September 2004 Newsletter
Chairman's introduction
Hello, and welcome to another year of Hiking at Swansea! This newsletter is an introduction to the club for people who are joining us for the first time and also as a guide to the activities planned by the committee for this year.
First let me congratulate anyone who is new to the club for two great decisions; coming to Swansea and also for joining the Hiking Club! Let me assure you that we’ve got a great programme of walking and socialising planned for the club this year.
Our walks programme this year sees us regularly visiting areas that have some of the best walking in Britain (possibly even the World - but then I’m biased!).
We aim to provide walks for all levels of fitness, from fairly relaxing walks on the Gower, to some quite serious peak bagging in the Brecon Beacons. The club also has some weekends away to different areas of the country, such as the Peak District and Snowdonia.
There will also be two new Weekend Aways this year. The first will be to Cheddar Gorge, where we can enjoy the Mendip Hills, while the second will see the club walking in the Rhinog Mountains in the Snowdonia National Park. For more details of our walks see the Walks Programme further on in this Newsletter.
On the Socials front, we have a Christmas Dinner planned for December, as well as several themed pub crawls as well as bowling and Laserquest.
In the Spring and Summer terms we also hope to hold our annual Cellidh (if you don’t know what this is, then ask the committee), as well as our very unique activity Orientbeering – read Joey’s report in this newsletter to find out more about this event!
Also, if this is your first year in the club, then you can stand for a place on the committee in October as a First Year Rep. This will allow you to become more involved in the club and hopefully enjoy it even more!
This is your club, and if you feel that the committee could do something better then tell us – any help is very much appreciated!
See you all soon,
George
Meet the Committee
Chairman: George Roberts
George has the hard job of keeping the rest of us rowdy bunch on task; it’s also his fault when anything goes wrong! (Not that it ever does). When lost, he can be found muttering something about fences having moved again
Vice-Chairman: Chris Jones
My job is to make sure the club gets to start of the walk, know where we’re going and also that we have the right maps and equipment. Other roles include unsuccessfully avoiding doing any real work and also people with cameras…
Treasurer: Joey Talbot
Joey looks after, our vast piles of money... well money anyway, he's also widely believed to be the only one of us crazy enough to go swimming in the middle of a walk in the sea in April. He also needs to learn how to hold onto his rucksack (and not drop it down mountains…)
Secretary: Sarah Armstrong
Sarah is note taker in chief, having taken the unusual top down approach she joins us in her 4th year on the committee. Usually found when lost muttering something about the last time she did this walk.
Social Secretary: Izzy Clarke
Izzy's in charge of drinking, and pubs, and all things sociable, when not trying to push me into muddy bogs she can be found being disturbingly sociable somewhere in a line of wet hikers halfway down a mountain.
Publicity Secretary: ‘Sheep 1’
Sheep number one, makes sure you all know about each weeks walks, all you could possibly want to know about our fabulous weekends away, and when the next social is.
Webmaster: ‘Sheep 2’
Sheep number two, keeps our wonderfully woolly website up-to-date with the latest news and photos from our walks, as well as ensuring that it has all the up to date information about the club.
Chris
Orientbeering Social 2003-2004
The Hiking Club committee has always assumed that the club’s members have some shared interests. Primary among these is their love of walking, and very often alcohol, therefore it seemed prudent to invent a social that combined both of these activities. This simple thought process invented the fantastic activity of orientbeering, which combines orienteering with drinking (and also the consumption of chocolate and crisps). Every year the Hiking Club holds its annual orientbeering social in the beautiful settings of Clyne Gardens, with prizes for the winners. The basic idea is to find your way between several different way marks, which consist of bags containing Beer
I wasn’t quite sure what I had let myself in for when I turned up at the start, particularly when Chris (who had planned the route) failed to keep a straight face when he ‘ensured’ me that none of the bags full of beer were near stinging nettles… He then gave me a compass and a map of the gardens and pointed me to the start of the course, and with a cheery wave bid me farewell. It soon became obvious that this was going to be a real challenge as the Gardens were a maze of small paths and lakes, and I was also going to be getting more and more inebriated with every way mark that I found! I soon found the first bag full of beer, but the second and third ones much harder to find (and one of them was really close to stinging nettles).
