CYHA News

Our February trip took us to North West Norfolk and the charming village of Castle Acre. After all the snows of January, it was no surprise that it was a rather chilly weekend – so with that in mind we packed our thermals and set off.  Arriving shortly after 7pm, Dave and I managed to catch up with James and Marion and hijack their romantic dinner for two at The Ostrich. Jonathan and Cynthia also joined us for food, and by the end of the evening our table had expanded to nearly a dozen! Nice for us, but perhaps a little overwhelming for the other diners.

After the fine dining of the night before, we were ready for a cleansing experience and this was amply provided in the form of a vegetarian wholefood breakfast. Homemade bread, healthy muesli and all the figs you could eat.

With all that healthy goodness inside us, we were ready for our walk. We started off with a tour round the impressive earthworks of the castle before heading off through the village and out into the wilds of Norfolk. Most of the first half of the walk followed the Nar Valley way out to West Acre. This was a lovely stretch of river valley, but if we’d turned back here it would have been rather short, so the decision was made to extend.

The extension to the walk took us further south and included part of a Roman road. Judging by the overgrown nature of the official route, I think the Romans were the last ones to use it! Still we battled through as the cloud descended and we were left in a chilly, damp, fog. Arriving back at the hostel we were more than ready for Marion’s chicken cacciatore and a few beers down the pub.

For Sunday’s walk we took off further south for a tour of Breckland, including the phenomenal Grimes Graves. It was a lovely walk, perhaps only marred by the lack of fabulous teashops – maybe just as well!

Ali

---

Bowling 2010

Here are the results of the Winter 2010 Chelmsford YHA 10 Pin Bowling Championship, held in Chelmsford Bowl on Wednesday 3rd February.

·        CYHA Special Cup awarded to Jake Crump for his stunning bowling in the 1st game.

·        Derby and Joan Cup awarded to Doug Deboo for his excellent bowling in 2nd Game.

·        Special Award for most strikes goes to Jonathan Wentworth.

·        Certificate for the best bowling style awarded to Cynthia Wu for that special flick of the leg.

·        The Jenson Button Cup for the fastest bowler goes to Andrew Knott.

·        The Snail Cup for the slowest bowler goes to Jim Dixon.

·        The Biggest Bummer Award was a well deserved win for David Julian.

·        Cressida Alderson was commended for her Bowling Journalistic attempts.

·        And finally, Champion of Bowling Tournament Organisation was Mike Patton.

---

You are a Radio Star

Thanks to Clive for arranging an interesting trip to the BBC’s headquarters at Broadcasting House. We got the chance to experience the claustrophobia of a radio studio, to sit in the Art Deco-styled Radio Theatre, and to see the view from the famous roof.  And to finish, Helen and Lily took starring roles in the recording of a radio play, with Jim providing the sound effects, although we doubt it will ever be broadcast!

---

Masterminds of the Chelmer Tavern Quiz

We entered two teams for one of the Chelmer Tavern’s Wednesday pub quiz nights. In a close-run contest, Dave, Helen, Mike, Cress & Jim won first prize – maybe it won’t change their lives, but it was enough cash to pay for their meals!

Dave P

---

Water and Soup in the Lea Valley

 

Sometime Lea, sometimes Lee, the valley can be known by either name. Generally the river is called Lea and the navigation Lee. The River Lea starts at Leagrave, just outside Luton, then runs out through Hertfordshire and on towards London ending at Stratford. For our walk on Valentines Day, we started from the farm at Hollyfield Hall and walked out amongst the gravel-pit lakes and river.

Part of the route took in the Thames Water sponsored footpath alongside the New River. The New River was constructed in the 17^th century (so not that new!) to provide a water supply for London. With the existing river becoming more polluted, and similarly springs and wells in the city drying up and degrading, the City Fathers persuaded entrepreneur, Hugh Myddelton, to construct an aqueduct to carry water from fresh springs at Chadwell & Amwell 40 miles, using gravity only, to New River Head at Islington. From Islington, water carriers sold the ‘fresh’ water for halfpenny a pail. The river was of enormous benefit to the citizens of London (and still is!), but it still took 5 years to build due to quibbles over land.

Also en route was the delightful town of Broxbourne. Previously only known to me as a railway station, it was a revelation to see the lovely old houses and the truly magnificent pumping station.

Next stop was Dobbs Weir and our much anticipated lunch. The local café did a welcome line in vegetable soup and bacon butties, which was just what we needed on this chilly February day. Thus fuelled, the return leg was a piece of cake, even with a climb up a hill for the rather splendid view.

Many thanks to John Juchau for hosting the walk and being such an accurate informative guide (John, now a member of West Essex Ramblers, used to be a member of Ilford YHA Group who used to do joint trips with Chelmsford group back in the ‘70s).

Ali

20 Things You Never Knew About Bath

 

Our weekend in Bath last November included visits to the Roman Baths and a delightful walk along the Kennet & Avon Canal, but we started with a guided tour of the city.  Here are 20 fascinating facts we learned on the tour:

 

1.        Bath is the site of Britain’s only natural hot springs

2.        According to legend, the first baths were built by king Bladud after he and his herd of pigs were cured of leprosy through wallowing in the warm mud.

3.        The springs were dedicated to the Celtic goddess Sulis, whom the Romans identified with Minerva.

4.        The town's Roman name was Aquae Sulis means "the waters of Sulis".

5.        The Royal Circus is the same diameter as the outer ditch of Stonehenge.

6.        The sculpture of St Peter on the Abbey looks hunched because someone knocked his head off, and it was re-carved from the remains of his beard.

7.        The Abbey  has carved angels climbing and descending ladders to heaven.

8.        The city had some of the first pavements and street lighting.

9.        Bath was the Las Vegas of the 18^th century

10.     Spacious stair cases were designed to allow sedan chairs to be carried to the bedrooms.

11.     Many building have false windows, painted on to preserve the symmetry of the façade.

12.     The squares would have been gravelled, rather than covered with the grass and trees we see today.

13.     Pulteney Bridge built in 1773 by Sir Willian Pulteney to connect his Bathwick estate to the city

14.     Pulteney Bridge  was based on a rejected design for the Rialto bridge in Venice

15.     The expansion of Bath was halted by the credit crunch brought on by the French revolution.

16.     Beau Nash, dandy and leader of fashion, was the Master of Ceremonies and he made Bath the most fashionable resort in 18th-century England.

17.     After Beau Nash’s death, his mistress Juliana Popjoy was so distraught, she spent her remaining days living in a hollowed out tree.

18.     Ralph Allen was Postmaster of Bath, and made his fortune by developing sorting offices, and made a second fortune as owner of the stone quarries from which much of the city was built.

19.     The resident of No.22 The Royal crescent went to the high court to earn the right to paint her front door yellow instead of the traditional white.

20.     Bath is a World Heritage city for its Roman remains, its grandiose Georgian neo-classical Palladian architecture, and its distinctive garden city feel.