19th&23rd May – walks for Arnside/Silverdale AONB Wildlife Festival. See Walks Programme
24th - 26 th July 2012 – Lancaster Ramblers Trek Yorkshire Dales. See item in this newsletter.
As Lancaster Ramblers' contribution to Lancashire Witches 400 Project, in February a team of four witches and one wizard, led by Joy Greenwood, walked our 13 mile section of the proposed 51 mile Witches Way Footpath to identify suitable locations for waymarkers. The Witches Way will go from Pendle to Lancaster and marks the journey taken by the Lancashire Witches in 1612 as they were brought to Lancaster Castle for trial and execution. The Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, has agreed to write a commemorative poem for the anniversary and it is hoped that this will be carved in stone along the route.
Our section began at the isolated High Salter Farm (850') on the wild moors of Bowland, continued through muddy Mallowdale spanning the River Roeburn, then on via Deep Clough to the surreal world of the windfarm on Caton Moor (1100') - what would the witches have made of it, I wonder? On Bowland (GR: 589624) we came across the most hair-raising step-stile which would have been almost impossible to tackle alone and seemed to involve diving feet-first into the unknown from a great height! Needless to say this has been reported but be warned! We also experienced a typical example of the rapid changeability of moorland weather as ten minutes after our walk in mild cloudy conditions, the mist came down and everything was obliterated.
From the high moors the route continued down the road to sheltered Brookhouse, the cycle track alongside the River Lune to Denny Beck, Grimshaw Lane to Williamson Park and on to the Castle. At the Ashton memorial in Williamson Park there is a small interactive exhibition 'Witch Hunts, Then and Now' which looks at issues of both historical and contemporary scapegoating and persecution as part of the Lancashire Witches 400 Project.
Throughout 2012 many varied events will be taking place to mark this important anniversary so keep an eye on the local press etc. Closer to home Brian Jones will be leading a long walk over the route - see the walking programme for details.
Pam Gorham
In July, there will be a Ramblers Trek in the Yorkshire Dales - From Tuesday 24th July to Thursday 26th July.
We will travel by train from Lancaster to Long Preston on Tuesday 24th July for a walk of approximately 7 miles to Malham YHA where we will spend the night.
Wednesday 25th July, we will walk from Malham to Kettlewell, approximately 10 miles, and stay at Kelltlewell YHA.
On Thursday 26th July, we will have a walk of about 7 miles to Grassington and then take the local bus to Skipton and the train back to Lancaster.
The cost of accommodation will be £45 for bed and breakfast. Rail fare with railcard is at present £12 return.
To book this trek, please contact Gill Gale or contact the Secretary at lancramblers1@yahoo.co.uk for further information. Bookings need to be received as soon as possible in order to secure places at the hostels.
There will also be another visit to the Ramblers Chalet at Stair from Tuesday 18th to Thursday 19th September. Please contact Gill Gale if you would like to come on this or for further information.
Thank you to all who attended our AGM last November.
At the AGM there was concern expressed about the fairness of the contribution given to drivers on walk days. In particular, those drivers with fewer passengers will receive less and the difference becomes more significant when there are few walkers and the location is distant.
On the other hand, the pre-determination of the contribution is popular with walkers and leaders, and it does encourage cars to be loaded evenly.
The contribution was introduced to remove the uncertainty and awkwardness drivers and passengers faced in determining a fair amount. However, it is a voluntary, suggested contribution, and if there is a particular circumstance where a group of walkers wish to vary or make a different arrangement then they should feel free do so.
At the end of the day we want all walkers, whether drivers or passengers, to feel they have received or made a fair contribution to the cost of their outing!
David Johnson.
At the AGM, Peter introduced us to "Community Rail Partnerships" (CRPs) - a radical approach to Britain’s rural and local railways. They are partnerships which form a bridge between the railway & local community and involve forward looking "Grass-roots" organisations to bring together a wide range of interests along the rail corridor.
Community Rail is about active engagement between the community and the railway for mutual benefit - getting value for the whole community from local and rural railways, not only in terms of transport but in other areas valued by all, such as health, environment, integration, sustainable communities, regeneration and access to work & training - in fact ideas that are already part of the “Big Society” agenda.
Jim went on to illustrate these ideas with particular emphasis on how our local lines contribute to CRP objectives, by: supporting the local economy through tourism, getting people to work and congestion relief; reducing CO2 emissions; improving quality of life; and promoting safety and health (e.g. utilising the railway for walking).
