THIS EDITION INCLUDES THE WEST RIDING ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2013 No.136 JAN 2014 WESTWEST RIDING RIDING RAMBLERJournal of the West Riding Area of the Ramblers’ Association - Edited by Keith Wadd and Dave Pannell Inside this issue: JANET STREET-PORTER GIVES SUPPORT TO BURLEY BRIDGE Janet draws attention to the need for a bridge across the River Wharfe at Burley. AREA LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE The area goes truly digital! MAP AND COMPASS COURSE FOR “Morton meander” near Sunnydale on 28th August 2013 BEGINNERS Photograph by Muriel OFlaherty Bradford evening walks are a continuing success story! What a success the Bradford Group evening a cause for concern, and for the planning of the Each course consists of two sessions walks have been! Throughout the summer, on 1999 programme a Steering Group of nine was on separate days. There is a four alternate Wednesdays and Thursdays evenings, set up which included both Joyce and myself hours indoor theory course for learning walkers have set out on a wide variety of and with Mick O’Brien as co-ordinator. map reading and compass use, and local paths for an enjoyable 4-5 mile Our aim was to increase public this is followed by an hour out of ramble. In the words of walks awareness and develop a self- doors. On the following day there is co-ordinator, Muriel O’Flaherty: “The first funded, more professional a separate practical course over fields “Bradford gets knocked walks leaflet which could be and moorland, applying compass, continually, but for varied walks evening walk I distributed across Bradford distance and directional skills. The on your doorstep it’s brilliant. in libraries, TICs, doctors’ indoor course is at Addingham We really want to get people have a record of surgeries etc. th Methodist Church on Chapel Street, out and discovering all the area is Wednesday 7 Continued on page 2 > Addingham, and the separate practical has to offer.” This summer, an course is on the moors at Yarnbury. average of 42 people have come April, 1976” on the walks. This valuable course is organised by Henry Mason who is chair of Craven Muriel told the West Riding Rambler: Group, and he will be running the “The first evening walk I have a record of is course twice in 2014, so you can go Wednesday 7th April, 1976 titled Sparable Lane either on the weekend of the 26th and led by Nora Hirschel who played a very big April, or the weekend of 19th July. part in the organisation of the walks for many The cost of the course is £20 for the years.” Muriel added: “I first walked with the group two sessions. Contact Henry Mason in 1995 and started leading in 1997. At this time at [email protected] or all the organisation was undertaken by Joyce 01756 700 248 Near Ryecroft on 19th June if you are interested Broughton who has been involved since the very in signing up for the course and Photograph by Muriel OFlaherty early days. Numbers of walkers were declining, improving your skills of navigation. Visit the Area website www.ramblersyorkshire.org or join us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RamblersYorkshire RAMBLERS TO STAGE ... from page 1 The leaflets were funded entirely by sponsorship from local LEEDS FESTIVAL OF WALKS companies. When Mick had to curtail his walking early in the 2000s, I took over as co-ordinator, and we’ve continued to develop.” A Festival of Walks organised by West Riding Area of the Ramblers’ Association and its local Groups will be staged at Leeds from 1st June to 7th June. As many Ramblers’ Included amongst the starting places for the walks this summer Association members as possible are urged to give it their were Clayton, Coley, Cullingworth, Esholt, Queensbury, Tong, support. Plans for the festival are in an advanced stage of Thornton and Tyersal, all close to the centre of Bradford, and the preparation, and will be finalised early in the New Year. walks have rejoiced under evocative titles such as “Black Tyersal”, “Three Greens”, “Mellow Chellow”, and “The Perfumes of Wyke”. Most of the Groups in West Riding Area have offered walks for Most walks end up at or near a pub, and each walks season ends the festival, and is hoped that the rest of the Groups will be with the highly popular “Cheers”: a short walk followed by food. A taking part. West Riding Area will also be putting on walks. few weeks ago at the end of the summer season “Cheers “ was at Leeds is an ideal choice for a Festival of Walks, not just Odsal Stadium preceded by a walk in the local woods. because of its central location and the fact that it is the biggest city in our area. It is a city full of attractive countryside within Among the comments made by those who have taken part in the its boundaries: Tong Valley, Otley Chevin, Eccup