January 2004
Reports
Hunstanton 25
- 27 July Easy Moderate
10 of us met up on the Friday evening at
this seaside resort on the
On the Saturday we caught the bus east to Burnham
Deepdale for a linear walk back. We had
a quick look in the church with its round Saxon tower, before heading off along
the coastal path in the brilliant sunshine, past salt marshes covered in a haze
of purple sea lavender. We were joined
by one more walker at Brancaster where we stopped for tea and scones in the
garden of the old Police House. We went
on to Thornham for lunch in the churchyard where our 12th walker joined us. Our walk back took us past a stretch of water
that harboured numerous ducks and their chicks, and then back over the golf
course through the nature reserve of Old Hunstanton and a stop at a beach café
for more tea and cakes. This was
followed by a paddle in the sea for most of us, and a few went in for a swim.
On Sunday morning we attended the Union
Church just up the road from the hostel and were given a thought for the week:
‘My grace is sufficient for you’ 2 Corinthians 12 v 9. Afterwards we drove out to Burnham Overy
Staithe for lunch in the harbour and another linear walk. This time we went east, along the sand dunes
to Holkham Gap and up into the parklands of Holkham Hall, just in time for a
farewell cup of tea.
Many thanks to Judy for organising this
brilliant weekend.
Leader Judy Jones
Report Sharon Priest
To remind us of the long hot days of last
summer – my apologies to Judy and Sharon for leaving this report out of
the last newsletter, entirely my fault.
ED
Winchester
Ten of us cycled out from the City Mill (
The 43 mile Saturday route was hilly, so
refreshment stops were welcomed: Lilly Langtry's in Stockbridge, and a
delightful tearoom at Kimbridge where we sat next to the river and watched the
trout in the late afternoon sunshine.
In the evening we relaxed and enjoyed each other's company over pizzas.
On Sunday, a number of us chose to visit the
city's
Those who chose to cycle in the afternoon
then embarked on a challengingly contoured 25 mile round trip to Alresford,
where a late lunch was enjoyed at the Watercress Steam Railway buffet. The serendipitous arrival of an A4 Pacific
made Geoff's day!!
A weekend of good cycling and
conviviality. Thank you!
Leaders Geoff
Spiller, Caroline Smith
Report Compiled by several members of the
group.
Lulworth Cove 26 - 28 September Moderate Hard
During the weekend the group of 15 including
day walkers, covered nearly 19 miles and climbed 3500 feet. They reflected the
true Christian family with an age differential of 80 years, also showing that
not all the walks in the south are flat.
The Saturday walk was along the military
range and coastal paths past the deserted
We started Sunday with a period of worship
and devotion on Psalm 8 and God’s creation, within the somewhat
restricted venue of a 4 bed room. We
then picked up the coastal path in the opposite direction past Durdle Door and
the
Many thanks, especially to John, for organising
a memorable weekend.
Leader John
Martin
Report Sylvia
Shaw
Youlgreave 3 - 5 October Easy/Moderate
New
Members
A New
Members’ Event. What’s that
all about? 11 of us came along and for
most it was a weekend of “First experiences”…
ˇ First experience of a YOUTH
Hostel - the group was certainly youthful in spirit if not in years.
ˇ First experience of communal
sleeping – try to imagine 6 refined ladies trying to snore in tune!
ˇ First experience of breaking
Youth Hostel Rules – who forgot to take her boots off and failed to order
her chicken pie?
ˇ First experience of one of Peter
Whale’s walk extensions. Were we
lost? Maybe not, but the feet were sore!
ˇ First lesson in biodegradable
banana skins – a double lesson.
ˇ First Sunday morning
“Church Service” in a Bakewell Tea Shop, though some of the group
opted for a more traditional Sunday morning in local fellowships
ˇ First experience of Cordon Bleu
Youth Hostel Cuisine – yes, really.
Is it always this good?
ˇ Also first experience of Bakewell
Pudding – amazing!
Not
forgetting of course great walks on Saturday and Sunday around Youlgreave, beautiful
countryside, amazing weather, great company… Would we go for a second time? We certainly would!
Many thanks to Pete and Elaine for all their
work in organising and leading this weekend.
Leader Peter
Whale
Report Tricia Wilkinson, Pat Judson, Jayne
Davies
Eskdale/ 25 October - 1 November Moderate/
Wastwater Lakes Week Hard
29 people in all attended this event,
although not all at the same time, with some leaving part way through the week
and some arriving at Wasdale for the second part of the event. The weather was pretty average - mostly clear
with some rain.
