++++++++Welcome to East Herts Ramblers++++++++


		WELCOME! Welcome to the East Herts Ramblers website. Walking can be enjoyed on many levels: on your own, with friends or with a club. There are many benefits to be gained from joining a club, and here at East Herts Ramblers you will find walking partners, camaraderie and support. Regular walking can improve your heart and circulation, lower blood pressure, improve flexibility and strength, boost your immune system - so what's stopping you... Click on the Walks icon to the left to see our forthcoming walks - and we look forward to welcoming you in person very soon! Posted on 09 Dec 2011 by Brenda SPRING FLING IN SHERINGHAM 3rd – 6th May 2012 - Julie Accommodation has been reserved at The Melrose Guest House in Sheringham which has all en suite rooms at £33pppn. The Melrose is close to the railway station and has parking for 5 cars. To reserve a place on this holiday a deposit of £35 is required by 1st January 2012. A booking form is available in the EHR printed programme. Posted on 09 Dec 2011 by Brenda QUIZ NIGHT 10th March 2012 - Maggie Our next social event is going to be a grand quiz with tickets at £6.50 per person which includes a Fish and Chip Supper. Taking place at the Christchurch Hall, Ware, doors open at 19.00 with the first round of questions at 19.30. There will be a raffle and prizes for the winning team. Contact details for tickets are in the EHR printed programme. Tea and coffee will be available or bring your own beverage. Posted on 09 Dec 2011 by Brenda GUERNSEY GAMBOLS 3rd – 10th September 2011 This year’s group holiday proved very popular, with 18 of us mustering at Stansted Airport for the short flight out, and 7 more arriving by ferry or flights from elsewhere. The self-catering accommodation had to be split because of the numbers, but the walks were arranged to link with the excellent local bus service so that nobody needed to be left out and it was possible to meet up for evening meals on the first and last nights. We enjoyed six days of good walking and were blessed with good weather for the impressive cliff-top paths on the South Coast (lots of up and down work, but very scenic!) and a splendid full day excursion to Sark midweek. Wind and rain accompanied Nigel’s walk across country via the ‘Little Chapel’ and the reservoirs, so the numbers decreased during the day but conveniently located buses provided an ‘opt out’. Likewise Dennis’s walk on the North coast where the terrain is flatter, with sandy beaches. On the last day Julie led a group round Victor Hugo’s house at St Peter Port before tackling the coastal path back to our digs at St Martin. South Coast Path 1 Particular thanks must be given to Julie for her diligent work in organising the holiday, booking the accommodation and excursions, and checking out suitable eateries before we arrived. David booked flights for the main party and led two of the walks, in addition to Julie, Dennis and Nigel. An excellent week: perhaps we should try another on Jersey! Lunch Break at Petit Pot Bay N.J.C.T. 01.12.11 Posted on 01 Dec 2011 by Brenda CHAIRMAN'S RAM-BLOG - 1st December 2011 As another year runs its course, I have been reflecting on the last twelve months of EHR activities. We held our second dance event in March – a square dance that was enjoyed by all. June was the month we held a short walk followed by a delicious tea and also during the summer Phil led a series of walks following the New River path. I am planning to try and complete my anti Christmas shopping walk this year, hopefully the weather will be better than last year - if not bring your skis! A new addition to the walks programme this year was a number of mid-week half day walks to encourage more of you to join us. These had a mixed response with varying numbers of participants but the committee has agreed that we will endeavour to continue with these shorter walks next year. Membership for our group this year has seen a slight reduction of about 4%; this is generally in line with the Ramblers as a whole. We need both new members and to retain our existing members, to enable Ramblers to continue their work in maintaining and protecting against footpath closures, and the opening of new rights of way e.g. the round Britain coastal path. I would like to express my thanks to the committee and to all EHR members for your support over the year. I wish you all a peaceful Christmas, a Happy New Year and good walking in 2012. Posted on 01 Dec 2011 by Brenda YORKSHIRE WOLDS WAY - September 2012 Holiday organisers - Pam and Julie To explore the Yorkshire Wolds Way in good company is a dream come true. The 79 mile long route starts at my sister’s front door, by the River Humber, and it is a real joy to have it in our 2012 Walks Programme. I will be researching the route which will be led by various leaders throughout the week. A quote from the official leaflet noted, “the