Sunday 25th March - Ashorne and Newbold Pacey Figure of Eight walk.

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1 Sunday 25th March - Ashorne and Newbold Pacey Figure of Eight walk. Thirteen members and three guests enjoyed a sunny walk, even though we had had to set our alarms early with the start of British Summer Time! Starting from Ashorne Village Hall, we walked the first loop, taking in lovely views and fields with lambs. Then the second stage, progressing to Newbold Pacey, going through the churchyard of St George the Martyr, which was abundant with primroses. Butterflies were spotted, and it really felt like, finally, the first day of spring. The walk finished back at the village hall, where we had refreshments of hot drinks and home-made cakes, courtesy of Trish, a local resident and friend! Sunday 3 rd December 2017 Knowle Ramblers Christmas Lunch. 46 of us enjoyed an extremely the meal which was well organised, cooked and served at the Henley Golf and Country club. Thanks to them for their attention and to Elaine who organised everything for Knowle Ramblers.

2 Saturday 2nd December Walk to Bumble Hole To see george s slideshow copy and paste this link address to your browser. Saturday 18th November Birmingham to Dudley Canalside Lovely autumnal walk along the M6 of the 19th century. Extraordinary range of bridges and aqueducts.

3 Sunday 5th November - Meriden. Our walk started from the car park of the Queen s Head pub in Meriden, with 18 happy ramblers ready to enjoy a fairly gentle 7 mile walk. The weather was cool but pleasant as we set off along the Heart of England Way towards Eaves Green. A bridle path took us towards Hollyberry Lodge Farm, from where we made our way to the outskirts of Corley Moor. Here we joined the Coventry Way to skirt Birchley Hayes Wood, briefly rejoining the Heart of England Way before crossing the Fillongley Road. We then left the main route to head south westwards and enjoyed walking through the attractive Close Wood. Our route then took us along an escarpment which offered great views of the North Birmingham conurbation before crossing over the A45 and back to our starting point, from where we drove to Berryfields Farm for a well earned cup of tea. Saturday, 21st October Cropredy On a very breezy Saturday in October 9 Knowle Ramblers set off on an eight mile Circular walk from Cropredy. Firstly we crossed the bridge near where the Battle of Cropredy Bridge was fought during the English Civil War in June 1644 between the Parliamentarians and the Royalists. We then walked along the Oxford Canal towpath until we reached the Millennium Way which we followed to the village of Chipping Warden where lunch was enjoyed in the churchyard of the ancient church of St Peter and St Paul. As we left the village a board informed us of the Battle of Edgecote which took place in Before crossing the River Cherwell we saw a silver plaque mounted on a concrete plinth which marks the site where a Wellington bomber crashed in We then followed a track between beech hedges to reach a fine view of Edgecote House and Estate which was used for the TV series Pride and Prejudice. From there it was a fine walk across open countryside to the village of Wardington and then to Cropredy. Sunday, 8th October - Priors Marston route 2. Fourteen of us started our walk from the car park of the Holly Bush Inn in the village of Priors Marston in east Warwickshire, walking along Shuckborough Lane towards Napton Hill till we reached a bridlepath that took us through woodland for a mile or more. Emerging into open country we could see wide horizons over Potash Farm along the line of the Cotswold Edge towards the Dassett Hills. Following an ancient byway we arrived at Marston Doles and the top lock of the Oxford Canal. We took lunch here watching the work of the bargees manipulated their boats through the lock. We climbed back onto the high ground of Jurassic limestone to cross fields to the ancient settlement of Priors Hardwick and then through more fields of ploughed land and sheep pastures to return to our starting point The Holly Bush Inn provided us with a place of refreshment and relaxation before returning home.

