All posts by Chris Maslen

Trip reports

Spring Bank Holiday in South West Ireland

An impressive 32 made their way to Killarney where we stayed in several B&B’s. It’s a small town and, as the gateway to the ring of Kerry and the lakes, is  given over to  tourism. The main streets are very lively with dozens of bars and restaurants and throngs of visitors from all over the world. There’s music everywhere,  in bars and hotels and also from street performers. We particularly enjoyed a Scottish busker, complete with golden wig, who had a scurrilous song about Donald Trump to the tune of the Boxer.

As usual there were two levels of walks arranged over the three days. Sandra suggested that those doing the longer walks be called Hikers, and those doing the shorter ones, Strollers. Continue reading Spring Bank Holiday in South West Ireland →

Walk reports

Sunday 5 June: Capital Ring Sections 11 and 12 with the London Blind Ramblers

What a lovely day for a walk! After all that wintry weather we’d had in the previous week it was a joy to be out in the sunshine. All together we were 24 blind and sighted walkers and Paris, a black labrador.  Beforehand I was worried that the parks would be heaving with people but on the morning walk the parks, green spaces and woods as we wended our way along our route were not that busy apart from occasional tennis players, quite a few dogs and their owners and chatting pushchair couples. Continue reading Sunday 5 June: Capital Ring Sections 11 and 12 with the London Blind Ramblers →

Event Reports

Saturday 11th June. Around Maidenhead

A Social event organised by Christine, the Club’s President.  Christine was waiting for the Polyramblers at Maidenhead station and she took them for a walk through “The Gullet”, a local nature reserve, to her house for tea/coffee and biscuit on the patio.  Later, the group walked to town for a pub lunch and then to the Maidenhead Heritage Centre (which used to be a pub).   It has permanent exhibitions about the history of Maidenhead and the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) and a spitfire simulator.  Continue reading Saturday 11th June. Around Maidenhead →

Walk reports

May 15th. Leigh to Sevenoaks

What a lovely day for a walk! The bluebells that were in amongst every clump of trees when we did the walkover two weeks ago had given way to wild garlic and the meadows are now full of buttercups. Horse chestnut trees are in full flower and their leaves luminously bright green despite attacks of leaf blotch in recent years. Lots of wisteria on the few houses and cottages we passed. We were blessed with warm sunshine but when the occasional cloud came over or when we were walking in the shade we could feel the icy wind still reminding us that spring has not yet fully arrived. But the ground was not muddy – in fact in some fields the soil in between the crops was cracked as in severe drought. Continue reading May 15th. Leigh to Sevenoaks →