Let's begin this month's newsletter with Lesley Bellis' account of our recent day out in the Midlands:

"Bruce, Clive and I thought we would give cantering along the Birmingham canals another go as it is a fascinating walk, one minute out in the countryside, then immersed in Victorian industrial architecture where you could easily imagine Fagin or Bill Sykes appearing at any moment.

Clive and I were in for a bit of a surprise when we arrived to register, as we were asked if we could hurry along to Checkpoint 1 to help with the tea and toast for the breakfast stop, and then sweep the 26-mile route with Joan Clarke from the Heart of England (HoE) group.

We passed a puzzled Bruce on our way out as he was arriving. We didn't see him again! Thankfully we had no waifs or strays to sweep up and spent a happy day chatting with Joan and the marshals at the checkpoints. We walked at a very leisurely pace keeping a concerned eye on two ladies out on their first 26-miler, and though they were in considerable discomfort their spirits were high and they were determined to finish, which they did. They were so impressed with everyone's friendliness they are going to join the LDWA. Both Clive and I really enjoyed helping out our cousins in HoE, who were equally happy to return our entry fee for the event.

Last but not least, a very big thank you to Betty Lewis for inviting us back to her garden for afternoon tea after Paul Hopkin’s walk last Sunday. Those who were unable to join us missed a delicious treat with lots of cake and scones. It was a lovely treat, and the only way to end a walk. Thanks also to Paul for liaising with Betty to get his walk to include her garden."

In this month's newsletter:

• 25th Anniversary Ceilidh;
• A Wiltshire 50 - The Deverill's Rings;
• Hadrian Hundred;
• Annual General Meeting;
• Walking Trivia;
• LDWA Annual General Meeting;
• The Benefits of Walking; and
• This month's walks in and around the county.

25th Anniversary Ceilidh

From Lesley:

"There are still some tickets remaining for our 25th Anniversary Ceilidh. If you think this sounds too much like hard work, just imagine the dances are walking to music. We have a caller who will attempt to teach us the steps, but the fun is forgetting what she said and making it up as we go along. Those of you who are attending could you please let me know what food you intend to bring, also don’t forget to bring something to drink. There will also be a special anniversary cake."

Tickets are still available to purchase by clicking HERE

A Wiltshire 50 - The Deverill's Rings

From Andy Todd:

"This 50-mile group walk takes place on the 13th/14th October and is based in the Upper Deverills. The route consists of 3 different, roughly equal rings looping out from and back to the base location, so you can do 1, 2 or 3 rings.

This is an ideal opportunity for people to try a longer walk, or a night walk. This will be a group walk, however if individuals want to go at their own pace then that is not a problem, setting their own start times to match the opening hours of the hall. A .gpx file will be available.

We have booked the hall in the village and will be operating a 'simple' level of catering. There will be a charge to cover the hall and food, and numbers will be limited. For more information and to book a space, please contact me at andy@andytodd.org.uk."

Hadrian Hundred

From Lesley:

Most of you will know by now we have been asked to take on a checkpoint on next year's Hundred, and we will be sharing the duties with Kent. I propose that Kent and ourselves split the shift into two sections and each group works approx 8 hours. It will be on the second night of the event. I have visited the location of our checkpoint at Watersmeeting Farm, Herdship on Alston Moor, North Pennines. The grid reference is NY814337 on OS Explorer map OL31. Alston Moor has to be one of the bleakest places in the UK and it goes on for miles.

I have looked at the following 4 places where we might want to stay:

• Alston Town. Up the M6 to Carlisle then along A69 and turn right before Hexham where you are immediately onto the moor. The road is full of hairpin bends and very steep. Alston itself is a ‘hard’ place and also very bleak and I would not recommend staying there as it is 15 miles to the checkpoint down a steep narrow road with plenty of twists and turns and sheep wandering all over it;
• Langdon Beck. Nothing there except a lovely hotel and a YHA, approximately 3 miles from the checkpoint, and close to Middleton-in-Teesdale. Best reached from the A1(M) coming off at Scotch Corner. A much easier road to drive;
• Middleton In Teesdale is a lovely quaint northern small town approximately 8 miles from the checkpoint, plenty of accommodation available, again easy to reach from the A1(M) at Scotch Corner; and
• There is also a cottage at Garrigill that the entrants will walk past but again there nothing else there.

Food for thought for those who would like to come and help at the event. A proforma will be passed around at the AGM asking for volunteers.

Roger Swift has Ordnance Survey Landranger maps 87 and 91 which cover the entire route. He is happy to lend them out to anyone who wants to study the route in comfort.

Annual General Meeting

This year's xmas meal and AGM will take place on 2nd December at the Seven Stars, Winsley. Details will be included in future newsletters as well as on our website. Bruce Barclay will be leading the walk.

LDWA Annual General Meeting

From Guy Vowles:

“Thanks for the newsletters which are always of interest.

Up here in the heart of the Cotswolds, I bumped into Roger Swift in our local Waitrose who said 'Did I know that the next year's LDWA AGM was to be held locally to us and just outside Gloucester?'. I had been a bit remiss in opening up my latest Strider but there it is on Page 5. This took me back quite a few years when I was rather more active in the group and had visions of setting up a Cotswold branch. This went down like the proverbial lead balloon with Bristol & West and also our own group but there was later the opportunity to put forward a venue in the west of England for a forthcoming AGM. I looked at several suitable hotels around the Gloucester and Cheltenham area but apart from a thank you from HQ I heard nothing until I read that Bristol & West were organizing that one at The Webbington Hotel near Weston super Mare, which was handy for the Mendips.

I can see that Bristol & West have lost none of their old clout, and I will certainly be attending the AGM and maybe a short walk the previous day. I can heartily recommend the AGM weekend, it's a great opportunity to catch up with lots of old friends and learn what is going on in our fantastic organization. The AGM moves biannually between North and South regions and I wonder whether Wiltshire group might consider hosting one in the future - it just needs a large and reasonably priced hotel with some good walking nearby. Swindon, Devizes, etc, … come to mind. It would also help to promote our increasing strength as a group.”

Forthcoming Walks

Finally, here's the usual look ahead to all the group walks and challenge events that are taking place this month within a 50-mile radius of the geographical centre of Wiltshire.

This e-mail has been sent to all Primary and Associate group members. If you wish to opt out of receiving e-mails from us, you will need to change your e-mail preferences by logging onto the LDWA website.

That's it for another newsletter. All our newsletters are available via the Wiltshire LDWA website. If you have anything to contribute to future editions, please can you get it to me by the 20th of each month. I look forward to seeing you out on our group walks this month.

Warmest regards

Clive

Secretary of the Wiltshire LDWA
WiltshireLDWA@outlook.com