Chelmsford YHA Group

CYHA News

The Monthly Newsletter of Chelmsford YHA Local Group

June 2005

Wildfowl and Warfare

Flamingos

Many thanks to Marion and James for organising our Bank Holiday weekend to Slimbridge: a name synonymous with wildlife thanks to the work of Sir Peter Scott. It was a weekend of fun and enjoyment as we celebrated Marion and James' forthcoming nuptials, but also tinged with sadness as it was Geli's last trip with us before she returns to Germany in July.

Civil War re-enactment at Berkeley Castle

Saturday saw most of us walking a meander of the Severn, alongside wetlands and through bluebell scattered woodlands in search of the elusive Severn Bore. No dramatic tidal wave like bores were forecast for May, but we were still impressed with the sudden swell as we sat eating our sarnis by the river (except me, who was in the bar buying poorly timed beers). Refreshed and invigorated, we continued the walk until the brilliant sunshine forced us to take advantage of a second pub, handily placed by the canal on the way back.

By the Severn

Two pubs in one day! How can we possibly improve on this other than to make it lucky number three? Scrubbed and polished, we scampered down the road to the Tudor Arms in Slimbridge village, for a very delicious three courses in our own private room with en suite skittle alley. With our co-ordination considerably enhanced by alcohol, a skittles match was a must - with the girls easily thrashing the fellas. A demonstration that women are better skittles players? Or merely less beered up?

Cannon firing at Berkley Castle

During the weekend just about everyone made it to the Wildfowl and Wetlands trust, just down the road, at some point. Dancing flamingos, rare geese and ducks and loads of impossibly cute fluffy hatchlings; you could fill a day and then some. Another popular visit was the Civil war re-enactment taking place at nearby Berkley Castle, famous as the place where Edward II met a particularly unpleasant end. The Fairfax Battalion were in fine form and thoroughly enjoying the chance to dress up and shoot each other in the name of history. The best bit was the cannon firing - and yes, the earth really did move!

Ali

Thanks!

Group at Slimbridge Hostel

To all our friends, including those who were unable to make it in person but who were there in spirit, James and I would like to say a big THANK YOU for making Slimbridge such a memorable weekend. The hostel, weather, walking and Saturday night's meal were all superb and we enjoyed every minute.

The mantlepiece clock is a perfect gift and will grace both our current and future home, and ensure we are never late for a CYHA event!

James and I realise we are lucky - not only did we meet each other at CYHA, but we made a whole lot of other friends too. It was nice to share the weekend with you all.

James and Marion

PS - If any of you get any nice photographs from the weekend we be grateful for a copy as we'd like to keep a little scrapbook of the event.


Our Feathered Friends

Bean Goose

They say people get to look like their dogs, well after our visit to Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Centre, maybe CYHA members get to look like birds.(The feathered kind chaps!)

See who you can recognise - hope nobody takes offence!

Nene (Hawaiian Goose)

As we entered we heard the calling of the EIDERS, also often heard in the girls dorm over the weekend. You can listen to them calling to each other , sounding like old maids gossiping over the events of the day.

Black Necked Swans

We were privileged to see the MAGPIE GOOSE, it is practically prehistoric and is the oldest species of water bird left in the world. It is lucky to survive as it often arrives after the other birds for breakfast and only gets left-overs.

Luckily I didn't hear the amazing belch of the MACCOA but it may have been heard in the male room or the Scottish Highlands. There has to be some innuendo in this article, so I was thrilled to see the WHITE HEADED DUCK with its stiff proud tail, a much longer tail than I expected.

Many of the birds do lots of travelling with long journeys to get to Slimbridge, and when they arrive from distant corners of the globe they chatter together for hours about their route and method of transport.

Carolina duck

Our whole visit was in celebration of a pair of MUTE SWANS who mate for life and hopefully return to the same site every year. Congratulations to James and Marion and thanks to all those wild fowls for a lovely weekend!

All the quotes are from Roz's centre guide which I seem to have ended up with after the trip, so thanks Roz and I have now posted it to you.

Cressida


The Delights of the Vine

Wine Tasting Wine Tasting

Many thanks to Graham for organising a wonderful evening, educating us in the techniques of a bona fide wine connoisseur.

We started with an acidic chenin blanc from South Africa, moving on to a fresh, breezy chardonnay from California and finishing with a pleasant, woody, Italian frascati. Three very different white wines, each delicious in its own way.

Next we moved on to the reds, starting with the mystery wine. Light and refreshing for a red wine, you could imagine downing plenty of this on a summer picnic. The mystery was revealed as a soft and fruity blend from Blossom Hill. The remaining two reds were very different: a claret from South Africa with high tannins, and an extremely tasty cabernet sauvignon from California.

It's not often you get a chance to compare wines side by side and certainly food for thought for my next visit to Tescos.

Ali


Crossing the Brain

Ancient Barns

Thanks to Dave J for leading a very enjoyable walk around Cressing and the River Brain. Sunny weather ensured a good turn out (18 of us). Not only did we get a teashop and a pub, but we also got a very interesting guided tour of Cressing Temple Barns.



Extra Curricular Bluebells

For some years I have been tempted to organise a YHA walk centred around woodlands spectacularly filled with bluebells. I even knew of a perfect destination, but by quirk of nature the prime bluebell season is a fortnight centred on the early May Bank Holiday, and we were always busy. This year I decided to go for it anyway, and emailed out a general invitation. As a result 5 of us met up in Ashridge Estate car park the Sunday after the Slimbridge weekend.

Bluebells, Ashridge

We started off strolling through the estate woodlands, heading towards a choice spot Dave and I had visited a couple of year's ago. Every now and then we would see a good patch of blue between the trees, prompting questions like: "are we there yet?", no we weren't, "will the bluebells be better than this?", Oh yes.

After about half a mile I began to have doubts. I remembered the wood we were heading to as having a particularly breathtaking display, but it was a couple of years ago. Maybe my memory was playing tricks on me and all this build up would end in sad anti climax. I needn't have worried. Even before we arrived at the wood we could see a haze of blue glowing between the beech trees. It was just as impressive as I recalled. Densely packed with deep blue/purple flowers and delicate scent - it was a delight to stroll around.

My companions showed great patience whilst I fiddled with my tripod and filters, but it was a well-deserved cup of tea when we eventually made it back to the café. The day not over, we admired a spectacular view from the top of the Bridgewater monument (including Wembley stadium and Canary Wharf) and continued our walk around the estate. Muntjac and Roe deer scampered past and we almost succeeded in spending the whole day in the dry, spoiled by a downpour in the last 10 minutes back to the teashop.

Ali

Please send any comments on these pages to Dave Plummer