Announcement: New website and Christmas meal

Helo pawb!

Great news! The Tawe Trekkers have a new website and it can be found here: http://www.tawetrekkers.org.uk Please note that if you keep seeing remnants of the previous website then you will need to clear the cache on your personal web browser.

Please find below a brief outline of the new website in order to help the transition for you. I know people struggle sometimes with change, myself included. The new website is designed to be (a) less cluttered and clearer and (b) to incorporate our various social media in as functional a manner as possible. And also to look cool!

Home

The Home page is designed to provide an immediate impression of what we are about to any prospective newbie. Essentially it's an online poster. Currently it has a selection of quite old pictures as well as more recent ones but my intention is that the older ones will be deleted as time goes by. The Home page will always open up with the most recently added picture and this will always be updated every 3-months with the winner of our quarterly photo competition. If you scroll over some of the most recent pictures then you will see that there are records of the competition that the photo won and well as full credit for the individual phorographer. I have also considered updating the Home page with seasonal themes in the future (i.e. Christmas, Easter etc...).

In the footer of the page are individual links to our various social media accounts. This will appear in the footer wherever you are on the website. Simply click on the page that you want to go to and a new window will appear on your browser to display the link that you have chosen.

About

As you can see throughout the website I have tried to keep the writing to a minimum. However I have briefly given a little blog here about the group as well as a brief description of some of the website too in order to make using it easier for the new user. I essentially stole this description from our Facebook Group. I have no idea who originally wrote it. If you do please let me know. This deserve some credit.

Possible newbies will also be able to view some videos here that help to show what the group is about. Currently there are only 2 but I have some ideas about more videos in the future. We do have more videos. If you want to see these please go to our YouTube feed.

 

Info

 

If you hover over the 'About' link then you will see a separate link to this page. This is just some general written bumph that probably needs to be on the website. It's the sort of nonsense that a lawyer would insist we have there. Its inclusion is not my proudest moment. Take a read if you want but it's not very exciting.

Programme

This is the page that I suspect might cause some animosity from users. It is obviously a very different design. The reason for this is to allow ease of use for the programme planner but also to allow other committee members to edit the programme with minimal fuss if the programme planner is unavailable.

The programme provides a view of the current month but you can scroll backwards and forwards throughout each month and year. One of the benefits of this new programme is that records of all of our past walks will now be kept and we can make sure that we don't repeat walks too often. If you look closely at the programme you will see various coloured dots next to the event titles. Blue represents our social events, whilst green represents easy walks, yellow moderate walks and red strenuous (just like a set of traffic lights). If you click on the individual event a box will appear with more details, including clarification of the grade of walk, a full description, time of start (at meet point) and finish (estimated) of the event and the location of the meet point. If you click on the link of the location to the meet point then you will be taken to a handy map.

Newsfeed

This represents a big change for us going forward. In the coming months you will notice a sharp decrease in newsletters being published or sent out. This is because the newsfeed makes the newsletter's weekly publication unnecessary. I have some ideas about how to use the newsletter in a different format going forward but that needs to be pondered some more.

The newsfeed is essentially a one-stop shop for our Facebook page (NOT our Facebook group), YouTube Channel and Instagram page. Anything published on any of these sites will appear here. It is automatically updated every 24 hours and you DO NOT have to be a registered member of any of those sites to view the newsfeed. As a result any information regarding past or future events will be published here instead. There are obviously exceptions to this rule but the facility will still be available if we need it.

 

Newsletter

 

If you hover over the newfeed link you can find the link for this here. This page is probably the only thing that I have kept from the previous website. However, I am not planning to use this facility in its previous format anymore. Keep an eye on the newsfeed for information about how this will be used in the future. Just to repeat - do not expect weekly newsletters to be emailed to you in the future. If you want to get updates on our activities please refer to the newsfeed page on our brand spanking new website.

 

Contact

 

This is largely self-explanatory I think. I have listed some available roles for the committee on here too. We are always ready to welcome new blood I think.

 

Anyway, I hope you enjoy and that the change is smooth for everyone. If you have any feedback or suggestions please email us at tawe@hotmail.co.uk . I can't guarantee that I'll agree with everything but I will everything you say under advisement.

 

On another matter the ever reliable and fabulous Janet Thomas has kindly volunteered to arrange our Christmas meal for us this year. She's either a sucker for punishment or she enjoys it - you decide!

She has booked us a table at the Dragon Brasserie for Saturday 12/12/2015 at 7:30pm so it's a great location to go for a lemonade (bwaaaaahahahahaha) afterwards.

Janet has booked the table for 20 people and will need you £10 deposit by the 07/09/2015. NO DEPOSIT NO SEAT AT THE TABLE. Please contact Janet on 07929 053593 for further details and to arrange payment.

 

Diolch. Dylan.