He concluded that, in practice, these ideas need to be actively promoted through leaflets (including walking leaflets), websites, newsletters etc. as well as investment of time and (non-railway) money using volunteers, sponsorships and grants. There are several current challenges on the Furness Line, mainly concerning funding and the need to improve stations and their accessibility. Working on these and other activities, such as working with schools and colleges to get media coverage, will encourage more passengers and secure a future for local rail.
We (Lancaster Group) are working with Jim to assemble existing walks from the Furness line and create more to fill the gaps.
The weather early in the morning on Wednesday, February 8th seemed to promise a splendid walking day – cold, bright and dry.
This promise held as the train approached Arnside, but at the station, a surprise!! A thin layer of mixed snow and ice greeted us.
Was it really sensible to lead these twenty two people up to the top of Arnside Knott through the inevitable icy sledging runs? Even the walk up the bridleway to the village’s higher road was challenging.
However the consensus was to approach the hill through the trees wherever possible, the ice being less evident there, then have a coffee stop on the top overlooking the estuary.
Whilst the group refreshed themselves and enjoyed the view, the descent originally planned was reviewed. The path had turned into a toboggan run, so the question was how to bring people down safely in time for lunch.
A zig-zag route down through the Access land on the northern slopes was chosen as this appeared to have more snow than ice, once the sledging runs had been left behind. This proved to be so.
People were in good spirits, having enjoyed a short walk in sunshine and were looking forward to lunch at The Albion. Fortunately the ascent had taken longer than that on the reccie, leaving no time to visit New Barns then return along the shore. The shore, we later learned, was coated with ice and the high tide prevented a safer walk on the beach.
A notice saying ‘Care!! Slippy floor’ on the entrance door of The Albion provided wry amusement. Inside, non-walkers joined the walking group and all were served efficiently with excellent lunches by the publicans.
After an enjoyable hour or so, we left to take a short, icy walk to the station, and as the train approached, it was agreed it had been a grand day out.
One member though, who had not had enough walking, took the train to Grange-over-Sands and ascended Hampsfell.
Joy Greenwood.
To help spread awareness of The Ramblers and what we do, why not take your copy of "Walk" magazine (after you have read it, of course) to your local doctor's or dentist's surgery, or other public place where magazines may be read? Please make sure you ask first!
Members will be saddened to learn of the death of Frank Bennett. Frank did a lot of work for the Lancaster Group in the early days and indeed wrote our first walks book (for sale at 25p!). He was also Group Treasurer from 1971 to 1975.
Readers will be interested to know that Lancaster Ramblers has recently joined the "Walking Partnership". This new initiative, supported by Ramblers Worldwide Holidays, aims to provide direct financial support to the grass roots of the walking community in the UK through local walking clubs and societies. Here's how it works:
- Lancaster Ramblers will receive a financial contribution from the Partnership if you book a holiday with Ramblers Worldwide Holidays. In order to qualify, you must nominate Lancaster Ramblers before you travel. Note that you can do this even for holidays you have already booked, provided the nomination is made before travelling.
- the contribution will be (per person booked) £10 for UK holidays, £20 for Short haul holidays and £30 for Long haul holidays.
- the contributions will be used to further our support of the local footpath network and to encourage walking in the community.
If you have already booked a Ramblers Worldwide Holiday but not yet travelled, you can nominate Lancaster Ramblers by emailing Ramblers Worldwide Holidays quoting your booking reference on mybooking@ramblersholidays.co.uk or call 01707 331133.
For full information about the Walking Partnership, visit www.thewalkingpartnership.org.uk
David Johnson.
Natural England and DEFRA are carrying out the final consultation about the proposed boundary changes to the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks. The consultation finishes on 16 March 2012. This may have passed by the time that you read this, but if not respond using the easy web site way of writing to DEFRA and your MP using links from the Friends of the Lake District web site: www.fld.org.uk or http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/conservation/designatedareas/new/northwestdesignationproject/consultation.aspx
The proposal is to extend YDNP northwards to cover the northern Howgills, at present not protected, the Orton Fells, Wild Boar Fell and Mallerstang as well as Leck Fell. The LDNP would be extended across Borrow Beck to the M6 and southwards to Sizergh. We find that YDNP looks after the countryside and footpaths the best of all local authorities. We look forward to the consultation being successful and consequent improvements to the countryside.
Brian Jones.
We are having to rely on a reducing number of leaders. Please consider leading a walk. Why not team up with a friend?There is plenty of help available – just contact myself or any leader; we will hand-hold you through the process if you wish. You may even have fun!
David Johnson