Sedgemoor Ramblers. WALKS PROGRAMME: December March 2013

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1 Sedgemoor Ramblers WALKS PROGRAMME: December March 2013 All of the walks in this programme are open to anyone interested in joining us. If you are not a current member of The Ramblers but wish to join the group as a walking member it is advisable to come with us for up to three times before making application for membership. In this way you can try us out before committing yourself. If you want to know more about The Ramblers please contact the Group Membership Secretary for further details. Walks: Our main walking day is day, but we do have monthly shorter walks on urdays evening walks in spring & summer plus occasional midweek walks where people are willing to lead them. Queries about a specific walk should be addressed to the walk leader. Clothing & Equipment: Many walks cover rough country and may be muddy. We therefore advise that stout footwear, preferably walking boots, be worn on most occasions. Warm and waterproof clothing is necessary on all but the hottest days and it is best to bring a number of layers rather than a heavy jacket. You will also need a rucksack to carry food, liquid, spare socks etc. Food & Drink: You should always carry a drink of some kind, particularly in hot weather when cold water is probably best. Isotonic drinks are useful on hot days or on long strenuous walks. If the walk includes the opportunity for a pub lunch this will be stated in the programme. DOGS: WHERE THE PROGRAMME STATES DOGS ALLOWED ON A WALK PRIOR AGREEMENT WITH THE WALK LEADER MUST BE OBTAINED BEFORE BRINGING THEM. DOGS MUST BE KEPT DOG FULLY UNDER CONTROL AT ALL TIMES & WALK LEADERS INSTRUCTION RE: DOGS MUST BE FOLLOWED. WHERE LIVESTOCK ARE PRESENT THE DOG MUST BE ON A LEAD. THE RAMBLERS ASSOCIATION DOES NOT ACCEPT RESONSIBILITY FOR ACCIDENTS, INJURIES ETC. CAUSED BY DOGS ON WALKS. Walk Leaders: We are always seeking walk leaders (who must be members of the Ramblers Association) in order to extend the range of walks offered in our Walks Programme. Remember our programme can only be as varied as the number of leaders permits. Footpaths: Any problems please contact the Footpath Secretary below. Office Name Tel.. Office Name Tel. Chairperson Tony Fawle tony.fawle@googl .com Secretary Angie Aldridge donangaldridge@yahoo.co.uk Footpath Secretary Don Aldridge donangaldridge@yahoo.co.uk Treasurer Sue Price sueeprice@hotmail.co.uk Membership Secretary Esme Gilling e.gilling123@btinternet.com Programme Secretary edwrlevy@aol.com Publicity Secretary Jenny Fawle jenny.fawle@googl .com Social Secretary Kaye Savory kayesavory@hotmail.co.uk Walking Member Brian Gilling Walking Member Mike Aldridge mikey.aldridge@sky.com The Ramblers promotes rambling, protects rights of way, campaigns for access to open country and defends the beauty of the countryside The Ramblers Association is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: Registered Charity in England and Wales number: Registered Charity in Scotland SCO37. Page 1

2 CHRISTMAS LUNCH AT THE OLD POUND INN ALLER TA10 0RA day th December pm for 12.30pm Traditional Roast Lunch with Vegetarian Alternative Cost 1.00 Per Head to include gratuity Wine etc. to be purchased individually Numbers and Payment:- (Cheques Made Payable to The Old Pound Inn ) Deposit of per head before 1th vember. Balance by 2nd December please to:- Kaye ( ) at 30 Upper Holway Road Taunton TA1 2HD Or Sue ( ) at 20 Meadowcroft Drive Burnham-on-Sea TA 2SU Wot s appening then? Sedgemoor Ramblers Group News Wet Summer It s no surprise that they re saying that this summer has been the wettest for 100 years! Despite the awful weather, walkers were happy to don wet weather gear and only a few walks were cancelled when the conditions were particularly bad. Summer Outing, Broadway The group enjoyed their day out in Gloucestershire in July with a choice of 3 walks, even though the weather was wet for some of the day, including a heavy hailstorm. Summer Lunch: This has always been a very popular social event, so thanks to Kaye and everyone involved in providing an excellent lunch at Peter & Dee s home in Curry Rivel, following yet another very wet walk in the morning! Margaret Ruxton Memorial Walk Illustrated leaflets of this 6 mile walk were produced and although it was necessary to cancel the walk because the weather conditions were so bad, this will be put into a future programme and Margaret s family are keen to join us. The leaflets have been distributed for publicity purposes but there are still plenty of leaflets available from Jenny Fawle. New Walk Leaders Thanks to all walk leaders who have led us on some excellent walks this summer and have made sure that we have a full programme of walks to enjoy. Special thanks to new walk leaders Kim Andrews and Mike & Tina Ross. Overseas Holiday, Picos de Europa, Spain Jenny Fawle arranged the recent overseas holiday and a group of 14 enjoyed a 12-day holiday in Cantabria, the Picos de Europa area of rthern Spain. We travelled from Plymouth to Santander by Brittany Ferries and were able to enjoy the real Spain, walking Page 2

