Programme

Wednesday 6^th September

Bat Walk

Dave P

Join Dave for a walk on the wild side looking for bats at Danbury Lakes. Meet at 8pm at the National Trust car park on Danbury Common, near the Cricketers pub. (Take A414 east from Chelmsford, turn right opposite the Bell Inn in Danbury (Well Lane), left at the end, car park is on the left after ¼ mile, just beyond junction with Penny Royal Rd; grid ref TL779046, see map)

From here we will walk down to the lakes, where hopefully the bats will be skimming for insects. Needless to say it will be dark, so remember your torches!

We’ll be back at the pub for a drink by about 9:30, depending on how much fun we have.

Wednesday 13^th September

Committee Meeting

We will be trip planning for spring and organising Wednesday evening activities for November.

Sunday 17^th September

Bartlow Walk

Ali

Join Ali for a walk of approx 7-8miles taking in the rolling chalk hills of the Essex/Cambridgeshire border, the quaint villages of Ashdon and Bartlow, including the famous Bartlow Hills – reputedly the largest burial mounds in Europe.

Meet at 10:30am by the village sign at Bartlow crossroads. (you can park on the verge to the north of the crossroads, grid ref TL584453, see map).

The intention is to have lunch at the Rose and Crown in Ashdon at 1pm, so please let Ali know if you’re coming by 9^th September at the latest, so she can book a table.

Friday 22^nd to Sunday 24^th September

50^th Anniversary Weekend at Ivinghoe

Dave P

It’s now fifty years since the first meeting of the original Chelmsford YHA Group. To celebrate, anyone who’s been associated with the group over the last 50 years will be welcome to join us this weekend at a hostel which has featured regularly in our programme since 1956. We’ll be holding a party in the town hall at Ivinghoe (next door to the hostel) on the Saturday night, and we’ll be displaying some pictures of the group’s activities since 1956. See "CYHA Fifty Years" for more about the history of the group.

• Photos from 1956 to 2006
• CYHA Slide Show
• Name the Hostel quiz
• Display of YHA memorabilia
• Folk band
• Barn dancing
• Buffet meal - Please bring a contribution
• Please bring your own drinks

The hostel is a Georgian mansion in the picturesque Buckinghamshire village of Ivinghoe. It is an ideal base for walking in the Chilterns.

Attractions near Ivinghoe include Pitstone Windmill (the oldest post mill in the south of England), the Grand Union canal at Pitstone Wharf, and the National Trust Ashridge Forest. Walkers (as well as walking the canal towpath) can take the Ridgeway from Pitstone Hill to Ivinghoe Beacon and Tring and beyond.

£28 deposit to book your bed. Cost of the weekend will be about £50.

Wednesday 20^th September

Pub Night: Queen's Head

Dave J

This pub night coincides with Dave J’s birthday, so there’s an extra reason to join him for a drink.

The Queens Head is in Lower Anchor Street, Chelmsford and we'll be there from about 8.30pm. (Grid Ref TL702063, see map).

Wednesday 27^th September

Lesotho Slides

Gerry

A taste of Africa though Gerry’s camera lens. Enjoy a slide show with a difference as Gerry and Cheryl take to the dusty roads of Lesotho. For the uninitiated, Lesotho is an independent kingdom surrounded by South Africa with scenery that varies from the flat and dusty to the green and mountainous. (Date to be confirmed)

Note: Unless otherwise stated, Wednesday events start at 8.30pm at the YMCA in Victoria Road, Chelmsford

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