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A
local group of the Ramblers' Association, which exists to facilitate
the enjoyment and discovery on foot of Britain's countryside. |
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AUTUMN
PROGRAMME 2009
1st AUGUST TO 30th NOVEMBER 2009
August
Bank Holiday Weekend Walking Festival 2009. The Mendip Ramblers
three day walking festival is over August Bank Holiday, Saturday 29th to Monday
31st August 2009 and features four varied walks each day. This year the area
of the walking festival is around Oakhill, Somerset, located
3 miles north of Shepton Mallet between the A37 & A367 roads. The starting
point for all walks is Oakhill Village Hall, Zion Hill, Oakhill BA3 5AN. ST633474. The scheduled walks start at 10am
(except the afternoon walks which start at 1pm). The walks vary in length
between 3 and 12 miles and are free. Teas and cake will be available after
all walks for which a donation is welcome. Dogs are allowed, but it is the
owner’s responsibility to keep the dog under control. For details see www.mendipramblers.co.uk,
or phone Paula on 01458 860751. Full details of walks are on page 12 of this
programme. Donations of cakes and biscuits
etc. will be appreciated and enjoyed by all. Volunteers to help Paula with
teas are needed; please phone her if you would like to help.
October Weekend 2009. The self booking weekend is centred in Swanage, Dorset from Friday 2nd October to Tuesday 6th October. The format is similar to that of previous years. For more information and if you would like to lead one of the short walks, please contact Richard. The Saturday evening communal meal will be at The Lookout Café in Durlston Park a couple of miles south of Swanage. For full details, please refer to the enclosed information sheet.
Spring weekend 2010. The Valley of The Rocks Hotel in Lynton, north Devon is the base for next year’s spring walking holiday, (9th to 11th April). Mike Beveridge is the organiser. This holiday is fully booked, but should you like to add your name to the reserve list, please contact Mike on 01278 722740.
Annual General Meeting. Members
of Mendip Ramblers Group and their guests are warmly invited to attend the
2009 Annual General Meeting at the Britannia Inn, Bath Road, Wells, BA5 3LQ.
Grid Ref. ST563461 on Saturday 7th November. A buffet and skittles
match will follow the meeting. Please arrive early for a 7pm prompt start.
Papers, including the agenda, minutes of the 2008 AGM and committee reports will be available for members to read at the meeting. If you would like to receive advance copies by email, please contact the Secretary, Lisa Sutton, at lisa@mendipramblers.co.uk no later than Sunday 1st November 2009.
Attending the AGM is free, but the cost of the buffet and skittles match will be £5.50 per person. Please send a cheque payable to Mendip Ramblers to the Treasurer, Carol Griffin, 6 Barnard Avenue, Street, BA16 0RW to arrive no later than Wednesday, 28th October 2009.
There are a number of vacancies on the Committee this year, including Chairperson and Footpath Officer. A nomination for the vacant post of Programme Secretary has been received for Maggie Massey. If you would like to stand for election to the committee or would like to know more about what is involved, please contact the Secretary, Lisa Sutton, at lisa@mendipramblers.co.uk for details. The Secretary must receive nominations, with the consent of the person being nominated, no later than Sunday, 1st November 2009. Elections will be held at the AGM.
Your support is greatly valued and appreciated and the committee looks forward to welcoming you to the 2009 Mendip Ramblers AGM.
Tortoise Walks. Hilary and Dorothy are organising seven slow Thursday walks, in addition to the regular Thursday walks. Please note that they start at the slightly later time of 10:30.
Wednesday Walks. A small group often walks on Wednesdays. Typically 8-12 miles, Sunday pace and sometimes there is a pub stop. Contact David Rawlins (01373 836252) or Alan Hancock (01749 675836).
Legs Explore Family Group Walks. Phone Mary Henry on 01823 333369 for details of walks suitable for all the family.
Quiz Night in April 2009. On Friday 17th April, Alice kindly organised a pub quiz at The Bell, Leigh-on-Mendip. Mendip Ramblers and their partners and friends enjoyed a hot supper followed by the quiz. The result was very close, with only 2 points separating the top three teams. Thank you Alice.
Spring Holiday 2009 in Llandrindod Wells. Mike bravely took on the job of organising the 2009 spring holiday at the Metropole Hotel and did a thoroughly good job! Everything went smoothly. The hotel was very well appointed, the rooms were comfortable, food excellent, bar well stocked and the swimming and pool-side activities were most enjoyable. We even did some walking in the Kington, Elan Valley, Llandrindod Wells and Llanafan-fawr areas, finishing with a hearty lunch at The Red Lion, the oldest pub in Powys. Thank you Mike.
