Tawe Trekkers Newsletter - 18th Apr 2011

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Pembrey Country Park - Sun 24th April

This Easter Weekend we will be exploring the forests and sands of Pembrey Country Park. The area boasts expansive swathes of lush woodlands and miles of sandy beaches - you may even want to bring a frisbee along! There are numerous opportunities for ice cream stops along the way. Walking is fairly easy and flat, and (due to popular demand) we will be meeting LATER than usual for this walk. 1030 at County Hall and 1130 at Pembrey. The picture shows a view of Gower as seen from Pembrey Sands.

Distance: 6 Miles Approx

Difficulty: Easy

Meeting: 1030 at County Hall, or 1130 at Pembrey. I am planning to park in the carpark about 100 yds before the main entrance to the Park in order to avoid the £5 per car parking fee. Please keep in touch with me via mobile if you are planning to go straight there so we can coordinate the meet up.

Contact: Doug on 07766652837

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Fuel Costs - New Guidelines

With the ever-increasing price of fuel, driving to walk locations is becoming an expensive pastime! Until now we have not had any documented guidelines to ensure that drivers are fairly reimbursed, but pressure is rightly mounting to address the situation. I have listened to members' views including those of drivers and passengers alike, spoken to Emyr, and we have agreed that the club should endorse guidance which enables drivers to be fairly reimbursed.

The Ramblers Association recommends that drivers are entitled to ask for 28p per mile and from now on we will be backing this recommendation as a club.

If it helps a quick example; if you clock up 40 miles and there are 4 people in the car (including the driver), then the total cost would be calculated as 40 x 28p = £11.20 = £2.80 per person. Obviously the more people in a car the cheaper it'll be for each person over a given journey, so we would also recommend that passengers are evenly distributed, where possible!

I'm sure that there'll be a few questions and we'll refine these guidelines if needs be - once people have had their say and added any other ideas. In the meantime though we'd ask that people just apply common sense and bear the principle of fairness in mind, and we shouldn't go far wrong from there!

If you want to discuss further please get in touch with me or Emyr and we'll be happy to listen to peoples' views.

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Social Slot

As usual there's a lot going on in the TT social calendar, and Martin has compiled a line-up with three evening events this week (including our regular pub meeting) and another Comedy Night in a couple of weeks time...

Tuesday 19th April - Pub Quiz

The pub quiz team, having won several bottles of wine and some third prizes, are looking to improve on this - can you help to get them to first place?

Meeting: 20:45 (for 21:00 start) at The Westbourne, Bryn-Y-Mor Road, Swansea.
Cost: 50p.
Contact: Robert on 07981 963-681.


Wednesday 20th April - Pam's Movie Night - TT3D: Closer to the Edge

Sadly, not yet a film about the Tawe Trekkers! - perhaps one day? "TT3D: Closer to the Edge" is a film about the TT, the world-famous motorcycle race that takes place on the Isle of Man every year. Racing along public roads on bikes just inches apart - with speeds hitting 200mph - drama, tension and tragedy all combine to thrill the audience and tell a very moving human story. Filmed in stunning 3D: Closer to the Edge is a story of about what it means to be truly alive.

Note: As this film is showing on a Wednesday, you might need to book ticket(s) in advance.

Showing: 19:00 at the Odeon, Swansea. (Length: 104 mins.)
Meeting: 18:10 in the No Sign Bar (on Wind Street) or 18:50 at the cinema. If you plan to meet at the cinema please call Pam to arrange meeting up.
Cost: £9.45 (before discounts).
Contact: Pam on 07527 263-774.


Thursday 21st April - Pub Night

It's our regular pub night at the Brunswick this week so come along and join us for a drink! Everyone is welcome.

Meeting from about 20:00 in The Brunswick Arms, Duke Street, Swansea.


Saturday 30th April - Mad Dog Comedy

A night of comedy with comedians: Craig Murray, Ria Lina, and Nick Revell.

Well, as we found out last time, the MC was awful! But if we can find some cheese to put in our ears ('Allo 'Allo style) the comedians should make it worth attending. Nick Revell was the resident compère at The Comedy Store for 10 years and in 1989 he had a BBC Radio 4 show and BBC1 TV show. He put in a very entertaining and memorable performance at a gig in Cheltenham in 2004 and hopefully he'll be up to the same standard at this event.

Meeting: 19:30 (for 20:30 start) at The Ice House, Swansea.
Cost: £7.50 in advance (£8 on the door).
Info: http://www.ents24.com/web/event/Mad-Dog-Comedy--The-Ice-House-The-Ice-House-Swansea-2349472.html
Contact: Martin on 07743 593-068.

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That's it for another week, so see you out and about soon!

Cheers,

Doug