Yorkshire Wolds Way is one of Britain’s premier walking routes”. There are ‘ups and downs’ along the way, but we have managed such before, and daily transport has been arranged making it possible to have ‘walk-free’ days if wished. We will be walking about 12 miles each day, some a little longer, some shorter – and en route we will encounter winding dry chalk valleys with their rich variety of flowers and wildlife, peaceful woodland, big skies, picturesque medieval villages, old drove roads, abandoned railway lines, and breathtaking views, ending at Filey Brigg, a fascinating British coastline feature. Wolds way itinerary Sat 1st Sept – arrive in Hessle and stay overnight.. Sun 2nd Sept – walk to south Cave (12miles) and return to Hessle by minibus. Mon 3rd Sept – minibus to South Cave, walk to Market Weight (12 miles) and be taken by minibus to Pocklington. Tues 4th Sept – minibus to Market Weighton, walk to Huggate (13 miles) and return to Pocklington by minibus. Weds 5th Sept – minibus to Huggate, walk to Wharrem-le-Street (12 miles) and return to Pocklington by minibus. Thurs 6th Sept – minibus to Wharrem-le-Street, walk to West Heslerton (9 miles) and be taken by minibus to Filey Fri 7th Sept – minibus to West Heslerton, walk to Ganton/Staxton (9 miles) and return to Filey by minibus. Sat 8th Sept – minibus to Gant/Staxton, walk to Filey (11 miles) followed by celebration dinner. Sun 7th Sept – return home. Accommodation has been reserved in 3 venues: Hessle: The Hull West Premier Inn £29prmpn Pocklington: The Yorkway Motel £65prmpn Filey: Two B&Bs in adjacent roads £35pppn Luggage and people carrier for the week: £93 approx pp To reserve a place please send a deposit of £35 by 1st Jan 2012. Early booking recommended. There will be a reserve list. A booking form is available in the EHR members printed newsletter. Posted on 01 Dec 2011 by Brenda CHAIRMAN'S RAM-BLOG - 7th August 2011 We are over half way through the year and have been fortunate to have a full walks programme. Included in the current programme are two new leaders. A big thank you to all our walk leaders for making this happen. If you would like to lead a walk any day any distance please get in touch with the Walks Coordinator - contact details can be found in the printed newsletter or programme. In May we invited North Herts group to join us on a walk, this was a successful event. North Herts Ramblers have now returned the favour and have invited us to join them in September on a circular walk around Barton-le-Cley – for full details click on the forthcoming walks section. I have recently been attending a Publicity and recruitment sub-committee for our area which consists of eight ramblers groups. Ramblers' membership has been falling for several years, reversing this trend is the reason for these meetings. You, as RA members can help – by recruiting lapsed members and encouraging more people who enjoy walking to join the Ramblers. This all helps the Ramblers who are working to safeguard the footpaths, the countryside and other places we enjoy walking. Our AGM is in October please try and attend, if you would like to join the committee and help with some of the tasks your committee are currently carrying out, please contact any member. Betty is standing down from the committee at this AGM after many years as a member, a big thank you, Betty, for all your support, (and the supply of cakes at the committee meetings!) Posted on 17 Aug 2011 by Brenda SUCCESS OR FAILURE - Brenda On June 19th we had a short(ish) walk followed by a delicious tea (including strawberries generously donated by Enid and David W). This event was specifically for members of East Herts Ramblers and was not promoted externally – only by invitation in the April Newsletter. It was held in Much Hadham village hall, not some remote edge of county venue, and the hall and refreshments were financed by the profits from the Barn Dance that was held earlier in the year. Although it was Father’s Day, your committee was hoping that lots of members who do not walk regularly would be tempted to come along and take advantage of this event. However, the tea was attended only by 19 members, most of whom are regular walkers. Although a good time was had by all, (many thanks to Dorothy for organising all the food, and David for setting up the tables) and lots of sandwiches and cups of tea were consumed, the event did not have the desired effect of galvanising our non-walkers into attending. On the most recent programme that ends on 31st August, there have been 7 weeks where an alternative shorter walk has been offered on a Friday afternoon. These were added in response to feedback the committee has been receiving from numerous enquiries and comments via our website and publicity-generating activities over the past year: “Why don’t you have any weekday walks?” “I can’t walk 10 miles – don’t you have anything a bit shorter?” So