Category: Community Groups

The Lake at Cosmeston

Bright sunshine and Autumn colours greeted the strollers in October. The lake at Cosmeston was a wonderful sight as the swans and ducks made their way to the bread being distributed by generous visitors.

No hills this time as the walk went through the trees around the two lakes. New research suggests that just 10 minutes a day in the outdoors experiencing nature contributes to a more positive outlook and an improvement in a person’s well-being. We walked and talked for nearly 60 minutes and stocked up on positivity for a few days!

If you would like to join us and reap the benefits of a gentle stroll in lovely surroundings, meet us at Cosmeston information centre on the first Thursday of November at 10:30am.

The Sugar Loaf

Sugar Loaf (the hill north of Abergavenny)

Many people who climb Sugar Loaf park halfway up, not us, in order to have a decent walk we parked at Glangrwyney. The day was sunny and warm but not too hot, ideal walking weather.

Sugar Loaf was originally called Mynnydd Pen-y-fal – ‘mountain of the head/top of the peak/summit’. Pen-y-fal is still shown on maps to the northwest of Sugar Loaf. The name Sugar Loaf was applied because it has a resemblance to a sugarloaf. Until the late 19th century refined sugar was produced and sold in the form of a sugarloaf. A tall cone with a rounded top was the end-product of a process in which dark molasses rich raw sugar was refined into white sugar.

We set off in a northerly direction to Hall farm and then climbed through Cwm Gwenffrwd along a wide track. Harebells in the verge gave an unexpected splash of late summer colour. Sheep and hens grazed and pecked in a field full of thistles and a sheepdog barked at us.

Heading east the path skirts around a rise to take us towards Llanwenarth where the NT car park is situated. We passed Y Graig on the southern slopes of Sugar Loaf. Here in the 1990s a prehistoric site was discovered containing flint tools from the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Bronze ages.

Now the gradient increased as did our views of the countryside around us – always gorgeous in this part of the country. The top of Sugar Loaf came within sight and strangely on the ground at our feet we spotted beetles rolling dung many times their size. Just as you see the dung beetle of Africa doing but on a smaller scale.

Now we started to stretch into a longer line as some people kept up their pace and the rest of us stopped regularly to take in the view (nothing to do with needing a rest).

As we approached the final climb the path divided; it was apparent that the path to the right led to a craggy outcrop whereas a slight detour left gave an easier if slightly longer route. The first to the top stood near the path signalling directions to the rest of us.

At the top the breeze, that had kept us refreshed on the way up, suddenly became a wind which cut into us – cooling after our exertions. First impressions were of the number of families at the top; quite small children attempting to fly kites, while parents sat and looked at the 360o views of the plains to the east and the Black mountains and Brecon Beacons to the north and west. Others were enjoying picnics.

A couple of us sat down and started eating lunch immediately but most of us went to the trig point at 596 metres and then found a niche just under the summit, out of the wind to eat whilst enjoying the warmth of the sun. The Sugar Loaf is under National Trust ownership and is grazed by Welsh mountain sheep – two of these decided they would like to share our lunch but after a few minutes moved away.

We went back to the trig point for photos and to pick up our return path which was a fairly steep descent in a westerly direction.

The temperature rose as we dropped and we relished the warmth of the sun. At this lower altitude the countryside was lush and we saw trees heavy with fruit and fungi at the side of the path. We passed ‘The Old Vicarage’ which was indeed an old house; it had an upper storey with an interesting overhang at the entrance to the drive.

Soon we arrived at Llangenny where houses sit above the river Grwyne Fawr. We crossed the river and then followed it back towards Glangrwyney.

As we stepped over a stile onto a road we were impressed by the majesty of a huge sweet chestnut tree. There was enough room for all of us to stand in front of it and it had a limb which reached down to the ground – looking a little like an elephant’s trunk. Its leaves and fruit sparkled in the sunshine with the river glistening behind it.

As usual we went for refreshment to a local inn and sat in the garden under a crab apple tree laden with fruit. We were very pleasantly surprised when two plates of delicious chocolate brownies accompanied our drinks, a gift from the landlord. What a lovely gesture and much appreciated. This was a great end to an excellent walk (8.25miles with a 1900ft climb) on a beautiful late summer’s day.

Podiatrist Damian Murray

 

President Madeleine welcomed everyone to the meeting and extended a special thank you to Pam E for producing on our behalf, such a wonderful scarecrow for the Scarecrow Festival. Pam and her husband have both been really busy lately regarding WI issues. Terry has worked hard to give the Memorial Bench in the churchyard a new lease of life, re-staining it beautifully. We are very grateful to him for doing this.

Our speaker on this occasion was podiatrist Damian Murray. We all enjoyed his very informative talk on feet and footwear. It was intriguing to discover that we have 26 bones, 33 joints, 112 ligaments and 28 muscles in each foot. We were pleased to hear some good advice concerning the many ailments it is possible to have with our feet, including chilblains, which, contrary to popular belief, are not a thing of the past.

