eBoot – September 2019

This month’s edition includes:

• Lake District trip, 2020 • Long weekend in Dartmoor, June 2020 • Zillertal Alps, 2019 • Bristol parks ! • Transport to shorter B walks • Notices • Books for walkers • Forthcoming walks • Commercial corner

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Lake District trip - 2nd–9th May 2020

There are a very few vacancies on the trip that Nigel Andrews will be leading, based in Ambleside. The programme includes classics such as the Fairfield Horseshoe and the fells around Kidsty Pike, as well as showcasing some lesser-known tops in walks starting from Ambleside, Grasmere and near Coniston. The walks are not the hardest the Lake District has to offer but still require a good standard of hill fitness. Those who completed the Bob Graham Round with John in May will only renew acquaintance with three fells from that route and will hopefully find many more to enjoy on this trip.

To express an interest please contact Nigel on [email protected] or 0117 959 1701 as soon as possible. Please do not book any accommoda- tion until your place has been confirmed.

Long weekend on Dartmoor - 12th-14th June 2020

There will be a long weekend of A walks on Dartmoor in June 2020. We will be based in Okehampton, where there is a range of accommodation. The programme of walks is still being developed, but it is likely that there will be a Ten Tors walk, a walk in the vicinity of Heytor, and a walk in the attractive countryside to the east of Dartmoor.

If you would like to join this trip, please contact [email protected] com, [email protected] or [email protected].

It is hoped that this will be the first of a number of trips to areas that are just too far from Bristol to be sensible destinations for a single day walk, but are well worth visiting for two or three walks.

Zillertal Alps - August 2019

Chris Sanders writes: we have been organising walking trips for the group !1 for a little while, and wanted to try a guided walking holiday organised by a tour operator. Initially we were a little concerned that not many people would be interested as these holidays are quite expensive. As it turned out, more people than we anticipated expressed an interest.

We chose Mayrhofen in Austria as it was recommended by several people and it turned out to be a spot-on place for a group like us. As well as great walking, the resort offers all sorts of activities for rest days, and you don’t even need to be a walker to have a lovely holiday there.

So was it a good idea to go away with HF? Yes, definitely because we liked: • A choice of Easy or Harder walks everyday, and High Routes walks avail- able • Walks were all guided by leaders • Breakfast and Dinner were included so we ate together every evening at the hotel. • There were social activities in the evening that were enjoyed by many • Transport was included so we didn’t have to worry about bus timetables. • We had price discounts as we booked as a group! • Magnificent environment and views at Mayrhofen • One of our members was able to switch to High Routes whilst on the holiday (depends on availability and acceptance by the leader)

Things that didn’t go so well: • When we booked we didn’t know how much the flight cost would be. We were hoping we could take advantage of cheap flights with Easyjet but this didn’t materialise. • The flight schedule was changed and this caused extra cost to those us- ing a coach to get to the airport. • There was a delay on our outbound flight. By the time we got to the hotel it was 9:30 and we were all very tired. • HF’s group booking arrangements seem to be poorly communicated and poorly executed; this was a pain for the organisers, but this didn’t de- tract from the actual holiday. • There were insufficient single rooms so some people were unable to come.

So what was the holiday like? We stayed at a very nice family run hotel which HF have been using for over 20 years. Mayrhofen is also a ski resort and quite low lying so there are several gondola lifts to whisk walk- ers up into the mountains. Valleys and mountains radiate from the town giving a wide choice of walks.

Our walks included high rocky terrain, high grassy alms and steep-sided gorges as well as undulating valleys and plateaus. We used cable cars and/or minibuses to get to the start of the walks.

Very often there were welcoming mountain huts with supplies of coffee, beer, apple strudel and Kaiserschmarrn. One walk crossed the Italian bor- der and people enjoyed pasta in an Italian hut! This and some other

!2 walks started from a high valley with a hydro-electric dam. A spectacular mountain road had been built for the dam and we were taken up by minibuses. The road clung to the cliff-side and there were hairpins and three tunnels blasted through the rock to get us there, as well as ava- lanche shelters in the gorge lower down. As we walked up from the lake the views of the turquoise lake with glaciers behind were a sight to be- hold.

