Heathrow Hikers - Outdoor Group for West London

From the Editor
Report - Thames Path Walk
Update - Heathrow Hikers' Bear
Report - Welsh 3000's Trip
Internet Humour - Crazy Frog - Love Him or Hate Him?
Report - Jack The Ripper Geocaching Event
Contact / Submit details

Welcome to issue 8 of Compass. May was another busy month, with weekends away in Snowdonia and The Lake District. The Lake District weekend happened too late to make this issue but it will appear in issue 9.

The month also saw day events a little closer to home, a short walk along The Thames and a Jack The Ripper geocaching event in Whitechapel. Many of our events in May were attended by members of Backabush Xplorers. Future months will see members of Heathrow Hikers attending Backabush events, starting with their trip at the end of June to The Lake District.

Since our last issue Heathrow Bear has enjoyed some great adventures which you can read about in this issue. Special thanks go to Martin & Freya for taking good care of him and for sending us a report of his adventures.

Here's hoping for a fun packed, sunny June! Enjoy the issue!

Around 20 members of Heathrow Hikers and Backabush Xplorers met on the North side of Hammersmith bridge on a fine, sunny day. After crossing to the South side of the river we followed the Thames path, heading towards Putney.

Before too long we arrived at The Wetlands Centre. Some decided they would walk on to Putney Bridge and visit one of the riverside pubs. The rest of us spent a couple of hours in The Wetlands Centre. With time moving on and many of us looking forward to a pub lunch, we continued our walk to Putney, passing the start point of the University Boat Race.

Once at Putney Bridge we decided to eat in one of the pubs in the High Street rather than one of the riverside establishments. After a good meal and a chat we crossed Putney Bridge and began the walk back to Hammersmith on the North side of The Thames Path. With this only being a short walk we soon found ourselves back at Hammersmith where some said their goodbyes. For others, a visit to one of Hammersmith's public houses seemed like the perfect way to end the afternoon.

Article submitted by Gary Box

At the end of the last issue our bear was spending time with Martlakes (Martin Wise). Martin and daughter Freya took good care of our bear and kept a diary of the journey they took to Scotland.

Heathrow Hikers Bear - Travels in South-West Scotland

We found Heathrow Hikers Bear in a cache at White Stone. Rather than just move him to another spot we asked if he fancied a holiday in Scotland for a few days. He was keen, so Freya brought him with us.

Monday 2nd May

We travelled up from Kendal today and had a good journey on a nice smooth road! Heathrow said it was hot and would have been quicker to have gone by sea. We are staying in a caravan at the very southern tip of Burrow Head, near Whithorn. We have a great view, south, across the sea towards the Isle of Man.

Tuesday 3rd May

Heathrow met an otter on a rock which was a memorial to Gavin Maxwell, locally born author.

Freya, Otter and Heathrow - Photo by Martin Wise

Then went to a motte which previously had a small 'castle' on top. It is a steep sided mound and had a thick rope to help get up and down. He hung on tightly.

Then it was time for lunch in Scotland 's National Book Town , Wigtown. Heathrow had a jacket potatoe with cheese and beans, followed by a scrumptious, big, hot, maple syrup pancake and ice cream!

We visited several of the book shops including the largest second hand store in Scotland . After a couple of purchases we headed down to the harbour and walked to a small hide to check out the local bird life. Lapwings and herons in number.

A short way up the coast was a monument to two women who were tied to a stake and left to drown for being Covenanters (denying the authority of the king in church matters). One woman was 63 and the other 18. Several men were hanged nearby.

Wednesday 4th May

After a wet night the weather has cleared and the sun is out. The IoM is looking close. We're off to the Mull of Galloway today. Heathrow had a scone, jam, butter and cream at the grass roofed café at the Mull of Galloway lighthouse. He does seem to like cafes! Then we went on a nice circular walk around the headland and saw our first Linnet.

Mull of Galloway Lighthouse - Photo by Martin Wise

We then visited a beach at Drummore where Heathrow built a sandcastle and tower and went sunbathing. (Although the wind was cold!)

On the way home we dropped Dad at the Maxwell memorial so he could walk back to the caravan site. He followed the coast all the way, past a lot of washed up plastic debris, plus some deer, lots of rabbits and birds. Heathrow went with him and enjoyed the hike. 11km and included St Ninian's Cave.

Thursday 5th May

Despite a forecast of 'clearing' it rained until the evening, with a strong north wind. So we didn't cycle to Whithorn but used the car. Went to Whithorn Priory and discovered all about the history of the area in the visitor centre. Another great café as well! Then we headed down to the coast at Isle of Whithorn and explored the headland as the clouds had finally broken.

