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Hello to all our members, of which we currently have 50, plus 5 lifetime members. Please continue to promote our club whenever you can and invite any of your friends, family members, colleagues and acquaintances to sample our walks.
More sad news
We are all very sad that one of our members, Glenda Hawkins passed away recently, on 17th July. There is to be a private cremation service for the family. We are invited to a Service of Thanksgiving on Tuesday 1st August 2.30pm at Lifton Down Methodist Chapel, PL16 0DA, which is 1 mile before the junction for Launceston on the A30. The family has asked us to give them the numbers of people would like to go. If you intend to go, please could you contact Helen by e-mail or phone.
Summer walking programme
Along with this newsletter you will find a new programme for the period August – October 2017. As usual, there is a mixture of Sunday walks, evening walks, both long and short walks and a weekend event. Many thanks to all volunteer leaders and to Katherine, our programme organiser.
New Sunday meeting place
Please note that due to demolition and construction work around the bus station site, we have changed our regular Sunday meeting place. We now meet in the Triangle car park (EX1 2BL), close to the entrance opposite the Clifton Inn. Please see the website for more details.
Don’t miss this year’s annual club outing on Sunday 10th September
Our club outing this year is to historic Wells, Somerset. Full details are given on the separate information sheet, which you can download here. Once again the coach trip is free to members (this year it is being paid for from a legacy from Pat). Non-members, friends and relatives are very welcome to come along, at a cost of £10 per person. We will have plenty of seats available, so please invite others to join us. The fuller the coach the merrier!
Wells offers something for everyone to enjoy. Walkers can choose from a variety of walks of different lengths and difficulty. For others, there is a wealth of places to visit in this beautiful little city and plenty of short strolls in gardens and surrounding meadows. Here are some links to information sites for Wells:
http://www.wellssomerset.com
http://www.wellscathedral.org.uk/visit
https://bishopspalace.org.uk/attractions/palace
Please use the tear-off slip on the information sheet to book your place before Friday 24th August.
North Devon walking weekend: Saturday 2nd – Sunday 3rd September
This is being organised by Andrew and Lesley. The plan is as follows:
Saturday 2nd September. Meet at 1.30pm at Croyde Bay National Trust car park (SS 432 397). Car sharing from Exeter to be arranged. A short afternoon walk of about 5 miles around Baggy Point. Campers will stay overnight at Damage Barton campsite, Mortehoe (SS 472 449), tel. 01271 870502. Tent and one person costs £10.00. There is plenty of B&B accommodation in Mortehoe or Woolacombe for those who like their creature comforts, but you will need to find and book this yourselves. We will meet for an evening curry on Barricane Beach, Woolacombe (SS 454 443). Cost £8.95 with a choice of meat or vegetarian curry, served with rice and poppadoms. Bring your own beer or wine (soft drinks can be bought) and something to sit on (chair or rug).
Sunday 3rd September. Full day walk starting at 10.30 from the car park at Damage Barton campsite, Mortehoe Station Road, EX34 7EJ (SS 472 449). From A361 follow the signs to Mortehoe. The walk is 8 miles via Lee, Bull Point and Morte Point. Farmland, wooded valley and coast path. A moderately strenuous walk with steep ascents and descents, some with steps. Please note: there may be no transport from Exeter on Sunday.
If you are interested in joining us for the weekend or just on the Sunday, please contact Andrew and Lesley by 14th August on 01392 757483.
Proposed navigation workshop
We would like to gauge interest in a navigation skills workshop. This is likely to be a 2-hour session on a Saturday at Andrew and Lesley’s house and will demonstrate map-reading skills, with a possible follow-up session on a Sunday to practise what has been learnt. Is this something you would be interested in? If so, please speak to a Committee member.
A reminder about safety on walks
Please remember that we all walk at our own risk. Our leaders are not trained in first aid and are not responsible in the event of an injury or accident. You are advised to carry a basic first aid kit and to take all reasonable precautions against injury whilst out walking.
We have had a number of thunderstorms recently, so please familiarise yourself with the drill for what to do in the event of a thunderstorm while out walking. This can be found on the website: https://exeterramblingclub.co.uk/information-for-leaders
The science behind the lunchtime walk, contributed by Janet
In my old job I set up a lunch time walking group. Everyone had always had their lunch at their desk whilst still being on the computer. To begin with I got quite a few people to leave their desks and come walking with me, just for 20 minutes. Soon the numbers fell, but I continued to have my lunchtime walk and there were always some takers. On a rainy day I would get some funny looks when I said “Anyone joining me today?” but still we walked.
