Future events

Surrey Area 25th Anniversary Celebrations, Denbies Vineyard, Dorking, Sunday 5th July 2009

All groups in Surrey have been asked to support this event. with each arranging a walk to arrive at Denbies by 3.30 pm at the latest. Brian will lead the Woking group walk. Details are in the walks programme, but please check the start point with him beforehand. The RA would like to know approximately how many people to expect, so if you plan to attend, please contact Brian (01483 480651, gillian.reader@ntlworld.com). Friends will be welcome, even if not members.

Denbies (GR 165 511) is conveniently situated near Dorking, Dorking Deepdene and Westhumble railway stations, and has bus links along the A24. Non walkers are very welcome, and may park in the overflow car park and use all Denbies facilities. Walkers are asked to park at the walk start point, not at Denbies itself.

The basic walk route (with a few minor variations) will be walking westwards along the Pilgrims Way trackway at the foot of the downs, past Picketts Hole, then gently climbing for a picnic lunch at a good viewpoint and heading to Denbies along the North Downs Way. We will arrive at Denbies shortly after 15.00 (Brian has one or two duties for the Area).

There will be tea, costing £ 3.00 per person, which will include tea, scones, cakes etc and a celebration cake to be cut by Denis Holmes, our Chairman. Also present will be Tom Franklin (RA Chief Executive). Mike Lipscomb (01483 760655) is handling the sale of tickets. We need to know by the end of June, please, if you intend to come on the walk or even just join us for tea so that we have an approximate idea of numbers for catering purposes. After tea, there will be a short walk direct back to Dorking West along FP through the vineyard.

There will be a short speech about 4.00 pm celebrating our 25 years. We are also hoping there will be a display of a variety of casual shirts with the new RA Surrey logo, which can be ordered on the day. There will be a stall promoting walking and the RA.

Walking 09, Saturday 5th September, Sheffield

A day of walking inspiration and information which will be held at the Octagon Centre, Sheffield.



Admission is free and you can book your place at www.ramblers.org.uk/walking09.


Woking Group AGM, Sunday 22nd November 2009

The AGM will be held at 1.45 pm in the Pyrford Village Memorial Hall. It will as usual include light refreshment and hopefully some appropriate entertainment.


walks programme coordinator

After over 15 years on the Committee of the Woking Group in various capacities, Erica has decided to stand down at the next AGM in November. We are therefore urgently seeking volunteers willing to come onto the Committee to undertake some or all of the tasks which she is currently completing as the Walks Programme Co-ordinator.

As all the tasks surrounding the production and distribution of the walks programme and newsletter are administrative, you do not need to be a regular walker with the group in order to complete any of them. However, for the production of the walks programmes you will need to have access to a computer on the internet, and be familiar with word processing and spreadsheet software (preferably Word and Excel).

Walks programmes are completed every 4 months, and the last programme that Erica will complete will take us up to the end of February 2010. For the following programme, you must start the cycle of work during December, by setting up the calendar so that walks leaders can start booking their preferred dates. There is therefore sufficient time for you to become familiar with the work before then - Erica will be only too pleased to let you help her with her last programme!

To avoid potential volunteers being discouraged by the notion that they would be taking on an open ended commitment, we intend to find new volunteers every year - in line with several of the local groups who share these tasks on a rota basis amongst all of their walks leaders.

If you are willing to support your local Group (or the Ramblers at large) by taking over some or all of the tasks to ensure that we can continue to produce and distribute our Walks Programmes and Newsletters to all our members on a regular basis, please contact Mike (01483 760655) as soon as possible.


Signpost at Eaton


FOOTPATH SECRETARY’S REPORT

Working Parties

There have been no working parties since the last meeting. Surrey County Council want us to return to Barley Mow Woods Knaphill to complete the task started last November, but no date has been fixed (will probably not be until the autumn). Nicky West from SCC has gone on maternity leave and I have yet to meet her successor, Nicky Scott. I have had a site meeting with the local representative of the Woodland Trust, Simon Bateman - they now understand why we wish to see an additional right of way (on an existing track on the ground) through the woods parallel to Barrs Lane, and I am hopeful we might achieve a result.


SCC Rights of Way Problems

As Area Footpath Secretary, I've been working through the Surrey County Council "P" list of rights of way problems in the county. It's a working document and there were 294 items listed, but most have been cleared one way or another and only 108 remain outstanding. Of these, 87 are "off-line" problems, indicating there is a walkable route even if it may be slightly off the definitive line. That leaves just 21, usually described as either "obstructed" or "overgrown" but none of them are in Woking. Our team of Local Footpath Secretaries around the county have been asked to look at these 21 and hopefully we will be able to help SCC clear some of them from the list. Strangely, Windlesham FP64 (at Swift Lane, Bagshot, in Surrey Heath District)) is missing from the list although it is probably the worst footpath problem in the county and has caused SCC a load of grief trying to sort it out. The path is quite rightly currently subject to a Traffic Restriction Order prohibiting usage on the grounds of "danger to the public".

- Brian

Lamas at Witley

Some Facts About Our Walks

For the purposes of our statistics, the “Rambling Year” starts on November 1st each year. What follows relates to the first 7 months of the current year, i.e. from 1st Nov 08 to 31st May 09. Equivalent figures for last year are shown in brackets:


- Erica has attended 39 walks totalling 376 miles.

- Anne has attended 28 walks totalling 299 miles.

- Robin has attended 28 walks totalling 251 miles.

- Zoltan has attended 20 walks totalling 231 miles.

- Eileen has attended 19 walks totalling 219 miles.

  1. Only 22 (25)% of our 345 (353) members have actually ventured out on even one of our walks.

  2. There has been a 27% increase in the numbers of members of other groups joining our walks. This follows a 24% increase last year. It is a pity our own members do not appear as appreciative of our efforts to lay on an attractive programme of walks.


The rise in numbers of non members is encouraging, although there are still not as many of them as there were two years ago.


Statue in Windsor Great Park


If you have pictures or articles to share with the group, please email them to shelagh_lewins@hotmail.com.


Thanks to Zoltan for the photos in this edition.


diary dates autumn 2009


Date Event

Sun 5th July………………Surrey Area 25th Anniversary

Sat 5th Sept.……………..Walking 09

Sun 22nd Nov…………….Woking Group AGM


The Ramblers' Association is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4458492. Registered Charity in England and Wales number: 1093577, registered charity in Scotland, number: SC039799. Registered office: 2nd floor, Camelford House, 87-90 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TW.

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