Henly & Goring Reports Archive
Get Walking Day, June 2009
This was a glorious sunny day enjoyed by groups all over the country with record turnouts for their walks.
Unfortunately for Henley & Goring the Square was booked on that day and we had to have our Get Walking Day
event on 6 June. Glorious June it was not! I think it was the wettest day of the year so far! Nothing daunted
we pitched our smart new gazebo, festooned it with our smart new banners, blew up the balloons and set out our
posters and publicity material. Two led walks were laid on and people actually came and did the walks despite
the weather! It would be an exaggeration to say that we were overwhelmed by walkers or that people flocked
eagerly to the gazebo to find out more about Ramblers, but there was a steady trickle of interest and the
people who did the walks said they enjoyed them and would come again.
Day out around the Northmoor Trust Estate, March 2009
Henley and Goring Ramblers enjoyed a varied and interesting day at the Northmoor Trust Estate near Little
Wittenham in Oxfordshire in March this year. We met at the impressive Trust education and visitor centre, Hill
Farm, for a welcome coffee on a sunny but cold spring day. The Trust has been around for some time, but the Hill
Farm centre, partly funded as a millennium project, was only built recently. It’s a lovely building in which the
Trust can host a wide range of activities: conservation work; projects with schools; family days; walks and talks
and courses for adults. On the day we visited a group were learning how to weave baskets and families with
children were coming to see the lambing and visit Timescape, the interactive exhibition that explores our
landscape over geological and well as historical time.
But for us, all that came later. First came the walk itself: very varied and interesting. We climbed Wittenham
Clumps, a famous Oxfordshire landmark that can be seen for miles around. One of the chalk Clumps, Castle Hill,
was once a Bronze Age hill fort and still has curved ramparts and ditches from the later Iron Age. A highlight
of the walk was a visit to Saint Peter’s church at Little Wittenham, a Norman church based on an earlier
Anglo-Saxon building. Another highlight was Day’s Lock and the bridge across the Thames which is host to the
annual Pooh Stick competition, due to take place the following day. Volunteers were preparing the bridge for the
expected crowds of children keen to compete to see whose stick would pass under the bridge first. Apparently
last year’s winner was a two year old!
Well exercised, feeling hungry and glad to be out of the wind, we returned to Hill Farm for lunch - good food at
very reasonable prices. Our guide for the aftenoon was Jane, who took us back up the Clumps with their wonderful
360 degree views of the area, to show us more of the work of the Trust which focuses on environmental
sustainability and practical conservation research.
We ended the day with a visit to Timescape and the firm intention of doing something like this again.
Oxfordshire Area Ramblers’ AGM hosted by Henley & Goring Ramblers, 31 January 2009
Nettlebed Village Club and Henley & Goring Ramblers played host to the Oxfordshire Area Annual General Meeting last
Saturday. The nine Oxfordshire local Ramblers’ groups take it in turn to host the AGM and Henley & Goring organised a
day that was combined the business of the AGM with an enjoyable day’s activities. Ramblers from all over the
county were greeted with warm drinks before forty of them set out in glorious winter sunshine for a hilly walk that
showcased the wonderful countryside we enjoy in our area. Despite the many stiles and the large number in the
group, they all made it back for a splendid hot lunch prepared by Henley member, Alison Broadbent and her helpers.
Janet Davies from the National Ramblers’ Association gave a presentation about the work being done to ensure that ‘lost’
paths and rights of way are researched and recorded on the definitive map before the cut-off point in 2026. The scale
of the task can be seen by noting that Oxfordshire alone has a backlog of 100 applications to process and only manages
3 or 4 a year. The process of getting a right of way on to the definitive map is slow and cumbersome. Janet is a member
of a working group looking for ways to speed up the process.
The AGM followed the presentation. Ways of encouraging people to use public transport to get to the starting points for
walks and changes to the way the grades of walks are defined were discussed; the creation of a database of information
about good starting points for walks to help walk leaders with their planning was announced
and the representative from a new group, Oxon Weekend Walkers, welcomed. The existing committee were
re-elected. Tea with homemade cakes, provided once again by the ever-willing Henley members, brought a useful and
enjoyable event to an end.
