Talk the Walk

We have seen two flocks of CURLEWS recently, one this morning (about 12) at Long Line/Limb Valley, and another very much larger flock at Bolsterstone just over a week ago. When living in Derbyshire the most we saw together were 3 or 4.

A few weeks ago I saw a KINGFISHER dart in and out the Porter Brook, close to Sheffield city centre. This was only the second kingfisher I have seen in my life! Unfortunately, Steve was looking in the wrong direction on both occasions.

Christine & Steve

Hope everyone is doing ok ….. at Patterdale some of you looked at the 3 Clarion Handbooks I have been given (1960-1962). A friend has scanned them in so thought you might like the opportunity to read about the walks and other lovely things in them (in larger print!) – maybe some help with ideas for future walks! If you are interested in having them e-mailed to you please e-mail me at

treasurer@sheffieldramblers.org

All best Jackie K

Hello everyone,
Last week we returned home from our travels to a very different world!! We were very much looking forward to catching up with you all on our 2 walks this week.
Whilst being away we kept an eye on The Blog as well as Tony’s photo’s.
It remains to say, take care everyone and hopefully it’s not too long (for everyone in this mad crazy world at the moment!!) before we can all meet up again.
Love and best wishes, Carole & Peter.

Below is a list of suggestions from Sheffield Council’s Public Rights of Way Officer, for work to be done by our FIX IT team during the summer. However, it may be quite a while before it is safe for us to tackle them, which is quite disappointing. After visiting a few of the sites, I was really looking forward to getting stuck in!

From Sam Beaton:

“I am very keen to have your assistance this summer, and it could be in one or more of the following ways:

The paths/issues best tackled by volunteers are generally those in remote or difficult locations that machinery can’t access easily, and/or where hand tools are more appropriate.

1. Two of the most heavily engineered areas of footpath with endless small scale drainage features to keep clear of leaves and silt with hand tools are the Rivelin and Porter Valleys. Both valleys have very active “Friends Of” groups who carry out all sorts of access and nature conservation works in those areas. Might a Fix It group be interested in joining forces with existing groups and tasks in those area
2. We already have plans to supply stone to both the Bradway Action Group and the Beauchief Environment Group for them to carry out some path repair works in their areas. Again, might you be interested in working in these areas with these existing groups and projects?

There are also two specific outstanding work requests on our books that you might be able to help with:

1. A request came to us from the SCC Woodland Ranger Matt Coster (copied in) to sort out a gullying/erosion problem on a footpath in Wheata Woods. The issue is being caused by run off from an overgrown and blocked ditch. It is too difficult a location for machinery to get to it. I have passed the issue back to Matt to try and deal with using the SCC Woodland rangers and hand tools, but perhaps a Fix It group might like to tackle it instead?
2. There is a footpath running from Agden Reservoir up a steep hillside to Agden Side Road across the top side of a plantation that was clear felled about 8 years ago. This path is now choked with 8 year old self set birch trees, and the brambles and bracken come up in summer too. Ideal location for hand tools and volunteers, and a great view too. Would you be interested in tackling this?

Another possibility for your group, if interested, is to tidy up the edges of tarmac paths by removing leaf mould and grass that has crept in at the edges. An example being the path on the Sheffield Round Walk at the end of Ashbury Lane near Graves Park. The attached photos show what it looked like when it was tarmacked, it is much untidier now.

Mr. Sam Beaton
Senior Public Rights Of Way Officer
City Growth Department

If possible, I would like to list all the tools that we have for Fix It work, so could anyone who is storing equipment, please let me know.  Regards Christine   (contact: chriswhittakerramblers@yahoo.co.uk Tel: 01142666585)

Giles Brandreth has recently been learning 20 second poems. He reckons each verse of The Owl and the Pussy Cat takes 20 seconds. He’s right – I timed them! Much more fun than Happy Birthday!
Stay safe and well, everyone.
Judy

All local Stagecoach bus & Supertram services and timetables are temporarily changing due to COVID-19

Following government advice to limit non-essential travel, Stagecoach are making changes to their services and timetables in Yorkshire from Monday 23 March 2020.

These changes ensure that essential routes are maintained. We’ll be running a Saturday service on weekdays from Monday 23 March. Sunday timetables are unchanged.

In addition from 20th March 2020 all Concessionary passes will be valid to use on their buses and Supertram before 9.30am in South Yorkshire, to allow concessionary pass users to access shops and services as they open early to accommodate them.

More information is available from their website at: “https://www.stagecoachbus.com/service-updates/serviceupdatesarticle?SituationId=ID-16/03/2020-11”

Due to continuing onset of the Coronavirus Covid-19, the Ramblers has decided that all led walks & other activities at Group, Area or National level will be cancelled as of Wednesday March 18th until further notice.

We shall do what we can to re-arrange them as soon as it is considered safe to do so. However we do expect there to be further restrictions and some time before that is likely to happen.

We know that many of you see our walks are part of your social life as well as giving you regular and necessary exercise.

Please do keep in touch with each other wherever possible using other methods such as email, texting, using phones or Skype or WhatsApp.

Feel free to use this online Blog to keep in touch to tell people how you are and what you are doing in the interim. Are you still going out walking?

We realise this is a very serious step for all of us and it is not clear how things will pan out over the weeks to come.

We shall obviously keep this action under review and amend it according to any advice we receive either from the Ramblers Central Office, or directly from the Government or Public Health England.

Please get in touch if you require any further information.

Please keep well, keep safe and keep in touch.
Be optimistic – we will get through this.

Regards,
Malcolm Dixon
Sheffield Ramblers Secretary
secretary@sheffieldramblers.org or 0784-253-0128

For info:

Article from The Ramblers:

Trespass proposals could be ‘thin end of the wedge’ for walkers.

Petition (some of you will be interested in signing – I have already):

Don’t criminalise trespass

The petition has been organised by Guy Shrubsole, who works as a campaigner for Friends of the Earth, writes for The Guardian, and is the author of the blog Who owns England.

Catia