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CHAIRMAN’S SCRIBBLINGS Ron Goodenough

It only seems a week or two back that I did my ‘scribblings’ for our last newsletter. At that time we had enjoyed a couple of mud-free months before and after Christmas, which was unusual, but I did wonder if there was going to be a sting in Winter’s Tail? Well, there wasn’t and we have had some stunning walking days.

Numbers have been encouraging and it‘s not unusual to have groups of more than 30 turning up. On some occasions when we have organised an alternative shorter walk on a Tuesday (Ashdown Forest for example) the total over the two walks has been in the mid-40s. A number of new people have been joining us which is great and they often comment on the friendliness of MSR. Keep it up, as lasting friendships are forged in this way.

Conversations vary as we walk but often include holiday experiences and destinations whether at home or abroad and

that can put ideas into our heads, which of course can be expensive – but don’t have to be.

My wife and I have had a couple of short walking holidays this year; the first one in Madeira which is perhaps our favourite destination having returned there several times. It was Madeira that introduced us to walking almost 25 years ago – walking the mountains and by the levadas in trainers was not ideal! The first thing we did on getting home was to buy ourselves each a good pair of walking boots, and the rest, as they say, is history. Ramblers Holidays offer Madeira and many other destinations, why not check out their website or ask other members if they have any recommendations: www.ramblersholidays.co.uk.

We have also just discovered The Mendips in Somerset – an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - another lovely destination to explore, but nearer home.

I’m grateful to everyone who has led walks and particularly to Paul who puts the programme together. The new programme from August through to the end of November includes two trails to be covered in stages; the High Weald Landscape Trail and the Brighton Trail Plus. We are also leading three walks as part of the Hurstpierpoint Festival. The High Weald Walking Festival takes place from 14 to 22 September and we are again supporting by leading a number of walks. Take a look at their website: www.highwealdwalks.org.

Of course all this doesn’t happen without commitment from members so we would really appreciate hearing from anyone who would be happy to lead a walk, particularly on a Saturday or Sunday. Please talk to Paul, our Rambles Programme Secretary.

I’m also grateful to the Publicity Group for producing the monthly ‘e-bulletin’ which we introduced in March giving some brief news items and highlighting some of the walks in the month following.

Finally, don’t forget that we are members of Ramblers nationwide which entitles us to walk with other groups while we are away from our local patch, perhaps on holiday – you can find a local group by

Newsletter of the Mid Sussex Ramblers

Number 162, August to November 2019

Mid-Sussex Rambler

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logging on to Ramblers website. Also, there is always news and information on the Ramblers Sussex Area website.

TOM MINNIKIN Les Campbell

It is with much sadness that I have to report that Tom Minnikin died on 23 March just a few days short of his 89th birthday. Tom was a stalwart member of the Mid Sussex Group regularly attending the all-day walks and enjoying lunch and banter at a local hostelry! He served for a number of years as the group's Treasurer, always

producing a meticulously hand written set of accounts for presentation at the AGM!

Tom was originally from the North East, but spent many years down here in the South of England. He was very keen on the theatre and was a professional actor, but had to give this up as regular work could not be guaranteed to enable him to support his family. Much of his working life was spent in the oil industry but he still maintained an interest in the theatre and acting. Some of us went to see him in a production at the Nightingale Theatre in Brighton. Those of you who watched the soap series The Bill, may have caught a fleeting glimpse of Tom in one of the episodes!

A group of us attended his funeral at the Surrey and Sussex Crematorium in April. Our sincere sympathies are with his two sons Patrick and Danny and his daughter Laura.

AGM NOTIFICATION Sue Blandford Any ordinary resolutions for consideration at the Annual General Meeting, on 20 November 2019, must please be submitted to the Group Secretary (Sue Blandford) by 20 October 2019.

HIGH WEALD LANDSCAPE TRAIL Sue Blandford

Can I tempt you to put on those boots and join me to walk the Sussex section of the High Weald Landscape Trail from Horsham to Eridge Green?

The trail will be in five stages of 9.5 or 10 miles in August, September and October. We will be walking from West to East meandering through the lovely Sussex countryside in the High Weald. As each stage is linear, we will all meet at the end of the walk and then head back to the start in a couple of cars, leaving enough cars at the end to transport us all back to the start. So, it’s essential that you let me know in advance that you are coming so we have enough transport available.

If you are interested in joining me on any of the stages, please contact Sue on 0777 614 0529.

DIARY OF AN HF LEADER PART II Paul Jenkins Chapter Two – Probation Period and First Two Leads So you have passed the HF assessment, which means that you are now a qualified leader, doesn’t it? Well, yes and no! In reality you are given the status of probationary leader for a minimum of three weeks of leading.

On your very first lead you have an experienced leader assigned to you as your guardian angel. What a relief because there is so much to remember. Tommy was mine. I don’t remember him having to help me or point out the error of my ways but he was very reassuring and always happy to answer my questions.

