eBoot – February 2020 This month’s edition includes: • Long weekend on Dartmoor, June 2020 • Weekend walking on the Isle of Wight, June 2020 • Weekend walking around Brecon, September 2020 • In Case OF Emergency cards • Don’t Lose Your Way campaign • Notices • Forthcoming walks • Discounts for Ramblers members Join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/bristolramblersgroup/ Group trips See www.bristolramblers.org.uk for details of these trips. Long weekend for A walkers on Dartmoor - 12th-14th June 2020 If you would like to join this trip, please contact [email protected] com, [email protected] or [email protected]. Long weekend for B walkers on the Isle of Wight - 25th-29th June 2020 Contact [email protected] for further details. Long weekend for B walkers in and around Brecon - 4th-7th September 2020 This is notice to keep early September clear! Walks are being organised for a long weekend based around Brecon in early September 2020. Let Ikuko know by email ([email protected]) as and when you decide you'd like to come. In Case Of Emergency cards A recent incident on a walk has reinforced the value of all walkers carry- ing In Case Of Emergency cards, providing information which may be in- valuable if the carrier is involved in an incident. Cards can be downloaded from the national Ramblers website or obtained from walk coordinators. We urge all walkers to carry these cards. Don’t Lose Your Way campaign In February, the national Ramblers will be launching an online tool for comparing historic maps with current rights of way, to identify rights of way that have disappeared. For more information, see www.ramblers.org.uk. Notices Committee meeting 1 Your Committee meets on 4th February. If there are any issues that you think they should discuss, please email [email protected]. Avon Area AGM The Area AGM will take place on Saturday 22nd February, at Camerton Community Hall, Meadgate BA2 0NL. There will be a walk starting at 10am and a buffet lunch at 1pm, to be followed by the meeting. National Ramblers trustee Aynsley Jardin will speak. There are more details on the Area website. Bristol Walk Fest This year’s Walking Festival will take place throughout May. Look out for the programme at www.bristolwalkfest.com. Bristol Ramblers are pleased to support the Festival, by leading walks and contributing to the funding and administration. If you would like to contribute a walk, please contact any member any the committee. The Bristol Ramblers Walks Programme - paper copies We will continue to distribute paper copies of the June-September walks programme, but only to members who specifically request one. If you currently receive both paper and electronic copies as a result of a previous request for a paper copy, you will continue to receive a paper copy. Walk Leader training From January, the national Ramblers will be offering Walk Leadership Essentials training at a variety of locations across England. The training is free and travelling expenses can be claimed. The full day course will cover the role of a walk leader, the practicalities of planning and leading group walks and some of the scenarios you may face when leading walks. There will be plenty of time to share ideas and experiences with your fellow walk leaders too. The first round of courses will take place in January and February. The closest to Bristol is in Exeter, but we expect that there will be courses closer to home later in the year. You can find more details on the national Ramblers website: volunteer zone>support and development>walk leadership. We intend to offer a local map and compass navigation course in the spring. Please contact [email protected] if you would be interested. Land justice conference What is Land Justice? Saturday 15th February at the Trinity Centre, 9.30am-5pm and 7pm-11pm. Details at www.landjustice.uk/southwest. Some forthcoming walks 2 Full details of the walks programme are in the published programme and on our website, and also on the national Ramblers Walkfinder. Updates are added to the Walk Updates section on the website as soon as possible. New walks or changes to walks are generally added to the Ramblers Walkfinder within a couple of days of notification. Updates for Wednesday and Saturday walks are available on WhatsApp - to join, please email [email protected]. 