In the evenings we had the option of activities like bowling, music and after-dinner strolls. It was great being with friends and this is why we did it, but we mixed very well with other people on the holiday.

Mayrhofen is also very well equipped with lots of other activities to enjoy on the rest day. Some of us used our passes to go up in lifts, or on the railway to do more walks or travel on the steam train. The most adven- turous went paragliding and enjoyed it tremendously.

Our return flight was scheduled for the evening and we had a jolly farewell lunch and congratulated each other on our success. Thank you to all who came along!

Will there be another one? If you have suggestions for another holiday, or would like to organise one we’d be delighted: • If you are thinking of organising an HF holiday, Bristol Ramblers is now a Member of HF which means individual non-members don’t pay a book- ing fee on group bookings. • There were a limited number of single rooms and everyone else has to be prepared to share with another member of the group. • HF benefits have changed since we booked. For next year HF are offer- ing 5% discount for group bookings and £500 cashback for groups of 20 or more, subject to conditions. • Its probably too late for next year but, if you are going to book a group with HF, we suggest you talk to Chris or Ikuko who will help you ask questions before you start. • The Committee arranged that payments could be made into the Bristol Ramblers bank account.

Bristol Parks

Bristol City Council and Bath & Northeast Council have joined forces to develop a Parks Foundation to support parks across the two cities. This collaborative approach will test how public giving, volunteering and social enterprise can be encouraged to benefit parks for public use and enjoyment.

These plans recognise prospect of continuing reductions in public spending, and a belief that historic arrangements may not have fully capitalised on the potential of Bristol’s parks. There is more information on the Bristol Parks Forum website.

Linked to this, a more systematic approach is being adopted to providing opportunities for volunteers in Bristol’s parks. If you enjoy working !3 outdoors, making a positive contribution to the local environment, and enjoying good company, see www.bristol.gov.uk/museums-parks-sports- culture/volunteering-in-parks.

Or join one of the local Ramblers footpaths maintenance groups: • Bath Ramblers Path Volunteers: [email protected] or 01225 483438 • Kingswood: [email protected] or 07745 118226 • Southwold Footpath Wardens: [email protected].

Transport for shorter B walks

Carol Nichols, the coordinator for shorter B walks, writes: We are all very grateful to the many people who provide transport for walkers to the start point of our walks. I would just like to encourage other walkers who have cars to consider driving to the meeting place and making their car available for lifts to the start of walks. There have been a few occasions on shorter B walks when there have not been enough cars to transport the number of people who would like to go on the walk and, while this may not be completely soluble, if you do the shorter B walks and don’t currently drive on a Sunday it would be very much appreciated if you could do so occasionally.

Notices

Taunton Leisure The next Taunton Leisure 20% discount evening is on 5th September.

Ramblers Roadshow – Saturday 26th October - This year, the Cirencester event will be the nearest Roadshow to Bristol. Travel expenses can be claimed from the Ramblers. You can book at www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/ramblers-roadshow-gloucestershire-tickets-63729809576?ref=ecal. Options are: All day workshop: Walk Leadership Induction - the ethos behind being a Ramblers walk leader and the practicalities, legal requirements, ideas and some skills needed for planning and leading a walk. Partly based in the training room, and partly out walking. Designed to give a greater understanding of what makes a good walk, and how to go about delivering this, linking this knowledge to Ramblers guidelines, and best practice. Morning workshops First Aid – repeat of the 19th July First Aid course. Rights of Way - the Basics - for anyone involved in our Rights of Way work, or who would like to know more. An introduction and overview of the law relating to Rights of Way and access, covering questions members of the public frequently ask about public footpath, and what you can do to help protect our network of footpaths. Navigation - how to navigate using a map and compass, including basic map reading, reading contours, grid references, setting a map with a compass, and taking a bearing. Designed for beginners, and those who want to brush up on their knowledge. Maps and compasses provided.

