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Eleven Ibexers, a mix of established and prospective members, gathered at Egham station on a hot Saturday morning. After navigating through the high street the flat fields of Runnymede were crossed to examine the Magna Carta Monument. Close by was also a memorial to John F. Kennedy. John F. Kennedy Memorial A short climb up Cooper's Hill and a short road walk led to the Fox and Hounds pub for a hydration break on this hot day. Shortly after leaving the pub Windsor Great Park

A large-ish group of Ibexers escaped the red heat alert in the South-east and headed for the relatively fresh climes of Coniston. We stayed at the MAM hut which Jim and Viv had organised and which was very handily located both for dinner at the Black Bull pub on Thursday evening and for buying restorative ice creams from the petrol station throughout the weekend! Friday dawned bright, sunny and hot: had we been transported to some foreign land or were we still in the Lake Dis

Both of our walks took in the Elan Valley reservoirs. There are 5 of them in all, all built at the end of the 19th century to provide fresh drinking water for Birmingham. Saturday dawned bright and sunny and the noisy sheep across the valley provided an early wake-up alarm. Emma (mentored by David) led us on essentially a 12-mile circuit of the Caban-coch Reservoir. After crossing Rhos y Gelynnen, a descent through forest took us to Nantgwyllt Church, a Victorian church buil

Eleven Ibexers convened for a very enjoyable club night stroll from St James's Park to London Bridge. Walking through St James's Park was very pleasant amongst the lakes and water-loving birds (e.g. ducks, geese, heron). There was lovely evening light on Big Ben and along the Southbank with great pubs at the start and end! Author: David #ibexwalkers #ukhikingweekends #londonhikingclub #walkforhealth #socialwalking #stjamesspark #southbank

Nine Ibexers met at Rochester Station at 10:30am for a varied and enjoyable day’s walk exploring both the rich history and beautiful countryside of Kent. Before setting off, we spent some time admiring two of Rochester’s most famous landmarks: the magnificent Rochester Cathedral and the imposing Norman Castle, both of which stand as reminders of the town’s long and fascinating past. Leaving the town centre, our route took us past the site of the former Shorts aircraft factory

Having spent my adolescent years in Wales I should not have been surprised with the weather that greeted me at Llandovery station. It may have been June and it may have been sunny elsewhere but in Llandovery the weather was grey, misty and damp! From there on in things started to look up however. The campsite was nearby where I received a friendly welcome. Their facilities were good including (unusually in my limited campsite experience) an electric kettle! There were also go

Just getting your attention!! There were plenty of cute little lambs, in the fields and on the fells, and lots of space and silence in which we could enjoy a slightly cooler Bank Holiday weekend away from a very overheated London. After the long slog up from London, 16 Ibexers finally arrived at the Smelt Mill Centre in the Forest of Bowland near Dunsop Bridge with its quirky 2 part kitchen/diner and slightly dodgy electrics but otherwise very good accommodation choice with a

Billed as including a walk through bluebell woods, six of us gathered at Gomsall station and its popular free car park before heading out into open Surrey countryside in the direction of Sutton Abinger. There, we took coffee on the village green with its nearby 13th Century church. Wood sculptures in Gomshall Cow field outside Gomshall Sutton Abinger church From there it was just a short stroll into the first of the bluebell woods promised. After stopping to photograph them t

After refreshments in The Surrey Docks pub at Surrey Quays eight Ibxers set off for an evening stroll to Tower Bridge. It had been a showery day so the big question was "were we going to stay dry?". Luckily we did, although it was unexpectedly cool for a May evening! The Surrey Docks pub, Surrey Quays After following the pleasant cycle route through Russia Dock Woodland the Thames Path was joined opposite Canary Wharf and we started heading west. Items of interest included th

Fifteen Ibexers descended on Grassington in Wharfedale, Yorkshire, by train and bus on driving from various parts of the UK on Friday 1st May. Our beautiful bunkhouse was situated a short distance from the village, within walking distance for our Friday visit to The Devonshire pub, famous as The Drovers Arms of “All Creatures Great and Small” fame. Good food in a pleasant atmosphere with cheery company. Saturday offered walks from David Wa direct from the bunkhouse and Dave W

