Tawe Trekkers Newsletter - 29th June 2009

Again, there's a lot of stuff in this week's newsletter including two walks and a bike ride. There's also a bit of news concerning the Rambler's Association that is worth mentioning here; the organisation is in financial difficulties and making significant staff cuts.
Graham went along to the Glamorgan Area Council meeting last week to find out what was going on, and his summary is included below. If you'd like to find out more and how it may affect us as a Group and as walkers please get in touch with Graham or Doug. First though, let's start with this week's walks...


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Mumbles Head Evening Walk - Thursday 2nd July

Thursday evening's walk takes in countryside and coast with a smattering of military history and architecture. There'll be some fine views of Swansea Bay as in the last evening walk but from a totally different angle.

After a steep but short climb to Mumbles Hill Nature Reserve we'll see some remnants from the Second World War. Further on the walk we get the chance to view Catherine Zeta-Jones new house and discuss its grand design. Near here we get fine views across the Bristol Channel towards Ilfracombe.

The walk ends at Salt (or The George as it used to be known) and if you can't make the walk hopefully you can join us on the upstairs balcony from 9 pm (or inside if wet!).

Meeting place is Southend Boat car park (opposite Salt) which is a little further down Mumbles Road from Southend car park. Grid reference: SS 622877.

See you at 7.30 pm.

Phone 07981 963 681 for further details.

Robert H


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Mynydd Margam and Margam Country Park - Saturday 4th July

South Wales has many fine country parks and Margam is no exception. Margam Park is an 850 acre estate on the southern slopes of Mynydd Margam. This rich landscape has a rich history to match; an abbey was built in the 12th Century and then razed by Henry VIII in the Disolution. Margam 'Castle' was built in the 19th Century as a stately mansion. Tom's walk offers a chance to explore the history and landscape of Margam Park and beyond.

The route starts off steeply up a wooded hill past old abbey church then walk along a ridgeway. It continues through Forestry Commision wood to the summit of Mynydd Margam to follow the Coed Morganwg way eastwards and finally descends back through the deer park back to start.

Difficulty: Moderate

Distance: 8 Miles

Meeting Points: County Hall at 0930 or the walk start point (which is the information point by Margam Stones and near Margam Abbey) at 1000. If you plan to go straight to the start point please let Tom know.

For more details on the route and meeting place please call Tom on 07980477164.


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Credit crunch strikes the Ramblers Association

Along with many other voluntary sector organisations the Ramblers Association nationally has been hit hard by the current economic downturn. As a result major cuts in budget and staffing are being applied and the view in Scotland and Wales is that the the axe is falling far too freely in the Regions. There was a lively discussion of the issue on friday night at the well-attended Glamorgan Area Council meeting.

Due to the Credit Crunch Ramblers memberships are dropping and there have been falls in income from sales and donations too. This has left a budgetary deficit of £1.5 Million out of a total budget of £ 6 Million for the Ramblers nationally. The solution formulated by Central Office in London is major cuts in staffing. The budget for the Wales Office is being cut from £300,000 to just £80,000 with 6 out of 8 core posts being lost. The remaining two core staff (Senior Development & Promotions Officer and Rights of Way Officer) will work from home as the office in Cardiff is being closed. The first redundancies will take place next friday.

Although there will be cuts in staffing in London also, the feeling of the meeting was that Wales and Scotland were being disproportionately pruned and that the measures had been applied in undue haste and without proper consideration or consultation. It is probably now too late to avert the cuts but the meeting formally resolved to send a strongly worded letter to the Chief Executive and Trustees condemning the action that had been taken and highlighting the damage that would be done to the Ramblers in Wales - loss of reputation, loss of voice with the Assembly Goverment, loss of fundraising opportunities and opportunities for partnership working. The promotion of walking in Wales with it's attendant health benefits and the maintenance and enhancement of the the footpath network would suffer as a consequence.

The move is a stark reversal of recent progress in devolving more resources and authority to the Scottish and Welsh Offices. There is talk of UDI in some quarters especially amongst the unruly Scots!

Cheers,

Graham


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BHF Gower Bike Ride - Sun 5th July

Phil is organising a group for the 2009 Gower Bike Ride. This is an annual event in aid of the British Heart Foundation. Choose your route from 16 or 29 mile routes (29 miles if you want to join Phil!!). This is not a race, but an opportunity to enjoy a day cycling around the beautiful Gower Peninsula.

