Heathrow Hikers - Outdoor Group for West London

From the Editor
Report - Chinese New Year Celebrations
Brief Report - Zhang's Trip to China
Update - Geocaching (Heathrow Hikers' Bear)
Report - London Outdoor Adventure Show
Internet Humour - Dublin Bus Advert
Report - New Members Walk - The Chilterns
Report - Pembrokeshire weekend
Looking Ahead
Contact / Submit details

Welcome to issue 5 of Compass! February was another busy month both in terms of events and behind the scenes activity. I'd like to start by thanking all those who turned up to the New Members Evening. Luckily I was not the only current member there to greet the new people, so special thanks to Alan, Andrew and Glyn for coming along and helping out. I'd also like to welcome the new faces (Alan, Rickyy, Peter, Vicky, Paul and Sarah) and thank them for filling out the forms on the night. Others who were unable to make the evening but have either met us since the last issue or got in touch include Davinder, Amy, Lesley, Mo, Amy & Tris. With the momentum the group is beginning to gain I'm confident we will see our number grow steadily throughout the year.

So where did we go in February? Like most months there was a mixture of day events and longer weekends away. We visited central London to soak up the sights, sounds and smells of a Chinese New Year. We also visited The London Outdoor Adventure Show, went for a Sunday walk in the Chilterns and even enjoyed a great weekend in Pembrokeshire.

Some of you might have noticed that Zhang wasn't around much in February. For most of the month he was visiting family in China. Whilst there he managed to add another Chinese mountain when he took a trip with members of the Lyve Outdoor Group. Some of his photographs from the trip appear in this issue and more images from the trip appear in Photographs section.

Anyway enjoy the issue!

The day had arrived for London's Chinese community to bring their own special blend of colour, sounds and smells to our capital city to celebrate their New Year, the year of the Rooster. I'm a Rooster myself and I'm told that this could be a lucky year for me, I'm keeping my fingers crossed. It certainly feels lucky with all the recent interest in Heathrow Hikers from new members.

The celebrations began on Charing Cross Road with the junction of Cambridge Circus, the streets packed with spectators.

The parade contained hundreds of performers, from dragons, acrobats, and people on stilts. The twelve animal signs that make up the Chinese horoscopes even made an appearance on the front of bicycles, with their riders throwing sweets to the crowds, followed by children dressed as Pandas.

Once the parade had passed, the spectators made their way to Trafalgar Square where there were speeches in Chinese and English. Amongst those speaking were Mr. C.T. Tang (president of the London Chinatown Chinese Association), Mr. Ken Livingstone (mayor of London) and the Chinese Ambassador Mr. Zha Peixin.

The speeches were followed by more performances from young and old alike. The Beijing Opera performed and there was even a demonstration of the traditional Chinese game of kicking the shuttlecock. For the active among us there was a chance to have a go at a climbing wall that had been set up in the Square by The Royal Engineers.

Climbing Wall in Trafalgar Square

At 2pm the first of 2 firework displays began in Leicester Square. Fireworks are important to the Chinese and are used at New Year to ward off evil spirits. The Metropolitan Police (one of the sponsors of the event) had a marquee in the Square and some of its officers, some of whom were Chinese, were handing out carrier bags and balloons.

From Leicester Square in was time to head for Chinatown and Gerrard Street for a dim sum meal. While we were there we witnessed a spectacle of a dragon visiting the door of many restaurants to take offerings of food wrapped in what appeared to be bamboo leaves. We took our time eating, particularly as our table on the first floor gave us a great view of the activities below. Finally though it was time to leave Chinatown and head home. It had been a great experience, one we hope to do again next year.

Chinatown

Article submitted by Gary Box
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My main reason for visiting my home city Beijing, was to visit my mother. I also took the opportunity to do some shopping and to meet with some Chinese outdoor enthusiasts. Recently our group has made contact with the Lvye Outdoor Group and during my trip I got to meet with some of their members, including Mr. Hai Guang, Chairman of Lvye.

Their members kindly let me join them for a great 16 mile walk to the summit of Beijing's highest mountain, Ling Shan, which stands at a height of 2303 metres.