Once I had found all of the bags, I went to the pub at the end to meet everyone else who had taken part, and also to work out who had won by completing the course in the shortest amount of time. In the end I came second by about three minutes to George – but at least my legs weren’t bleeding as much as his were (look, that shortcut seemed a good idea at the time… - ed) Finally we all sat down and had another drink in the pub and shared in George’s winnings (a posh box of chocolates), before going home.
This was the first time I have been orientbeering, and I’m really glad that I did. Thanks to Chris for organising the course and I’ll see you all at this year’s event!
Joey
This Terms Social Events
Tuesday 28th September: - Equipment Trip
A chance to make sure you are fully equipped for the year ahead or to buy those items you have always wanted at a discount. Afterwards, it will be off to the pub for a drink and a chance to get to meet other club members and of course the committee!
Wednesday 5th October - Bowling
Our first social is always quite popular – but no-one’s allowed to laugh at my bowling skills (or lack of them…) We’ll probably find a pub soon afterwards where you can get to know everyone better!
Tuesday 19th October - Round the World Pub-Crawl + Peaks Sign Up
Come to Mumbles for a chance to do the mile in style. The aim of the game is to sample the national drink of a different country whilst going from pub to pub. Not one for the faint hearted! This is a really good ice-breaker and should be good fun. You can also sign up for our first weekend away here.
Monday 1st November - Social Evening at Café Mambo - First Year Rep Elections
If you want to become a member of the committee then now is your chance. If you're interested in standing then get your speech prepared otherwise turn up to vote. There will be food and there is a wide variety of cocktails to sample…
Tuesday 16th November – Cheddar Gorge Sign Up
Not really a social as such, but a chance to come and sign up for our second weekend away to Cheddar Gorge. Afterwards you can come and join us on the night hike if you wish.
Monday 6th December - Annual Christmas Dinner and Dance
The last (major) social event of the term and the highlight of the year’s social programme. This normally takes place at the very swanky Oxwich Bay hotel on the Gower with a full Christmas dinner, disco and raffle. So, get ready to party! (like it’s 1999???- ed.)
Friday 10th December - End of Term Drinks at Idols
Come and have a drink with the club before we all go home for the Christmas holidays, where we can reminisce about what we’ve got up to this term, and look forward to the next one!
This Terms Hikes
Rhosilli & Port Eynon - Sunday 3rd October (A Walk)
A nice gentle introduction to the club on one of the local walks on the beautiful Gower. Meet up with many of the other members of the club on a gentle amble along the Gower between Rhossilli and Port Eynon Marvel at the views out over the sea and if you’re lucky even Exmoor in North Devon.
Preseli Hills - Sunday 10th October (B Walk)
Our first ‘B’ Walk takes us to Pembrokeshire, where we walk on the highest ground in the National Park. The views here are great looking over the Irish Sea and at the spectacular Pembrokeshire coastline.
Pen-Y-Fan - Sunday 17th October (C Walk)
Our first ‘C’ walk and trip to the Brecon Beacons. Not for the feint hearted as it’s a good challenge, climbing the highest peak in Southern Britain. The Pen–y–Fan ridge takes us over 4 peaks in the course of the day. The finish is one of the best pubs in Wales.
Peak District Weekend Away - Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th October (B walk)
If you love sinking up to your knees in peat bogs then this is the weekend for you! It’s all good fun really and the journey is well worth the chance to get to the heart of the Peak District and get to know people in the club better.
Chepstow – Tintern Abbey - Sunday 31st October 2004 (B Walk)
A nice and easy along the valley between Chepstow and Tintern, you can see the great scenery as well as the castle at Chepstow and the Abbey itself.
Neath Valley – Sunday 7th November (A Walk)
Our first visit to the Neath Valley, takes us to some of the fantastic gorges and rock formations in the valley.
Fan Fawr - Sunday 14th November (B Walk)
Another chance to visit the Brecon Beacons for a walk with great views and scenery.
Cefn Bryn - Night Hike - Tuesday 16th November (A Walk)
Our first night hike of the year is over Cefn Bryn in Central Gower. This is a gentle walk along the ridge and then back along the beach.
Woebley Castle - Sunday 21st November (A walk)
A great walk along the North Gower, taking in one of the best preserved castles in the area.