4 Sunday, 10th September - Priors Marston The village of Priors Marston lies in east Warwickshire, close to the Northants border. Our group of 8, undaunted by the threatening weather, set out from the car park of the Holly Bush Inn and climbed Marston Hill through lush vegetation. Superb views made it worthwhile. Still on a high level, we crossed the county boundary (ignoring a large bull) and took to a bridle way that curved around the fairways of Hellidon Lakes golf course. Back in Warwickshire, we followed a footpath across fields to an old byway that led us for a mile in the direction of the Shuckbough Hills. The two mile return route to Priors Marston was not signed as expected but a thoughtful farmer had marked the path with his tractor wheels across ploughed land. We were then able to pick up signs of the footpath and crossed a number of footbridges and pastures to reach the outskirts of the village. The delightful and welcoming Holly Bush Inn provided us with refreshment before our return to Knowle. Saturday 28th August Calke Abbey Limeyards. 20 members and visitors enjoyed a glorious sunny day around Calke Abbey park, the Limeyards (now a SSSI as recolonised by nature), and some of the Horse Tramway tunnels. We finished for lunch at the Staff of Life Country Inn in Ticknall Village, good food and service on the Patio. Saturday 29th July The Lenches Our group of 12, led by George and Margaret, started our walk in the car park at The Dolphin public house in Bishampton in north Worcestershire, about 30 miles drive from Knowle. We made our way through the local churchyard and then across fields towards Abberton Hall. From here we turned eastwards towards Rous Lench for an early lunch in the sunshine on the village green. After a short section along the road we walked through the lovely Old Yew Hill Wood before tackling the short uphill section to the village of Church Lench. A stop for the remainder of our lunch was interrupted by a rain shower so we headed off again towards Bishampton across fields and through part of the grounds of The Vale Golf and Country Club. During the walk we enjoyed attractive views to the Malverns, Bredon Hill and the Vale of Evesham. The walk took about 3.5 hours for the 6.5 mile circuit and we enjoyed a convivial hour in the Dolphin at the end. Sunday 16th July Pershore 15 of us enjoyed a 6 mile walk, starting along the River Avon from Pershore Bridge. This was an easy walk along the river, over fields, through woods full of wild flowers and through orchards with plums and apples beginning to ripen. We had a fine view of Pershore Abbey as we descended in to the town. A welcome cup of tea (and cake for some of us) was enjoyed in the garden of a café before we walked through this lovely Georgian town back to the bridge. Friday 5th May Evening Walk Clifford Chambers Eleven members enjoyed a fine sunny evening for a 5 mile walk from Clifford Chambers through Atherstone and attractive Preston on Stour, returning via a lane with sweeping views across to the Severn Valley including The Dumbletons, Bredon Hill, and distant Malverns. The walk finished with a red sunset followed by a pleasant meal together at The New Inn Hotel. Saturday April 29th Around Brails Hill Once again we used the George Inn at Lower Brailes for a walk around the hilly country of South Warwickshire. Our party of 17 set out across fields of medieval ridge and furrow to climb the earthen ramparts of Castle Hill. We descended through allotments into Upper Brailes village before climbing through woods over Gillett s Hill. Once again we surrendered the height gained and dropped down through Ashen Coppice onto open countryside that overlooked a patchwork of green and yellow fields, pastures and distant farms stretching out beyond Shipston towards the hills at Ilmington. After taking a break for lunch at the deserted North Farm, we climbed up steep Cherington Hill into sheep pastures and made our way along the flanks of Brailes Hill with views eastwards to Mine Hill and the borders of Oxfordshire. We made for Brailes with the tower of St. George s as our landmark and retired to the George Inn for welcome refreshment. Saturday 4 th March - Stanton A pre walk description by Robert, which exactly matched what it said on the tin. A super walk with views all round especially on the second half. It is a bit more challenging than some as it goes up onto the Cotswold escarpment above Stanton; there is a steady uphill but not especially steep stretch of

5 about a mile. There are some further undulations and a downhill stretch at the end. The walk starts at the typical Cotswold chocolate box village of Stanton and passes through two other similar villages. My recce indicated that there was some surface, but not clingy, mud near the start and just after the half way point, but most of the walk was along well frequented and dry paths. I was a bit concerned that the final downhill stretch might be a bit slippery immediately after rain; poles, if you have them, would be advised. The toilets in Stanton Village Hall were locked unfortunately and there were no obvious alternatives on the route. Should the weather be very poor, there is a good short cut that knocks about 3 miles off the walk. PS There are a few stiles, all in good condition. One is at the top of some steps. Photos taken on the walk.