 

 

Ferryside

Sunday 23/08/2015

Dave led the Tawe Trekkers on his classic short route of Kenfig nature reserve on Friday evening. This has always proven to be a popular route and there was nothing different this year. Then on Sunday the 23/08/2015 Robert Hall led a few brave souls out in the rain to Ferryside, in Carmarthenshire. This was our second trip to the wilds of Carmarthenshire in recent weeks and you can expect more in the future.

Next weekend a few of us will be visiting Llanberis to celebrate August Bank Holiday. In our absence we will sadly be missing Graham's walk around Bishopston and Killay. This is beilled as a Moderate/Strenuous walk so come prepared for something a little more difficult. Contact Graham for more details on 07770 435 341.

Diolch. Dylan.

Cynin Valley, Carmarthenshire

Sunday 16/08/2015

By Dylan

Helo pawb!

Thanks to Graham for a fantastic walk down the wilds of the Cynin Valley, Carmarthenshire this Sunday gone. You can check out a video of our day here if you're interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-yYBegeDmQ

This Friday the 21/08/2015 you can join Dave for a chilled short walk in Kenfig Nature Reserve at 7pm. Please call Dave on 07802 673484 for further details.

On Sunday the 23/08/2015 you can join Robert for a low-level walk that takes in part of the Wales Coastal Path (although we see little of the coast and much of the Wales Coastal Path boys of this walk is on road rather than paths!). This is a pleasant jaunt that takes in a little visited area of Carmarthenshire. Easy terrains and no steep hills makes this an ideal walk for newcomers - although it is 8 miles long. Maximum elevation is 130 metres. A couple of areas of slurry but as long as you have walking boots you'll be fine. Only a few stiles and a couple of fields of cows - well behaved dogs welcome. It will be surprising to see any cars on the roads during the middle of the walk. Contact Robert on 07981 963681 for further information.

9:30am at Civic Centre or 10:15am at Ferryside (by Ferry Cabin in Eva Terrace, SA17 5SF or SN 366 104).

URGENT NOTICE

Due to unforseen circumstances we currently do not have anyone to lead a walk on Sunday the 30/08/2015. If you would like to lead a walk for the TT's on this date please get in touch with Andrew on 07968 677463.

Diolch. Dylan.

South Gower Cliffs

Sunday 09/08/2015

by Dylan

On Sunday I led a last minute walk around the south Gower cliffs and though the whether wasn't great everyone who came along enjoyed a great day out. A big welcome goes out to newbie Rebecca. I hope she had a good time. Afterwards we enjoyed a nice tipple in the Monksland and rested our aching feet after a long 12 mile jaunt. You can check out a little video of the walk here too: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1aZ7KsEWRQ

This coming Sunday we will be walking in the depths of Carmarthenshire in the Cynin valley North of St.Clears. This walk took four days to prepare due to numerous issues with the paths and the Council have responded well to requests for maintenance. So please come along and sample this peaceful area. I can assure you that you will be the only ramblers to have ventured onto some of the route for many years. It's 12 miles and graded as moderate/strenuous but there are no major climbs and the going is pretty good throughout. There's a nice little pub to sample in Meidrim after the walk. It's right by the river.

We'll be trying a new meeting point for walks to the west of Swansea which is Old Llangyfelach Road off junction 47 - head West towards Penllergaer from Junction 47 and take the first left. Drive to the end of Old Llangyfelach Road (a dead end) where there is unrestricted parking. 

We'll meet there at 9.30 as usual. Otherwise I suggest that we meet in Meidrim, North of St. Clears at 10.15. Park in the small car park by the community centre on the East side of the river. We'll drive in convoy from there to the start which is not obvious. Call Graham on 07770 435 341 for further details or to arrange to meet at Meidrim.

Diolch. Dylan.

Langland & Pengenffordd (aka The Devil's Back)

By Helen

Hello pawb,

Janet kindly led two fantastic walks for us this weekend. On Friday night the TT's could be found in Langland, taking in a gentle amble. This Sunday though we climbed The Dragon's Back in the Brecon Beacons. Check out the video for a full recounting of the epic day: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtKU6kWe0hU. I have also provided a selection of the finest pictures from the day below - the skies were blue and the cameras were out.

By Peter

By Dylan

By Dylan

By Dylan

By Peter

Next Sunday I will be leading an approximately 12 mile circular route around the south Gower cliffs. This will be a moderate walk, although please be prepared for ups and downs and obviously a long day out. It will be a great opportunity to take in sights like Thurba Head and Pavillan cave. Please let Dylan know on 07540 746360 if you plan to join us. I understand the Black Country walking group are in Swansea that weekend so please accept this as an invitation to join us.

Meet: 9:30am Swansea Civic Centre
Start: 10:15am Pilton Green
Miles: 12 miles approximately
Grade: Moderate (though long)

On another note there are still spaces left on upcoming trips. If you are interested in joining us for August Bank Holiday in Llanberis please call Wayne on 07874 206053. If you would like to join me in Tenby for New Year please contact me on 07540 746360 for further details.

Diolch. Dylan.