At the end of the first week of leading it was his job to give me feedback on how I had done. Maybe I blanked out any bad news but I do remember him saying that several guests had mentioned that they

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did not realise that it was my first week of leading for HF. I can only think that their previous experiences were not of a high standard!

My first appointment was to Harrington House at Bourton-on-the-Water. I had asked for either this or Abingworth as I was familiar with both areas and could, therefore, concentrate on the ‘leading’ and all that entailed. I couldn’t have had better weather, it was June and the hottest week in the whole of 2017!

So, do I remember my first lead? You bet I do! Have you ever felt like you are being tested? I even asked my guardian angel ‘Has HF devised a series of exercises, were they still assessing me?’ He assured me that I had just been unlucky. Those of you familiar with HF will know that we give a walks briefing to the guests on the night before the walk. This is generally aided by a short PowerPoint presentation including a map showing the proposed route. We have the advantage of being able to see this presentation, the walk map and the route description in advance of our appointment. So, being my first lead I was determined to prepare well for it.

I had been allocated an ‘Easier’ walk to lead, number 102, but when searching for it on the leaders’ intranet the route was quite different from that described in the details sent to the guests. After a little investigative work I found the correct walk, it was number 101. I then looked for the PowerPoint presentation which, to my horror, had a different route shown from either walk 101 or 102. My guardian angel suggested that I quickly skipped the map section and concentrated my walk description around the slides for length and ascent of the walk. This all succeeded in making me a bit nervous, so when I went to bed that night I decided to go through the route description and map in fine detail. It was probably just as well I did. From points A to D on the map there was good correlation between the map and the description. From points D to F, I realised that the descriptions were wrong. All the left turns should have been right and all the right turns should have been left. If I was still being assessed then hopefully I didn’t miss a fourth or fifth test!

The HF ‘Easier’ walks are by definition easier. They are generally shorter than the ‘Medium’ or ‘Harder’ walks but still have the same length of time in which to complete them. This generally means a slower pace and more opportunities for stops at points of interest or cafés. In my pre-walk planning for my first walk I had identified a number of opportunities to use up the allocated time. I was also conscious that we would need several shady water stops due to the heat. Our first major stop was at an old mill in Lower Slaughter which was part museum, part shop and part café with a very nice shady patio by the mill pond for our morning

coffees. The next major stop was for our picnic lunch in the shade of the church yard at Upper Slaughter. After lunch we had to cross a few exposed fields so when we got to the shady shelter of a large oak I suggested that we stop for a water break. One lady, who I shall call Janice, carried on walking even though she had acknowledged my suggestion. We caught Janice up about 15 minutes later at a major road crossing and continued on to the outskirts of Bourton. I had an afternoon tea stop planned at the café as we entered the town, where I bought the teas in celebration of having completed my first ever walk with HF as leader. Rather than thank me for her tea, Janice promptly reprimanded me for not having enough stops. Apparently we should have had another café stop. As there weren’t any more en-route, I wasn’t sure where I was supposed to have found this café.

I later found out from Janice’s friend that she was an experienced walker who would always select the ‘Harder’ walks. Unfortunately she had been experiencing shortness of breath and was awaiting results of tests from a consultant. It was suggested she was very frustrated at having to do the ‘Easier’ walk. Strangely, none of this was evident on her registration form. The ‘any medical issues’ section was left blank.

The rest of the week went smoothly in comparison. I did learn one valuable lesson when leading the ‘Harder’ walk on the third day. Having found the first two days simple to navigate using just the map, I promptly made three navigational errors. On two of the errors I was quickly able to retrace my steps a few metres and rejoin the correct path. With the third error I knew where I was on the map, it just wasn’t where I was supposed to be. I was easily able to navigate to our destination, it’s just that we took a slightly scenic route. I have found that it’s best to own up to these inadvertent deviations. If you ask any experienced HF leader they can give you numerous examples of their past deviations. It all adds to the excitement. You will be pleased to know that I now constantly compare the map to the walk description when leading for HF.

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My second week of leading was in St Ives and I was yet again blessed with fantastic weather. I couldn’t believe my luck, walking around the stunning Cornish coast in near perfect weather with what turned out to be a cracking crowd of people.

Our own Chris, from Mid Sussex Ramblers, had warned me that, being in the town, it wasn’t easy to find your way at the start or finish of walks from the House. Having arrived quite early I took a stroll to reconnoitre my walk for the following day, which I was to find was a wise move.

My fellow leader, Lynda, had elected to lead the ‘harder’ walk so had set off 15 minutes earlier than my ‘medium’ group. About half an hour into our walk we were in one of the many stone walled fields having stopped to admire a male stonechat when the peace was shattered. Over the granite stone stile behind us fell around ten hot and slightly bothered ramblers following Lynda and at what I thought looked a ‘route march’ pace. ‘Took the scenic route out of town’ she called as they marched past. I calculated that they were probably more than 30 minutes behind on a walk that was 4 miles longer than the one I was leading. That event was useful for three main reasons:

1. The fact that a very experienced leader could go wrong helped me feel comfortable in my own

abilities.

