Newsletter and Walks No 10 – Easter 2012 / Manchester and Salford Local Group
(M & S Ramblers)
SOCIAL EVENTS
Manchester and Salford Ramblers invite you to join us on the following exciting social events during the summer months.
60’s Night
To be held at the Cord Bar, Dorsey Street off Tib Street in the Northern Quarter on
Wednesday 16th May at 7.30 pm
£5.00 per person which will include lots of music/quiz/raffle and nibbles
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Wildflower and Fauna Walk
Lead by a Countryside Ranger (walk approx 2 hrs)
Wednesday 20th June (meet at the No.17 bus stop in Middleton Bus Station) at 1.30 pm £2.00 per person
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Annual quiz night
Chorlton Irish Club, 17 High Lane, Chorlton, M21 9DJ
Friday 20th July at 8.00 pm Quizmaster – Les Jones
Come on your own or as a team – great prizes £4.00 per person
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Tickets for any of the above events can be purchased beforehand by contacting Chris Quinn, Mags Metcalf or Salle Dare – contact details on the newsletter.
We hope to make a contribution to nominated charities from the above events
FOOTPATH WORK IN MANCHESTER.
Salle and other Ramblers Reps have had one meeting with Manchester City Council which seemed to go well. Salle is in the process of collating all the information from the survey we did of all the rights of way in Manchester.
She has booked Friends Meeting House for Saturday 28th April from 2 -5 so we can go over the work we have done and perhaps prioritise what we want done first and discuss this with the Council.
Greater Manchester and High Peak AGM
We had a successful meeting with a visit from CO regarding campaigns. John Ireland from MAD walkers was elected Chairman and everyone else on the Committee was re-elected. Les Jones did a rendition of “The Manchester Rambler” which everyone enjoyed and joined in. Before the meeting Manchester and Salford Ramblers organised a talk and walk through the city taking in the Manchester Irish heritage.
KINDER TRESPASS
As you know 2012 marks the 80th anniversary of the Kinder Trespass and there will be a week of celebrations.
The story of the 1932 Kinder Mass Trespass Talk Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester
19.30 Keith Warrender, author & publisher
Refreshments served from 19.00.
No booking required
There will be a celebratory walk on 25th April. One group going from Edale, and the other from Bowden Bridge Hayfield. Meeting at Kinder Low. Starting at 10.30 am.
Booking required.
Walks also been organised in the Kinder area on Sat 21st, Thursday 26th, Friday 27th and Sat 28th April
See website for further details
http://kindertrespass.com/documents/Kinder80-TrespassToTreasure.pdf
WHAT WILL THE WEATHER DO TODAY?
Like most ramblers we are optimists and any hint of good news in a weather forecast is seized upon. We have often walked all day in horizontal rain looking forward to the vague promise in the forecast of a sunny interval later. Nevertheless good weather forecasts are very helpful in planning walks and there are now a number of sources of information on the internet
Also help plan what to wear …No such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing
The Met Office offers a range of Mountain Area Weather Forecasts. www.metoffice.gov.uk/mountainareaforcasts They cover the mountain areas of Britain, including the Peak District and gives more focused information than general forecasts. The forecasts cover temperature, likelihood of rain, wind speeds and directions for valleys and the hill tops and will give an indication of expected visibility and extent of any hill fog. Detailed forecasts are given for ‘today and tomorrow’ and more general outlook forecasts for that area for the following three days. The forecasts are issued twice a day, usually very early morning and late afternoon.
Another well used site is Mountain Weather Information Services. www.mwis.org.uk
They issue forecasts for mountain areas, also every day. There is a combined Peak District and Yorkshire Dales forecast. Like the Met Office forecasts they cover wind, temperature, precipitation for valleys and tops and cloud level. Met office data is used but the interpretation is geared to the questions walkers would ask – like what’s the chance of views from the summit, how difficult will it be to walk in that gale force wind! Detailed forecasts are given for ‘tomorrow’ and the following two days and are issued daily at around 4.30 pm.
