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FORTHCOMING EVENTS.

Group Annual General Meeting
Monday 9th November 2009.

NEWS REVIEW

Church Stretton Coach Ramble 25th July 2009

The organized coach trip this year was very successful 47 of us set out early from Prestatyn, the weather was quite good.

First drop of point was Dorrington for a lovely liner walk, 11 miles up to a ridge, partly by the way of the Shropshire way taking in some of the Port way and Motts Way.
Back down the Carling Mill Valley after a stop at the cafe and information point then over to Church Stretton.

Next group of walks had a good walk, circular walk led by Heather taking in Acton Scott farm Museum, then a good walk back to Church Stretton.

We all had a time to look round the town, nice cup of tea back on the coach round 5pm for the journey home.
There are some very good photos on the Web.

Isle of Man Walking Weekend March 2009

Well we had a good start to the long weekend break, the weather on the day of departure was terrible, stormy on the ferry going over to Douglas. The ferry was delayed by three and a half hours, and the waves you would not believe. Most of us were sea sick, the crew were doing their best to look after us, landing was a bit tricky.
We were all pleased to be on dry land and see the coach to take us to the Rudland Hotel, all well when we arrived, nice rooms, good service.

Next day a visit to Tynwald, the traditional meeting place for the annual Isle of Man parliament. With a eight mile walk through Glen Maye, pretty wooded valley and waterfall, leading us on the coastal path to Peel with time to visit the castle or few went to a tea shop. Coach journey back to Douglas, with a very informative coach driver.
Evening meal at the hotel followed by Quiz night organised by Ann Merigold, in aid of Give a kid a break sponsored by Y H A. Winners of the Quiz Norman and Daphne Evans Barry Jones and Ann Huffton

Next day by coach to Port Erin. Coastal path to visitors centre and café over looking Calf Sound and Calf of Man. With great excitement we all witnessed the seals swimming, then a walk round the coastal path to Spanish head and the Chasms to Port St Mary, pretty little harbour with sandy beach, coach back to Douglas.

Monday We packed are bags to leave at the hotel to be collected later in the day. Coach journey to Port Soderick for are morning walk. We were all hoping for a much calmer crossing We were not disappointed all back safe and well.

Annual General Meeting November 2008

The Vale of Clwyd Ramblers held their 2008 AGM at the Dyserth Community Centre on 10th November 2008. Guests were Ron Williams from Ramblers Cymru and David Shields, from Denbighshire County Council - AONB Officer for the Clwydian Range.

The Chair ( Ken Silcock ) opened the meeting and welcomed guests and members. He added that this was his 3rd year as Chair having originally intended to stand for one year, and that he intended to stand down.

The committee members gave reports and the new committee were elected. Valerie Jones was proposed and elected as Chair and the rest of the committee were re-elected.

Volunteers from the membership are sought for the two vacant posts, Social Secretary, and Membership Secretary.

After a Tea break we had a very interesting talk from our guest speaker, David Shields, from Denbighshire County Council - AONB Officer for the Clwydian Range.

A question and answer session bought the meeting to a close.

Bowling night at the Ffrith November 2008

An enthusiastic group of 18 VC members met recently at the Ffrith Bowling Alley Prestatyn to be 'bowled over' by an evening of light hearted competition & rivalry.
Team 1 included a couple of experienced, if not professional bowlers.
50% of Team 2 consisted of Rhuddlan Rowdies ( need I say more!).
whilst Team 3 included a previously unheard of member called 'Norma'!!
Beginners' nerves soon disappeared to be replaced by confidence & more enthusiasm resulting in Bryn holding the highest score of the evening for males, and Sandra being the lady winner.
Overall, a fun evening was enjoyed by all, which hopefully will be repeated sometime in the future.
story by Val Jones.

Hope Valley walking weekend September 2008 .

The autumn weekend was based at Cliff College on the outskirts of Calver in the Peak District National Park.
We started the weekend on Friday afternoon with a 4.5 mile walk from Castleton around the Hope valley.
On the Saturday there were two walks, a 6.5-mile walk led by Jackie and an 11-mile walk led by Tony, both walks visit the "Edges" above the college.
On the Sunday we had a 5-mile walk on the other side of the valley before returning home to North Wales.
Although there was a bit of mist in the early mornings, the weather cleared and we had good sunny conditions for all the walks during the weekend. Everybody seemed to enjoy the weekend and the excellent facilities at Cliff College.

