Nuneaton Hill Walking and Mountaineering Club

Instead of a walk a cycle ride was proposed. Keith planned a 20 mile circuit around the local villages starting in Whitestone Nuneaton out through Bulkington and Shilton to Withybrook then out to Monks Kirby and Claybrook Pava  returning via High Cross, Wolvey and up Bramcott Hill back to the Lutterworth road.  A distance of 20.2 miles. Although those who had come from the St Nicholas Park area had a few additional miles to add to this total.

It was a fine dry day great for cycling and the five of us who undertook the ride all enjoyed the trip, even if, as its the furthest I have cycled in a while, and I was flagging at the end, it was still a good morning out. We were also able to record our miles on the web site to achieve the record for the worlds longest cycle ride.

A highly successful trip all within the current Covid Regulations, to show that such activities can be workable in these unusual times.                                                                     Just as a general note, the restrictions were easy to follow given the type of accommodation and our varied activities. Islay is an island that has had no Covid case as at the date we attended and everyone felt safe.

The ferry timings made this a two day journey to get to the Island, braving the Rest and be Thankful Pass which a short while earlier had been blocked due to landslides, and on the way back we had to go down the old Military road, all very interesting.

The weather was kind, not too windy and was far better than the trip to Mull last year. There was minimal rain and a good smattering of sunshine. Our cottages were at the most northern end of the island down a single track.

Our days were varied with a number of activities taking place every day. These broadly fell into several broad categories, including cycling, bird watching, walking and some mountain walking.

The feature about Islay is that it is a small island, there are limited roads and destinations so it was inevitable even with our varied activities then we would occasionally see the other groups at some time during the day. On the whole, paths are not common which means that walking anywhere takes far longer than usual. Walking guides often give an example of relatively short distances with a timing that seems overly long. However they are not wrong as the terrain is such that it does not make for quick journeys.

A nice thing about the island is that everyone greets you when they travel by car all with a wave, which is good. The only ones who seem not too are the tourists! Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here.

It will be for those who cycled and were bird watching to write their narrative about their activities as I can only speak from the experience of the walks. There were numerus possible walks from the cottages which were on tracks, and open moorland surrounded by sheep. The cliff top walks were great and the seascapes spectacular. Many other opportunities were available by taking a drive, and it is fair to say that we covered most of the island but having said that there is still plenty there to tackle on future trips.

Walking along headlands and on to secluded beaches down steep paths were great, and in a funny way it was disappointing to see other footprints in the sand until you realised that they were days old. The seclusion of the place must be a big positive for getting away from our more urban lives.

There are many big walks available but there is so much more to do and see. Our trip to the Paps of Jura provided a good day out, but was unsuccessful due to the timings of the ferry which severely restricted the time out on the hills. The tracks were boggy the whole way, often sinking to your knees (or deeper) and the gong was slow and hard. To tackle these properly this will need a dedicated trip to Jura and to stay on the island. Our last day was to go up the highest hill on Islay, which provided a really good day out in superb weather with fantastic views towards the Paps, the islands, Ireland and the Isle of Arran.

A very successful trip and a destination which can be recommended.

Four members met at Brinklow on a very warm and sunny July morning to walk a section of the Coventry Way. The walk was lead by Martyn and started in Brinklow Village and followed the Coventry and Centenary Ways through the rural landscape, passing the site of the medieval village of Upper Smite, the village of Folesworth, with its old and interesting Alms houses, Stretton under fosse and in a large circle to return to Brinklow past the site of the motte and bailey castle. Other notable features, as the name of the walk suggests, were the 8 bridges including a 19th Centaury Peddler’s Pack horse bridge and the magnificent bridges over the now disused railway line. The walk was 8.5 miles long and easy walking along footpath and tracks.

High Cross was the meeting point for todays walk. There were five on the walk which set off along the footpath in a north easterly direction. We took as short diversion to visit the local nature reserve but there was nothing to note on the pools so we rejoining the path. The walk took us through the lovely and historic village of Frolesworth and out towards Leire before turning south westerly along a disused railway track towards Ullesthorpe then through Claybrooke Pava and back to High Cross. The weather was cloudy but we managed to stay dry. It was in the main, along footpaths, a bit muddy on the field crossings, old railway tracks and lanes but a very interesting walk.  We did 9.24 miles.

