Janet Rice and Rob Williams Reunion Secretaries, 49 Club 31 Glynrosa Road Charlton Kings Cheltenham GL53 8QS 01242 580247; 07747 633967; 07747633968 [email protected]

Dear Members February 2016

49 CLUB ANNUAL MEETING WEDNESDAY 15th and THURSDAY 16th JUNE 2016 East Pebblebed Heaths and Axmouth to Undercliffs NNR

As you will have read in the newsletter insert, where an overview of the wildlife and conservation interest of the reunion was given, our 2016 reunion will be held between in and Lyme Regis in West Dorset. The programme builds on the previous format, and adds a management-focussed element by including an (optional) discussion and site visit with the manager of the largest part of the pebblebed heaths in private ownership. The focus of this year’s reunion will be on heathlands and the coastal landslips of the NNR, but the offers many other attractions, particularly to the east towards Swanage.

This letter explains the details of the programme for the reunion together with the costs etc., and the booking arrangements. We should be grateful if you would return the attached booking and menu selection forms to us, with your payment, as soon as possible, and by Friday 29 April 2016 at the latest. Programme Wednesday 15 June

Additional session 09.45 Convene at the office of Clinton Devon Estates, close to Bicton Arena (SY063859; Postcode EX9 7BL). Tea and coffee will be available on arrival. 10.00 Discussion with Dr Sam Bridgewater, Conservation Manager, on heathland conservation management. 10.30-12.15 Visit to CDE’s Woodbury Common heathland (SY041861) and opportunity to discuss topical management issues and practices with staff. Directions to Bicton Arena From the west leave the M5 at Junction 30. At Sandygate roundabout, take the 4th exit onto the A376 signposted Exmouth, . At next roundabout take the 3rd exit onto the A376 signposted Exmouth. At next roundabout take the 1st exit onto the B3179 signposted . After 4 miles, at the Four Firs Crossroads, continue forward signposted Yettington, East Budleigh. Continue along this road, through the village of Yettington until you see Bicton Arena signposted. From the east on the A3052, turn left coming out of onto the B3178. After 2½ miles, turn right towards Yettington and travel for ½ mile until you see Bicton Arena signposted. Turn through the iron gates and follow the private road and the yellow 49 Club signs, which will lead you to the parking area.

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Directions to Woodbury Common from Bicton Arena For the site visit, leave Bicton Arena, turn right and drive through Yettington after ½ mile. Continue for a further mile and follow the yellow 49 Club signs into the car park on the right hand side of the road. 49 Club Reunion 2016 12.00-13.30 Lunchtime picnic at the RSPB’s Aylesbeare Common Reserve (SY 058901). Bring your own picnic lunch. 13.30 Welcome by Sheila Anderson. 13.45 Walk led by the RSPB’s Reserve Manager, Toby Taylor, to see the varied soils, topography, vegetation types and vistas of this attractive reserve, exploring management methods and hopefully encountering some of its notable wildlife. Directions to Aylesbeare We will be parking on the Reserve’s firebreaks accessed via the private farm track to Woolcoombe. From Woodbury Common, turn right out of the car park and drive ¾ mile to the crossroads. Turn right onto the B3180 and drive for 3 miles to the junction with the A3052 (with the Halfway Inn visible across the road on your left) and follow directions ‘from the west’. From the west on the A3052, drive ¾ mile downhill after the Halfway Inn and be ready to turn sharp left onto the track signposted ‘Private road to farm only’. From the east on the A3052, drive 2 miles uphill from the centre of Newton Poppleford and turn right onto the track signposted ‘Private road to farm only’. Look out for the yellow 49 Club balloons and signs. 16.00 Disperse to accommodation.

18.00 Optional discussion on the future of NNRs, with Ben Le Bas, Natural ’s Senior NNR advisor, at the Blue Ball Inn, Steven’s Cross, , EX10 9QL (SY139899). 19.00 If you are not taking part in the NNR discussion, assemble in the bar of the Blue Ball Inn for pre-dinner drinks and collect your place card ready for choosing your seat for dinner. 19.15-19.45 Business meeting. 20.00 Annual dinner. This will be a three-course meal, chosen in advance from the attached menu. You will be able to buy drinks from the restaurant bar. As usual, there will be no seating plan, so use your place card to choose your seat. Directions to the Blue Ball Inn Sidford is at the crossroads of the A375 and the A3052, 2 miles north of Sidmouth. From the west on the A3052, the Blue Ball is on the left, shortly after the crossroads. From the east on the A3052, the Blue Ball is on the right shortly before the crossroads. From the north on the A375, turn left at the crossroads onto the A3052; the Blue Ball is on the left in a few hundred yards. The car park is on the opposite side of the road - look out for the yellow 49 Club signs and balloons. Thursday 16 June 10.30 NNR walk, led by Natural England’s Senior Reserve Manager Tom Sunderland, on a 3km circular route over a landslip area of the Axmouth to Lyme Regis Undercliffs NNR, starting at Pinhay (SY 316913; Postcode: DT7 3RQ). For those who would prefer an easier walk, an alternative along the return section of the route can be arranged on the day.

