All posts by Gillian

Trip reports

Isle of Man Easter weekend 18 – 22 April 2025

After weeks of flawless weather the temperature dropped and the rain came in as 40 Poly Ramblers headed for the middle of the Irish Sea for the Easter trip. Over 20 brave souls ventured out from the B and Bs for the Friday evening acclimatisation for a classic Douglas stroll, with wind and rain coming in from the East across the bay. We took in the sites, including the Victorian seafront, the Tower of Refuge, (built as a warning to shipping by Sir William Hillary, who founded the RNLI) and the Bee Gees statue.

 

The next morning virtually the entire party made it to Douglas Railway station for the steam train trip south. The strollers headed straight for Port Erin, and the hikers got off at Castletown for the 12 mile coast path walk to Port Erin – arriving sometime later!

 

 

Not that the strollers took it easy: their 5 mile walk took in Mull Hill, with views to the Calf of Man, the Cregneash Manx village and part of the coastal path past the dramatic Cairns. They enjoyed the lambs in the fields and the views into Port St Mary, where the Albert pub was a welcome stopping point, later returning via Castletown.

Meanwhile 24 hikers took in Castletown’s main square dominated by Castle Rushen, originally built in 1265 for a Norse king, before heading out to the Raad ny Follian coast path round Scarlett, a dramatic rocky area of limestone and volcanic basalt. The Grange pub at Gansey was a welcome respite from the rain and we had lunch in and around the Albert in Port St Mary close to the harbour.

Four hikers took the opportunity to opt out at this half way point and the remainder set off in clearing skies. We took in the Dunkirk memorial, the lambs, the Cairns (Jo at this point failing to contain her nightmares about losing the odd Poly off the cliffs) and then the fabulous / terrifying / challenging (take your pick) cliff walk to the Sound, where the currents of the Irish sea meet in a short stretch between the Island and the Calf of Man.

We made it to the excellent café there in time for much needed toilets, rest and sustenance, and the remaining 15 set off for the last haul to Port Erin in what had become a beautifully clear and even a tiny bit sunny late afternoon, with fish and chips and Okells ale welcoming the survivors.

Day 2 the parties headed for the West and Peel, with the Strollers enjoying the castle and the cathedral and also taking advantage of the buses to visit Ramsey and see the North west coast after a somewhat foreshortened stroll up the first part of Peel hill.

Twenty three hikers meanwhile took the bus to St Johns for a bracing climb through the trees (more of them than anticipated horizontal rather than vertical after the recent storms) up to Slieu Whallian, with wonderful views to Peel and across the Irish Sea along the way. Slowed up by the elements (strong winds made climbing the high styles at the top a bit of a challenge) and other excitements including a lone bull and a party of weekend bikers who had taken over the planned lunchstop, we eventually made it through the lovely Arrisay plantation, zigzagging down (and a bit up) towards the village of Glen Maye, where 3 Poly’s gratefully opted for a lift to Peel with Jo’s mum.

The next change of scenery was the magical Glen Maye glen and beach stop before the remaining party tackled the cliff path to Peel, heeding Jo’s frequent reminders to look behind them to see the view down the coast. Like the strollers many hours earlier the hiker party wisely opted out of the last ascent to Corrin’s Tower and took the low path into Peel, where the sun shone on the harbour and fish, chips and beer were to be had.

Day 3
After 2 long walks and with rain forecast many hikers nursed their aching limbs / had a lie-in and joined the strollers for a tour of the Laxey Wheel, beach and the dramatic tram ride to the top of Snaefell, where the views stretched across the island and beyond.
7 game hikers took on Jo’s third treat, the 9 mile walk from Laxey to Ramsey over the North Barrule ridge, via the abandoned tin and copper mine for which Laxey wheel was built. It is a hilly island (did I mention that before?) so the only way was up, with a first stop at the tiny Agneash methodist church where we used the facilities, read the stories of the 19th century miners and had a cup of tea and biscuits. In the sheltered valley to the mine the party waved furiously at the trams passing on the other side, only to realise later that the strollers had opted for a later start (whoops).  After the steep climb we made it to the heathery ‘verandah’ with views to Snaefell and in all directions for the ridge walk, with the occasional sheep for company. North Barrule itself was shrouded in mist so we didn’t hang around before starting the steep descent, eventually making it in time for the bus back to Ramsey.