Abergynolwyn Coach Ramble July 2008

Forty nine of us set off very early from Prestatyn, lovely day mist to start but by lunch time, very fine day crystal clear.
Malcolm and Heather's walk started from the Minffordd car park, only to the top of Cadair Idris, it was a B9 very tough, but all seem to get down O. K. 893 metres is quite a challenge.

Next group drop off at Machynlleth over top descending through Nant Gwernol valley C7, also not an easy walk, but the views where great.
We had reported a lot of over hanging branches from pine trees, on the path through the forest, but yes we where lucky the forestry ranger had cleared it by the time of our walk, which made it a lovely walk.

In Abergynolwyn, which was the pick up for the coach, there was plenty to do for the other group member's who elected to do there own thing.
Tal-y-Llyn narrow gauge railway which went to Tywyn, and two trails along well marked tracks, round the old quarry, with numerous information board. All making for a very informative and interesting day out.

Jackie July 2008

Llanwrtyd Wells Away Weekend March 2008.

This year's first weekend away was at the Neuadd Arms Hotel, Llanwrtyd Wells in mid Wales. Llanwrtyd is situated near the Shropshire, Herefordshire border and this is reflected in the architecture and atmosphere of the small town.

The hotel building is over 130 years old and contains its own brewery; the atmosphere within the hotel was very relaxed, possibly helped by the real ale brewed on site at prices unseen for many years. The food served was also very good with portions aimed at people with large appetites. A favorite amongst the group had to be the afternoon tea and cakes, which greeted us at the end of each walk including the final walk on Sunday.

Jackie and Tony led the first walk on Friday afternoon; the walk was in the form of a figure of eight thereby allowing anyone to complete the full walk or to retire at something like the halfway point. The weather was varied, that is it varied between: rain, heavy rain, sleet and anything else that could be thrown at us, this turned some slopes into a very effective skating rink. It was at this point that one of our group decided to try "Bog Snorkeling" since the area is well known for such a competition, what he didn't achieve in distance was more than made up for in mud coverage.

Two walks were offered on Saturday, both being led by our hosts and catered for those who enjoyed a long walk as well as those who enjoyed a more leisurely paced shorter hike. Whilst both walks passed through splendid countryside, the rain was if anything a little heavier than the previous days walk, this however, did not dampen the enthusiasm of the 27 participants. Although, the phrase "we must be mad" was heard on one or two occasions.

We awoke on Sunday morning to brilliant sunshine, everyone was delighted, our host led an eight and a half mile walk which was delightful, we even passed the official "bog snorkeling" site but this time despite many suggestions there were no takers. The rain of the previous days was conveniently forgotten and all enjoyed themselves immensely, particularly when tucking into the selection of cream cakes and drinks provided by the hotel at the end of our break.

I think it fair to say that everyone is looking foreword to similar weekends in the future.

Les Lloyd March 2008

VALE OF CLWD RAMBLERS CHRISTMAS DINNER – 30 NOVEMBER 2007

On a wet November evening, a group of 22 Vale of Clwyd Ramblers Club Members enjoyed a festive dinner at Rhuddlan Golf Club.

Members were welcomed by the Chair, who insisted that he would not be giving a long speech, but wanted to thank everyone for all their support over the last year.

The walks had, as usual, had been varied and much enjoyed by the Membership and thanks was extended to walk leaders, back markers and members for ensuring that the Club was a huge success.

Members then sat down to a wonderful dinner comprising of 4 courses; the tables had been beautifully decorated with crackers and festive serviettes, so without more to do we all tucked in, wearing the obligatory ‘silly hats’ and popping the poppers.The waitresses kept the food coming and the dinner was interspersed by peals of laughter and constant chatter from the tables (well what do you expect from Ramblers!!!!).

Maria.

Annual General Meeting November 2007

Over 30 members were present for the AGM held at the Dyserth Community Centre on 6th November 2007. Guests were Ron Williams and Gerald Moss from Ramblers Cymru.

