St Francis of Assisi Catholic Rambler's Club (Website: www.stfrancisramblers.ukwalkers.com)
The Club is approved by the Archbishop of Westminster
Affiliated to the Ramblers Association and HF Holidays
Programme of Rambles / Events for June to August 2013 (Items for the next programme by the end of July please) SUMMER WALKS PROGRAMME 2013 More walk leaders are needed. Walks can be found on the internet which give full details of travel arrangements, lunch and tea stops, and step by step route guide. Why not try one of these with a friend and offer a walk. Sunday 2nd June (Landranger Map 166) Leader: Martin Harrison Meet: Liverpool Street 09.35 for 09.55 train to Turkey Street (arr. 10.19) Lunch: Fallow Buck, Clay Hill. Also available a garden centre. Tea: Ferny Hill Farm, Cockfosters Distance: 10 miles, returning from Cockfosters Fare: All Zones Travelcard or Oyster Card to Zone 6 Leader will meet group at Turkey Street
Sunday 9th June Leader: Maureen Cahalane
A gentle sightseeing walk along the Regents Canal
Meet: KingsCross 10.30 at theTravel Information kiosk on the Concourse. Lunch: Camden Lock - many good places to eat including Weatherspoons. Distance: Approx 7 miles travelling via Regents Park - Primrose Hill finishing at Baker Street. There are many opportunities to drop out along the route. Fare: Zone 1 Travel or bus
Sunday 16th June: (Landranger Maps 166/167) Leader: Robert Slater Meet: Liverpool Street 09.30 for 09.55 train to St.Margarets (arr10.35).%u2028 Lunch:The Chequers Inn,Wareside.%u2028 Tea: Ware%u2028 Distance: 10 miles%u2028 Fare: £6.20 return to Ware with Network Card.%u2028 Robert will meet walkers at St Margarets.
Sunday 23rd June (Explorer Map 123) Leader: Philip Groves Meet: London Victoria Station at 08.30 for 08.47 train to Lewes (arrives 09.58) Lunch: Rose Cottage Inn, Alciston, good food and real ales Tea: Birling Gap Distance: 19 miles, a good number of hills, with option of a swim on arrival in Eastbourne. The walk will be at a brisk pace. Fare: currently £5 each way to Eastbourne if pre-booked on www.thetrainline.com; otherwise £19.45 CDR with Network Card on the day. If you pre-book, please select the return train at 19.59 (or 20.59 if you prefer to eat in Eastbourne). Possibility to join or leave the walk at lunchtime as the pub is around 1.5 miles' walk from Berwick Station. We will be at the pub between 1 and 2.15pm. NB: The leader will meet the group at Lewes.
Sunday 30th June(Explorer Map 121) Leader: Maurice Hickman Meet: Victoria at 0935 for 1002 train to Pulborough (arr. 1119) Lunch: Sportsman, Cross Gates, Amberley Tea: Arundel Distance 12 miles, returning from Arundel Fare: £ 17.90 Arundel with Network Card . Advance return £10 (if still availabe) Maurice will be boarding the train at Redhill
Sunday 7th July Leader: Henriette van Zaelen %u2028Walk and visit to “The Ragged School” Museum. %u2028 Meet: Highbury and Islington at 10.30hrs to leave at 10.40hrs and take the DLR to Homerton station where the walk will start at 11.00 hrs.%u2028 A gentle, easy, 2 1/2 miles walk from the station through Victoria Park to the lunch stop. Lunch: The Dove, Broadway Market, Shoreditch. Pub provides food and a wide selection of beers(160).%u2028 After lunch we amble along the Regent Canal for just over a mile to"The Ragged School". Entry costs £2. Here, you can enjoy the exhibits and engage in a historical roleplay of a victorian lesson (booked event). Tea: The Ragged School museum%u2028 Finally,we rejoin the canal for a mile to the Limehouse Basin, a last pub stop , and Limehouse Station DLR.%u2028 NB. If you want to join us at lunch time or at the museum, contact me the day before and leave a message on the answer machine as I will need to give the final number of people attending in the morning. Henriette 0207 2724493
Tuesday 9th July Leader: Maureen Cahalane
Meet: 11.00 outside Marble Arch Underground Station (South Entrance) Walk to Tower Hill with plenty of drop off points (buses or tubes) along the way. Lunch: Choice of places at Tower Hill or along the way Distance: 5-6 miles Zone 1 Travel or bus
Sunday 14th July (Landranger Map 186) Leader: John Burbage
Meet: Waterloo 08.45 for 09.07 train to Farnham (arr10.13).%u2028 Lunch: The Foresters, Church Crookham. Sunday carvery, mains, specials and light meals (no bar snacks) mainly locally sourced. (Medium priced)%u2028 Tea: Time permitting, The Crown and Cushion or a venue in Blackwater.%u2028 Distance: 14 ½ miles returning from Blackwater. The walk is mainly through a military training area with tricky ground conditions, some steep hills and taken at a brisk pace to reach the lunch venue and trains on time. Walkers will be rewarded with fine views, pretty forest paths Nature Reserves and possibly wildlife. Walking boots essential. Fare: £10.95 Off-peak return from Farnham plus £2.05 Off-peak single from Blackwater to North Camp (both with Network Card) from where we walk half a mile to meet the London train at Ash Vale.