On Tuesday - a cold damp day - a group
visited
A really entertaining evening was had,
thanks to a three man panel (two of whom were women) and a compere who
conducted a ‘Call My Bluff’ competition with the audience divided
into two, and competing against each other to identify the correct definition
– the panel won!
On Thursday
That evening several members provided items for
the service, one a short testimony of thanks for salvation, another a song of
praise sung at the front and two more read verses from the Bible. Solar activity at this time brought the
Northern Lights into view much further south than normal, and two members saw
them on the Thursday night at Wasdale Head.
On the final Saturday a few went on a walk
around the nether regions of the Lake District, the highest point of the walk
being Whitfell being about 5 miles east of a tiny village called Waberthwaite.
Thanks to Valerie for leading the event.
Leader Valerie Breeze
Report John Gosling
Wilderhope Manor 14
- 16 November All Grades
Bonfire
Event
It would be hard to imagine less promising weather
than on the Friday before the firework event at Wilderhope Manor - rain
battered windows and wind whistled round doors. The Manor looked just like
Bleak House and it was hard to believe the forecasters, who assured us that the
outlook for the weekend was good. But
they were right - the sun shone clear and bright on Saturday morning and stayed
with us all weekend, we had a clear night for the fireworks, and two wonderful
sunny days of walking.
As a new member I was worried that no-one
would speak to me and I would find cliques of members sitting in huddles
with me lonesome on the outside. I needn’t have worried I was lucky
enough to travel the final part of my journey with Jane Wood, who gave me a
friendly introduction to the group, and it seemed a CRC habit to make everyone
feel at home and within a few hours all the new members felt like old friends.
There
were a range of different walks on offer in places such as Wenlock Edge, Long
Mynd, Caer Caradoc and Stiperstones, and Phil’s excellent organisation
meant details of each were spread out on a huge table and plenty of advice was
on hand to help everyone decide which walk suited them best.
Saturday’s
fireworks were beautiful as the sky lit up with lights and colours I had never
seen before, as everyone gathered on Wilderhope’s terrace for the
fireworks and bonfire. Afterwards most people spent a very sociable evening
chatting and making new friends. My evening ended with a communal game of
Scrabble – my grumbles about lack of prowess on the Scrabble board
brought me loads of help from my fellow travellers, and it only remains for me
to work out how I came last even with expert assistance!
Sunday morning service was beautifully put
together by Phil and Verna, and was a lovely way to offer thanks for the new
friendships we had made and for the lovely weekend we had spent together. For me I had just discovered a wonderful way
to make new friends and refresh myself mentally and spiritually.
Leader Phil
Nalpanis
Report Lynne Pardoe
Hindhead 28
- 30 November Easy /Moderate
Friday; Ten of us followed Sue's careful
instructions to Hindhead Youth Hostel. "There's the hostel but where's the
foot bridge?". Daylight showed the bridge was covered with earth, so there
was no real problem. We all got into the hostel and the cars back up the lane
to the car park.
Saturday; We were joined for an
"easy-moderate" walk in "moderate" rain, by the eleventh
hosteller. Our first coffee stop was at a feature called "Lion's Mouth", there we were
confronted, not by a lion but an over friendly dog, who made off with some
biscuits. The choice of going directly back was declined despite the rain as
the planned walk took us past a pub where we felt sure we would find more
coffee. Back at the hostel Sue and a few volunteers made the evening meal
whilst 8 others played Scrabble, the losers later doing the washing up.
Sunday; We all went to
Thank
you Sue for a very enjoyable weekend.
Leader Sue Edwards
Report Peter Allott
Hartington Hall 5 - 7 December Moderate
Six CRC members braved the December mist to reach
the magnificent 4 star mansion known as Hartington Hall Youth Hostel. It is
said that Bonnie Prince Charlie stayed there, and the facilities are certainly
fit for such a distinguished visitor. The hostel was extensively refurbished in
2001.
On Saturday we were joined by day walkers
and a Christian woman called Rosie who was also at the hostel. Eleven of us
explored Wolfscote Dale, Milldale and Dovedale Rock. Herons, kingfishers,
dippers and grey wagtails were all to be seen in the River Dove. We passed
Alstonefield camping barn, but no-one was tempted to stay there in December.
Back at the hostel, Janet led an Advent meditation. Then Rosie beat us all at
The Great Game of Britain.
Sunday was a brighter day, but also a lot
colder. Only five of us ventured to
Thank
you to Bob and Janet for leading the event.
Leader Bob and Janet Harris
Report Chris
Powell
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