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

PLUMPTON to HASSOCKS on 24th May 2025 (Linear 12 miles)

Despite an unpromising weather forecast, 14 of us made our various ways to Plumpton to start the walk. The South Downs were completely hidden in a thick mist but I knew that there was a fence at the top so I was prepared to cling to it if we could see absolutely nothing and were in some danger of either falling off or getting lost in the greyness. 

After a mile or so of  flat walking through meadows and light woodland we arrived at the start of our ascent but made a democratic decision to stop at the pub before we went up. The pub advertised ice cream for dogs which always makes me wonder what the ingredients are but no one seems to know. Well, it seems to contain a lot of unpronounceable chemicals plus milk, turmeric, sweet potato, collagen, various vitamins, oat bran and oddly, vanilla flavouring. Probably quite nice!

We made our way up the lovely chalk path to join the South Downs Way for a few miles and despite a very brisk cold wind the mist started to clear. We had to go down a potentially unpleasantly steep and slippery chalk path but, impressively, no one fell over and we arrived in Ditchling where we had sandwiches in the churchyard and hit the cafes. 

After lunch up we went again, back onto the Downs. The sun almost came out and the weather improved so we enjoyed  beautiful views over  Sussex. Then a slightly gentler and more sheltered descent to Hassocks where some went for the train and some had a second pint or half pint, or cider or lime juice or whatever at the Jack & Jill pub before the final 20 minute walk to the station. 

Harriet

Photos from Jane, Stephen, Jo, Ida and Chris

Walk reports

Wendover to Chesham on 17th May 2025 (9 miles, linear)

Thirteen Polyramblers met at Amersham Station to catch the rail replacement bus to Wendover (the Chiltern Line was not running due to planned engineering work). We made our way through the village and it was very tempting to stop at various stalls selling cakes, exotic hot food, plants etc. but we did not cave in.        

We joined the lovely Heron path and were able to appreciate the scenery, wild flowers and trees instead of watching our feet.

We stopped for lunch at the village called The Lee, here the village green was very busy with groups of young people who were doing their Duke of Edinburgh Award. It is the first time I was able to enjoy my packed lunch whilst watching the Morris Dancing.

We arrived at Chesham in good time, so several of us took the opportunity to have tea and cake before heading to the station to catch the tube back home. We even managed to miss the football supporters as it was FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium!

Sunita

 Photos by Chris, Nita and Joyanna

Walk reports

FAVERSHAM & HAM MARSHES on 3rd May 2025 (6 miles, circular)

When I arrived at Cannon Street Station I found just one other Poly Rambler waiting to board the train for my walk. However, by the time we reached Faversham there were twenty of us with another one joining enroute!

In bright sunshine, we set off through the town, passing a busy market by the Guildhall where we were lucky not to lose some of our number to its attractions. We continued past the Shepherd Neame Brewery to the Creek where we joined the Saxon Shore Way for a pleasant stroll alongside moored boats on one side and salt marshes on the other. The views were extensive with the Isle Of Sheppey to the north and the distinctive spire of Faversham’s parish church to the south.

After an hour’s easy walking, we reached our lunch stop at the Shipwright Arms pub. Food had been pre-ordered and it arrived speedily as we sat in the large garden enjoying the good weather. Setting off again, we followed Oare Creek back towards Faversham. A circuitous route through a trading estate was traversed and then a narrow overgrown footpath before we reached the handsome buildings of West Street which took us back to the Guildhall. Half of our number then headed for the station while the rest of us enjoyed excellent cakes at a cafe as the market packed up. And that was that for an enjoyable day!

Danny


Photos courtesy of Joyanna, Patricia & Lan

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