Unfortunately, on the Elan Valley walk, Monica slipped and broke her ankle and fibula. The Wales Air Ambulance flew her to Hereford Hospital to be patched up and she returned to a rousing welcome at The Metropole. Later the orthopaedic surgeons at Weston-super-Mare did a proper repair job with the assistance of their colleagues from Bristol. We all wish Monica a rapid recovery and return to walking. More information about the good work performed by Wales Air Ambulance may be found on www.walesairambulance.com
Walks Programme Secretary. By the end of July 2009, Richard will have completed twelve walks programmes and intends to resign from the post.
Maggie Massey has expressed an interest in taking over the post and will start learning the programme process. She will need to be elected at the Annual General Meeting. See also Future Walks section.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Future Walks. Thank you to all the leaders who have contributed walks to this programme. New leaders are always welcome, especially for Thursday, Short Sunday and Bank Holiday walks. Details of walks for the next programme (December 2009 to March 2010) should be sent to the Walks Programme secretary, Maggie Massey by Monday 28th September 2009.
Email to: paulmassey2006@hotmail.co.uk or phone 01749 344984.
Please be proactive and contribute walks freely to give Maggie a good start.
Giant Hogweed. Giant Hogweed is becoming common in Mendip, especially in damp areas such as the valleys in Mells, Nunney & Great Elm. It looks like cow-parsley, but much bigger. Its sap can cause severe skin inflammations when the skin is exposed to sunlight or to UV-rays. Initially the skin colours red and starts itching, then blisters form like burns within 48 hours. They form black or purplish scars, which can last several years. Hospitalisation may become necessary. The presence of minute amounts of sap in the eyes can lead to temporary or even permanent blindness.
Learn to recognise
the plant (Wikipedia has some good information and photos) and if you see
it while out walking, inform the other walkers in your group. Avoid contact
with any part of the plant or its relative Wild Parsnip.
Websites. Mendip Ramblers’
website, www.mendipramblers.co.uk is packed with information
about our activities, news, programmes, local history, photographs etc. Information
on all Ramblers’ groups in Somerset is on www.somersetramblers.co.uk.
Both websites are easy to use.
Transport and PRCP. Starting times for walks and their locations, Ordnance Survey map grid references (GR) and Landranger map numbers, are listed in the programme below. Car sharing is encouraged and passengers should pay an amount appropriate to distance and the current fuel price. PRCP = Princes Road Car Park in Wells. Map ref. ST546455. Postcodes are given for the start points of walks to aid sat-nav. users. Remember that in rural areas they may not be accurate.
Walkers should ensure that they
have arranged a lift beforehand and not rely on turning up and expecting transport
to be available. Dogs on leads are usually welcome, but please
ring leader beforehand to confirm. All routes may be muddy after rain.
The overall pace including stops is about 2 miles per hour. A somewhat slower
pace is used on Thursdays and the shorter Sunday walks. For walks longer than
9 miles, a slightly faster pace is common. Bring a packed lunch and fluid
for one or two drinks stops.
Mendip Merchandise. “Mendip Ramblers” embroidered clothing is available from Paula. Look online at www.rembroidery.co.uk & click on BTC Online Brochure, then contact her on 01458 860751 or paularuddock@btinternet.com
Ramblers’ members who are fully paid up and engaged on RA activities are
automatically protected by the Association’s public liability insurance in
respect of legal liability for injury to persons and damage to property of
third parties caused by negligent acts. It should be noted that the Association
does not have any policy which
covers individual members in the event of personal accidents. Such cover is
the responsibility of the individual.
Note: All sporting and leisure
activities have inherent hazards
associated with them and rambling is no exception. In spite of the safety
of members always being of paramount concern, accidents will occasionally
happen. It is important, therefore, that when entering into the activity,
each member appreciates that they have a responsibility to identify the hazards
associated with the activity and take all reasonable steps to eliminate or
minimise the potential for accidents to arise.
To join the Ramblers’ Association,
phone or write to:
The Ramblers’ Association,
Freepost SW15, London SE1 7BR
Direct number for membership department is: 020 7339 8573
Online www.ramblers.org.uk
Or request an application form
from the walk programme secretary.
Participants with concerns about
the conduct of a particular walk should inform the walks programme secretary.
Footpath problems should be reported to the appropriate local authority. In
Mendip District Council area, contact the rights of way officer Sheila Petherbridge
on 01749 341545 or email petherbridges@mendip.gov.uk. Walkers are expected to remain behind the
leader and to follow any instruction they may be given. Please remember that
the start time printed in the programme is the time at which we start walking.
Ramblers should arrive at the meeting point in good time to put on boots and
be ready to start walking at the start time.
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