WI business commenced with names needed for the Harvest Supper at St Francis Church Hall on October 11th and the Christmas Miscellany at Wenvoe Castle Golf Club on November 22nd. This year Wenvoe WI is hosting the Link Carol Service, which is to be held at St Mary’s Church Wenvoe, on Thursday December 13th at 7pm, followed by light refreshments in the Church Hall.

Our Christmas meal will take place on Monday 10th December at 12.30 pm at the Wenvoe Arms. Menus will be available at our November meeting and payment then would be welcome and appreciated. The speaker for our November meeting is Sheena Crossley, who will be speaking about the Gardens of Wales. There is no charge for the event and visitors can always be assured of a warm welcome.

 

 

Travels Around the British Empire

 

It was a great pleasure to welcome David James to talk to us about his travels around the British Empire. It wasn’t actually a travelogue but more like a resume of his teaching career which took him to various parts of the world starting in the late sixties. His talk was interspersed with snippets of the history of the British empire and its influence on the colonies.

David was a history teacher and his wanderlust first began with three years of teaching in Somerset. Any anecdotes were told with a Somerset accent of which he was quite accomplished. From there he went to America where he taught in a small private school in Philadelphia. They were a warm hospitable people in what turned out to be a wealthy area alongside a ghetto where the crime rate was extremely high and murders occurred frequently. He was fortunate enough to travel extensively in America for holidays making lots of friends along the way.

One such holiday took him to Jamaica where he was offered. and accepted a teaching post. He stayed on the beautiful island for two years even though there was extreme poverty and most people lived in tin shacks. The food was mostly uninspiring, mainly rice and peas. but fortunately there was an abundance of lobster.

He returned to Wales after this and while job hunting succeeded in getting a post in Hong Kong. He assured his wife that it would only be for a short while but they ended up staying for twenty eight years! He found Hong Kong very interesting and again encountered extremes of wealth and poverty. Some parts were quite beautiful but it was very crowded and became flooded with Chinese criminals.

The education here was greatly influenced by the British. The standard in schools was very high and students were ruthlessly competitive. In 1992, forty children committed suicide because of pressure to succeed in school. The rich were super rich and the poor strived to get rich.

Whilst in Hong Kong he travelled to Fiji which was beautiful, Kashmir where he stayed on a houseboat and Calcutta which had the oldest golf club in the world. They were fortunate enough to go to Japan for a wedding and a holiday in Kenya.

Throughout his travels he observed the influence of the British which included better roads and railways which greatly improved the infrastructure. The spread of the English language allowed people to communicate in a common language. The trade system allowed people to come to Britain bringing their culture to us which has made Britain more diverse. Britain also took the idea of democracy to its colonies which helped them build their own as well as law and order, a system which has been maintained to this day.

David returned to Wales on retirement twelve years ago with amazing memories of his travels and we were delighted that he came to Tuesday group to share his experiences with us.

 

 

 

Lorna Pearson Entertained

 

We had a laughter filled afternoon on the 12th September when Lorna Pearson entertained us with her amusing poems and anecdotes, this was followed on the 19th with exercises with Annette.

On the 26th we held our annual Harvest Thanksgiving, with Mr Parry Edwards officiating in the absence of Rev Jon. Once again Margaret, our ‘Auctioneer Extrordinaire’ managed to sell all the donations of fruit and vegetables, with the money raised going to this years charity.

Anthea Guthrie, who is both a judge and exhibitor at the Chelsea Flower Show, was our speaker on the 3rd October. She showed us films of the winning gardens, displayed at this year’s show, with their own themes, one of which represented the sea with shimmering grasses and shiny metal fish.

 

 

The Essex Serpent

 

THE ESSEX SERPENT by Sarah Perry

This beautifully written historical fiction is set in 1893 in London and rural Essex. It was Waterstones Book of the Year 2016 and nominated for both The Women’s Prize and the Costa Book Award.

Cora is recently widowed from an unhappy and abusive marriage. Throughout her husband’s illness, she was supported by Doctor Luke Garrett, a pioneering surgeon and his wealthy friend, Doctor George Spencer, a physician.

Accompanied by her eleven year old autistic son Francis and their companion and friend Martha, Cora leaves London Society for a visit to Colchester. Whilst there she learns that after some 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to be roaming the marshes of the Blackwater Estuary once again and claiming human lives. As a keen amateur naturalist, she wonders if this could be some undiscovered species and decides to investigate. Her investigations lead her to Aldwinter, a fictional village situated on the Blackwater Estuary, where she is introduced to the Reverend William Ransome, the resident Vicar of Aldwinter, his frail wife Stella and their family.

This novel explores science vs faith and religion, social conscience, love and friendship and has received very positive public reviews. However the Page Turners were mostly of the opinion that there are many negatives which include the following:

There is too much going on but no depth to the various story-lines which are not memorable,

disjointed and at times, dreary and depressing. Even the titled story-line of the Essex Serpent fizzles out to nothing. Additionally, the majority of the characters, including Cora, are not very endearing.