The club reunited for the dinner at the Empress Hotel where inevitably Manx lamb was on the menu. Quite a few Polys took the opportunity to stay a bit longer, enjoying variously the festival of plays at the Gaity theatre, the Archibald Knox exhibition at the Manx Museum and the Marine Drive walk from Douglas head.

Report from Jo, photos from Nita, Ida, Hilary, Jackie, Rochelle, Meng, Jo.

Walk reports

Ockley to Warnham – 5th April 2025

Eighteen Poly Ramblers met at Ockley Railway Station and very soon found our footpath for this lovely walk through a quiet corner of Surrey featuring woods and gentle hills. We were favoured by a sunny day and no rain and although the paths were dry, they
were still quite rutted being bridleways and well churned during muddier times. There were also several stiles, some quite precarious. After about 3.5 miles we emerged through the trees at the 13th century Parish Church of St John the Baptist in Okewood
and went inside to admire the wall paintings and an unusual arrangement of roof beams. A short while after we reached the village of Walliswood where we stopped for lunch either picnicking on the village green or in the garden of The Scarlett Arms pub. Later in the afternoon we reached Warnham in good time to stop at The Sussex Oak pub for a drink before heading to the station to catch the train home.

Rochelle. Photos by Melida, Stephen and Vanessa

Walk reports

Post AGM walk in London Parks – Saturday 22 March

After the AGM 22 of us set off, in calm weather, for a leisurely walk through 5 parks.  Beginning with Holland Park through to St James park and ending at Westminster underground. There were numerous places to leave the walk on route which were taken advantage of.  After a slight reroute after Holland Park, to enter Kensington Gardens, due to a high police presence and demonstration, we set off again walking through the very well maintained flower garden and past the Albert Memorial.

On our way we heard very loud claps of thunder and most of us got quite damp in the heavy rain storm that followed. Those of us near the Serpentine South Gallery managed to shelter in the book shop before visiting the Arpita Singh exhibition at the Serpentine North Gallery.  A visit is recommended.

Onward then to walk through Green Park, which was full of colourful spring flowers and blossoms. Sadly the pelicans at St James park were absent due to quarantine rules, but there were lots of other wildlife on view.

On reaching Westminster Bridge we were slightly rerouted again due to the filming of a high speed car chase along Parliament Street.  Three of us finished the walk in the sunshine.

Jackie Copeland. Thanks to Ida for the photos

Walk reports

WEST HUMBLE CIRCULAR – 23 February

Despite the threat of dire weather and constant reminders from the leader about steep and possibly slippery inclines, 13 of us gathered at West Humble for a good and reasonably long walk in the lovely Surrey Hills.
We started with a fairly drawn-out climb to Mickleham, a bit of flat and then the first steep haul up onto Mickleham Downs which, in summer, is full of the kind of chalk downland wildflowers which have become a rare sight. Over 50% of the UK’s chalk grassland was lost between the mid-1950s and the early 1990s. Now that these areas are not routinely grazed, unchecked encroaching scrub is one of the main problems and there are, thankfully, schemes to control it including the National Trust’s introduction of Belted Galloway cattle on Box Hill. Continue reading WEST HUMBLE CIRCULAR – 23 February →

Walk reports

HANWELL TO NORTHOLT – SATURDAY 15 FEBRUARY

On Saturday, 21 ramblers (with 2 more joining for lunch) set off to walk to Northolt with a stop to see the Greenford Beaver colony. The weather was overcast, constantly threatening to break out into rain, but we were lucky and only experienced occasional light drizzle.

We started by following the Capital ring along the river Brent. We passed the Millennium Maze which has become well established after 25 years growth. The path was mostly wooded although we did pass 4 golf course s without having to worry about flying balls. We passed St May’s church in Perivale which is the oldest church in Ealing, dating back to 12th Century.

We made it to the top of Horsenden Hill, despite the muddy path, to catch the views of London. We had an enjoyable lunch at the Ballot Box where we caught up with 2 extra hikers who had missed the train. We then made our way to Paradise Fields where the Beavers have taken up residence. They are a recent addition to the local fauna, and although we did not see any beavers, we saw plenty of evidence – many chewed trees and their dams to make their lodges. They are already thriving and are already breeding. Those who would like more information can follow the link London welcomes urban beavers for first time – Beaver Trust

We followed the Grand Union canal round to Belvue park. The park is set on a hill and was a settlement going back to roman times, with a moat. There were informative display boards giving its history including information about how the common land was enclosed. From here it was a short walk to Northolt Station.

Stephen. Photos by Ida and Nita