3 in the lush valleys with stunning views of the Picos de Europa mountains, braving the Cares Gorge and at the end of a good day s walking, enjoying hearty mountain food! Fortunately, the Brittany Ferries strike began the day after our return crossing from Santander to Plymouth so we arrived back with no problems. Christmas Lunch at The Old Pound Inn, Aller, day, th December, for 1.00, cost 1. Following an enjoyable Christmas Lunch last year, this will again be held at The Old Pound Inn book with Kaye Savory or Sue Price. Group Holidays 2013 French Alps 7 th -16 th July 2013 Based in Morzine, on the French-Swiss border, flying from Bristol to Geneva and staying in an alpine-style luxury chalet-hotel. There may be a few places available so if you are interested, please contact Jenny Fawle for further details. Please see page 4 for full details. POSTAL CHARGES WHY NOT USE AND REDUCE OUR COSTS On 30th April 2nd Class postage increased from 34p to 50p. Postage is a major expense for us when sending out programmes etc. We would prefer to send all correspondence by . Many of you have already agreed to this form of delivery and we would welcome more. If you can accept delivery via then please Edward at ewdrlevy@aol.com with the subject heading RA Programmes advising your name, address and address. Madeira end of September. has this in the planning stage. Please see page 4 for more details. If you are interested please register your interest with Edward by 30 th vember. Footpath Working Party The Working Party have continued their work throughout the summer, clearing paths in the Sedgemoor area, as requested by Somerset County Council. They were pleased to be able to install 3 finger posts in rth Petherton in October. DIARY 2012/13 Quarterly walks programmes are produced in April, August and December. Walk details are required by the end of February, June and October. AGM This was held again at Fyne Court and we were able to enjoy a Walk & Talk with Somerset Countryside National Trust Ranger, Steve Sudworth, learning about his work at Fyne Court and on the Quantocks. Everyone was interested in the conservation work, monitoring of the veteran trees and particularly the successful increase of the local dormouse population. We had been looking at the wonderful Spanish Sweet Chestnut, the last remaining one which flanked the original drive and was probably planted in the mid-1700 s, not realising that the dead tree in front of it would fall, with a very loud crash, only minutes after we walked away, fortunately not in our direction! As there were no resignations, all current members of the committee were re-elected with Mike Aldridge joining the committee as a new ordinary member. Jenny Fawle Publicity th December Christmas Lunch, The Old Pound Inn, Aller 22 nd December 6 th January 2013 Festival of Winter Walks 11 th February Area AGM, Compton Dundon 7 th -16 th July Overseas Holiday, French Alps September Madeira Page 3

4 Sedgemoor Ramblers Walking Holiday Morzine day, 7 th July Tuesday, 16 th July 2013 Walking in the Portes du Soleil region of the French Savoie Alps, half-way between Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc. Luxurious alpine chalet-style hotel. Flights, packed lunches, evening meals (with wine), all transport, li pass etc. and full programme of guided walking is included in the price. 10-day holiday 20 (approx. depending on flight price at me of booking). Contact Jenny Fawle for further details. Sedgemoor Ramblers Walking Holiday Madeira Thursday, 1th September - Monday 30th September 2013 This holiday is still in the planning stage but is hoped it will be arranged providing there is sufficient interest. It is planned to use Easy Jet Holidays to provide flights from Bristol and hotel accommodation (B&B) in Madeira. Easy Jet Holidays are competitively priced. At present they are not taking bookings for the dates above so prices are not yet known. However holidays for a similar period at the end of August 2013 can be purchased from 300 upwards. It is expected that the price we would pay per person for flights and B&B accommodation would be between 450 and 500. per person. A walking company in Madeira has been contacted and they have confirmed that they would be able to lead us on walks throughout the island. They already operate a varied walking programme on a daily basis which is available to all holiday makers on the island. They will be able to pick us up each day in minibuses and take us to the starting point of our walk, meet us at the end and return us to our hotel. They will provide walk leaders. It is estimated that a programme of led walks would cost approx. 160 per person. There will be some other incidental charges such as transfers to and from airport and baggage charges imposed by Easy Jet If you are interested in going on the holiday would you please give your name to You can do this at the end of a walk where Edward is present, by telephone () or by at edwrlevy@aol.com. Page 4