Unfortunately all planned events since March 2020 have had to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus restrictions, the only exception has been the week on the Isle of Islay 12th – 19th September which, because of the differences in the Scottish and English restrictions and the limited amount of people booked on the trip is able to take place as planned.

However the club members have been keeping in touch with Zoom meetings on a Thursday evening and have started to arrange local walks. These walks have not been programmed as they have depended on weather, and numbers available. We are staying local as we are all travelling independently and like to keep the travel costs down as well as our impact on the environment as much as possible.

As restrictions ease we are hoping to be able to make plans for the future. One thing that we have been able to do is to book cottages in the Cairngorms for next January. This is the same location as last January, The Alvie estate. There is a lot to do in the area so members were keen to return.

Accommodation for the 13 members that had booked on this trip was divided between Park Cottage and The North Wing of Alvie House, both properties are holiday lets situated on the Alvie Estate. Both were lovely, spacious, clean, warm and very comfortable.

On the Saturday there was snow on the Cairngorms and surrounding hills but unfortunately this disappeared as the week went on, however there was still strong winds and some challenging walking to be had for those who chose to go high. As with a group of this size there were various walks each day, combined with a bit of sight seeing, bird watching, or just chilling out.  The weather was in the main dry and bright so apart from the winds members were able to get out and about without getting soaked.

There is a lot to do in this area, lots of good walking both mountainous and low level so the consensus was that we would like to return to the area in the future and to the Alvie Estate.

The first programmed meet of the New Year was spent in the superb Yorkshire Ramblers Hut about 1/2 mile outside Clapham. The bunkhouse is a two storey stone house set in trees, with a superb view of the valley beyond. It has a large kitchen, and dinning area and a very comfortable lounge with open log fire, just what you need on a cold January evening.

Seven of our members attended and most had stopped off on Friday to do a walk on route to the venue. The weather was fine but very windy and we had to change out plans of climbing Ingleborough, one of the three peaks of Yorkshire, for a lower level walk on the Saturday. The alternative walk was an exhilarating, 11.3 mile walk from the bunkhouse to Burn Moor, 406 m at the trip point.  After a short stop in the village of Clapham for a well earned drink, we made our way back to the bunkhouse and a very enjoyable group meal of Pie and seasonal vegetable cooked by Keith and Michele and an evening spent before the open fire.

By Sunday the winds had abated and a group set off to climb Ingleborough before returning home.

A great weekend and we will hopefully be returning to this venue in the future.

The Stiperstones

On Saturday 14th December 9 members gathered at Snailbeach, Shropshire for a walk on the Stiperstones.
It was a blustery day and we were of course walking into the wind as we ascended up the track and onto the summit ridge area.  The going underfoot became more difficult due to the wind and the slippery nature of the damp rocks we were walking on.  Undeterred a number of the group scrambled over the various tors before we moved on to Cranberry Rock and The Bog visitor centre below where we were at last out of the wind.
We then contoured the west side of the hill high above the very attractive Perkins Beach and onto Green Hill descending Mytton Dingle.  The pub was full when we arrived so we had a bite to eat outside before moving on via Crowsnest and back to Snailbeach.
10 miles and 500 metres of ascent.

Weather forecast was not the best but 13 of our members set out for the Clyngwyn Bunkhouse in Ysterfellte, South Wales. As is usual, travelling groups met up to do a walk, on route, on the Friday before arriving at the bunkhouse. The bunkhouse was comfortable, clean and warm and we soon settled in. On the Saturday we did the waterfall walk, the weather was dry, if a bit wet underfoot. Although not mountainous, it was a lovely walk and we all returned to the bunkhouse to enjoy a superb evening meal cooked by Anna and Keith, and an evening in front of a open log fire.

Sunday dawned bright and fair and after cleaning up the hut a group of us headed for Blorenge near Abergavenny. It was still windy and there had been some snow overnight the remnants or which were disappearing fast in the sun shine. Our walk took us over the tops of the hills, through farm buildings and up some steep heather clad hill sides to a track leading back to the car park.

Having had a very successful walking/cycling holiday on Arran last year we decided to try the Isle of Mull for this years club holiday.  We had booked 3 beautiful cottages on the Benmore Estate to accommodate the 12 members and 2 guests who had booked on the trip. Unfortunately the weather was not the best with heavy rain and high winds but we made the best of the situation and all manages to get out and about whether it was walking, running, cycling, bird watching or sight seeing.