And they call us the Midnight Ramblers
Carl’s Moonlight Ramble 9 October
A hardy group of ten ramblers gave up their Sunday evening and gathered at St Faith’s Church in Overbury at 8pm. The reason for this – to experience the magic of walking in the moonlight. New member, Chris Sharp, certainly chose an unusual ramble to get to know us.
The sky was quite cloudy, but the moon was peaking out enough to light the way. Some unusual instructions were given to the group:
Be quiet when walking past residential properties.
Don’t use a torch unless you have to and don’t shine it in anyone’s face.
Walking up through the Overbury Estate there was plenty of light to see the path until we entered a wooded section which was a lot darker. The path here has a metalled surface and the edge could just be seen. The group were advised that if the ground felt soft beneath their feet then they had strayed off the path. As we approached The Belt a circle of light could be seen giving the impression that we were approaching the end of a tunnel. From The Belt we headed up towards the Wychavon Way before heading towards Banbury Tower. By this time the clouds had started to clear and the moon was shining down in all its glory, giving a lovely clear night.
Stopping from time to time to admire a familiar view in unfamiliar circumstances prompted different comments to normal. Instead of the usual “Is that the Malverns over there?” it was more “Is that Pershore Abbey with the red lights?”
At the tower we stopped to take photos and shelter from the wind which had blown up. Moving on again we entered another wooded area which had been pitch black on previous recces but tonight the moon was shining bright enough to show the way. No torches needed. We then cut left towards Sundial Farm before heading back down through the Overbury Estate.
The dark wooded area we had come through on the way up was now much lighter and the path easily seen. Coming back down into the open the trees either side of the path had an eerie beauty to them in the half light. It was then an easy walk back to the start.
At the start, the group members were encouraged not to use torches unless they had to and I am pleased to say they were barely used all night as the moon was so bright.
One final note. As we headed towards The Belt one member of the group was heard to say “I am not sure where we are” until we turned the corner and the lights on the masts just past Lalu Farm could be seen. Just shows how a familiar area can look so different in the dark.
Carl
6 miles
Cleeve Common and Cheltenham Racecourse
Michael and Lesley’s Ramble 12 October
Gathering at the Radio Masts on Cleeve Common we started the walk across the crown of the common before descending down a footpath to the source of the River Isbourne.
Having looked at the washpool and sheep dip we began an ascent to the golf course where we stopped at the club house for a coffee and comfort stop.
Continuing, we descended to the village of Southam and headed towards our lunch time stop at Cheltenham racecourse as did a rain shower, so we pushed on to the racecourse railway station but not before Lesley had given a history of the course.
At the railway station we had lunch and took advantage of the facilities and snack bar.
Recommencing the walk, we circumnavigated the racecourse by the perimeter footpath, turning off to proceed through Prestbury, stopping to look at St Mary’s church and the unusual wooden grave crosses.
Following the Cheltenham Circular Footpath, we came to Hewletts reservoir to begin the ascent back to the start of the walk. Pacing ourselves and stopping for a break we reached the top having admired the spectacular view of Cheltenham and surrounds.
Apart from the brief shower at lunch time the weather had been perfect for walking.
Michael
11.5 miles or 18.5 km
‘Snip & Slash’
Hazel and Paul’s Short Ramble 19 October
The weather forecast was not good and many members started the walk wearing full waterproof clothing. However, the forecast proved to be wrong and the weather remained kind throughout the ramble.
The walk started and finished at The Retreat Inn at Norton near Worcester.
On leaving the pub it was necessary to negotiate the nearby, narrow railway bridge, whilst avoiding the traffic on this busy road.
We then moved onto pasture land before entering a narrow path past a rather dirty pond. It was at this point that the walkers understood why the leader was carrying a pair of pruning snippers. The leader moved slowly forward at this point, demonstrating the art of ‘snip and slash’.
We then crossed the Worcester to Pershore road and followed wide easy paths to the boundary of the Spetchley Estate. Good progress was made with no stiles on this section to hinder our progress.
A welcome coffee stop was made at this point, before crossing the estate using the path through a long avenue of young trees which have been planted in recent years. We had a good view of the house and the large lake in front of the house.
On leaving the estate we passed through a mixture of arable fields and pasture before our return crossing of the Worcester to Pershore road and the various railway lines that are part of Norton Junction. We finished at 1:00pm.
21 members finished of the day by having a drink and lunch at The Retreat Inn.
Hazel & Paul
6 miles / 9.6 km
“To enjoy the rainbow, first enjoy the rain.”
Alan and Pauline’s Sunday Ramble 30 October
Eighteen members set out from Guiting Power on a day when we were to experience a contrast in weather conditions from a violent downpour to beautiful warm sunshine.
We left the village on good tracks following the Wardens’ Way and after a minor navigational error by the leader (interjection by Pauline: “Alan was leading!”) we entered Guiting Wood, part of the Farmcote Estate. We crossed several tracks as we climbed steadily to arrive at Deadmanbury Gate.
We now picked up the Windrush Way and were soon passed by a large group of cyclists, no doubt feeling smug as they flashed past, but sheepishly dismounting a few yards on when the bridleway steepened.
As we approached the village of Hawling we had a slight shower of rain, followed by the first of three rainbows of the day.
As we left The Farmers Arms after a sumptuous meal, the sky went black heralding torrential rain and we were forced to seek shelter in our cars which were parked at the nearby Village Hall. The optimists regrouped for the afternoon walk whilst the pessimists headed home.
We set off towards Naunton, enjoying another rainbow, and as we crossed the River Windrush, a game of Pooh Sticks was the order of the day. It was a steady climb out of the village and as the sun broke through, we were soon doffing off layers. The disappearing dark clouds and the bright sunshine produced the best rainbow of the day.
We passed two vast quarries and walked along the edge of the Cotswold Farm Park before descending to the village of Barton, where we enjoyed our second game of Pooh Sticks. Who would imagine ERC members could be so competitive. We followed the Windrush back to Guiting Power and all agreed that our optimism had been rewarded.
Pauline & Alan
am 8 miles; pm 5 miles