Myself and members of Lvye - Photo supplied by Zhang

The trip included spending a night on the mountain and I awoke the second day to discover deep snow and temperatures of -14°C.

Zhang in the snow - Photo supplied by Zhang

Finally we made the summit and everyone posed for the obligatory group photo.

Summit of Ling Shan - Photo supplied by Zhang

Lvye Outdoor Group on summit - Photo supplied by Zhang

During my whole stay in China, Lvye Outdoor Group showed me great hospitality, for which I thank them. I was also made welcome by The Beijing Mountaineering Association and was fortunate enough to meet their Chairman, Mr Wang Bin. We all enjoyed a good meal and party during my visit and I hope to meet them all again one day soon.

I also managed to see some of the tourist sights in Beijing, although I do not feel like a tourist since it is my home city. You might also like to look at the Photographs section for other images from my vacation.

Beijing Lion - Photo by Zhang

If China is a country other members of Heathrow Hikers would like to visit, let me know, maybe a group of us can visit next time. Having so many Chinese friends who also enjoy the outdoors would certainly make the journey more enjoyable for us all.

Article submitted by Zhang

Having been placed in our Cranford Park cache on 30th January, our bear waited just 3 days before being liberated by Augustus Windsock who promptly moved him the 88 miles to Kempsey Common in Worcester.

He was to remain in his new location until the 20th February when the T-girls took pity on him and brought him into the warm where he is currently enjoying the views of the Malvern Hills.

Heathrow Hikers' Bear enjoying the Malvern Hills - Photo by the T-girls

Check back again in future issues of Compass for updates of our bear's progress.

Article submitted by Gary Box

Andrew, Alan and myself visited this popular annual show, held at Olympia this year, a larger venue than the one used last year. I was somewhat disappointed as I was expecting to see as many stalls as we had seen the month before at the Adventure Travel & Sports Show. There did not seem to be much in the way of outdoor clothing for sale, and what there was did not seem to be cheaper than on the high street.

Andrew decided to have a go at the climbing wall. He had planned to visit Scotland to do some ice climbing but the lack of snow had dashed his hopes and this indoor wall probably seemed like a poor substitute. Alan and myself purchased a couple of back issues of magazines that featured articles on Kilimanjaro and Norway, trips we will undertake later in 2005.

All three of us ended our short visit to the show by watching a talk given by Cicerone Press about short adventure breaks in the Alps. The talk certainly whetted our appetites and do not be surprised if a trip to the Alps shows up on the programme sometime in 2006 or 2007.

Article submitted by Gary Box

The morning of the 20th February found me at Sunbury station, waiting to meet Amy & Tris who had e-mailed me about a week previously expressing an interest in the group. I instantly felt at home chatting to them both, so much so that I missed the correct junction of the M40. Finally we arrived in Wendover, where we met up with Peter and within 5 minutes we had boots on and began the walk. Before long we arrived at Aston Hill and then continued to the highest point in the Chilterns near Wendover Woods.

I knew there was a Geocache within the woods and having explained the game to everyone, I asked if they wanted to take a quick detour and look for the cache. Somewhat intrigued by what might be involved they agreed and we set off following the arrow on the GPS. The clue to the first part of the hunt was very accurate and in no time we had found the cup containing the key and further instructions to the final location. Having plugged in the co-ordinates of the final location, the GPS revealed that we had 1/4 mile to walk. The signal darted around a little under the tree cover but within no time we had found the metal box which we promptly opened using the key we had found in part 1 of the hunt. Having logged our visit in the logbook we carefully covered the cache before returning the key back to its original location.

Back to our walk and by now we realised that it was unlikely we would be reaching the pubs in Cholesbury in time for lunch. We stuck to the route until we came to a major junction where Cholesbury was marked as being only 2 miles away. This seemed no distance at all so I decided to abandon the official route and follow the road to Cholesbury. It became clear before too long that the road was not leading us to our planned destination, either we had missed a turning or the sign back at the junction had been pointing in the wrong direction.

Taking a quick reading from the GPS I decided to cross a stile into a field and head back to Aston Hill a different way. Back at Aston Hill, we read the trig point about the connection with Aston Martin cars. We also noticed the many mountain bikers who congregate at this location most Sundays.