5 Day Date Time Grid Ref Walk Title Meet At & Post Code Where Known (Nearest Post Codes in Italics) Grade & Distance Dogs Allowed (Miles) Please See Walking Walk Leader Telephone & Emergency Contact Numbers Information Page 02-Dec 10.00am ST CREECH HEATHFIELD, DURSTON, WEST NEWTON, HEDGING & BRIDGWATER & TAUNTON CANAL Canal Car Park Vicarage Lane Creech St Michael TA3 5TA Philippa Taylor Dec for ST40023 CHRISTMAS LUNCH AT THE OLD POUND INN ALLER PLEASE SEE PAGE 2 Kaye Savory or Sue Price or Dec 10.30am ST WE MIGHT NEED A ROPE WALK. MINCE PIE WALK FROM WELLS Bishops Palace (Silver Street) Wells. BA5 2PD 23-Dec CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PERIOD NO WALK TODAY Fri 2-Dec on ST1033 FESTIVAL OF WINTER WALKS: WEST BAGBOROUGH & COTHELSTONE Lydeard Hill Car Park TA4 3DY 6 30-Dec 10.00am ST FESTIVAL OF WINTER WALKS: THREE QUARRIES WALK Car Park at Back of Woodborough Pub Winscombe BS25 1AD 10 Esme & Brian Gilling FESTIVAL OF WINTER WALKS: NEW Tue 01-Jan 10.30am ST25421 YEARS DAY WALK: COMBWICH, CANNINGTON PARK, BONSON, Combwich Riverside Car Park TA5 2QX COULTINGS & STOCKLAND BRISTOL 06-Jan 10.30am ST5445 CROSCOMBE - WELLS - EAST MENDIP WAY Roadside Parking Adjacent To Croscombe Village Hall (Fayre Way) BA5 3RF Don & Ang Aldridge Jan 10.00am Changed Time ST31456 JOINT WALK WITH MENDIP GROUP: UPHILL TO LOXTON Car Park Uphill Way Uphill (200yds on left past Dolphin Pub) BS23 4XX 12 Tony Strange (Mendip) Page 5

6 Grade & Day Date Time Grid Ref Walk Title Meet At & Post Code Where Known (Nearest Post Cose in Italics) Distance Dogs Allowed (Miles) Please See Walking Walk Leader Telephone & Emergency Contact Numbers Information Page 20-Jan 10.30am SS243 A WALK FROM DUNSTER - GRABBIST HILL & TIMBERSCOMBE COMMON Dunster Steep Car Park TA24 6AS (Charge) NB Free Street Parking Close By Sue Whiytock & Start of SWCP (Large 26-Jan on SS7246 MINEHEAD SEAFRONT, NORTH HILL & COAST PATH Steel Structure) Minehead Seafront TA24 UJ (Parking Charges Apply In (One Steep Ascent) Tony & Jenny Fawle Minehead) Jan 10.30am ST BRIDGWATER/TAUNTON CANAL- RIVER PARRETT & BEYOND Showground Road Bridgwater TA6 6LS (Roadside Parking) Gary Holliday Chew Valley Lake Car Park 03-Feb 10.30am ST CHEW VALLEY & STANTON DREW (By Café & WC's Chew Stoke End of Lake) Angela Costen Changed Day 0-Feb 10.30am ST BLUE ANCHOR, WASHFORD & MACMILLAN WAY BS40 6NL Carhampton Village Hall Car Park TA24 6LX (Turn Right By Light Controlled Crossing) 10.5 Esme & Brian Gilling Feb 10.30am ST432 PRE AREA AGM WALK: COMPTON DUNDON Hills & Vales Compton Dundon Village Hall Car Park. TA11 6PQ 5 Kate Turner (SWAG) Feb 2.00pm ST432 SOMERSET AREA AGM Compton Dundon Village Hall. TA11 6PQ Feb 11.30am ST31252 AROUND CURRY RIVEL Car Park Behind Sandpits Store Curry Rivel TA10 0HE 6 Peter Wallis Page 6