1st February - The Broomway, Essex (A/B walk, 12 miles) The start of the walk is at the rough car park at Wakering Stairs (GR TQ 969871; What3Words soups.causes.zaps). We will meet at 7:30 a.m. to start walking soon after (dawn is 07:47 on 1st February, with low water at 10:43). That will allow us enough time to safely walk to Foulness Island and back. This will be an atmospheric salt- watery walk: wear wellies to guarantee dry feet as there will be surface water at the start, and wet sand and mud throughout, but walking boots should survive. There will be little privacy for comfort stops or sit down coffee break before reaching Foulness Island (6 miles). Foulness is an MOD property which is not open to the public on 1st February, but there’s a concrete gangway where we can have a coffee and food break without going into the Island. Then we head back to Wakering Stairs before the tide comes in. Convivial refreshment at pub afterwards. 2nd February - Cranham (A walk, 15 miles) This walk will be in the area of the Cotswold village of Cranham. The hills in those parts are not that high but are quite steep in places: about 2,600 feet of ascent. Our route crosses several valleys and there should be far reaching views too. Hopefully there’ll be time to stop at the pub in Miserden. 2nd February - Filton, Purdown, Snuff Mills and Frenchay (shorter B Walk, 9 miles) Meet at Great George Street for 09:30 and car sharing to the car park at Filton Abbey Wood station. We will walk around the MOD complex and behind UWE to end up at Purdown. Then on to Snuff Mills to follow the River Frome, and then Frenchay and back to UWE to return to Filton Abbey Wood via a slightly different route. There is an option of a tea stop combined with sandwiches at Snuff Mills. Please bring a packed lunch. There is no intended pub stop on this route, but the leader plans to stop at a pub at the end of the walk (The Fox Den). 2nd February - Burledge Hill (B walk, 12.5 miles) We start with a fairly steep climb up Burledge Hill. From the top, there are spectacular views of Chew Valley Lake and Blagdon Reservoir. We pick up the Three Peaks Way before wending our way to join the Limestone Link which takes us to the outskirts of Hinton Blewit. Then on to the Lower Reservoir and the pub at Litton, our lunch stop. After lunch, we take the path on the northern side of the reservoir before climbing Coley Hill and 3 on to Prospect Stile and White Hill before descending to the road that leads us back to Widcombe. 9th February - Vale of Berkeley (A walk, 15 miles) The walk heads west from the Cotswold escarpment to cover much of the valley towards the River Severn, criss-crossing the Little Avon river several times along the way. Lunch stop in Ham, just south of Berkeley Castle. Depending on the weather, the top of the deer park in the Vale of Berkeley provides views of the Forest of Dean and the Cotswolds. Wide variety of terrain conditions underfoot, and around 1500 feet of ascent. 9th February - Marshfield and Doynton (B walk, 12.5 miles) Starting from Marshfield, we walk through fields and country lanes down to Dyrham and then through the water meadows to Doynton where we have a lunch stop. The Cross House Inn has been refurbished and is now open again. After lunch we climb the escarpment, join the Cotswold Way to Cold Ashton and then follow footpaths back to Marshfield. We cannot promise snow this time, but can guarantee the usual seasonal quota of mud. 16th February - Lilstock Beach and Bicknoller Post (A walk, 13 miles) From Lilstock Beach we follow the English Coast Path west before turning inland and heading for the Quantocks and climbing to Bicknoller Post with views back across Bridgwater Bay. We then descend to Sheppard’s Combe and Hodder’s Combe to Holford for lunch. In the afternoon we will return to the coast, finishing with a short walk along another section of the coast path. 16th February - Old Sodbury/Hawkesbury Upton (B walk, 12 miles) From Chipping Sodbury, we follow the Cotswold Way north through Horton to the lunch stop at Hawkesbury Upton. The return follows a number of lesser-used footpaths and lanes, passing Lyegrove House. 23rd February - Talybont Reservoir Rollercoaster (A hill walk, 15 miles) This will cover peaks on both sides of the Talybont reservoir in the Brecon Beacons. It includes three fairly steep climbs, with over 4500 feet of ascent between them. The route covers woodland and open ground, with expansive views of the reservoir, and some waterfalls as well for good measure, but no pub. 1st March - Snowshill (A walk, 14.5 miles) A Cotwolds walk that inevitably includes parts of the Cotswold and Winchcombe Ways. Weather permitting, there are fine views. Woodland tracks and footpaths: expect mud. Lunch, just over half way, will be at Broadway with its ample choice of refreshment venues.