From the Editor
Report - Forest of Dean
Latest News - Our First Mention in the Press
Report - Folkestone to Deal walk
Review - Smartwool Socks
Report - Norfolk (Windmills & Walks)
Internet Humour
Looking Ahead
Contact / Submit details

As this trip was arranged late in the day, it transpired that our chosen hostel, St. Briavel's was fully booked. A moated Norman castle, I had been looking forward to staying here but the B&B booked as a replacement proved to be an excellent substitute. Hayden - Lea is run by Mr & Mrs Murray in Newnham on Severn. For the reasonable sum of £20.00 per person we had a twin room, our own bathroom and even our own lounge! Also included in this price is a full breakfast and some great views of the forest from the back of the house.

Once checked in we headed for Beechenhurst Lodge, the starting point for the sculpture trail walk. The walk is well marked and passes various sculptures, some more interesting than others. I have been accused of being a philistine where art is concerned and regularly scoff when I see the shortlist for the Turner prize. However, opinions being what they are I would have to say my favourites were the Giant's chair, Cathedral (though it requires bright sunlight to look it's best) and Melissa's swing. Once the walk was finished we returned to the B&B for a change of clothes before heading out for an evening meal.

Mrs. Murray recommended we try the Railway Inn or Victoria Hotel for our evening meal, both close to the centre of Newnham on Severn. Unfortunately the Railway Inn was fully booked but the bar menu at the Victoria Hotel was both varied and excellent value. The food was delicious and the portions large, so much so that I decided I would not order a sweet (a rare occurance).

After a restful sleep and hearty breakfast it was time to say goodbye to our hosts and head to the cycle hire shop, Pedalabikeaway. The Forest of Dean has cycle routes suited for all abilities but we had decided on a lazy day and stuck with the Family Cycling Trail with a small diversion to see Mallards Pike lake.

The Frog & The Mermaid - Mallards Pike Lake - Photo by Gary Box

The cycle ride over it was time to head home. We decided on a different route home for scenic reasons, following the river through some lovely towns passing Tintern Abbey on the way.

Article submitted by Gary Box
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The hardest part of starting a new group has got to be getting the word out that you exist. If you know somewhere we can put up one of our posters please let me know. I also urge all members to think of someone they know who has an interest in the outdoors who might like to join us. In the early stages the press can help get you noticed by a large audience and I'm delighted to say that Heathrow Skyport have featured us in their October 22nd issue which has already resulted in a few phonecalls.

Article in Heathrow Skyport - October 22nd 2004

If you have ideas on how we can get the group noticed or better still want to be our first Publicity Officer then please let me know - don't be shy!

Article submitted by Gary Box

This trip was organised for a good friend of mine who was to return to China the following day after her studies in the UK came to an end. On 16th October at 07:23 we boarded the train at Charing Cross bound for Folkestone. Once the train had arrived at 09:30 we walked to the cliffs and began heading towards Dover.

The weather was kind to us, just the strong breeze you expect on coastal walks which helped us all feel more awake after the early start. The pace was relaxed, partly because we wanted to chat but also because some of our number were not regular walkers. Lunch was a mixture of seafood including lobsters, oysters, prawns, mussels and sea snails.

The famous White Cliffs of Dover - Photo by Zhang

Once we had arrived in Dover we decided to visit Dover castle. It's an interesting place to visit and it's easy to lose track of time. We finally left at 17:00 by which time the light had started to fade. It was time to head north to Deal for the final section, much of which was completed by torchlight. Finally at 20:00 we had arrived at Deal station ready to catch the train back to London.

Dover Castle - Photo by Zhang

Article submitted by Zhang

I knew Norfolk was the flattest county in England, but driving up on this particular Saturday I began to wonder if it was also the wettest. The rain did not let up all day meaning many of the planned activities had to be cancelled, but we did manage a short walk.

Luckily Sunday turned out to be a total contrast to the previous day with clear skies. In order to make use of this good piece of fortune and in an attempt to cram as many sights in as possible we started early and used the car, making our way to the coastal town of Sheringham. As well as a modern British Rail station, the town also has the North Norfolk Railway, a short track running from Sheringham to Holt. The line is used by old diesel trains and even older steam trains. This particular weekend the place was teeming with children because 'Thomas the Tank Engine' was making an appearance! Prefering to take a few photographs of the old steam trains I had to make my way past hoards of face painted little angels, the odd children's entertainer and a bouncy castle in order to get the photograph below.

North Norfolk Railway - Sheringham Station - Photo by Gary Box

The next point of call was to be Stow Windmill in Paston, further east along the coast. Looking out towards the sea I could not help but notice the large number of caravan parks that seem to populate the area. Once ready to leave Paston we drove to the windmill at Great Bircham, passing through small villages on the way like Wood Norton.

Pumpkins & Papers - Near Wood Norton - Photo by Gary Box

Great Bircham behind us we continued south through the Royal Sandringham estate before arriving at the final location of the day, the windmill in Denver. The late afternoon autumn light was a treat, the rain of the previous day now totally forgotton. The visit over, it was time to leave the county of Norfolk and head back to London. More images from this weekend can be found within Gallery 1 of the website.

Article submitted by Gary Box

Sayings We'd Like To See On Those Office Inspiration Posters

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings, they did it by killing all those who opposed them.

If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos... then you probably haven't completely understood the seriousness of the situation.

Doing a job RIGHT the first time gets the job done. Doing the job WRONG fourteen times gives you job security.

Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity

A person who smiles in the face of adversity... probably has a scapegoat.

Plagiarism saves time.

If at first you don't succeed, try management.

Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.

TEAMWORK... means never having to take all the blame yourself.

The beatings will continue until morale improves.

Never underestimate the power of very stupid people in large groups.

We waste time, so you don't have to.

Hang in there, retirement is only thirty years away!

Go the extra mile. It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.

A snooze button is a poor substitute for no alarm clock at all.

When the going gets tough, the tough take a coffee break.

INDECISION is the key to FLEXIBILITY.

Succeed in spite of management.

Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment.

If you have any articles or images you wish to contribute to the next issue of Compass please get in touch with Gary.

Please try and submit articles as early as possible but not later than the 3rd week of the month if you wish it to appear in the subsequent issue.

Thanks.