A favourite site of mine, even when I am not visiting the area is the Lake District Weatherline. www.lakedistrictweatherline.co.uk
One of its best features is a winter time fell top conditions report. From the beginning of December to the end of February each day two mountaineers take turns to walk to the top of Helvellyn and their report of conditions on the top appear in the following days forecast usually along with a photograph – even if it is only of the trig point in the mist!
There are other websites that use available weather data and computer modelling to produce automatic forecasts for mountain areas these include sites like Myweather2. http://www.myweather2.com/Hill-and-Mountain/United-Kingdom.aspx
This offers quite a range of locations of interest to us for example forecasts for North and South Pennines as well as the Peak District, however this site does not add any specific comments.
Finally one web site that I recently discovered is a joint venture between the Norwegian met office and the Norwegian equivalent of the BBC. www.yr.no
This offers forecasts for anywhere in the world and has a very extensive geographical data base. One feature of the site is that it will also search for other things like web cams – although its idea of nearby is “interesting” - a recent Hayfield search offered a web cam on an office block in the centre of Stockport!
Alan Manning.
WALKING ELSEWHERE
The Ben
There was a little cloud about and it was cool, but still sunny and pleasant as we set out to tackle “The Ben”. From the Youth Hostel we crossed the Waters of Nevis by the footbridge and climbed steeply up the hillside. We met the Pony Track, this - the main “tourist route” climbs gradually round the flanks of Meall an t-Suidhe to the broad saddle between it and the Nevis massif. A good tarn, Lochan Meall an t-Suidhe, looked inviting but as it is also known as the Halfway Lochan, there was still more to do.
From the Lochan the famous zig –zags begin; we counted ten major bends as our way climbed up the barren scree slopes. As we climbed the ground began to have the odd dusting of snow and the occasional patch of ice, reminding us of the height and the season. The views to the west and north were superb, the long sea lochs and the dark craggy hills made a fine sight.
With a final pull over a very hard snow patch we were within striking distance of the summit. The dramatic North Face of Ben Nevis was glimpsed and then the jumble of cairns and shelters with the ruined observatory that mark the highest point in the British Isles. The whole summit was still snow covered and the 360⁰ panorama was magnificent.
The nearby Aonoch Mor and Aonoch Beag were dramatic crags topped with snow, in the distance to the east the snow-capped summits of the Cairngorms, the ridges and tops of the Mamores spread out beneath our feet and wave upon wave of peaks, lochs and Islands stretched away to the north and west. A pair of snow buntings added further interest to the top before we eventually decided we must leave and retrace our steps back down the mountain.
We had a couple of flurries of snow on the way up but the sun shore on our descent and we finished off an excellent day in the best of weather. We did this walk on 23 April 1981.
Alan Manning, with Margaret
We need articles for future editions good if you can do short article about walks you have enjoyed –it can be in the UK or a holiday abroad. Also reports of walks you have done with our group would be good.
Photos as well even better
THE WALKING PARTNERSHIP.
Our group M&S Ramblers has just joined this new partnership and will be given money for every one of our members who books a holiday with Ramblers Worldwide Holidays so please book your holiday with them if you can and say you are a member of Manchester and Salford Ramblers. See further info below.
Overall the partnership provides direct financial contributions to local walking groups to help with organising group walks, encouraging people to get out walking, helping to clear and improve footpaths, providing equipment to help walkers etc.
Over the past 65 years, Ramblers Worldwide Holidays has given many millions of pounds to assist walking charities and conservation projects in Britain and the countries they visit on their worldwide holidays. Now our group can benefit directly.
Ramblers Worldwide Holidays operate group walking holidays in the UK and all around the world. Each holiday is accompanied by a qualified walks leader, so you can leave all the organising to them and just enjoy meeting like minded people and of course, some fantastic walking. Holidays are graded in terms of difficulty, and there is a full range from sightseeing right up to hut-to-hut mountain treks. Take a look at their website on www.ramblersholidays.co.uk or give them a call on 01707 33113 for more details or to order a brochure.
