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“Tha canna miss the great skull outside, duck!” And indeed the eerie eyes of the enormous skull outside the Miners Arms swivel to follow us in. It’s Friday evening, and we have an excellent dinner here before returning to Eyam YHA. Miners Arms Halloween skull (and skeleton!) The following morning, whilst Natalia takes two other Ibexers on a gentle 8km/5mile circuit along the Derwent River, through Stoney Middleton and back to the “plague village” Eyam,https://www.eyamvillage.

Saturday – Tuesday Undeterred by a less than promising weather forecast, nine Ibexers assembled in Banavie near Fort William for a week’s Highland walking. On our first evening, the hot tub was, disappointingly, not quite hot enough for a soak but we consoled ourselves with venison burgers from the very lovely House of Bruar. As feared, Sunday dawned wet and windy and the hills had disappeared into the mist. Most of us set off along the nearby Caledonian Canal to the “pepperp

9 Ibexers gathered at Henley station under a cloudless sky for a 15 mile foray into the Chilterns, taking in our annual excursion to Fingest for tea and cakes. For the first half of the walk we followed paths across rolling grassland fringed by trees. Chilterns countryside photo We reached the 12th century Fingest Church in time for a late lunch, which involved scrumptious cakes and unlimited tea (served up by Jan) for a modest £5. Viv, Jim and Hazel joined us there for part

Twelve Ibexers, including two first weekenders, gathered on Friday evening at Bernard’s Acre, comfortable and thoughtfully modernised and equipped and in beautiful grounds on the northern edge of the moor near Okehampton. Bernard's Acre Saturday’s walk, led by Rod and Gusta, in perfect weather, dry and a slight breeze, not too sunny or hot, was a 12 mile loop of Yes Tor, West Mill Tor, Break at West Mill Tor High Willhays – the highest point on Dartmoor Summit group at High W

For the August Bank Holiday weekend, 16 of us headed to Glan Dŵr Mountain Lodge in Capel Curig, right in the heart of Eryri National Park (Snowdonia). The Lodge was perfectly placed, with a rushing river right outside and mountain walks from the door. Turn right for a swim in the lake by Plas y Brenin, turn left for the welcoming Tyn-y-Coed pub, or be tempted by Joe Brown’s next door and Ellis Brigham up the road. After all, you can never have too much walking kit, can you? S

8 Ibexers assembled at Guildford station for a 15 mile walk through the North Downs Way woodlands on an overcast but warm early autumn morning. A wedding was imminent in the Victorian church at the popular viewpoint of St Martha’s Hill so we didn't linger. Passing St Martha's Church We were soon at Newlands Corner, home to ancient yews (and a veteran biker hangout) for a coffee break. Ancient yews notice Back on the path and dodging sporadic cyclists, we wandered along cha

A group of Ibexers met at Maidenhead railway station shortly after 10:30 and headed eastwards to the Thames. After a short break at Boulters Lock a shady stretch of the Thames path was taken northwards to Cookham. Boulters Lock picnic area Boulters Lock Thames path north of Boulters Lock Leaving the river, an uphill route was taken through woods to Farm Wood where picnic tables provided an excellent shady place for lunch. A short walk thereafter led to the Royal Standard pub

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

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

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

#ibexwalkers Three ibexers, David, Susan and Phinella, recently joined a KE Adventure Travel trip to trek to Everest Base Camp via a couple of high passes (hence "the hard way"). Things didn't start too well. David and Susan arrived in Kathmandu a few days early but had almost continuous rain, Phinella's luggage got lost by the airline, and we had a 01:00 start to the trek due to a landslip which had closed the main road meaning a detour on back roads (which were unbelievabl