2. Then I thought if it could happen to Lynda it could happen to me. It reinforced my decision to

keep checking the directions against the map.

3. Lynda later told me that it had a benefit being behind schedule, The Tinners Arms at Zennor had

only just opened as they arrived. The following year I led this ‘harder’ walk and with a slightly

later departure time and a more leisurely pace I was able to arrive at The Tinners Arms soon

after they opened - and not out of breath!

WALKING WEEKEND 2020 - LULWORTH COVE, DORSET Sue Warner and Sue Berry

Many of our members have enjoyed wonderful group walking holidays in the past and, after a break this year, another one is planned for a long weekend, 17 to 20 April 2020.

We will be staying at the HF house in the stunningly beautiful Lulworth Cove, Dorset where all the rooms are en-suite. We will have sole use of the house at Lulworth. The cost includes return coach travel from our usual Mid Sussex pick up points to Lulworth Cove, and all meals from Afternoon Tea on arrival to breakfast before our departure on the Monday morning.

There will be a choice of three guided walks led by HF leaders on the Saturday and Sunday (between 6 and 12 miles). If you decide not to walk on one of the days it is possible to use the local bus or a taxi to

get to nearby Weymouth, Swanage or Corfe Castle.

On the way home, we are breaking the journey at Hinton Ampner, National Trust house and gardens, near to Winchester. There will be an optional walk around the NT land and on nearby footpaths to see the bluebells which should be blooming at that time of year.

The inclusive price will be between £345* and £360* per person depending on the size of our party, but we must have a minimum of 27 people and make optimum use of the available rooms to make the holiday viable. (* There is an additional charge of £10 for those who are not members of HF).

There will only be a few single rooms available so please consider sharing with a friend, if at all possible, as it will help us to make best use of the rooms available and keep the cost per person down.

If you would like to come on the holiday, please complete and return the booking form with this newsletter and enclose a deposit cheque to the value of £75.00 per person.

This deposit will be refunded if we do not get the minimum numbers required for sole occupancy of the house. If you require any further information please contact Sue Warner on 01444 487475 or by email suewarner055@gmail.com.

Please note: the closing date for sending in the booking forms and deposit cheques is 31 July 2019.

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WALKING BOOTS FOR SALE Anna Buxton

I am looking for a pair of Ladies’ feet size 40 (UK 6 ½) to take me walkies!

I am made by Brasher and my style is “Supalite” TM.

I am Dark Chocolate leather on the outside and cream leather on the inside with rubber soles.

I have only had two walks so am in pristine, as-new condition.

My owner will accept any reasonable offer (I cost £100 new).

Please telephone Anna on 01444 831670.

YOU MAY HAVE MISSED Ray Heath

Developers make room for swifts Daily Telegraph Swifts return to the UK to breed every summer and the RSPB has teamed up with the country’s largest house-builder in an innovative partnership to provide much-needed new homes to people and struggling swifts alike. Swifts are one of Britain’s best loved birds, but numbers have almost halved in twenty years and new nesting boxes are needed to help numbers recover due to the loss of crucial nesting sites with old buildings being knocked down and holes being filled in.

Barratt Developments is to help by giving the birds new homes in the houses it builds, the company has designed a swift nesting box in the form of a brick. The swift-friendly bricks have so far been installed at developments in Aylesbury, Exeter and Bristol. The RSPB has written a guide to the swift bricks, reassuring home buyers that, since swifts are clean birds, they will not be affected in any way.

Dig this! Metro In the last season, more than a million free trees have been given to schools and community groups to plant – a record for a single season, the Woodland Trust said. The charity has sent out 5.8 million saplings since 2010. Boss, Beccy Speight, hailed the milestone adding ‘There’s a real passion for planting, all across the UK. People want to feel that they are making a difference.’

Have you seen the Wallabies? Ray Heath Like me, many of you will have visited Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens in the past and, also like me, were However, described as the ‘Finest Spring Gardens in England’, the 240-acre Leonardslee estate at Lower Beeding, reopened in April after a couple of missed dates.

As well as the landscaped Grade I listed gardens, first planted in 1801, and the new restaurants and tea rooms, there is a range of features to sample including a rare colony of wallabies, wildfowl, a dolls’ house exhibition, huge carp in the seven ponds, as well as the Spring displays of rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, magnolias and bluebells.

I know of a number of people have visited, perhaps one of our readers might write a few words for our next Newsletter?

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WHAT HAVE WE DONE IN 2019?

The ‘Victoria V’ from Street

Rope Bridge, Sheffield Park

Danehill 1

Danehill 2

Glynde 1

Glynde 2

Chailey

Duddleswell