Sunday 21st July(Explorer Map 147) Leader: Paul Brunning
Meet: Charing Cross 09.50 for 10.08 train to Sevenoaks (arr. 10.41) Lunch: The Bricklayers Arms, Chipstead Lake. “Green area” available for those not wishing to eat at the pub. Tea: Possibly Distance: 9.5 miles, returning from Sevenoaks Fare: Anytime return Sevenoaks £8.10 with Network Card Leader will meet group en route.
Sunday 28th July(Explorer Map 123) Leader: Maurice Hickman Meet: Victoria at 0920 for the 0947 train to Eastbourne (arr. 1109)%u2028 Lunch: The Tiger Inn, East Dean%u2028 Tea: Birling Gap - National Trust Centre (new)%u2028 Distance: 12 miles%u2028 Fare: £19.45 with Network Card but much cheaper (e.g. £6.60 ) with an %u2028Advance ticket.%u2028 Chance of a swim at Birling Gap if weather fine.
Sunday 4th August (Landranger Map 174) Leader: Paul Connolly Meet : Paddington 0935 for 1000 train to Goring and Streatley (arr 1100)%u2028 Lunch : The Bell, Aldworth - no hot food but very good quality filled rolls and puds%u2028 Tea : An infusion of dried leaves and boiled water - but not on this walk!!%u2028 Distance : 12 miles returning from Cholsey - one short climb right at the beginning and then undulating before lunch, afterwards level and gently downhill to Cholsey.%u2028 Fare : £13.90 cdr Cholsey with Network Card
Sunday 11 August 2013 (Explorer Map 174) Roger and Virginia Yelland (a bettermap is the dedicated map of Epping Forest produced by OS for the Corporation of London). Meet: (with the leaders) at Tottenham Hale (from Victoria Line) at 09.25 for the 09.40 train to Cheshunt (arr 09.49). For some it may be better to join the train at Liverpool St: departs 09.28. Lunch: The Crown, Broxbourne. (TL373 067). Good Ale & Food. Good Beer Garden alongside the Lea Navigation towpath. Tea: Waltham Abbey (adjacent to the historic Abbey). Choice of Tea shops and Pubs. Distance: a leisurely 10-11 miles in the Lea Valley: the Lea Navigation Canal, Lakes, Woods, a Farm, even a Hill. Returning from Cheshunt Fare: £10.30 OPDR Liverpool St to Cheshunt (NC & SR: £6.80); from Z6 Boundary: about £2.65.%u2028
Sunday 18th August (Landranger Map 143) Leader: Francis O’Sullivan Join the Arundel & Brighton Pilgrimage at Ely Cathedral for a day walk to Downham Market. Meet: Kings Cross 09.00 for the 09.15 train to Ely (arr. 10.20) (alternative times below). We join the Pilgrimage walkers at the Cathedral for the sung Eucharist (C of E) starting at 10.30. Alternatively you can wander around the small city centre before joining the start of the walk when the service ends at 11.15 -11.30. Lunch: The Swan on the River, Littleport. Walkers can join or leave the walk at Littleport Station. Tea: Not on this walk but there are frequent cold drink stops Distance: 17 miles all on the level. Whilst there are no hills on this walk, due to the late start, Pilgrims will adopt a brisk pace and walkers are expected to keep up. Fare: £22.10 off-peak return to Downham Market with Network Card. Note: For a longer visit to Ely take the 07.53 train (arr. 09.20) or to arrive just in time for the walk take the 10.15 train (arr. 11.20). Francis will meet the walkers at the front of Ely Cathedral.
PICNIC RAMBLE. Sunday 25th August (Landranger Map 165) Leader: Carol Anley Meet: Euston 0930 for 0954 train to Leighton Buzzard(arr.1035) Lunch: Picnic in Stockgrove Country Park..Small cafe and toilet facilities available. Tea: The Globe Inn, Linslade. By Grand Union Canal.Good selection of reasonably priced meals. Distance: 8 miles. Couple of manageable hills in amongst pine trees. Picturesque lake,park,woodland and canal. Fare: £9.55 return Euston to Leighton Buzzard with Network Railcard. Carol will meet walkers at Leighton Buzzard.
Please Note In the interests of your safety, if footwear is not suitable for the walking conditions, the leader may refuse to allow you to join the group. On several walks members got separated from each other, forming two separate groups. With a large group the leader cannot always see the rear of the party. Ideally when a large group of people are walking someone should volunteer to stay near the back and alert the leader if any walkers are struggling.