From here it was a short walk down to Wendover. Two pubs later it became clear that nobody was serving food at 4pm on a Sunday afternoon, and so we decided to call it a day and head home.

Article submitted by Gary Box

Despite the snow we had received during the week, the drive to Pembrokeshire on Friday night proved to be traffic and trouble free, with us arriving at around 11pm. Once the car was unloaded the first thing we did was find the kitchen to prepare something quick to eat which was washed down by hot chocolate. Our accommodation was a 3 bedroom cedarwood cabin that sleeps 6, one of 40+ that is available at Timber Hill in Broad Haven.

The following morning was quite relaxed, taking our time to eat a large hearty breakfast, preparing packed lunches and having showers. Finally we were ready and we started the short drive to Marloes where Saturday's walk was to begin.

From the village of Marloes we headed south towards Red Cliff, passing Little Marloes Farm. There was little chance of getting lost, you could smell the farm even before you could see it! Once at the cliff edge your eyes were drawn westward to the beautiful sandy beach of Marloes Sands, largely deserted, except for a few people walking their dogs.

Marloes Sands - Photo by Gary Box

The walking was easy thanks to the well maintained Pembrokeshire Coastal Path. Every now and then you would pass someone walking the path in the opposite direction but it seemed that we had this part of Wales largely to ourselves. Sheltered Marloes Sands finally came to an end with views out to Gateholm Island. We continued North West towards Deer Park before following the land East towards Martin's Haven, from where boats sail to Skomar. This section of the route was not so sheltered and it was time to add a layer of clothing. The path continued to Musselwick Sands at which point we headed inland for the short walk back to our start time.

Having completed the walk in less time than expected we decided to make use of the remaining daylight by driving North to Britain's smallest city, St. Davids. Classified as a city because of its cathedral, St. Davids is in reality more like a village. Indeed, the cathedral dominates the place completely. As well as the cathedral the grounds also contain the ruins of Bishop's Palace and both are well worth a visit if you are in the area. St. David or Dewi Sant as he is known in the Welsh language, lived in the 6th century as was largely responsible for spreading Christianity amongst the Pagan Celtic tribes of Wales. St. David is patron saint of Wales, St. David's day being celebrated on March 1st.

St. David's Cathedral - Photo by Gary Box

With the light beginning to fade, we made a quick dash to the standing stones of Pentre Ifan. Dating from about 3500BC, Pentre Ifan (which means Ivan's village in Welsh) is a burial chamber and the most popular megalithic site in Wales.

Pentre Ifan stones - Photo by Gary Box

Finally it was time to head back to Broad Haven, stopping for supplies in Haverfordwest first. Back at the lodge, the evening meal was cooked and the rest of the evening was spent relaxing in front of the T.V.

Sunday morning we awoke, ate, showered and packed our bags before heading South towards Stack Rocks to see a popular sight, namely The Green Bridge of Wales. A photograph does not do this 80ft arch justice. On a cold windy day with the waves crashing below this place can seem very powerful. Standing close to the cliff edge I can honestly say looking below at the rocks made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.

The Green Bridge of Wales - Photo by Gary Box

We walked along the coast heading towards Stackpole Head, a location that is very popular with rock climbers. Once I have become more experienced at climbing and the weather warms up I intend to return to this part of Wales to enjoy the climbing it has to offer.

The weather was significantly colder on the Sunday, and by the end of the walk we were pleased to be back in the warmth of a car. It was time to head home, we had decided to try and make it past Cardiff before the crowds left the Millennium Stadium, where mighty Chelsea were in the process of winning the Carling Cup.

Article submitted by Gary Box

Looking for something to do over Easter? If so why not come along to the Peak District for 3 nights in Eyam hostel. Many activities are planned. To book a space speak to Gary.

Fancy staying in a Castle? If so and you like the idea of kayaking, assault courses or gentle walks then come along to our weekend in The Forest Of Dean. Staying in St. Briavel's hostel this promises to be an action packed weekend. See Gary for details.

If you have any articles or images you wish to contribute to the next issue of Compass please email them to 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.