The ride(s) begin from St. Helens recreation ground. We are planning on setting off at 0930 but if you haven't pre-registered online you will need to get there earlier to register on the day.

See the link below for entry details .

http://www.bhf.org.uk/get_involved/take_part_in_our_events/event_finder/view_event.aspx?ps=1000313

For more details call Phil on 07967 115395.


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Phew! That's about all there is for this week.

Cheers,

Doug

Tawe Trekkers Newsletter - 21st June

Llangatwg and Crickhowell walk - Sunday 28th June

Rhid leads the way on this walk which includes a dramatic limestone escarpment overlooking the usk valley, field paths, quiet lanes, woodland and a short section of the Brecon & Monmouthshire Canal, as well as a visit to the village of Llangatwg, where halfway refreshment will be available if needed. We will visit the Bridge End Inn in Crickhowell after the walk which has a stunning beer garden right beside the river running through Crickhowell.

TT Meeting time & place: 9.30am, County Hall car park. If you would like to meet at the start point of the walk please contact Rhidian for details (07534960567).

Distance: 7 miles

Difficulty: Easy

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Sea Serpent Boat Trip - Saturday 27th June

For those of you who are going on the Sea Serpent, the trip is now booked for next Saturday. We will meet at Port Eynon at 1.30pm, or alternatively if you would like a bite to eat before we go please let me know (asap) and I will book a table at the Smugglers Haunt (Port Eynon) for 12noon.

It is a round trip and lasts about 2 hours, and costs £24.50 each.

"Quality waterproofs and lifejackets will be provided". Please wear footwear to get wet and shorts or trousers that you can roll up as we will need to paddle out to the boat, jeans are probably not advisable as once they get wet they tend stay wet, and maybe something to change into. Please also bring warm clothing to wear under the waterproofs, and suntan lotion and sunglasses are advisable if sunny weather!

During the trip we can explore the stuning Gower coastline of dramatic cliffs, caves, shipwrecks and the magnificent tidal island of Worms Head with its abundance of wildlife.

****If for any reason you cannot make the trip, I will need to know 48 hours beforehand to cancel your place, otherwise we will be charged for it.****

See you there (carpark by roundabout at Port Eynon) at 1.30pm, or for those of you who are having lunch, it's 12noon at the Smugglers Haunt.

Cheers
Pam (07967 466690)
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Sarah, Lindz & Christian's 104th birthday celebration - Saturday 18th July

Between us we should be receiving a certificate from the queen - to mark such an occasion we are planning to celebrate through a multi-activity evening involving Laserquest, eating and gyrating in the following order:

Laserquest at 7pm - cost is £4 for one game (20 mins).

Papa Sanchos at 8pm - please see http://www.papasanchos.co.uk/ for the menu, a £5 deposit is required asap.

Monkey or other suitable establishment for letting your hair down - 9.30pm onwards.

If you like to join us in the merriment please let Sarah (07986570008) or Christian (07791089942) know as soon as possible.

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Regular pub night - Thursday 25th June

Just to remind you all it's the TT's regular pub night at The Brunswick (8pm onwards). Caroline has rescheduled her sponsored silence to this evening so please turn up - it will be too easy otherwise!
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That's all for this week folks.

Christian

Tawe Trekker Newsletter 14th June

Tawe Trekkers Newsletter - 15th June

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Gower Walk with the Tiger Bay Ramblers - Sun 21st June

Our friends from the Big Apple (Cardiff) will be leading a walk from Oxwich on Sunday 21st June, and while they're in the Wild West (of Wales) they'll be inviting the local cowboys (that'll be us!), on their little adventure. Carys from TBR has sent us some details:

TT Meeting time & place: 10.00am, County Hall car park, Swansea

Start of Walk: 10.30am Oxwich Bay car park. (£3.50 per car for parking)

Difficulty: Moderate 8 miles

Starting from Oxwich, we will head up through fields which may be muddy so good boots are advisable. We will (hopefully) get good views of Oxwich bay, Rhossili Downs, and the surrounding area. We will then descend and be able to see 3 Cliffs Bay, Tor Bay the length of Oxwich Bay. The path then gets narrow and steep in places, so we will take our time then stop off at Nicholston Farm for ice creams, snacks, etc. Following that we will head through the sand dunes and onto Oxwich Bay, where we can paddle or walk along the sand along the length of the beach and back to the car park.