Your Club Needs You Have you thought about standing for the Club Committee. If so there is no time like the present to think about doing so. It is not an onerous task to be a Committee member. The committee meets just 4 times a year to discuss past and future Club events and the general running of the Club and also to stuff the newsletters into envelopes. If you wish to know more about what we do any of the members above would be delighted to talk to you. It is always good to have fresh blood on the Committee to bring fresh ideas to it. The danger of serving for too long on the Committee is that the job can just become routine. In the next newsletter a nomination form will be enclosed inviting members to nominate people (with their permission) to stand on the Committee. Think about it.
Request for Prayers Please remember Helen Hunt in your prayers. She is recovering from a second hip replacement.
News and Views
Obituaries
Michael Dunne R.I.P. Michael Dunne, a former Club member died some time ago and notification of his death has only just been reported.
Mary Fraser R.I.P. Mary Fraser died in Dublin on 28th February 2013. She had been an active and enthusiastic member of the Club until she moved back to Ireland where she continued her rambling in the Dublin hills. Mary was well known to both past and present members. She kept in contact and was always glad to have news of our walks and activities. In 2002 she came over for the funeral of Audrey Stiles and at Audrey's Requiem Mass she gave an eulogy in which she recalled memories of rambles with 'St Francis Club'.
May eternal light now shine upon her and all our deceased friends.
Past Events
Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela March-April 2013 Maurice, Catherine Scott and Carol Anley successfully completed their long trek and finally reached Santiago on Saturday 13th April. On arrival they headed for the 12 noon Mass at the Cathedral and were privileged to witness the giant censer (botafumeiro in Spanish) swinging above them. Our walk started in Le Puy en Velay, France in April 2008 and we have done two or three weeks walking every year since then. We are now the proud possessors of a Compostela. This is a certificate, in Latin, given to everyone who completes the last 100 km whether on foot on horseback or by bike. Whilst we were in Santiago at a Mass in the church of St Fructuosus near the Cathedral we were filmed by Galician Television and this can be viewed on their website which is: www.crtvg.es>Programes/Santa Misa. See if you can spot 3 particular individuals among the congregation. To get the correct Mass you have to click on the correct date when we were there which was 14/4/2013. Whilst in Santiago we also managed to get three free meals at the expensive Parador, 'Hostal de los Reyes Catholicos', near the Cathedral. If you wait at a particular place in the hotel at 9 am, 12 noon or 7 pm you can obtain a free meal provided you are among the first ten people. We were lucky enough to get a free supper and two free lunches. The lunches are more substantial than the suppers but not so many people come to the free lunches as the timing clashes with the time of the Pilgrim Mass in the Cathedral. Pictures of the whole of our journey can now be viewed on the Club website: www.stfrancisramblers.ukwalkers.com We hope to end our long pilgrimage by doing a pilgrimage from Ferrol on the coast to Finisterre via Santiago next year.
Good Friday Walk The Good Friday walk apparently went well and was led by John Burbage.
Ignatian Prayer Day and Ignatian Workshop Unfortunately there were no takers for these two events which were advertised in the last newsletter. One member, however, did ring to say that she would have come but was otherwise engaged. It is very doubtful now whether this event should be repeated next year. Suggestions would be very welcome. When the Club organised their own days of recollection in the recent past it ended up making a loss.
Future Events
Saturday June 8th - Nightfever London Gentle candlelight and stirring music fills St Patrick's Church in Soho on certain Saturday evenings. The church invites passers-by to come in and visit the beauty of the church, listen to the music and pray. The evening starts with Mass at 8 pm. www.london.nightfever-online.org
Saturday 10th-Sunday 25th of August - A&B Ecumenical Walking Pilgrimage This is organised by the Diocese of Arundel and Brighton. Francis O'Sullivan will be leading the walk from Ely to Downham Market - see the ramble for Sunday 18th August. Full details of all the days walks will be available nearer to the time on the pilgrimage live website:- www.thepilgrims.org.uk
Views
Warning about Scam Emails
It appears that the fraudulent practice of hacking into people's email boxes is becoming more frequent.
Unfortunately some members of our Club have been victims of this fraud, causing much distress. Urgent requests for monetary help from an unknown person purporting to be you stranded abroad without passport, money, etc. are fraudulent but appear to be genuine and recipients have been conned.
Should you receive such a request you are strongly advised not to respond in any way. If you are a victim of email hacking it is worth reporting it to: ACTION FRAUD whose website is: actionfraud.police.uk BEWARE OF SCAM
Do want to get it by email? Thirty-five members now receive the newsletter by email. The numbers getting it by email are certainly growing. If you receive it at the moment by snail-mail and now wish to receive further newsletters by email please let Maurice know.
Club Committee 2012-2013
(Please note: Addresses and telephone numbers are not included in this internet version of the programme)
President: Fr Peter Newby, Parish Priest, St Mary Moorfields, 4-5 Eldon Street, London EC2M 7LS
Secretary Membership Secretaries Maurice Hickman, Antoinette Adkins, Henrietta Van-Zaelen,
Treasurer: Gillian McLauchlan.
Publicity Co-ordinator Robert Slater,
Ramble List Compiler John Burbage,
Other Duties Tony Norton, (Please refer any social events to him)
Committee Member Noelle de Freitas
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