Freya & Heathrow at Whithorn - Photo by Martin Wise

Friday 6th May

Well, the Government has been re-elected. Heathrow thought Mr. Kennedy looked a bit bearish so would probably have voted for him if bears could vote.

Packed up and left the caravan - it was an ok place for a few days.

Instead of rushing home we took the 'high' road through the forest and visited a couple of caches. One was at Bruce's Stone, but Heathrow didn't understand what an Australian was doing in Scotland.

Then we called into Caerlaverock Castle on the Solway. It's a triangular castle and a great place. By the time we got there it was lunch so we made use of the café (again) which was very nice. The people at the castle were very friendly and helpful.

Heathrow helped with two quiz sheets, one about the castle and the other one a nature trail around the grounds.

They also have a trebuchet but Heathrow was concerned he might get caught up with it. He didn't fancy being flung at the castle walls!

The owners of the castle changed sides at various times in history from Protestant to Catholic, fighting for the English or for the Scots or vice versa. At times it was a peaceful home and at others a place of siege and mayhem. The remains show this history very well. Heathrow enjoyed scaling the towers but didn't want to swim the moat!

We then headed 'round the corner' back to Kendal after a busy day.

Heathrow has enjoyed his holiday in Scotland , some walks and exploring, some history and culture, a beach or two and plenty of refreshments! We shall be sorry to see him continue his travels without us. We'll find a nice cache in a day or two, perhaps near a good café!

Cheers

Martlakes & Freya

Heathrow finally said goodbye to Martin & Freya when he was placed in a cache at Yewdale Beck in the Lake District on 10th May.

Freya saying goodbye to Heathrow - Photo by Martin Wise

He had to wait for a fortnight before bgadventurers found him on the 24th May. Currently his new keeper is taking him around the Lakes before deciding where to place him next. More news from Heathrow Bear next month!

Article submitted by Gary Box (diary by Martin & Freya)

Friday 13th I awoke with a tight feeling in my throat and a few flu like aches. It was certainly not the weekend to fall ill and I was pleased I had booked the day as holiday, so I could drive up to Snowdonia in a relaxed mood. Members of both Heathrow Hikers and Backabush Xplorers had booked for this trip, Geoff coming with me, and the two Andrews coming later in the day. Once checked in at Idwal Cottage hostel Geoff and I decided to head to Bangor for a meal and to meet Devin who was due to arrive by train at 9:45pm. Back at the hostel by 11:00pm everyone had arrived and introductions over, we went to bed not long after.

Alarms went off early on Saturday but despite the early start there was still a lot of commotion in the kitchen with all the guests up fighting to make breakfast. Once packed lunches were made we set off. The weather was fantastic, meaning it was likely to be busy on the mountains. Sure enough we arrived at Pen-y-Pass car park to discover it was already full! Once we had found a space in a layby down the valley we began the walk uphill to the start.

Our route up Snowdon was to be via the Miner's Track. Having started later than planned Geoff, Devin and 'Aussie' Andrew cracked on ahead reaching the summit in good time. Andrew CC and I were a little behind, sometimes stopping briefly to take a photo.

View of Snowdon from Miners Path - Photo by Andrew Campbell-Curtis

At the summit we all met again briefly in the café before making the short walk to the summit of Garnedd Ugain. With this second summit out of the way we had to negotiate the ridge of Crib Goch in order to reach its summit. I took far longer to cross this ridge than on my previous visit and it was clear we were behind schedule. We all met again back at the car park and began the walk towards Nant Peris. Glancing at our watches we realised that it was not going to be possible to complete the remaining five mountains in the daylight we had left. It was agreed we would call it a day and instead enjoy the fine weather.

We found ourselves in Llanberis a short while later and it seemed like a good idea to buy some cold beer and drink it in the warm sunshine.

Devin enjoying a beer - Photo by Gary Box

With thoughts turning to food we decided Llanberis was as good a place as any to eat and before too long we were seated in Pete's Eats, a brightly coloured building that is well known amongst outdoor enthusiasts.

Back at the hostel we agreed that we would get up even earlier on Sunday, attempt the Glyder section of the route, and come back another time to complete the Carneddau range. We were all in bed at a decent time.