in response we have added just what we thought you wanted – and what has been the result? Well, disappointing is the best adjective to describe the numbers – which have ranged from one to 13. The leaders who gave up their Friday afternoons are now feeling somewhat reluctant to continue with this project. So much so, that I have only managed to get two weekday walks on the new programme. As Dennis has highlighted in his latest blog, the number of people joining the Ramblers is falling, and retention of existing members is also a struggle. East Herts group is not immune from this trend. Despite buoyant numbers of walkers every week, it tends to be the same faces. Not that there is anything wrong with that – we should be proud of the loyalty of our active walkers and congratulate ourselves that we are providing a service that is obviously appreciated. But it would be so much nicer if you were to come along and join us occasionally! So – success or failure? What do you think? I look forward to receiving lots of feedback. I can be contacted by telephone or email – details at the top of the printed newsletter. Or tell me in person – on a walk....... Posted on 17 Aug 2011 by Brenda E-COMMUNICATIONS? Help us save money and paper and receive your newsletter and walks programme by email. Contact: The Membership Secretary Your email address will not be used for any other purpose and will not be passed onto anyone else. Posted on 17 Aug 2011 by Brenda SHORTER WALKS WITH AN OLYMPIC THEME - Brenda With the 2012 Olympic Games less than a year away Ramblers HQ have come up with another new idea to link shorter walks to the Games in a bid to encourage new walkers. Get Walking for the Games walks will be designed to be attractive to people who do not normally walk for pleasure, as well as existing Ramblers members who prefer shorter walks. Each walk will have a link to the Games - whether it's passing a venue, using a route such as the new Olympic Greenways in London, connecting to a Cultural Olympiad site or event, visiting a training venue or visiting somewhere linked to Britain's sports heritage. Information about local walking opportunities and the benefits of walking will be distributed to participants and each local group is being encouraged to lead at least two walks. In the East Herts area the only sporting link I have found that we could exploit under the Get Walking for the Games banner is that Harold Abrahams (remember Chariots of Fire?) is buried in Great Amwell Churchyard. Abrahams was an Olympic gold medallist in 1924, winning the 100m dash in a time of 10.6 seconds. I hope to lead a suitable short walk built around this Olympic connection in the first programme for 2012 – if you know of any other East Herts sporting connections, that could give us another walk, please let me know! Posted on 17 Aug 2011 by Brenda FOOTPATH PRESERVATION - Chris Hertford and Ware members will have seen mention of a plan for the area around Mead Lane, Hertford in The Mercury. Although the paper reported favourably on it, examination shows that it favours cyclists at the expense of walkers. There are several mentions of ‘National Cycle Network Route 61’ which follows the towpath, but there is no mention of the Lea Valley Walk, which was opened in 1993 and also follows the towpath. The plan includes widening the towpath between Mill Road and Hertford Lock, but that will just mean that cyclists will be able to ride faster. It also includes a bridge over the river to replace the steps between Hartham and Mill Lane also obviously for the convenience of speeding cyclists. I’ve suggested that cyclists should be banned from the towpath between Mill Road and the Lock, and that they should confine themselves to the existing track north across Hartham north of dicker Mill. This would restore the towpath through Hertford as a peaceful, relaxing riverside walk, and remove the need for widening it, or for building the new bridge, with minimum inconvenience for cyclists. Walking is, after all, the most popular outdoor recreation. Posted on 17 Aug 2011 by Brenda SAXON SHORE WAY As a follow up to the ‘Battle’ weekend last year, Pam Newton kindly organised and researched four days of walking on the western part of the ‘Saxon Shore Way’ which runs for 160 miles from Hastings to Gravesend whilst Julie Brix found and booked some excellent self-catering accommodation and pubs for evening meals. Tearing themselves away from watching the Royal wedding on TV, on the Friday afternoon nine of us took the bus to Winchelsea for an inland walk to Rye, stopping first to admire the very large church and see Spike Milligan’s grave outside. Passing the site of a windmill we descended through fields to the minimalist railway station, following the ‘1066 Country Walk’ into the town where Tourist Information gave us the wrong bus times back! Fortunately the excellent bakery and tearoom near the bus stop was