I recently left that job for a new one. So just in case they didn’t continue the lunchtime walk in my absence, I pinned the following article to the office notice board as well as sending a personal reminder email to each of my colleagues. Now I have been in my new job for 5 weeks and yes, you guessed it, we now have a lunchtime walking group there too:
We all know that exercise does us good, but did you know that walking has huge health benefits even in small quantities? Moderate intensity walking has just as effective benefits as jogging, such as lowering the risk of high blood pressure – and you don’t even need to wear Lycra! Phew!!! The physical benefits of walking are clear:
1. You reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke by walking regularly. It’s great cardio exercise, lowering levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol while increasing levels of HDL (good) cholesterol. The Stroke Association says that a brisk 30-minute walk every day helps to prevent and control the high blood pressure that causes strokes, reducing the risk by up to 27 percent.
2. A brisk walk helps to boost your circulation and increase oxygen supply to all your cells, giving you great benefits such as more energy and even healthier looking skin.
3. Walking even boosts your immune system for 24 hours – who knew?
4. Physically active employees also take 27% less sick days than non-active employees, leaving them healthier the whole year round.
5. Walking is also great for getting some more vitamin D. Many people in the UK are vitamin D deficient which is essential for important things such as bone health.
Walking has plenty of mental health benefits as well:
6. Being active promotes mental health and well-being. It improves self-perception and self-esteem, mood and sleep quality, and it reduces stress, anxiety and fatigue.
7. Physically active people have up to a 30% reduced risk of becoming depressed.
8. Physical activity stimulates the release of body chemicals called endorphins, which act as natural painkillers, reduce stress and produce feelings of well-being.
9. Walking improves cerebral blood flow and lowers the risk of vascular disease, which may be linked to helping you stave off dementia.
10. Scientists at Essex University found that our well-being is boosted significantly with as little as 5 minutes outdoor exercise (but make it at least 20 mins!) And you will then feel like this!!!
Templer Way Walk
We received the following feedback from Julia R on the recent Templer Way walk: “As I rushed to be the first person past the post, I could not believe Janet could be so cruel as to deny me my moment of glory and rush past me as I neared the tape and the chequered flag. Out of respect for my great age, I think she should have let me win!!! Also, huge thanks for organising the meal after the walk. Just can’t beat fish and chips when by the sea, especially after the walk.”
‘Ask Arthur’ Corner: More science
On a recent walk, one of our more agriculturally curious walkers enquired, whilst pointing to the distant fields, “Is there a reason why the large round bales are covered in different coloured plastic wrap?” We scratched our heads and came up with all sorts of reasons, from farmers’ personal preference to geographical suppliers, but we knew the only thing to do was to ask Arthur, and this is what he told us.
During 2002, the Dow Chemical Company commissioned a study at the Centre for Dairy Research (CEDAR) at Reading University to test the effects of different film colours and number of wrap layers on spoilage, nutrient quality and potential impact on animal production. Two colours of film were used, green and black, in combination with four, six or eight wrap layers. This produced six treatments.
The crop was cut in the second half of June, wilted for 24 hours, then baled and wrapped the same day. Ten bales were made for each treatment, all from the same field, and were stacked for four months before opening. In late October, five bales from each treatment were reweighed and opened, and samples were analysed.
The most noticeable differences were in the wastage levels between green and black films, and between four, six and eight layers of wrap in the bales wrapped in black film. In the bales wrapped with the standard four layers of black film, the average spoilage was almost 9% of the total fresh weight of the bale. However, wrapping bales with six or eight layers reduced wastage to less than 1%. This indicates that there is a marked difference in spoilage when wrapping with six or more layers rather than four. Other results that were of interest were significant increases in the digestibility (D Value) and metabolisable energy (ME) as the numbers of layers went up from four to six to eight in the black film. These differences are thought to be associated with improvements in silage fermentation characteristics, such as a reduction in pH and ammonia nitrogen and an increase in sugars. The spoilage in the bales wrapped with green film was nil, irrespective of the number of layers of wrap used. This could indicate a positive effect from controlling the impact of UV light on the stability of the bale or the air permeability of the film, but requires further investigation before any firm conclusions can be drawn.
Our member commented, “That’s very interesting Arthur, but what about the pink bales we have seen on some of our walks?” Arthur replied: They might look like giant marshmallows, but these pink hay bales are raising awareness of breast cancer. Volac (suppliers of all things to do with dairy farming) realised that many women work within agriculture and wanted to raise awareness of breast cancer in the countryside. What better way to visualise it than with pink bales in the fields?
The pink wrap has sold out in many shops, according to Volac. For every roll of pink Topwrap film purchased, £3 is donated to Breast Cancer Now. Thank you, Arthur!!!
A reminder about our club sponsors
Our club relies on generous annual donations from sponsors. These businesses in turn rely on your custom. Please Support Our Sponsors whenever you can!
Would you like to contribute an item of news or advertise an event in a future newsletter? We would like to have any Walker’s Tales, Favourite Item in your Rucksack, pieces for the Ask Arthur Corner, or just about anything else of relevance or interest to Club members. Please send suggestions or contributions to Julia H and Janet at julia.rambling@outlook.com