Gerald spoke to us on the challenges, which lay ahead in the consultation and implementation of the new coastal access legislation sought by the Welsh Assembly Government.

The committee members gave reports and the new committee were elected. There were two changes, Bryn was elected Treasurer and previous Treasurer, Chris became our new Programme Secretary to replace Tony who did not seek re-election.

Volunteers from the membership are sought for the three vacant posts, Social Secretary, Publicity Secretary, and Welfare Secretary.

After a Tea break we had a very interesting talk from the Search And Rescue Dogs Association SARDA who bought along some of their equipment a search and a rescue dog, which made friends with everybody.

A question and answer session bought out many details of the work done by SARDA.

Costa Blanca Walking Week.
22nd to 29th September 2007

On Saturday twenty members gathered at Manchester Airport’s terminal 1 amid reports of thunderstorms and heavy rain on the Spanish Costa Blanca.

The Thomas Cook flight left on time but our worst fears were confirmed when we landed, in a huge plume of spray, at Alicante airport.

We were all reunited with our luggage and made our way to pick up the three Mercedes Vito minibuses we had hired for the week.

The minibuses were white and this led to our first problem. We were to travel in convoy to a service area on the AP7 motorway to refuel the vehicles for the week ahead but one white van looks much like any other, but we all reunited at the service area.

The rest of the journey to the Torre Joven Hotel in Torrevieja was uneventful and we booked everybody in to their rooms and left them to settle in until we met for an evening meal at the hotel’s buffet restaurant. Plenty of food and a good choice, but nothing very hot.

We met afterwards in the bar and we outlined the programme for the next day.The rain had stopped by now and the forecast was for sun and some cloud for the next week but the path surfaces in the mountains, after heavy rain, have the consistency of wet cement and in no time the soles of your boots accumulate several centimetres of sticky mud.

Time for “Plan B” and a coastal walk. Sunday started dry with sunny intervals and continued to improve throughout the week. The substitute walk at San Pedro to the south of Torrevieja was along a causeway between the salt lakes and the inland sea (the Mar Menor) where some of the locals cover themselves with the mud from the salt lake and allow it to dry whilst they walk the causeway. It is reputed to be very good for joint problems; the sight of the “Muddies” walking amongst us was quite an experience. We had our lunch in the dunes at the back of the beach before going on to the Nature Reserve where we saw many Pink Flamingos.

On Monday the weather was much improved and we were back on the advertised schedule which meant we were off further south to the other end of the Mar Menor and the regional park at Calblanque. We parked off a minor road at a mineral spring where the locals come to fill their water containers, indeed after the walk some of us also availed ourselves of the facility. We walked over the ridge to a viewpoint over the Mediterranean where we had an encounter with the local insect population who seem to like the change of diet provided by us newcomers. After liberal application of insect repellent and bite spray we continued along the cliff path, with spectacular views, down to the beach. The insect bites continued to bother people for some days although we never encountered any more. We walked along the shore and back over the ridge to an information centre. It was quite hot by now and after a rest in the shade we continued our walk back to the minibuses and a stop at a Bodega to sample the local wines.

On Tuesday we did our first walk in the mountains and it was a real “wow”, it had everything, steep climbs up narrow paths, wonderful views, a rocky dry river bed through a canyon, and many miles, sorry Kilometres, of ridge walking, a large ruined Finca, an Ice House, and a restored Ermita (now a small church). Where was all this? Not 40Kms from Alicanti at Rabosa in the mountains near Petrer. A really wonderful day’s walking, a bit hot but we all survived to walk another day!

A few Kilometres behind the beaches and coastal plain of the Costa Blanca is a range of mountains that rise steeply up to over 3000 feet and these were our target for Wednesday. We drove up an unmade road; high into the mountains where we parked by the Cayetano Hermitage. After a long steep and rocky path we arrived at the ridge and half the group went on to the top of Cayetano whilst the rest of us had a sort of “Siesta” with a great view. We did the ridge walk to the top of San Juri and back down to the ruined Hermitage and the minibuses.