open, moreover until 5.30 (funny how many tearooms seem to close at 4pm!) so our extra hour was well spent. Thanks to Julie’s diligent research we enjoyed an evening meal booked at ‘The Stag’ Inn in old Hastings, entertained with some Irish style music played by a local group in the main bar. Saturday dawned with bright sunshine and we set forth to the seafront, turning left through interesting old streets to reach the East Hill lift. A few intrepid souls climbed the steps, but most of us enjoyed the ride up on the newly restored electric railway, admiring the views over the town. Hastings from East Hill There followed a splendid undulating cliff-top walk through the Hastings Country Park to Fairlight Cove, a fairly recent development of attractive houses with a pub for lunch. This was really the most scenic part of the weekend with a profusion of wild flowers in bloom (particularly bluebells and ‘coconutty’ scented gorse) in restored grassland, scrub, and wooded valleys with tempting side paths down to the blue sea. Royal Military Canal At Cliff End we reached the flat coastal plain and found a well placed tea hut on the seashore, then followed the Royal Military Canal to Winchelsea for the bus back. Another pleasant evening meal followed at the ‘Hastings Arms’ in the Old Town (without music this time) with a dash back to the digs through an unexpected rain shower. On Sunday we took two taxis back to Winchelsea, then followed the road past an interesting game dealer’s shop and a garage sale to cross the Rye Harbour Nature Reserve via the ruins of Comber Castle. Continuing to Rye for coffee, Elaine, Mary, and Nigel opted out to explore the town and the remaining seven pressed on along the River Rother to Appledore, making a slight diversion at Stone-in-Oxney. Rye Harbour Re-united at Hastings in the evening we had a rather different evening meal at an Italian style pub, cards being presented to Pam and Julie in appreciation of all of their work in researching and organising the weekend. All was not over however for there was time to fit in a Monday morning walk. Vacating the excellent digs at 46 Cambridge Gardens, we took the cars to Appledore Station: an interesting place with hotel, antique shop, and surprising up to date facilities in spite of the remote location a good 1.5 miles from the village! Brenda and Dolores took the train back whilst the rest of us walked back to the village for a welcome (but expensive) tea and cake at ‘Miss Mollett’s’ tearoom, then across Appledore Heath and through a vineyard to the isolated church at Kenardington for lunch. A further 2.5 miles took us through the village of Warehorne to Ham Street where John Page met us and kindly ferried Pam, Julie, Elaine and Mary back to Appledore before driving the remaining six of us home. Thus ended another excellent weekend away. N.J.C.T. 28-07-2011 For more information on the Saxon Shore Way see The Saxon Shore Way Posted on 15 Aug 2011 by Brenda NEW RIVER PATH - Phil During July 2011 I am planning to walk the 28 miles of The New River Path from its source on the Hertford Meads to its terminus at the New River Head, Myddleton Passage near Sadler’s Wells theatre. The New River is neither new nor a river. It is a water supply aqueduct, completed in 1613, to bring drinking water from Hertfordshire to North London. The New River followed the 100ft contour of the Lee Valley with a total fall on the original course of only 5.8 metres (i.e. approx. 10cms per km). The cost of construction was estimated at £18,500 and today the River carries 48 million gallons daily for treatment, some 8% of London’s daily water consumption. Since 1992, Thames Water has worked with local people to create a 45 km (28 mile) long distance footpath that follows the present course of the New River, linking the inner city to the open countryside. The route follows, wherever possible, the historic water channel, as well as some straightened and piped sections between the New River’s starting point at the Gauge Station on the River Lee near to Chadwell Springs (its original start point) to its original end in Islington. The walk will be divided into three sections of roughly 10 mile days allowing for the walking to and from the start and finishing points. The first day covers the Hertfordshire section to Brookfield Lane in Cheshunt, traversing a variety of attractive landscapes ranging from the expansive Lee Valley corridor to the more enclosed sections behind the High Streets of Hoddesdon, Broxbourne and Wormley, before eventually arriving at the Brookfield Lane retail park, Cheshunt. The second stage of the walk will be from Brookfield Lane to Palmers Green. This section includes the more enclosed urban corridor of Enfield, Bush Hill, Winchmore Hill and Palmers Green. We will, however, detour from the present water course at Turkey Street, soon after which it becomes piped through to Bush Hill, to walk