National Events
Listed below are details of National events so far arranged. Not all these events may yet be open for booking so if you see an event (or events) that interest you please contact us and we will send you details of the event and a booking form. We do ask you become a member before attending a National event for insurance reasons and you can pay the annual membership when sending us your deposit.
You can see details of the National events which took place over the last 12 months by clicking this link:
National Events Programme
BORROWDALE LAKE DISTRICT 24 - 26 September, Cost £98
Back due to popular request! Another chance to visit the Glaramara Outdoor Centre at Borrowdale for a weekend's walking. Acommodation
Glaramara is a purpose-built walking centre formerly owned by the CHA. The centre offeres excellent food and comfortable accommodation in a mixture of twin and single rooms. (Single rooms will be allocated on a first come first served basis). We have booked a full board package which includes 2 evening meals, breakfasts and packed lunches.
Meals: All meals are included in the price, which also covers the cost of arranging the break.
Walks: There is plenty of good walking available directly from the Centre, although we may use local buses or cars. It is intended to offer a choice of 2 full-day led walks on both days. Given that this is the Lake District, expect the walking to be more difficult than in other locations.
Organisers: Julian and Sonia
RHINE VALLEY - GERMANY 25 September - 2 October
We are going to the World Heritage Site of the Rhine Valley in late September 2010, so if you fancy walking amongst the castles, cathedrals, woods and vineyards of the river Rhine, then this is the holiday for you.
Accommodation is likely to be in the Youth Hostel of St Goar, in the valley itself, although you are welcome to book your own accommodation, if you prefer. However, German YHs are normally of an excellent standard. I've stayed in one myself and had 2 independent reports, last summer, of their quality.
Club members will provide 5 days of (optional) led walking, with at least 1 'day off' to explore the area for yourself.
Very approximate cost - £150 - bed and breakfast. You will need to arrange you own travel to and from Germany, but information can be provided to help you.
Organiser: Ian
LUDLOW - SHROPSHIRE 19 - 21 November, Cost £112
According to Sir John Betjeman, Ludlow is the 'loveliest town in England'! So with the Clee Hills, the Mortimer Trail and other beautiful countryside on the doorstep, this promises to be another autumn Footprints weekend to remember.
Accommodation. This is on a full board basis in the Ludlow Conference Centre. There are 24 rooms, made up of single twin rooms and dormitories if we exceed that number. Also there is a licensed bar, home cooked food, a fair trade shop, free internet connection, TV/Video, a library and a chapel. See http://www.ludlowconferencecentre.co.uk
Walks. These will probably be from the accommodation on both days - most likely being to the Clee Hills on Saturday and the Mortimer trail and woodland on Sunday.
Getting there. Ludlow Railway Station is on the line between Shrewsbury and Newport (Gwent). The accommodation is 5 minutes walk therefrom. The half hourly London Paddington trains connect at Newport and there are direct trains from Manchester. A few lifts could be available from members living in Newport. There is on site parking for 50 cars.
Cost. £112 full board (estimate).
Organiser: Alan
HOWARTH - NEW YEAR BREAK 29 Dec - 2 Jan, Cost £168
For the next New Year break 20 places have been booked at Howarth Youth Hostel which Footprints last visited 5 years ago. Overlooking the famous Bronte village Longlands Hall is a Victorian mansion built as a family home for a wealthy mill owner. Accommodation is in a mixture of small bunk rooms and single sex bedrooms. The hostel has a small dance room. There is ample scope for walking both from the hostel or using public transport including the Worth Valley Steam Railway - still the only complete preserved branch line in the country. In the event of bad weather attractions in the area include The National Media Museum in Bradford and the Titus Salt Model Village at Saltaire.
We have booked a 4 night package from 29th December to 2nd January which includes a special new year eve buffet. It also includes dinner, breakfast & packed lunches.
Organiser: Peter
GREAT MALVERN 28 - 30 January 2011
We have booked 30 places at the Abbey Hotel in Great Malvern. This is a 4 star Hotel at the foot of the Malvern Hills near the centre of town, adjacent to the abbey. There is ample scope for walking both on the Malvern Hills and in the Vale of Evesham. Great Malvern is easy to get to being only 1 hour by train from Birmingham & only a few miles from the M5.
Accommodation: Dinner Bed & Breakfast for 2 nights. There are ample shops where packed lunches can be purchased.
HARROGATE 4 - 6 March 2011
We have booked 40 places at the Cairn Hotel in Harrogate. This 3 star Hotel is ½ mile from the town on Rippon Road and is part of the same hotel group that runs the Cumbria hotel in Grange. The Hotel is well situated for walks from the Hotel or taking a bus from outside the hotel. Walks can be done in Nidderdale to Brimham Rocks and Ripon as well as Knaresborough and around Harrogate itself.
Accommodation: 2 nights Dinner Bed and Breakfast plus packed lunches.
If you would like to extend your weekend, Ian has offered to organise a 2 day visit to York YHA on the Wednesday and Thursday nights preceding the Harrogate weekend.
NORTH ISLAND, NEW ZEALAND 5 - 27 November 2011
Please note this is a Member's Holiday open to club members. The trip is not run by the club.
This 'trip of a lifetime' has slipped to November to avoid the Rugby World Cup, which takes place in Auckland between 9 September and 23 October. I have announced details now to give you plenty of time to decide and to allow you to save both time and money for the trip.
Outline Itinerary
Our holiday will include some of best sights in the North Island of New Zealand. After the long flight, we will spend a couple of days in and around Auckland to acclimatise before heading south to Rotorua geothermal area. During our 3 days here we will see some of the geysers, mud pools and thermal springs which have been attracting visitors to Rotorua since the 1800s. We will also take a 4 wheel drive trip to the top of Mt Tarawera, which last erupted in 1886.
Our next destination is Tongariro National Park, the volcanic plateau in the centre of the North Island. We look forward to 2 days walking here, including the Tongariro Crossing with its dramatic volcanic landscape and views of the 3 main peaks - Mts. Ruapehu, Ngauruhoe and Tongariro.
We then return to Auckland for another couple of days. During this time we could visit Tiritiri Matangi Island, 20 miles north east of Auckland. We will also include a walk in the Waitakere Ranges (west of Auckland) - an area of native rainforest with breathtaking vistas.
Our final destination is the Bay of Islands, 150 miles north of Auckland. During our 3 days here we will take the dolphin cruise to the 'Hole in the Rock', and the scenic coach tour to Cape Reinga via Ninety Mile Beach. We will also visit the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed between the Maori and the British Crown.
Finally, we return to Auckland for the last couple of nights before heading home.
Further Information
For a detailed itinerary and further information regarding accommodation and costs see http://www.gregwilson.350.com/.
Organiser: Greg.