Remember when you book to quote the name of our group, and we will then receive a contribution of £10 per person on UK holidays, £20 per person on short haul holidays, and £30 per person on long haul holidays. This extra funding could really make a difference to us!
For more details, visit The Walking Partnership website at www.thewalkingpartnership.org.uk.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY –
Best Foot Forward Walk & Talk Leaders
Breast Cancer Care wishes to support people living with and after breast cancer to become and remain physically active. Research has shown that physical activity after breast cancer can reduce cancer related fatigue and lessen anxiety.
To achieve this Breast Cancer Care are developing walking groups for low impact 30 minute weekly local health walks in Manchester. These walks are for people who have had a diagnosis of breast cancer, who wish to meet people with similar experiences and want to increase their physical activity.
Breast Cancer Care are looking for volunteers who have experienced Breast Cancer or has some-one close who has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer to donate some of their time to facilitate these walks. We ask volunteers to commit to an average of two 30 minute walks per month. We are currently recruiting for a team of six volunteers to plan, promote and lead the walks. Training and expenses will be provided.
For further information please contact Lisa Holland on 0114 263 6496 or Email:
THE CIRCUIT OF KINDER PLATEAU
The circuit of Kinder plateau is a classic Peak District walk which is featured in the March 2012 issue of The Great Outdoors magazine. Good, clear weather is best to appreciate the fantastic and ever-changing views and to aid navigation – even following the edge of Kinder, it is still possible to take a wrong turning!
It is a walk that I have done several times, mostly solo and just once with someone else. It is not particularly strenuous, it is mostly undulating although there is a steep climb at the start and it can be very muddy in places. But it is lengthy. Most information about the walk states that it takes 8 to 10 hours, although I have usually completed it solo in about seven and a half hours. Therefore the walk will start early at about 9:00 am. (I once started it at about 7:00 am)
I plan to undertake the walk again this summer, but have not yet fixed a date. It might be on a Saturday or midweek, but it will probably be at short notice in order to better ensure good weather.
Walk statistics:
Start and Finish: Edale
Distance: 16 miles Ascent: approx. 3,200 feet Time: 8 to 10 hours.
If you are a fairly strong walker and are up for a challenge, and fancy joining me on this walk, please register your interest by emailing me at or ‘phone me on 07714445118
GET THIS BY EMAIL, QUICKER, MORE INFO, SAVES CASH We would like to have as many members as possible on our email list If you haven’t yet please phone us with your email address
0161 839 3865 or email Margaret Metcalf at
Committee - Position, Name, Address and e-mail / phoneChair: Salle Dare, 33 Brundretts Road, Manchester ,M21 9DA
/ 861 8491
Secretary: Mags Metcalf,
83 Blackburn Street,
Salford, M3 6AS
/ 839 3865
Treasurer: Mike Lyons, 20 Darley Ave, West Didsbury, M20 2YD
/ 445 0826
Walk Co-ordinator: Maggie Smith, 118 Manchester Road,
Swinton M27 5FQ
/ 794 3565
Membership Secretary: Alan Moffatt, 57 Winnie Street,
Moston M40 9LP / 947 0273
Footpath Officer Salford
Chris Clark, 15 Gleaves Road, Eccles, Manchester M30 0FU.
/ 788 8144
Footpath Officers – Manchester
Henry Rack, 15 Gildridge Road,
Whalley Range M16 8PS
Dave Barcroft, 40 Meadow Court, Hackness Road Chorlton M21
Peter Copping, 3 Regency House, Whitworth St M1 3NR
/ 881 4305
860 4564
Website Administrator
Mary Heaney / 445 8701
Newsletter Editor
Margaret Manning
62 Grange Rd M21 9WX
/ 861 8390
Social Secretary
Chris Quinn
20 IrkVale Drive, Chadderton OL12TW
/ 633 9167
Get Walking Keep Walking
June Brassington
31 Prestbury Ave Altrincham WA15 8HY
/ 928 5859
07903 430 285
Current Walks programme