!4 Somer Valley Walking Festival - 13th-15th September Details of the Festival are at www.somervalleyramblers.org.uk.

English Coast Path - Aust to Brean Down Natural has recently submitted its proposals for improved access to the coast between Aust and Brean Down. These proposals form part of a programme to establish a continuous walking route around England’s coastline, as set out in the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCA). Details are at [email protected], and comments should be submitted by 19th September.

Beyond Bristol 2 Following the success of Beyond Bristol (published by Redcliffe Press in 2017), local Rambler Robin Tetlow has produced a further book of walks.

Beyond Bristol 2 comprises another 24 walks through the author’s most-loved landscapes of the West. Deep-cut valleys, woodlands, uplands with panoramic views and ancient settlements are traversed by carefully chosen footpaths and peaceful tracks. The ups and downs of the Mendip Hills, the deceptively tough topography of the and the glowering skies of the Somerset Levels and Severn Estuary are made yours to explore; and the Wye Valley is a short hop away. Walks are from 6 to 11 miles long and all are within 30 miles of the city – and many much closer. The book contains colour photographs throughout, and advice on kit, refreshments and the countryside code.

Priced at £15, it is available at £12 for members of Bristol Ramblers. Contact [email protected] if you would like a copy.

From Brycgstow to Bristol in 45 bridges The Bristol Bridges Walk is a 45km circular walk across all of Bristol's 45 bridges that span its main waterways and are crossable by foot. It take you from the inner city to the wide vistas of the Severn estuary and back again. But this walk is no ordinary one - it is the specifically Bristol solution to a classic mathematical puzzle called the Königsberg Bridge Problem. This asks the question "Is it possible to walk across a given set of bridges crossing each one only once?". The question was first posed in the early 1700's about the seven elegant bridges in the centre of the Prussian city of Königsberg. But no-one could figure out a way to do it.

In the 1730's the Konigsberg Bridge Problem eventually reached the desk of the brilliant Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler. He was able to prove that there was no solution to the problem for Konigsberg, given the number and disposition of its bridges. But his method also showed that solutions were possible to the bridge problem if the right number of bridges were in the right places.

So too bad for Könisgberg, but great for mathematics, because later mathematicians developed Euler's analysis into extremely powerful analytical tools: Graph theory, Network theory and Topology. Graph and

!5 Network theory can be applied to any system which is composed of "links" (eg bridges, family relations, neurons, roads, etc) and "nodes" (ie anything connected by those links such as an area of land, people, bacteria, or bus stations). The modern world would be very different without Graph theory and Network theory to help us understand it.

Thilo Gross, a mathematics lecturer, always starts his university lecture course on Graph Theory with the Königsberg Bridge Problem. About 6 years ago, after giving his Königsberg lecture at Bristol University, one of them asked if Bristol had a bridge problem with a solution. Thilo thought this was an excellent question to which he had no answer, so he set to work. After several weeks of poring over maps and many miles of walking, he identified all of Bristol’s walkable bridges. He also discovered, to his delight, that Bristol's bridge problem did indeed have a solution, and he worked out the route.

Since then, some new bridges have been constructed, and Thilo has updated the solution. Free downloads of the route, map and gpx file are available from the Bristol Books website. A book has been published, telling the story of each of the 45 bridges and explaining the problem and solution. A limited number of copies are available at the reduced price of £15 for members of Bristol Ramblers: contact [email protected] if you would like to buy one.

Books for walkers

Scottish hill walker Ian Gregory recommends Travels with a donkey by Robert Louis Stevenson.

'I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more clearly; to come down off this feather bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints. Alas as we get up in life, and are more preoccupied with our affairs, even a holiday is a thing that must be worked for. To hold a pack upon a pack-saddle against a gale out of the freezing north is no high industry, but it serves to occupy and compose the mind. And when the present is so exacting who can annoy himself about the future?'

