 Coast Path
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Date Descrip on Distance Total
5 May Circular walk of Cardiff Bay 6.2 78.1
6 May History Society walk in Old Radyr 2.1 80.2
10 May Walk to and around the Quarry 4.3 84.5
13 May Walk to Cardiff to see the Olympic 10.3 94.8 Rings 13 May Sylvia Middleton walk up the 3.2 98.0 Garth Mountain
16 May Ros Bray, Marion Rees go for 0.5 98.5 coffee at Gelynis Farm
17 May A walk through Radyr Woods 4.4 102.9
24 May Clyne gardens walk 6.0 108.9
May Tuesday walking group walk 3.0 111.9
25 May Penarth to Cosmeston and back 5.2 117.1
26 May Welcoming the Olympic torch in 2.1 119.2 Caerphilly
26 May Liz Hopkins walk in the Black 3.5 122.7 Mountains
28 May Helen Kyte walks from Radyr to 6.1 128.8 Cardiff Castle
29 May Walking in London 4.8 133.6
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Date Descrip on Miles Total
29 May Pat Williams walk in the park, London 2.5 136.1
3 Jun Various members walking to Golf Club 2.4 138.5 and back for Jubilee celebra ons
May/ Alex Broad - walking as part of her 10.0 148.5 Jun rehabilita on with her personal trainer
6 Jun Lesley Hall walking her dog in Penarth 4.6 153.1 and at home
9 Jun An uphill struggle - up the Garth 5.5 158.6 Mountain
11 Jun Walk 1 around the perimeter of Radyr 2.3 160.9 Golf Club
18 Jun Walk 2 around the perimeter of Radyr 2.3 163.2 Golf Club
20 Jun Lynda Goodwin walk to Briksdal Glacier, 3.0 166.2 Norway
20 Jun Cardiff Bay Treasure Trail walk 4.0 170.2
21 Jun Mary Pearce walk through the Penallt 4.0 174.2 Wild Flower Meadows
24 Jun Mary Pearce walk in Beachy Head 2.0 176.2
Jun Jean Dodd’s walk to WI 0.2 176.4
Jun Audrey Skidmore and Barbara Sullivan’s 0.2 176.6 walk to WI
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Date Description Miles Total
27 Jun Our Little Walkers walk in St Fagan’s 0.5 177.1
28 Jun Judith Jones’ holiday walk in Switzerland 3.0 180.1
29 Jun Gillian Price walk from Tenby to Penally 2.6 182.7
1 Jul Annual Tenovus sponsored walk from 6.0 188.7 Cardiff Castle to Radyr
2 Jul Barbara Fairfax walk with grandson 3.0 191.7
2 Jul Marjorie Patreane walk to Radyr library 1.0 192.7
3 Jul Elen Lewis walk from Llandaff to 1.2 193.9 Blackweir
4 Jul Gaynor Leaf’s walk in the USA 2.8 196.7
11 Jul Radyr ‘Beating the Bounds’ walk 4.0 200.7
12 Jul Kate Boyle’s walk around Llandaff City 0.2 200.9
13 Jul Walk in the grounds of Denman College 0.5 201.4
28 Jul Little Walkers visit the Physic Garden, 1.0 202.4 Cowbridge
Apr - Our swimmers contribution whilst on 4.5 206.9 Jul holiday and at home (combined total)
6 Aug Pat Ash walk in Miskin 0.1 207.0
20 Aug Val Fox walks around Chepstow 2.0 209.0
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Acknowledgement
And last but not least a huge thank you to the following members for their part in helping us achieve the challenge..
Sue Austin Chris Dale Lesley Hall Pat Ash Christine Davies Rosanne Holmes
Janet Boyce Megan Delf Jean Hooker
Kate Boyle Jean Dodd Elizabeth Hopkins
Ros Bray Marion Drake Jeanne Hughes
Alex Broad Sue Duffield Colleen Jenkins
Isobel Brown Enid Evans Marion John
Jean Brown Barbara Fairfax Judith Jones
Eileen Brownsell Betty Fitzgerald Rose King
Janette Butler Val Fox Helen Kyte
Val Convery Nancy Gilmore Gaynor Leaf
Sue Coysh Lynda Goodwin Mari Lewis
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Radyr & Morganstown WI Continued
Elen Lewis Marjorie Patreane Jo Smith Margaret Lewis Mary Pearce Enid Spencer-Davies
Sue Llewelyn Anne-Marie Phillips Nora Starkey
Anne Maclarg Gillian Price Barbara Sullivan
Sue McKerlich Marian Rees Janet Taylor
Sylvia Middleton Anne Rees Mary Thompson
Maureen Morgan Louise Rigby Marilyn Vaughan
Alison Morris Una Scott Pat Williams
Jill Newbould Sharada Sharma
Anne Ogden Lucille Sharp
Diane Page Audrey Skidmore
Jane Parry Alison Skidmore
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