Chedder Gorge Weekend Away- Friday 26th to Sunday 28th November (A/B Walk)
A new weekend away for the club walking in the Mendip Hills, as well as being near to the spectacular Cheddar Gorge.
Offa’s Dyke – Sunday 5th December (B walk)
A return of an old club favourite, marking the border between England and Wales. A great walk, that offers the unique opportunity of walking in two countries at once!
Caerphilly Castle - Sunday 12th December (A Walk)
Our last walk of the year sees us visiting another Welsh castle for a nice easy walk in the Glamorgan area.
Izzy
Peak District Weekend Away - October 2003
It was the first weekend away of the year for the eager members of the UWS Hiking Club who gathered at the minibus on a fine Friday afternoon. After a minor hitch which involved a flat battery and a call to the RAC (and, to the delight of certain members, an hour in JC’s Bar!), we set off for the Peak District National Park in the north of England, and arrived at our lodgings in good time. A visit to the pub was held off by a good stock of various beverages, and after a contented evening the group retired to bed, in anticipation of the following day’s exertions.
The next morning arrived bright and clear, promising a good day of walking ahead, so after a hearty breakfast the group headed down the Derbyshire lanes to Edale, the start of the Pennine way and also of our walk up to the Kinder plateau. Muscles were relaxed and legs stretched as we ascended Grindsbrook Clough, some via the path, and others via the waterfall itself, testing the waterproofing of their boots to the extreme! Then, with the majority of the climbing behind us, we set about exploring the lunar-like landscape of the plateau, which is in essence a very large peat bog, with perfect gully’s for ‘bog-surfing’, which has the interesting effect of turning your trousers, gloves and anything else a dark shade of greyish black! The highest point of the plateau, Kinder Scout, proved illusive as usual- not surprising in a completely featureless landscape! But this didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves. From the exciting rock formations at Fairbrook Naize, that provide endless opportunities for climbing and photos, to the dramatic spectacle of Kinder Downfall (see photo above), giving stunning views across the surrounding countryside, this walk could not disappoint! And so it was tired but happy that we followed the Pennine way south to the many steps of Jacob’s ladder, and then back to Edale for a much-appreciated pint in the Nags Head pub. Back at the Station House (the place where we stay) the showers and oven were made use of as layers of peat were removed and piles of steaming pasta and other delights were produced. With full stomachs and (mostly) clean clothes we headed down the road for (another) well-deserved pint or two (or more in some cases!), where we remained until the landlord decided it was time to close, and we made our way back through the steadily-falling rain to our beds.
The next day started wetter and windier than the previous one, but a few brave souls decided to brave the elements and head up Rushup Edge, and on to the trembling mountain, Mam Tor. The rain stopped and the clouds dispersed leaving a pleasant breeze for the walk down into Castleton where the rest of the group (and the tea shops!) were waiting. After a short wander round the shops and eateries, everyone piled back into the minibus, with the prospect of returning to Swansea and lectures unable to taint the contented feeling of a fantastic weekend! A good time was had by all, showing once again why the Peak District is one of the most popular club trips of the year.
Sarah
General Information
Sign Ups
JC's bar (quiet side)
Wednesday 12:30 - 13:30
Friday 12:30 - 13:30
The first few hikes of the term tend to be very busy so sign up early.
Weekends Away have separate sign up meetings.
Coach Pick-ups
On a Sunday Morning:
Uplands (outside Spar shop) 9am
Student Village (Bus stop at bottom of village on main road) 9:05am
Campus (Fulton House) 9:15am
We normally arrive back in Swansea between 18:30 - 21:00 in the evening.
Club Notice Board
For the latest information on club events, the notice board is on the ground floor of Fulton House, opposite the Health Centre.
Walk Equipment
Please refer to the Equipment and Safety Rules or the equipment page on the website for information on what you should wear and take with you on walks.
Jeans and Trainers are not allowed.
If you are unsuitably equipped, you will not be allowed to walk for the safety of the group.
If you are unsure of what you should bring contact the committee.
Outdoor Shops in Swansea
Blacks
22-23 High Street
Student Discount: 10% over £10
Millets
234 High Street
Student Discount: 10%
Leisurequest
High Street
Student Discount: 10% over £25
Out and About
36 Castle Street
Student Discount: 15% (with Hiking Club card)