7 Grade & Meet At & Post Code Distance Dogs Allowed Telephone & Day Date Time Grid Ref Walk Title Where Known (Nearest (Miles) Walk Leader Emergency Contact Post Codes in Italics) Please Dsee Walking Numbers Information Page 17-Feb 10.30am ST A MENDIP MEANDER Car Park At Back Of Woodborough Inn Winsford BS25 1AD 7.5 Pam Wills Feb 10.30am SS63123 GRAND WESTERN CANAL - WARNICOMBE - EXE VALLEY WAY Grand Western Canal Car Park Tiverton EX16 4HU. (Follow Canal Boat Signs) Mike Aldridge & Mary Epps Mar 11.00am ST43542 AROUND AXBRIDGE & CHEDDAR RESERVOIR Car Park by Axbridge Reservoir BS26 2DD 4.75 Maribel Hamilton & Tina Ross Mar 10.30am ST17366 THE QUANTOCKS FROM COCKERCOMBE Forest Office Car Park Cockercombe TA5 1AW.75 Tony & Jenny Fawle Mar 10.30amst ST43741 IN AND AROUND WEDMORE Lerburne Car Park Wedmore BS2 4EQ Sue Price Mar 10.30am ST QUANTOCK RIDGE, HOLFORD & LONGSTONE HILL Staple Plantation West Quantoxhead TA4 4EB Sue Hazelwood Shapwick Church 24-Mar 10.30am ST41732 A TREK AROUND THE POLDENS TA7 LS (Roadside Parking 10 Alongside Church) Pier Street Bus Stop Burnham TA 1BT (outside Morrisons) to catch 30-Mar.45am ST3034 EAST BRENT TO BURNHAM-ON-SEA.56am 75 bus to Burton Road East Brent. PLEASE 6.5 Jackie & Dave Morris CHECK WITH JACKIE TO ENSURE BUS TIME HAS NOT CHANGED 31-Mar 10.30am ST SOMERSET COAST & NORTHERN QUANTOCKS Holford Green Car Park. TA5 1SA 10.5 Page 7

8 WALKING INFORMATION Walk Grades Our walks use grades as specified by the RA. and are as follows: Easy: Walks for anyone who does not have a mobility difficulty or a specific health problem or is seriously unfit. Comfortable shoes or trainers can be worn. : Walks for reasonably fit people with at least a little country walking experience. May include unsurfaced rural paths. Walking boots and warm, waterproof clothing are recommended. : Walks for people with country walking experience and a good level of fitness. May include hills and rough country, and may be at a brisk pace. Walking boots and warm, waterproof clothing are essential. Strenuous: Walks for experienced country walkers with an above average fitness level. May include hills and rough country, and may be at a brisk pace. Walking boots and warm, waterproof clothing are essential. People in doubt about their fitness are advised to contact the leader in advance. Distances Every effort is made to show correct distances but because they are mostly measured from the map they can only be regarded as approximate. Duration Of Walks Generally we walk at an average speed of 2mph which includes stops for coffee and lunch. So taking a mile walk as an example it is likely to last for 41/2 hours. This is just a rough guide but should assist those who need to calculate the time they will return.. DOGS Where "" is shown under "Dogs Allowed" this excludes assistance dogs. Assistance dogs are allowed on all of our walks. Assistance Dogs are as follows: Hearing Dogs, Guide Dogs, Service Dogs, Therapy Dogs and Seizure Alert Dogs. Other dogs are allowed on walks where "" is shown under "Dogs Allowed". The dog owner must seek prior agreement with the walk leader before the walk. If the leader gives permission for the dog to come on the walk it must be under the owners strict control at all times and any instructions given by the walk leader Re: dogs must be followed. Where there are livestock present the dog must be on a lead. Page