part of the old course through Forty Hall and Whitewebbs. Although the river no longer flows through this area one can still see the old bed in places. In Enfield there is a closed section which runs round the back of Gentleman’s Row and into Enfield Town Park. This makes for a more attractive walk than the back streets of Enfield. The section also includes several historical features. Having examined the Clarendon Arch site at Bush Hill, where originally a lead lined wooden aqueduct carried the New River over Salmon’s Brook, we will arrive at the end of stage 2 at Palmers Green. Meeting up again at Palmers Green we will complete the third and final stage of the Heritage Section taking us into the New River Head at Islington. We will make our way around the back of Wood Green and Alexandra Palace and on to Finsbury Park. Here the New River Path runs with the Capital Ring past The Castle Pumping Station, now an Adventure Training Complex, in Green Lanes south of the Manor House and into Clissold Park. From here much of the remainder of the New River is piped into Islington, however, great effort has been put in by local residents and the council to create scenic parks above the pipes making this a truly fascinating end to the walk. Statue of Sir Hugh Myddelton At Duncan Street behind the Angel, the Regent’s Canal was constructed in a tunnel below the New River. Some 200 metres off the direct Path route there is located, at Islington Green, a statue of Sir Hugh Myddelton, the chief Architect, employed in the 1600’s to build The New River. The Walk will end at Myddelton Passage where, if we arrive early enough we will be able to visit this national historic site where items such as the Engine & Pump House, the Borehole etc. are housed. Prior to each Stage of the walk contact the leader to see if there are any last minute alterations to the travel and transport arrangements (see printed programme for contact details). Posted on 15 Apr 2011 by Brenda FOOTPATH WORK - Chris Most of the group’s newsletter concerns walks, and other social events, arranged for members, but a lot of unreported work is carried out by the Ramblers’ Association’s footpath secretaries. Broken stiles and bridges need replacing, farmers need to be reminded about the need to mark out paths where they cross arable fields, overgrowth and undergrowth need cutting back, signposts need repairing, etc. The county council are responsible for maintaining rights of way in East Herts, and the borough council in Broxbourne, but they need to be told about the jobs to be done. The authorities consult us before publishing path diversion orders. They respect the RA’s views, and do not usually proceed with orders if we say we will oppose them, or will alter them to meet our objections. We are also consulted about modification orders, ie orders which recognise that historical evidence exists to show that a route that is not shown on the maps is a public right-of-way, or that a route has been wrongly classified. Many of the modification orders under consideration have been initiated by footpath secretaries. We are also consulted about planning applications where the site is crossed or bounded by a public right-of-way. In practice, a couple of small diversion orders are currently being processed. A modification order has been approved to add a footpath to the map, in the valley below Widford and the other side of the river to the existing path, and several others are being investigated. One important, and potentially useful, case concerns a route between Cuffley and Newgate Street. Cuffley’s footpath secretary, Hywel M, helped by Phil S, found a lot of user-evidence, but the county council said it was not enough. Hywel appealed and won, so the council had to publish the order. The landowner, his tenant farmer and the organisers of a children’s camp site in the wood then objected. Hywel unfortunately suffered a stroke recently, so Mark W has taken over the case. It is an important route for us, so I hope some arrangement can be made. Posted on 15 Apr 2011 by Brenda AND AN UPDATE FROM PAM M I have been here in Brecon for four weeks but the time has flown by and; amazingly for Wales, no rain! I have joined the Wednesday walkers, an informal group that meet locally and car share I have enjoyed two walks so far. The walks are all day and vary between six and ten miles depending on terrain and weather. Picnic lunch, walk leaders bring chocolate bars for all, and when it’s your birthday, you bring a bottle of wine and plastic cups. Last week Brian had four bottles in his rucksack for ten people.[we didn’t drink them all!]. I am doing a morning walk with U3A next week and I have also joined the WEA, Miss you all especially the gossip! Best wishes to everyone. Posted on 15 Apr 2011 by Brenda << Previous 1 2 3 4 Next >> Content Management Powered by CuteNews

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