Fifth Annual Chantry House Lecture, January 2009
Henley’s historic Chantry House was packed to capacity for Henley & Goring Ramblers’ fifth Chantry House lecture and social evening.
This year’s topic was History Night: the stories behind the stones, the latest in a series that has included Red Kite
Night; Rocks Night; River Night and Maps Night. The lecturer, Lynn Holmes, wove a fascinating tapestry of historical
facts, legends, features of art and architectural interest together with the stories of the families in our local area
who rose to power and often came to a sticky end. The focus of the lecture was local churches. These quiet walls hide
many dramatic stories and links with great events and famous people from the past. The audience were particularly
interested to hear about the de la Pole family of Ewelme, builders of God’s House with its school, church and chantry
houses. A beautiful marble effigy on the tomb of the redoubtable Lady Alice, daughter of Geoffrey Chaucer, married
three times to powerful men all of whom met violent ends, gives no hint of the turbulent life this feisty survivor of
political turmoil lived.
The idea behind the lecture series is to add to the interest of walks in our area by knowing a bit more about the
things we see. After History Night we will certainly look at churches with new eyes!
Carol Service and Ramble: Vicar of Dibley Leads the Service, 18 December 2008
A lovely carol service was held in St. Bartholomew’s Church at Fingest, the
location of the TV Series, The Vicar of Dibley. The real Vicar of Dibley, well,
she is actually vicar of six local churches, led almost sixty Henley & Goring
Ramblers in the service during which they sang their favourite carols and
listened to Christmas bible readings by members. Thus spiritually refreshed,
the Ramblers, led by their Chairman Susan Maguire, set off on a leisurely ramble
through the lovely countryside, undoubtedly some of the best in the county. They
walked through Turville, Skirmett and Frieth under mostly grey skies. Rain
threatened at times, some of the tracks were muddy but nothing deters determined
Henley & Goring Ramblers! Even the hilly bits were not too strenuous thanks to
careful planning by the leader! By the time of the return to Fingest the group
were hungry, thirsty and rather muddy of foot. The Chequers Inn was warm and
welcoming and the group were well looked after by ‘mine host’ and his team. A
delicious hot buffet was served followed by a particularly delicious trifle.
Everyone enjoyed the day enormously and departed reluctantly to cars and home.
This was the first annual carol service walk to be held at Fingest, but I suspect
that it won’t be the last.
AGM and Social at the Christchurch Centre, 29 November 2008
Once again this proved a popular event with almost 60 members attending. The new committee (pictured) were elected
and a lively discussion about the merits of kissing gages and the control of dogs on walks followed. A slide show
on trips past and future provided interesting and sometimes amusing pictures; our compiler cannot be bribed by members
to take out embarrassing photos! The sit-down supper, a joint effort by members and the Social Secretary was superb
as usual.
Walk Leaders’ Annual Christmas Dinner, 12 December 2008
The Old House at Warren Row is a delightful place to gather for a festivel occasion. The food wasn’t bad either!
Walk Leaders’ and committee members, with their partners, enjoyed a convivial evening that gave us a good preparation
for what is to come at Christmas; we all ate too much!
Rambling in Bavaria, September 2008
Twenty-four members from Henley and Goring Ramblers arrived in Bayerisch
Eisenstein in Bavaria for a weeks walking led by Malcolm Wade. On the first day
we walked through the forest and crossed over briefly into the Czech Republic.
This crossing of the`border` was remarkable, given that a few years ago this
would have been a heavily guarded area.
Now there was little evidence of any border. The train station was also
divided, with one half in Germany and the other in the Czech Republic. Malcolm
and Lore led the main walks up to tops of mountains with a welcome café at the
summit. They also suggested harder and easier walks to suit the range of
abilities and inclinations of a varied group.
One highlight was a trip to Cesky Krumlov, a delightful walled Czech ancient
town. The accommodation was excellent with a fine breakfast and the evening
meals taken at a local hotel, which served gargantuan helpings. The weather was
kind to us and everybody enjoyed a fine week.