Straight after the Ibex Easter weekend David, Susan and Patricia headed to Berwick-Upon-Tweed, our base for David and Patricia to walk the Northumberland Coastal Path. Patricia's partner (Yvonne) met the rest of us in Berwick (and was happy to cook delicious meals each evening!). David prepared for the walk with an excellent massage at Khanetic on the Quayside. Our accommodation was a large static caravan on the outskirts of Berwick. The next day Susan, who was still recoveri

‘Oh to be in England now that April is there’, as true in 2026 as when Robert Browning wrote those immortal words in 1845. Stunning views, glorious sunshine, a refreshing breeze and the soundtrack of soaring skylarks. Heaven. The bipeds and quadrupeds We numbered 12 bipeds and two dogs, Poppy, a Spanish rescue and Giorgi, my Greek rescue. Leaving promptly on the dot of 10am, Ann led us at a cracking pace and soon we were up on the ridge. Stupendous views as far as the sea wi

First of all many thanks to Nigel for his superb organisation and we were all so sorry he could not attend the weekend himself. And to Susan Watts, who in spite of not being able to walk herself, headed up the weekend with her customary efficiency. St John’s-in-the-Vale Centre is an exceptionally good bunkhouse, two good sized rooms for socialising with great views from picture windows on the first floor plus a well-fitted kitchen and spacious dining area on the ground floor.

On a bright, sunny, slightly nippy Saturday in late March, 12 Ibexers (including a couple of newbies) met at Erith station to tackle Sections 2, 3 and 5 (in reverse) of the Green Chain Walk, which meanders through South East London linking green 'bit' to green 'bit' - parks, woodlands and commons. The author (a country bumpkin from West Sussex, ha ha!!) doesn't know this area of London at all and it proved to be a really interesting outing. Our approx 12 mile route, which was

Mags managed to find an absolutely fantastic bunkhouse in the beautiful Howgills, perhaps Yorkshire’s best kept secret, for Ibex’s March meet. The bunkhouse Sadly Natalia was unable to join us due to a cold though she had organised the weekend well, including our Friday night meal out at the Fat Lamb where all 11 of us enjoyed excellent food and company. All bar Susan, still nursing an ankle injury, joined Jim for his walk direct from the bunkhouse to The Calf which at 676m i

A team of hardy winter walkers assembled on the Friday at the very comfortable Kildonan House in Ullapool. Anja and Heather enjoyed excellent accommodation for the week at Judith’s lovely new house, which was just round the corner. Once everything had been unloaded – including food for the week – a priority was to check out the hot tub. It passed muster! We enjoyed expertly flipped venison burgers for dinner, fresh from the House of Bruar. The forecast for the week looked poo

Ten Ibexers journeyed to Nant Ddu in the Brecon Beacons (or Bannau Brycheiniog) on Friday 13 th with the only bad luck being the very wet underfoot conditions experienced by early arrivals Gusta, Rod, Lucy and Elizabeth on their afternoon walk. By the Friday early evening the rain had turned to snow as we walked down from the bunkhouse to the Nant Ddu Lodge for a very tasty meal. We awoke to a clear, dry, cold and sunny Saturday with a dusting of snow on the hills. David, le

On a wet Saturday in February, 11 Ibexers (including 3 prospective members) braved the 7 miles of the London Loop, Section 2, from Bexley to Petts Wood. We were ably led by George, whose stomping ground this is. This was fortunate since this author (Patricia White) lives in SW London and was not alone in being quite lost in the South East! It was pretty muddy underfoot after the incessant rain of recent weeks. But we passed a number of interesting landmarks on this largely ru

We were a select group of eight staying in the very stylish and comfortable Stanley’s Rest bunkhouse in Upper Hulme near Leek. The bunk house was complete with a hot tub which we enjoyed on our first evening and after our Saturday walk. The weekend began with a pub meal at the “Winking Man” on Friday night. Ibexers love a hot tub ©Patricia White We had an excellent varied 17.5 km walk on Saturday led by Catriona. We set out from the bunk house heading up to Hencloud – the beg

This was a day made more entertaining by train line closures, bus diversions and near-zero temperatures. Nonetheless, it remained dry, if Arctic, and ten Ibexers and a prospective member managed to combine routes of variously 15, 10 and 6 miles from different points and still stay (most of the time) in step and finish in the same place. The Ring is a good way to explore London’s parks, Beckenham Place Park being probably the highlight of this stretch, with its impressive and