East Surrey Walkers WALKS PROGRAMME & NEWSLETTER APRIL - JUNE 2015 www.eastsurreywalkers.org.uk Chairman’s Chatter 2015 has started enthusiastically for ESW with good numbers on most walks; perhaps surprisingly much higher than during last summer. Not everyone can understand the attraction of walking in winter but I think many of us are glad to be outside, in the country, walking with our friends. Hopefully by the time you read this, the mud which has persisted on many routes will have reduced. Along with our existing members it's been good to see new faces on many of the walks, and thank you for making them welcome. As well as the traditional ways of attracting new members we now have Facebook and StreetLife entries. These are bringing ESW to the notice of new people who in turn have made favourable comments after joining a walk. Over the next couple of months we will be putting new posters and flyers in popular locations. If you know of new places where they should go, Keith Chesson will be glad of your help. Thanks to Tony P and Keith C for these initiatives. On 7th February ten ESW members attended the Ramblers Surrey Area AGM in Selsdon. After the routine business was completed, Des Garrahan, a Ramblers Trustee and the Lead Member for Development, spoke. He congratulated Surrey Area, firstly that the meeting was much better attended than most he goes to, and secondly that the Area has a full Committee. We are lucky to have people prepared to take on these roles. He pointed out that Ramblers was fortunate that volunteer duties are undertaken by an unusually large proportion, about 25%, of the 107,000 members. Des then went on to talk about the response to the Vision and Governance Proposals. Tony Pearson criticised the Vision document saying it was overambitious and overlong, given the limited resources available to Ramblers. It soon became clear that Tony's viewpoint had general support in the room. Des seemed surprised at the response, and said that the numerical targets in the draft Vision proposals had now been dropped. As regards the governance proposals, Des favours one member one vote for the election of trustees, and this will be the subject of a vote at the National AGM at the end of March. Ramblers is launching its ambitious Big Pathwatch project to survey the condition of every right of way in England and Wales between June and October 2015. This will enable the condition of paths in different parts of the country to be compared, and will identify the most common problems. ESW footpath secretaries already monitor the condition of local footpaths, but we will be looking for help with this project. Finally I hope that amongst the wide selection of ambles, walks, special walks, and social events described in this programme you will find plenty to enjoy this spring. Enjoy your walking! Arthur Darby , Chairman March 2015 Cover photo: Reigate Hill. © Tony Pearson East Surrey Walkers APR-JUN 2015 Page 2 of 20 East Surrey Walkers The Group is open to all members of The Ramblers whether or not they live in East Surrey. Prospective members are welcome to come on two or three walks before joining. Ordinary membership of The Ramblers costs £33 p.a. but is less for couples, students and other special categories. Application forms are available from the Membership Secretary. Our programme of walks and other activities is available on the Group's website at www.eastsurreywalkers.org.uk where any updates to this programme will be found. Contacts A full Contacts list for all the Group's officers can be found on the website. Chairman Arthur Darby 01883 [email protected] 713207 General Secretary Denise Birkett 01883 [email protected] 346714 Walks Co- Liz Whittaker 0208 651 ordinator [email protected] 5661 Social Organiser Barbara Bulman 01293 [email protected] 782090 Amanda Whiteley Membership Secretary 01883 [email protected] 712303 Surrey Area ESW are members of the Surrey Area of the Ramblers. The Area has its own website here: http://www.surreyramblers.org.uk/ Members can login to the site using the Username: surrey, Password: boots42, to gain access to extra content, including the Application form for Leaders Training. Our Walks White Half-day circular walks The walks in the screen and website Blue Short Ambles versions of the programme are colour Green All day circular walks coded to aid selection: Yellow Midweek linear walks Beige Other days Ambles We now have a selection of short Ambles in the programme - these are typically circular, no more than 3 miles long and on the level, and are meant as introductory