THE CHELMER & BLACKWATER RAMBLERS GROUP

WELCOME TO THE WEBSITE OF THE CHELMER & BLACKWATER GROUP OF THE RAMBLERS' ASSOCIATION

ABOUT US

Our Group started in 1986 to serve RA members living in the central region of Essex, roughly defined by the Chelmer and Blackwater river valleys. The 20 founder members came from the West Essex and Brentwood Groups, with Kevin Ascott, our first chairman sent out on a 'mission' to organise a new group. Since those early days, the C&B membership has grown to an impressive 600!

WHEN DOES ALL THIS WALKING TAKE PLACE?

We organise 4 walks a week on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, which makes us one of the most active groups in the Ramblers' Association (RA).

We walk mainly in the Essex area, but frequently go into neighbouring counties to extend our range of walking interests. Usually we travel to walking venues by car, sharing when we can. Coach trips are organised every month from Spring to Autumn as well as week-end and week-long holidays as part of our social activities. We also meet up with other local RA groups for Essex area joint events.

The Wednesday, Friday and Sunday walks are for a full day, of length 10 to 12 miles starting at 10.15am. Saturdays are half-day walks of 5 to 6 miles starting at 1.30pm.
On full day walks we nearly always stop at a pub at lunchtime! Walks are usually circular but sometimes are figures of eight.

The turnout on walks varies quite a bit. Some days there may be 5 or 6 people out on a walk, other days it can be as many as 30. Whatever the numbers, you can guarantee a very enjoyable walk led by experienced leaders. We are a mixed bunch of characters from all 'walks' of life who enjoy each others company and very much welcome new walkers to our Group.

SO HOW DO YOU JOIN THE CHELMER & BLACKWATER RAMBLERS?

We fully support the RA in its objectives to promote walking and respect for the countryside. If you have similar views and wish to join us on walks, perhaps becoming new RA members, then why not click on this www.ramblers.org.uk/join link which describes various joining options. On this site you will find our Walks Programme for the next 4 months, with further links to maps to help you find the start venues. There is also a Useful Information page and even a Photo Gallery showing some of the many places we have visited on foot!

Full RA members of the C&B group receive a comprehensive, 4-monthly printed programme and newsletter including details of all the social activities.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO POST SOME OF YOUR BEST WALKING PICTURES ON THIS SITE?

To view an album in the Photo Gallery, hover the cursor over the Photo Gallery link at the top of this page and select an album to view. Click on a thumbnail image to see the full sized picture.

To post some of your walking pictures on this site, e-mail them as jpeg attachments to this address cb.website@btinternet.com (it may be necessary to split them between 3 or 4 e-mails). Alternatively, copy them to a CD-R as jpeg images and contact the website editor at the above address to arrange for the disk to be sent or delivered. Please limit the number of pictures per album to 15 in order to keep the site a manageable size.

FOOTPATH MATTERS

You might have noticed a new button at the top of this home page called ‘Footpath Matters’. We are very aware that many walkers in our Essex countryside frequently come across problems with footpaths. These can take many forms e.g. broken stiles, fallen fingerposts, barbed wire across your right of way.....the list is endless.

As part of the RA’s campaign to keep paths open for all walkers, we encourage you to make complaints to the Essex County Council, whenever you come across footpath faults. It is very easy to make a complaint, especially now that it can be done on-line. By clicking on ‘Footpath Matters', you will see a simple guide written by the two C&B Footpath Secretaries (John and Kevin) for Chelmsford and Maldon Districts, advising how to report the problems you encounter. There is a click on link to the ECC Problems and Enquiry page and e-mail addresses for John and Kevin, who will assist you in this process and liaise with the ECC to help resolve your footpath problems.

Please click on ‘Footpath Matters’ and make use of this guide.

WHAT'S NEW ON THE SITE?

1. During one of the walks of John Champ's Whitby weekend there was a discussion amongst some walkers about the best way to use walking poles. A link has now been added in the Useful Information page to the website of a leading manufacturer of walking poles, Leki. Featured are 8 very informative video clips about how best to use your walking poles as well as other useful tips about their adjustment, cleaning and maintenance.

2. A link has also been added to a new website, "Walking in England", which details walks in 35 of England's counties (including Essex).

3. New links have been added to the Useful Information page to three informative pages on the Ramblers Association website, also to a new shop in Maldon named "At Your Leisure" which sells camping and outdoor clothing and equipment.

4. A new link button named 'Footpath Matters' has been added to the top of this page to link to a section of the website devoted to footpath problems. For an explanation of this section see the paragraph above entitled "Footpath Matters" and click on the link button to explore the section.

The Ramblers’ Association is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England and Wales.
Company Registration No. 4458492
Registered Charity in England and Wales No. 1093577
This newsletter and walks programme is the property of the Chelmer & Blackwater Ramblers
and must not be reproduced or copied without written approval of the Chairman

Site last updated December, 2009