This is one of the first examples of an account of hiking as a recreational activity. Robert Louis Stevenson had plenty to leave behind (including a love affair with a married American woman) and a lot to learn when he set off from Le Monastier to walk through the Cevennes: countryside wild and empty, reminding him of Scotland. His companion, teacher and pupil was Modestine, the donkey carrying his possessions, notably the sleeping bag he invented to be able to camp wild without a tent:

'The bed was made, the room was fit, By punctual eve the stars were lit; The air was still, the water ran; No need was there for maid or man,

!6 When we put up, my ass and I, At God's green caravanserai.'

At the end, his only sadness left was to leave Modestine for ever.

Some forthcoming walks

Full details of the walks programme are in the published programme and on our website, and also on the national Ramblers Walkfinder.

Short notice updates are added to the Walk Updates section on the website as soon as possible. Other new walks or changes to walks are generally added to the Ramblers Walkfinder within a couple of days of notification. Seeing Walk Updates When Using a Smartphone

Some people have had difficulty accessing Walk Updates using a smartphone. However, now when you access the website from a smartphone there is a link at the top of the screen to go to the walk updates page.

1st September - Pen Twyn Glas (A hill walk, 15 miles) From Crickhowell, we ascend through Cwm Cumbeth to reach the open hill. The route takes in the summits of Table Mountain, Pen Cerrig-calch, Pen Allt-mawr and Pen Twyn Glas. We return to the valley on the broad ridge of Tal Trwynau and in due course we shall enjoy a late pub stop at Llanbedr. Two attractive streams are followed to Llangenny from where the final ascent is followed by an easy descent to the cars. The total ascent is in the region of 3,500 feet and most of it is in the morning.

1st September - Bath to Monkton Combe (B walk, 11 miles) This walk will start in Sham Castle Lane in Bath. It is a semi urban/rural walk with much of historical interest. The "canal" in the title includes passing a chimney from an old pumping station. The "Two Tunnels" are on the disused Somerset and Railway which in recent years have been opened along the course of a public footpath. We also pass the house of the "father of British geology”. Lunch is in Monkton Combe in a pub with photos of an old railway film made in the area in 1952. Your packed lunch can be eaten in a churchyard containing the grave of a well known soldier from the Fist World War. The afternoon coffee stop is next to a "castle" which is not really one! So there is plenty of reading as well as walking.

1st September - Velvet Bottom, Charterhouse and Blackmore Reserve (shorter B walk, 7.5 miles) A walk in the Mendip Hills above Cheddar. We start from Velvet Bottom, walking up the valley past old mine workings then wending our way up Black Down to the trig point at Beacon Batch with great views on a fine day. Then onward past the wireless masts to the Blackmore Nature Reserve and the remains of the lead industry before heading back to Velvet Bottom. A walk with many interesting aspects and time to explore them!

!7 There will be no pub at lunch time, but after the walk Cheddar is just down the road from where the cars are parked with plenty of pubs and tea shops.

8th September - Uley (A walk, 15 miles) This walk takes in the extensive views from Cam Long Down and Uley Bury, and also includes a couple of lovely Bottoms in the Uley area. It is moderately demanding, with less than 3,000 ft of ascent, and includes a pub lunch stop.

8th September - Coleford (B walk, 12.5 miles) This walk starts at Stoke St Michael. From there we go through Nettlebridge and Holcombe to the lunch stop at Coleford. After lunch we return to Stoke via Cranmore Tower.