On Thursday we went south to the El Valle hills south of Mercia for a walk to the top of El Rolojaro with its suburb views over Mercia and the lunar valley returning back down an old pony track. We took the scenic way back through Old Spanish towns and rugged countryside stopping at the vivid blue lake of “La Pedera”.

For our last days walking we went inland to Pinoso and the walk we had originally scheduled for the previous Sunday. This walk provided a fitting end to the walking week in the Costa Blanca with the spectacular drive over the mountain pass to Hondon, the views of the huge Marble quarry and the walk through the hills via the picnic area at Tres Fonts. We walked through woods, along ridges to viewpoints and saw an entirely different landscape.

After breakfast on Saturday we left the hotel and at Alicanti airport we found that our plane was running over an hour late. We all arrived back safely at Manchester airport, with our baggage, and took our taxi’s home.

What we wanted to do in the week was to give our walking friends a taste of a different Costa Blanca. We sampled various different landscapes and I don’t think anybody will think of the Costa Blanca as just beaches again. Special thanks go to the group of walkers who made the week so enjoyable and memorable.

Worcester and Malverns Weekend
September 2007.

The weekend went very well, 15 of us staying at Worcester University, we were surprised by the good accommodation, quite well organized and plenty of food.

On Friday, after meeting up at the university, we did a five-mile city walk along the river and canal to visit the Cathedral before returning to the university.

We had good walking weather on the Saturday, the cloud was down but it did not last long. The walk was on the Malvern’s visiting St Ann’s well and Green Valley before circling North Hill and ascending Worcestershire Beacon, great views, then a ridge walk over Summer Hill.

On Sunday we drove to British Camp car park, started over another ridge south to a hill fort, Midsummer hill, before returning to the huge hill fort of British Camp and Herefordshire Beacon. Great views again, and we all made to the top.

Ending a very good weekend. There are some pictures on the photo gallery

Hebden Bridge Coach Ramble.
21st July 2007

There was a fine drizzle as we left North Wales. One coach took a wrong turn up a steep side road near Halifax, the other coach followed. The clutch burnt out on the first coach. So the second coach goes onto Hebden Bridge drops his passengers, and returns for the stranded group. By this time we lost hour and we were all wondering how we would get home.

And this was only the start to the Vale of Clwyd Coach Ramble to Hebden Bridge.

Eventually we all met up with the Mayor and our RA friends in the town and formal greetings were exchanged. We all left on our various walks.

We had four walks planed, a 10mile walk led by Malcolm, a 7mile walk led by Val, and a 4mile walk led by the local Ramblers group. There was also a self-guided round the town walk. All this went ahead as planned.

Back to the town, some of us had time to look around, there was a music festival in the park. It’s a nice town lots going on, as time went on the day got better. When we all got back, we where met by one of the original coaches, and a replacement sent from North Wales, much to the delight of everybody.

The rain was not too bad in the afternoon, but started again as we where leaving. This time we had an uneventful journey back to North Wales

Edge of Wales Walking Weekend
20th to 22nd April 2007

On the Friday, 32 of us met up at the top car park at Nant Gwrtheyrn for our first walk of the weekend, this was 5 miles around here, very hilly so good introduction to the area. Nant Gwrtheyrn is an old mining village now totally restored, used mainly as a Welsh language centre.
Next day, Saturday two walks, a guided tour of St Beuno church in Clynnog then 11 miles over the high moors at Bwlch Mawr, making their way to Tre'r Ceiri, one of the best preserved Iron Age fort in the U. K. and then back to the “Nant”.
Next group a 7 mile walk over Bwlch y Eifl and the old quarry inclines at Gyrn Ddu then down to Llanaelhaearn. They then had a guided tour of St Beuno church in Clynnog before a minibus ride back to the “Nant”.
When they all arrived back we had a beach party, evening meal and a Quiz night to round off a good day.
On Sunday we packed up, and drove to National Trust car park at Morfa Nefn, from here we had a bus to transport us to Porth Towyn for our last walk of the weekend 7 miles along the coast line, plenty of wild life, luckily we caught site of seals swimming off the coast.
The whole weekend went very well, good camaraderie, plenty of laughter, good food and too much wine by some!