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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

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

#ibexwalkers On 12 December 2025 19 Ibexers gathered at the picturesque North Wales town of Llangollen for festive cheer and a spot of walking. Our base was the central and comfy Llangollen Hostel. All participants had supper at the Corn Mill pub overlooking the River Dee which offered a range of seasonal specialities and well-presented pub fare. Saturday dawned clear and dry and as usual a range of walks was offered. David (Wa) led Heather and Mags up onto the rather windy

#ibexwalkers There were 13 brave Ibexers on the Much Wenlock weekend who had driven through Friday’s torrential downpour to reach Shropshire. But it was worth it. After a muddy walk down to The George in Much Wenlock from our bunkhouse a mile away, we were met with wonderful hospitality and excellent food. Thus fortified we made another soggy walk back uphill to the bunkhouse for wine and chats into the night. Saturday we split into two groups. It was a moist and misty day.

#ibexwalkers In October 11 set off for the homely and characterful Beili Neuadd bunkhouse in Rhayader, mid Wales where we welcomed Lucy, Jo and Liz on their very first Ibex weekend. On Friday night most of us ate together at the Crown Inn in Rhayader. Clive put us to shame by lighting his torch and walking back to the bunkhouse while the rest of us jumped in cars and only just beat him back. On Saturday Jim led a wonderful 17 km circular walk from Pont ar Elan. Jim was intri

#ibexwalkers #dewdropinn A select five Ibex members (and mainly a Maidenhead contingent) did the 13.5 mile walk from Maidenhead to Henley...

#ibexwalkers 10 Ibexers set off on the last Tuesday in August to walk the Berwickshire Coastal Path over three days. This followed...

#ibexwalkers Fifteen Ibexers gathered for a buffet supper at Mounthooly Bunkhouse in the College Valley, Northumberland, about as far...

Nine Ibexers convened at The Prince Albert, some of which arrived early to try out the delicious meals served by the pub. The day had...