SPRING 2026 NEWSLETTER
Welcome to a slightly belated Spring Newsletter – I’m may be not fully back in the saddle yet but I’ve one foot in the stirrup!
Lighter and warmer (hopefully) days means our programme of walks starts to take us further a field, as we venture into the more challenging hills and mountains of England and Wales over the next few months. Hope you will be able to join us.
CLUB NEWS AND REMINDERS
I am pleased to inform you that Reg Banks has been co-opted onto the committee. Reg has been a member for several years and I’m sure he will be a great asset to the club, bringing both experience of planning and leading walks outside of the club, and committee experience from his other activities.
Please be as quiet as you can in St James car park in the mornings. Remember it is very early and local residents windows back onto the car park. We are requested to fill the spaces against the far fence first and DRIVE IN FORWARDS please. Do not block access to the Scout Hut at the end of the car park.
Another plea-no muddy boots on the coach please. This includes boots with dried mud from a previous walk as this may drop off onto the coach.
MEMBERSHIP, COACH WAITING LIST AND CONFIRMING YOUR PLACE
Our membership is currently high and generally very active, meaning that coach places are at a premium. If you are on the waiting list, it is YOUR responsibility to confirm your place for the next walk. Please do this as soon as possible after the previous walk to help Tom with allocation of seats-if we are oversubscribed there is a “first come, first served” system to ensure the fairest arrangement.
The membership is still capped to ensure that long standing members are treated as fairly as possible, but we are reviewing this on a monthly basis. Please remember that we have individuals who have already completed their two qualifying walks and are keen to walk regularly with us, so it would also be helpful, if you are on the waiting list and you know you definitely don’t want your seat, to inform Tom as soon as possible. Likewise, if you have to cancel your seat, please let Tom know so that others can be given the opportunity to enjoy a day out with us.
WALKS PROGRAMME FOR 2027
We may only be a third of the way into the year but the committee will be establishing the programme for 2027 in the next couple of months. Ideas of walks for consideration from you are very helpful and the board for you to make any suggestions will be passed around the coach again in May. If you are not on the May coach but would like to put forward a suggestion, please email a committee member with your proposal.
AGM TUESDAY 17th FEBRUARY 2026
31 members attended the AGM in February at the Plough and Harrow on Slade Road. There was the usual round up of activities over the past year and the signed financial report was accepted.
Carol Gosling, Ian Broughton and Rob Maule and were re-elected onto the committee.
A discussion in AOB revolved around the future of the running of the club, getting more members involved in recces, potentially becoming committee members and able to organise and plan walks.
LAKES WEEKEND 27th February -2nd March 2026
37 members and guests attended another most successful weekend at the Glaramara Hotel in Borrowdale.
This year we hired a minibus which meant we could travel out of Borrowdale to other nearby fells. On Saturday, both the A and B parties did a version of the Coledale Round, starting from Braithwaite and on Sunday, because of the windy conditions, two lower level walks were organised in the Loweswater area over Mellbrek and Hen Comb
The weather over the weekend was typical Lakes - rain, snow and sun on Saturday and mainly dry on Sunday with strong winds, although both parties did get wet from the waves spilling out from Crummock Water and the A party had to ford a wide steam, fortunately at the end of the walk for those that got wet feet!
The food and hospitality at the Glaramara was again exemplary – it has certainly become a firm favourite with the members, though having been here four times in the last five years, we are looking for a change in 2027.
Thank you Tom for organising another very successful weekend.
AUTUMN WEEKEND TENBY 9th-12th OCTOBER 2026
This year, we will be staying at the Belgrave Hotel in Tenby, a lovely seaside town in south west Wales. We will be walking parts of the 300km Pembrokeshire Coast Path National Trail.
Arrangements are all in hand and further details about balance payments and hotel arrangements will follow in the next couple of months.
Any queries please contact Wendy Price wendy_price@sky.com
LAKES WEEKEND – FRIDAY 28th FEBRUARY – MONDAY 1st MARCH 2027
For our winter weekend in 2027,we have decided to return to the Bower House Inn at Eskdale, which we last went to 3 years ago.
The Bower House has quoted for a 3-night stay for the weekend of Friday 26th February to Monday 1st March 2027. The price per person will come to £252, which includes a 3-course dinner, bed and breakfast each night plus a £6 staff tip contribution that the Club will pay. Packed lunches are not included, but can be ordered at reception the evening before at a price of £7.50.
Please note that there are only 3 single rooms at the hotel, which will be allocated on a first-come-first-serve basis. The other rooms are doubles or twins Single occupancy of a double room may be possible, but only with a surcharge of £30 per night, and only if there is a vacant double room.
As usual there will be organised walks on the Saturday and Sunday at A and B grades, but guests are free to do their own thing.
If you wish to come, or have any queries, please email Tom Somervell tomsomervell@googlemail.com no later than 31st May 2026, indicating your room preference (single. double or twin). Please also pay a non-refundable deposit of £60 to the Club account with the reference "Eskdale". This will be paid to the Hotel to secure the booking. It may still be possible to sign up after this, but only if the Hotel still has a room available. If the hotel capacity is fully taken up, and there is demand for more places, then it may be possible to take up rooms at the nearby King George IV, but the price for this is likely to differ.
CLUB WEEKENDS
Our weekends are very popular and this means it is becoming increasingly difficult to find suitable hotels in the right location, which are large enough to accommodate between thirty and forty people. We often need to book the whole hotel and for 30+ people, this must be done well in advance of the weekend date. Understandably, the hotel needs a sum of money to secure the booking and this is why we ask you to pay a deposit to show your commitment to your place, many months ahead of the event. However, we do understand that your circumstances can change and you may need to cancel your place, and we do our utmost to be as fair as we can in returning money if we are able to. Hotel cancellation policies do
very, some deposits are non-refundable, some hotels are more flexible, but the more notice you can give us, then the better chance we have of helping you.
In addition, our weekend organisers spend a lot of time sorting menus, and doing a marvellous juggling act in allocating double/twin rooms and sharing arrangements etc which are further complicated by late alterations. So, please, if you have had a place confirmed for a weekend, let the organiser know as soon as possible if you are unable to attend.
FUND RAISING
RAMBLERS WORLDWIDE HOLIDAYS- WALKING PARTNERSHIP
If you are planning your holidays for 2026 and onward, have a look at Ramblers Worldwide Holidays https://www.ramblersholidays.co.uk They offer a wide range of holidays worldwide, catering for all trekking and walking abilities and also special interests such as bird-watching, flora, cooking and walking or cruise and walk. As the holidays are taken with small guided groups they are great way for solo travellers to experience different countries and cultures and some holidays attract no single supplement. The added bonus is that as a walking partnership nominated club, we will receive funding every time you holiday with them and nominate Hill Walking Club Sutton Coldfield.
EASY FUNDRAISING
Easyfundraising is what it says! An easy way to make funds for the club. There are many companies who will donate to us if you shop on line with them. Some well known ones are Tesco, Sainsburys, Ocado, Amazon, Marks and Spencer, John Lewis, Go Outdoors, Booking.com etc
It really is very easy to use. Some donations are only pence, but they all add up. Two members have raised over £100 each.
Use the below link to have a look at Easyfundraising, join up and lets see if we can make some money for the club. There is also a link button on the top right of our website.
QUOTE OF THE QUARTER
“The expert hiker was once a beginner.” — Unknown