15th September - Cothelstone Hill and Enmore (A walk, 16 miles) This A walk explores the delightful countryside that lies to the east of the Quantocks. Beginning in Fyne Court, it follows the Macmillan Way Westwards to Cothelstone Hill. It then bends northeast passing Barford House and Enmore Castle with the pub stop in Enmore. In the afternoon, we pass the Temple of Harmony and a part of the Samaritans Way in Goatland before rejoining the MacMillan Way further east and thus back to Fyne Court.If the weather is good there are some lovely vistas in prospect. N.B. This walk is 16 miles not the 15 advertised in the programme. The car park at Fyne Court is still National Trust but is no longer free. If you have a membership card please bring.

22nd September - Dinder (B walk, 12.5 miles) The walk starts in the delightful village of Dinder. We make our way to Dulcote and then to Worminster Down. We continue on paths and lanes with a number of short, steep climbs, heading initially south and then eastwards to arrive at Pilton, for our lunch and pub stop. Our route back takes us through West Compton and on to Croscombe before turning westwards for our last climb back to Dinder. A special feature of the walk is that at each hilltop, we catch an ever-changing perspective of Glastonbury Tor.

29th September - The lost settlements of Sandywell (A walk, 15 miles) Starting at the Kilkenny viewpoint outside Cheltenham, this will be a gently undulating (1500 feet of ascent) meander through pastoral Gloucestershire, in the ward of Sandywell. We will pass by neolithic sites, an iron age settlement, two Roman ones, four abandonded medieval villages and a dozen or so disused quarries (presumably those abandoned villages needed a lot of stone). The lunch stop will be in the hamlet of Brockhampton, near the source of the .

1st October - Severn Bore (Tuesday B walk, 6 miles) This walk is primarily along the canal and the banks of the , and is carefully timed to see the Severn Bore occur opposite

!8 Minsterworth. The walk starts at 8:45am at the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal car park by the bridge on Elmore Lane West, Quedgeley, Gloucester, GL2 4PS. We should be back at the car park around 12:30, depending on the wind direction and recent upstream rainfall which all affect the bore's timing!

6th October - Three Blacks peaks (A hill walk, 15 miles) A visit to three hill tops, Table Mountain, Crug Mawr and Sugar Loaf (not necessarily in that order), taking in the lovely Partrishow Church en route. For those willing to linger at the end, there will be a chance to a visit The Bear in Crickhowell. Approx 4000 ft of ascent.

13th October - Painswick Figure of Eight (A walk, 14 miles) In the morning we follow the for much of the way to Haresfield Camp before losing height on the way to Pitchcombe. The route then heads north-east along the Painswick Valley to return to our starting point for lunch. The steady climb to Painswick Beacon gets the afternoon off to a fine start before we say farewell to the Cotswold Way at Pope's Wood. Our way leads us to the valley and the small manor house of Tocknells Court. A stretch of easy and attractive walking ensues before a short sharp ascent brings us back to Painswick. This walk has several climbs but it is not difficult and is in the middle of the A grade.

20th October - Around Sugar Loaf (A walk, 14.5 miles) This walk starts from the Mynydd Llanwenarth Car Park then meanders along to High Beeches to begin a steady ascent, kissing the top of Sugar Loaf before dropping down towards Llanbedr, where we will have a pub stop for lunch. The walk then follows a stream towards Llangenny, before a final climb towards Sugar Loaf before dropping down to the start point. It is a moderately strenuous walk, with around 3,200 ft of ascent, with a couple of long, steady climbs.

20th October - Bisley (B walk, 12 miles) The walk starts and ends at the London Road car park in Stroud (GL5 2AJ). We make our way up to Rodborough Common to be rewarded with splendid views over the Severn Vale and, if we are lucky, the Forest of Dean and the Welsh Hills. We then go down and make our way through Toadsmoor Valley towards Bisley for our lunch stop. There is a choice of two pubs in Bisley. On our return to Stroud we take in a stretch of the where you can see how the ongoing restoration work is progressing.

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 !9 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 of these will be on 5th September.

You are receiving this communication as a member of the Bristol group and you have previously asked to be kept informed of the Ramblers work by email. If you no longer wish to receive communications like this, please update your mailing preferences at www.ramblers.org.uk/my-account.

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