Reservoir, evening walks are; “Great walks with lovely people and the pub Harewood Park, the undulating countryside around Thorner afterwards makes for a great night out”, “Nice settings and atmosphere and Aberford, Rothwell Country Park and the newly-opened for the evening walks. You see things from a different perspective and St Aidan’s, Ledsham and Fairburn Ings. To name but a few! the company is great” and, a very common comment, “Well, I’ve lived Winding and wending its way around this varied and attractive here for years and never knew this existed!” landscape is the Leeds Country Way. Close to the city centre is the well-wooded Meanwood Valley, stretching out northwards. To the west is the green corridor on either side of the River Aire Bradford Group is now doing winter evening walks as well! They leading out past Kirkstall Abbey. are called “Walks in the Dark”, and Muriel recounted how they began: “In 2008-9 we tried out a winter evening walks programme It is planned to start the Festival of Walks on 1st June with a with leaflets distributed to existing walkers. It proved a success, grand big-bang Opening Ceremony and a celebrity to “cut the so the following winter it became official and attracts roughly half tape”. Followed of course by a walk. The venue has not yet the people who walk in summer. We have had 50 plus though! been fixed, but Roundhay Park and Woodhouse Moor have Despite winter weather, we rarely cancel – only three I think since we been proposed. The Festival will be a public celebration of started.” The Walks in the Dark programme is genuinely innovative, all that walking has to offer. The great thing about walking is that it is not just good healthy exercise, it is much more. and Muriel commented, “I’m not aware of any other Group running Both in the countryside and the town, walking gives us time a similar programme. Certainly when I talked to Central Office to enjoy a view, to appreciate what we see on the way, and to about the idea, insurance etc., they weren’t aware of anything wonder why. Walking exercises the mind as well as benefiting similar – though there have been a number of articles about walking the body. What other recreation does all this! in the dark recently.” West Riding Area chairman, Mike Church, commented: “The This winter’s Walks in the Dark are all listed in the latest West Riding Festival is a great opportunity for walkers to get together Area Walks Programme. (see, also, Groups’ Special notes on page and show the general public what a splendid activity walking is: good exercise with lots of interesting things to see, low 4). Newcomers are welcome, and if they would like to give it a try, cost, ant it’s on your doorstep.” The Festival of Walks is “Ogden’s Tooth” awaits them on Thursday 2nd January. being organised by the Social & Rambles committee and the KW with thanks to Muriel O’Flaherty Publicity Committee of West Riding Area. Full details will be in the next Walks Programme and on the Area website, and special leaflets will be printed and distributed widely. Put 1st June to 7th June 2014 in your diary, and come along NOTICE OF WEST RIDING and join some of the walks in the Festival. Let’s walk on attractive paths (maybe even discover some new ones) close AREA AGM to a large city, and celebrate what a wonderful recreation we all share. Keith Wadd The Annual General Meeting of West Riding Area will be held at the Clarke Foley Centre, Ilkley at 2p.m on Saturday 25th January 2014. All members of West Riding Area (that’s everyone who receives a West Riding Rambler and a West Riding Area Walks Programme) HUDDERSFIELD GROUP’S are eligible and welcome to attend and vote. FOOTPATH WORK DAY The speaker is Simon Barnett, Director of Walking Programmes at Central Office of the Ramblers’ Association. He will be talking Huddersfield Group held its the second official Footpath Work about Walking for Health and the important initiative recently taken Day on 14th September at Hullock near Jackson Bridge. by the Ramblers’ Association in partnership with Macmillan cancer Members of the Group worked with Kirklees Countryside charity. He will also talk about Ramblers’ issues and policies, and Volunteers to clear a long stretch of an attractive walled and be pleased to answer questions. hedged lane which had become badly overgrown with holly. The site was chosen by Kirklees Council. Provisional agenda: apologies, minutes of last meeting, matters Oliver Taylor reports: “The weather was great, and we made arising, correspondence and announcements, speaker’s address, excellent progress by lunchtime – helped no end by a farmer annual report and accounts, motions (28 days’ notice required), who lived nearby who, seeing what we were doing, came election of officers, any other business.