or social walks for those new to rambling, returning after illness or surgery or simply wanting a shorter, gentler walk for a change. They generally start (and end) at a venue where sociable cups of tea or coffee can be enjoyed. East Surrey Walkers APR-JUN 2015 Page 3 of 20 They take place on weekdays (other than Wednesdays) on a variable pattern so please refer to the Walks Programme for details. Circular Walks Two circular walks are held every weekend. We have a full-day walk of around 10-12 miles, usually entailing bringing a picnic lunch, and a shorter walk of around 5-6 miles, both with a 15 minute refreshment break mid-morning. The days for these long and short walks will alternate each weekend. On Wednesdays we also have a short 5-6 mile walk, sometimes on the same day as the linear walks, to offer an alternative. These shorter walks are usually, but not always, in the morning. We also have occasional walks on other weekdays. Mid-week Linear Walks On these days we tackle Long-Distance Footpaths in convenient stages of usually 8 - 12 miles. We normally walk on the first and third Wednesday of each month, and unless otherwise indicated lunch is at a pub where food is available. Where possible, start and finish points are arranged where public transport is accessible. The organisers (Nick and Bryan) will endeavour to co-ordinate travel arrangements, so if you haven’t been on any of these walks recently please contact one of us a few days beforehand in case any changes have been made to the published details. If you wish to make your own way to the walk start, please make sure you are there before the stated time, and let Nick or Bryan know. Nick maintains an email list of the regular linear walkers and many of us rely on that for last minute updates. ~~~~ At the start of the Downs Link Path © Bryan Petifer Our first two walks this quarter will complete our journey along the Downs Link Path, from Christ’s Hospital near Horsham to Shoreham-by-Sea on the Sussex East Surrey Walkers APR-JUN 2015 Page 4 of 20 coast. It should be easy springtime walking because it mostly follows the route of the old Guildford to Shoreham railway. We then switch to our main route for the summer months: The Monarch’s Way. We will be doing the last portion of this path, which follows King Charles II's escape route to France after his defeat by Cromwell’s army at the Battle of Worcester. The whole walk is over 600miles but we will pick up the King’s route at Owlesbury near Winchester for the final 85 miles to (once again for us) Shoreham-by-Sea on the Sussex coast. We finish this quarter at West Dean in West Sussex. Nick Walks Report We are delighted to present to you our Walks Programme for April to June 2015. Please browse through it, make a note of your favourites & come & join us. Please try to arrive 15 minutes before the walk is scheduled to start so that the leader can take your details, introduce the walk & leave promptly. All our walks are to be recommended but I would like to draw your attention to some unusual ones. • Sunday 19th April – a photography walk led by John Nathan in Staffhurst Woods. Equally enjoyable for others who enjoy ambling through bluebells. • Sunday 26th April – our annual walk with London Blind Ramblers ending with a delicious tea. • Monday 4th May – Bank holiday afternoon walk at Staffhurst followed by pub meal • Wednesday 13 May – a Birdwatch walk with local naturalist Peter Oliver, who will take us on a short walk from the edge of Limpsfield Chart, onto the farmland south of the ridge and introduce us to some of the birdlife in the area. Numbers will be limited, so pre-booking is necessary. • Saturday 23 May – David Woodcraft Commemorative Walk. Some of you will have known David, who died last year; he was a member for several years and led walks for us. We thought it would be fitting to remember him with a special walk in one of his favourite local areas. The walk will be followed by tea / coffee and cakes, held at the Reigate Heath Golf Club. Everyone is welcome, whether or not you knew David. Non-walking members are very welcome to join us for the tea. • Sunday 7th June – our annual cream tea at John & Di Nathan’s house in Limpsfield. Preceded by a choice of a long or short walk to stimulate your appetite. • Saturday 20 June – In the Steps of Walker Miles. To celebrate this ardent Victorian rambler we are organising a 4 mile walk in conjunction with St Nicholas Church, Godstone, followed by tea and cakes. Get into the spirit of the early 1900s by dressing as you think ramblers would have done then.