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Directions to Pinhay The A3052 is again the key road for finding our venue. From the west, drive just over 4 miles from and turn right into the entrance signposted ‘Pinhay House residential care home’. From the east, drive just under two miles from Lyme Regis and turn left into the entrance signposted ‘Pinhay House residential care home’. Look out for, and follow, the yellow 49 Club signs, which will lead you down the drive to a large grassy parking area on the right, just before a sign to Pinhay Victorian Garden. 13.30 Lunch and disperse. Bring your own picnic lunch. There is plenty of space for our farewell picnic at Pinhay where cars will have been left during the morning walk. Practicalities Payment The cost of the three-course dinner at The Blue Ball Inn, including coffee, mints and gratuities, but excluding drinks, will be £30.00. NB: The £8 annual subscription is due on July 1st. Payment by Standing Order is best for the Club and, if you don’t already pay in this way, a mandate is available on the website. You can of course continue to pay the treasurer direct or you can add your annual subscription to your reunion booking cheque if you prefer. Accommodation This area of East Devon and West Dorset is an important holiday destination, so there is no shortage of accommodation of all types and prices. For members travelling a long way to the meeting, and for most of those planning to attend the optional session with Clinton Devon Estates on the first morning, two nights’ accommodation will be necessary. When booking accommodation, do bear in mind the practicalities of getting between our different site visits and dinner venue. The best sources of information about accommodation, as well as other attractions and places of interest in the area, are listed towards the end of this letter. Maps and guidance The reunion area is covered by the 1:50,000 OS Landranger Maps No 192 (Exeter and Sidmouth) and 193 (Taunton and Lyme Regis) and 1:25,000 Explorer Maps No 115 (Exmouth and Sidmouth) and 116 (Lyme Regis and Bridport). Grid references are provided for all our venues, and postcodes are provided (for use in satnavs) where possible. Travel The area we will be visiting is, unfortunately, not easily accessible by public transport. The distance between the sites we will be visiting is some 27 miles, with the venue for dinner approximately halfway between the two. Protective Clothing and Footwear Rain is a possibility, even in June, so you should bring waterproofs. It is also possible that it will be hot, so water, a hat, and sun cream are all essential. Appropriate footwear will be important, particularly for the second day of the meeting, when the walk is more challenging and we recommend that members who sometimes use walking poles should bring them. Landslips The area that we will be visiting has experienced many landslips in the past and it is possible that further such activity may occur immediately before, or even during, our visit. Members are advised to be cautious when walking on uneven ground. Walk leaders will take responsibility for any necessary changes to routes or emergency action.

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Ticks Ticks are known to be a problem in the areas that we will be visiting. At the end of each day, we recommend that you check your body for them, and perhaps bring a tick-remover with you. Local attractions, places of interest and useful websites  Blue Ball Inn, Sidford www.blueballinnsidford.co.uk, 01395 514062.  The new ‘Seaton Jurassic’ interpretation centre (http://www.seatonjurassic.org) is planned to open in spring 2016.  One of the key attractions of this area, which it has not proved possible to incorporate into the programme, because of the state of the tides on the days of the meeting, is the internationally important geology of the beach. On the day before the meeting, however, low tide at Lyme Regis will be at 19.55 and a walk along the beach starting at about 18.00 would be an ideal opportunity for any members arriving early to enjoy the rocky shore geology, with fossil exposures of Jurassic sea bed fauna, including a ‘limestone pavement’ of closely- packed ammonites.  Lyme Regis Museum has a programme of guided walks along the beach that are very popular and need to be booked in advance (http://www.lymeregismuseum.co.uk/whats- on/fossil-walks).  Bicton Park botanical gardens (www.bictongardens.co.uk) are impressive formal gardens with glasshouses and an arboretum.  http://www.visitdevon.co.uk  http://www.heartofdevon.com/places-to-visit/east-devon  http://www.visit-dorset.com  http://www.pebblebedheaths.org.uk  Seaton Tourist Information Centre: 01297 21660  Sidmouth Tourist Information Centre: 01395 516441  Lyme Regis Tourist Information Centre: 01297 442138 Attendance: ensuring your safety Our first priority is to ensure the safety of everyone and we will check that everyone who has booked to attend the reunion is present. If you change your plans, or decide not to attend a session at which you are expected, please contact us, or ask another member to let us know that you have done so. Toilet facilities Toilets will be available at Bicton Park and, of course, at the Blue Ball Inn. At Aylesbeare Common and at Pinhay, Rachel and Robin Hamilton have kindly offered to set up the 49 Club portable loo. Picnics The sites that we will be visiting are not near to cafés or shops and the best arrangement will be to bring a picnic from home. Locally, the nearest places for buying food and drinks for picnics will be Newton Poppleford on Day 1 and Lyme Regis on Day 2.

We look forward to seeing everyone in June, but please get in touch if you have any queries. Best wishes

Janet Rice and Rob Williams 31 Glynrosa Road, Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, GL53 8QS 01242 580247; 07747633967; 07747633968 [email protected]

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