On the positive side, the Page Turners concluded that the book is beautifully written and wonderfully descriptive. The author is clever and has done some very good background research, especially with regard to medical advancements during that era.

The scores ranged from 5 to 8 and produced a final average of 6.5.

 

 

​Symonds Yat

Symonds Yat

Another hot summer’s day found us parking in Whitchurch off the A40 near Symonds Yat. A short walk across the A40 by a road bridge and there was a footpath which brought us to a lane heading south. All too soon we found ourselves climbing which seemed a little odd as we were making our way to the River Wye in order to cross it via the ferry. Arriving at Ferry Inn we were disappointed to find that the ferry wasn’t working but our contingency plan was to walk along the western bank of the river.

Imagine our delight when after walking about ½ mile down river we found that the second ferry opposite the Saracen’s Head was about to leave the shore on the other side. This is a rope or hand ferry joining Symonds Yat East and West. Ferries like this were vital, in the past, linking the communities on both sides of the river. We paid our £1.20 a head and boarded; the river was so low after the extended dry spell that a box had been placed on the boat to ease stepping down to the ferry. The ferryman sang as he took us across in memory of ‘the singing ferryman’ who died in 2011.

On reaching the other side we went through the large car park at the foot of Symonds Yat Rock. Peregrine falcons can be seen at Yat Rock from early spring. Now we were following an excellent footpath and cycle way alongside the Wye with trees providing shelter from the summer’s heat.

The brooding presence of hillforts built by Iron Age tribes, commanding wide vistas high above the Wye, reinforces the feeling that this has been border country for millennia. Tourists discovered the beauty of the Wye in the 18th century when it became fashionable to take the Wye Tour and find inspiration in the picturesque viewpoints. After a while we came to the chain bridge. Six people at a time can cross. We waited patiently each side taking turns, the second half of our group found that 5 cyclists joined us when we were halfway across and the bridge started to bounce a little alarmingly – not good for those of us who have problems with heights.

Passing a campsite we met lots of families cycling and walking in the sunshine. Delicious blackberries at the edge of the site were quickly devoured. Even

though we had crossed the river, we were on the eastern side of the river again as there is a loop here. Now we were headed north.

After about a mile we turned right up a steep hill through woodland and just before reaching King Arthur’s Cave turned left out into the full heat of the midday sun and continued upwards to a hillfort. Lunch at the top of Little Doward hillfort gave us views to the southeast with the river far below us out of sight.

Towering 724ft above the River Wye, with steep cliffs on three sides the Little Doward provided the ideal site for an Iron Age hillfort. It was improved only by the construction of a single massive rampart around the enclosure. Recent archaeological exploration has found that people here lived in circular platform houses. They worked animal bones, making items like toggles and dice, which were found during a dig in 2009. The limestone bedrock has enabled the preservation of bone here.

We descended the hill, circling to reconnect with our original path and travelling northeast. Soon we were at King Arthur’s cave. Victorian and Edwardian naturalists were fascinated by the Doward Hills. This large limestone cave held a particular draw. Excavations reveal that people have used this cave for 20,000 years. Prehistoric animal bones – of hyena, rhinoceros, bison, lion, bear, reindeer, horse and giant deer – were discovered 11 feet below the caves present floor. Large openings allowed those of us who were interested to explore the caves without ducking, some had torches and further caves appeared as we continued. Did King Arthur really come here, we wondered.

Continuing downhill via steep lanes we were soon passing through Great Doward and found our way back across the road bridge to Whitchurch.

This was a lovely walk much of it easy – especially the ferry ride – 7½ miles and 1200ft climb. A small delicatessen supplied us with cups of tea and the bar of an Indian restaurant had beer so we were all happy.

 

 

September’s Walk

 

And the sun shone again on the living with cancer strollers on their September walk around Cosmeston. A new route included small inclines, woods, open fields, lakes and friendly canines, intent on joining us! The views were wonderful. We could even see Wenvoe from one vantage point.

As important as the walking, was the talking and the coffee in the cafe afterwards. It was lovely to see everyone chatting, joking and just having a good time.

Another new walker joined the group in September and was welcomed by everyone. We missed Tess who has been on every walk since its inauguration last year. She was doing some tough walks in the peak district, so should be able to run around Cosmeston on October's walk!

If you want to join a friendly group for a gentle stroll, we will be outside the information centre at Cosmeston on the first Thursday in October at 10am.

 

 

Fake Netflix emails.

 

WARNING FROM CRIMESTOPPERS

Please watch out for these fake Netflix emails.

We’ve seen an increase in reports about fake Netflix emails claiming that there’s an issue with your account, or that your account has been suspended. The email states that you need to “update” your account details in order to resolve the problem. The link in the emails leads to genuine-looking Netflix phishing websites designed to steal your username and password, as well as payment details.

Always question unsolicited requests for your personal or financial information in case it’s a scam. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email or text.

For more information on how to stay secure online, visit www.cyberaware.gov.uk

 

 

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