Sunday was another warm day with amazing views. Starting at Nant Peris we began the slog up to Elidir Fawr with Geoff, Devin and 'Aussie' Andrew making the quickest progress. Having reached the summit we stopped to enjoy the views, took a photo and then pressed on to Y Garn. With this second summit under our belt it was time to move on quickly to Glyder Fawr. I was enjoying this second day much more than the first, probably because these mountains were ones I'd not climbed before. Our party were sporting either sunglasses or T-shirts, all of us delighted to get such weather for a second day. With Glyder Fawr safely completed it was just a short walk to the fourth summit, namely Glyder Fach. Once the summit was reached some of us could not resist the photo opportunity that is the 'cantilever'.

Gary on summit of Glyder Fach - Photo by Andrew Campbell-Curtis

Geoff & Andrew on summit of Glyder Fach - Photo by Gary Box

Andrew CC on Cantilever - Photo by Gary Box

The walk down from Glyder Fach heading to Tryfan was steep and with tired legs I slipped once or twice. The day seemed to be racing by and we still faced a long drive home. For this reason it was decided that most of us would abandon Tryfan and get back to the hostel. Since Devin was already half way up Tryfan, Geoff decided to go after him and they would both meet us at the roadside when they descended. Taking an easy route down avoiding Tryfan, we found ourselves back at the hostel car park in good time.

Andrew Boorman (Aussie Andrew) & Andrew CC - Photo by Gary Box

Andrew then gave me a lift to collect my car and we said our goodbyes. The timing was perfect as I drove back to the hostel just as Geoff and Devin were coming down from Tryfan. All of us were somewhat dehydrated and we made frequent stops for fluids in the first hour of the drive home. Thankfully traffic was light and we made it back to London in good time. We all agreed we would be back soon to finish the remainder of the 3000's. It's a tough challenge and I have no idea how the runner Colin Donnelly completed it in 4 hours and 19 minutes!

Article submitted by Gary Box

Now for some of you looking at the above image, you will be thinking, 'About time, I hate that frog!' Personally I loved the frog when it first came out. Whoever is responsible for creating him is a genius. I loved him doing the motorbike impressions but I'm not sure I like the record he has released. And to think he started as a ringtone! What does that say about our obsession with mobile phones, pretty sad really!

At a little after 11am members of both Heathrow Hikers and Backabush Xplorers met on a fine sunny day at Whitechapel underground station. Some arrived a little hung over after some serious partying the night before. The task for the day was to visit the sites where Jack The Ripper had murdered his victims, collecting clues along the way to enable us to find the final microcache.

From the underground station we headed to Durward Street, which in Jack's time was known as Bucks Row. It was here on 31st August 1888 that Mary Ann Nichols became Jack's first victim. This and all the other murders were extremely brutal. I won't go into gory details, those of you interested can find out more I'm sure. For the purposes of our game we had to discover a red door and make note of how many red panels it contained.

Our next location was Henriques Street, formerly known as Berner Street. Where there now lies a school was once Dutfield's Yard. It was here that Jack's third victim, Elizabeth Stride was slain on 30th September 1888. This was the first of two murders that night. It is believed that Jack was disturbed during this murder and commited a second to satisfy his blood lust. Today we were looking for the year that appears on the foundation stone of the building opposite the school.

Moving on to our third location we found ourselves at Gunthorpe Street, once known as George's Yard. It was here on August 7th 1888 that Martha Tabram was murdered. At the time she was considered to be one of Jack's victims but experts today mostly discount this. For our game we were looking for the name of the red brick building. Having found it we promptly made our way on to Mitre Square.

Mitre Square was where Catherine Eddowes was murdered, the fourth of Jack's victims and the second on the night of 30th September 1888. As we arrived at the location of one London's official 'Jack The Ripper' tours was just leaving. Our clue to be solved was, 'A priory was established in this square in which year?'

Making good progress we headed for an area that was once known as Dorset Street. It was here that Mary Jane Kelly became Jack's fifth and last victim, the only one to be murdered indoors. Today Dorset Street does not exist and we were looking for a street some maps call Duval Street but which connects Commercial Street and Crispin Street. We had to count the number of green warehouse doors before moving on to the last murder site, Hanbury Street.

It was in the yard of 29 Hanbury Street on the 8th September 1888, that Annie Chapman became the second of Jack's victims. A brewery now occupies the spot where the body was found and we had to identify the company that built the brewery and also the street in which it is situated.

Happy we had all the answers to the clues we decided to stop for a curry in Brick Lane. Whilst waiting for our meals, we used the answers to the questions we had solved to arrive at the final co-ordinates of the microcache. With everyone's appetites sated we made the short walk to the final location where just a few moments later 'Kiwi' Andrew found the cache. Having logged our visit, we headed back to the station, said our goodbyes and went our seperate ways.

The group finds the microcache - Photo by Gary Box

Article submitted by Gary Box

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.