Walk Leader: Carys 07812 610260 (will be at the TT meeting place)


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Loughor Cycle Ride - Sat 20th June


Barbara has organised a cycle ride for Saturday. The ride will start at at the Millenium Coastal park carpark near Loughor bridge at 9:30, and follow a route to Pembrey and back (around 25 miles in length). There will be an opportunity to stop at a cafe en route, plus Loughor Boat Club have their regatta in the afternoon with live bands and boat rides.

For more details please call Barbara on 07810715390.


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Before I go, just wanted to say a big thanks to Tom for organising a superb day out with the boat trip to Ilfracombe and a lovely walk along the Devon coast. The day went really well thanks to the work that Tom put in to make it all possible, and all who went had an excellent time!


Cheers,


Doug

Tawe Trekkers Newsletter 7th June

Hi all

Yet another week has flown by and it's back to thinking about the more fun things in life.

Gower Gallop - Saturday 13th June

This year marks the 16th Gower Gallop. There will be 3 challenge walks to choose from of differing distances (30, 20 & 12.5 miles) plus there will be a separately organised 12.5 mile orienteering route. Checkpoints with refreshments will be dotted along the routes and food & refreshments will be provided after the event. You will need to register for the event (£5 in advance or £6 on the day).

For more information and to download a registration form please visit the Swansea Outdoor Group's website: http://www.sue.alston.care4free.net/gowergal.htm or contact Emyr on 07846879210.

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Tom's nautical adventure across the pond to Ilfracombe - Sunday 14th June

For those of you booked on Tom's excursion to Ilfracombe here's the details.

Departure: The Waverley sails at 11.15am, so please assemble at Swansea Ferry Terminal reception area for 10.50am.

Return: 7.00pm with a travel time of 2-hours each way so you'll be back in Swansea at 9.00pm.

The bit in between: Once in Ilfracombe you have the option of looking around the town or joining Tom for a six mile walk along the spectacular Devon coast on the Tarka Trail. Either way a cream tea or cider is likely to feature on the agenda.

If you would like to go but haven't pre-booked a ticket yet please contact Tom on 07980477164. The price of the ticket is £24.30p (this includes a 10% discount for a group booking) . Alternatively you could just turn up on the day but given the charter rarely sails from Swansea it may be fully booked.

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Regular pub night - Thursday 11th June

It is our bi-weekly meet-up at The Brunswick this week (8pm) so why not come along and pass some time with good company.

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Sea Serpent - Port Eynon to Worms Head - Saturday 27th June

We have six people so far for this trip on the RIB (rigid inflatable boat). There are potentially 6 places left on the boat if anyone else wants to go. The cost is £23.

We will meet at Port Eynon at 1.30pm to get kitted out for the trip. It is a round trip and lasts about 2 hours. "Quality waterproofs and lifejackets will be provided". Please wear footwear to get wet as we will need to paddle out to the boat. Please also bring warm clothing to wear under the waterproofs, and suntan lotion and sunglasses are advisable if sunny weather!

During the trip we can explore the stuning Gower coastline of dramatic cliffs, caves, shipwrecks and the magnificent tidal island of Worms Head with its abundance of wildlife. Great for seal spotting.

If you would like to go or want any extra information please contact me on 07967 466690 asap.

Pam

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Caroline's sponsored silence - Sunday 21st June

My friend Marie has lost her fight against cancer and, at the age of 35, been given just 9-18 months to live. I am looking to raise a small sum of money so that her two young children can enjoy some memorable days out with their mother before she is gone.

I played with and dismissed various schemes, such as climbing Kilimanjaro (passé) or jumping out of a plane (doddle). But I know you’ll all appreciate that my greatest personal challenge is… to not talk for a WHOLE HOUR - maybe even more, if I haven’t already imploded with unspoken wit and wisdom.

I will undertake this during the Tawe Trekkers walk on Sunday 21st June. So please come along and witness this feat and if I succeed any donations would be gratefully received.

Thank you.

Caroline.

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Ending on that note that's about all for this week.

Cheers.

Christian