2019
Ryedale Walking group continues to thrive and 2019 was an excellent year. We had 2 walking holidays, the first in March at Seatoller in the Lake District, which was once again organised by Dianne Hardwick. Twenty two members attended and we had 2 walks each day led by our own group members. Thankfully we were blessed with dry weather albeit a little cloudy. . .
The second holiday was in Kitzbuhel, Austria organised by Phil Catterall. Eleven members went and everyone thoroughly enjoyed the holiday with excellent walking and plenty of choice.
Our membership in 2019 was 93. We enjoyed our annual BBQ and Christmas Lunch.
During the year 82 walks were in the programme and 26 of those were easy / easy+ walks’.
We also had 6 pub lunch walks and one pie night, all of which were both well attended and very much enjoyed.
Many Walking Diners evenings were organised by Dianne Hardwick and taken over by Debbie Moore and Jean Taylor when Dianne moved away.
New 2019 committee was:
Chairwoman -Dianne Hardwick
Secretary -Geoff Bogg
Treasurer – Judy Catterall
Walks Coordinator -Eric Wesson
Membership Secretary – Phil Catterall
Webmaster - Ian Firth
Events Coordinator - Karen Wesson
Publicity Officer - Anne Barlow
Although Dianne Hardwick has moved away to pastures new she remains a member of the group and joins us on an occasional walk and holidays.
2018
018 was another successful year for Ryedale Walking Group. As well as walks every weekend, and occasional mid-week and evening walks, we held a popular ViewRanger training session and also organised two walking breaks for members
The first break was in April at Elan Valley Lodge in Wales. 17 members enjoyed a variety of walks in typically Welsh weather!
The second break was timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the completion of Alfred Wainwright's Pennine Journey.
Members walked a section of the journey between Middleton-in-Teesdale and High Force and beyond, along with a number of other walks
Our annual barbecue was again held at the Sun Inn in Pickering, and our Christmas meal was once again held at Kirkbymoorside Golf Club.
2017
In 2017 Ryedale Walking Group (Ramblers Affiliated) continued with an exceptional walking programme of 62 walks coordinated once again, by Eric Wesson.
Our Chairman for the year was Steve Harness. Two walking holidays were also organised,
- in Borrowdale, Lake District led by Dianne Hardwick,
- in Snowdonia in May led by Nick Langmead
The series of successful Walking Diners evening events continued with members eating out at seven different venues. One diners’ event was combined with a Treasure Hunt.
At the AGM Phil Catterall and Colin Humphrey were thanked for their long service to the committee and were presented with awards after standing down from committee work.
2016
Our group celebrated its 10th anniversary in September and we continue to walk at least once each weekend and occasionally during the week. Membership has held up well and at the October AGM we had over 100 members of which a significant number are also Ramblers members.
The subscription remains at £7 per year. Shorter walks of less than eight miles are most popular, with some leaders also offering whole day walks of up to twelve miles in length with occasional car sharing walks further afield in the Yorkshire Dales, Pennines and Lake District
Weather as ever always plays a part, with many deciding on the day whether or not to come out and put one foot in front of the other!
Ten members enjoyed a self led walking holiday in Cesky Raj, Czech Republic in September, and in October thirteen of us spent a long weekend based in Bakewell, including some of us climbing Kinder Scout. The more strenuous single day walks were High Cup Nick, Blencathra and High Street in the Lake District. The harder walks are not so popular but there are around ten members who relish them.
In May several of us took part in the Lake District walking week in Patterdale organised by Pocklington Ramblers. We had a great time and found all walkers on the holiday to be very welcoming.
Our summer barbeque and walk was again based at the excellent Sun Inn in Pickering. We started walking the Yorkshire Castles Way in 2015 in York and finished the distance at Scarborough Castle in July 2016
2015
2015 was a very good year for the club. Once again we had over 100 members pay a subscription and we had a stable committee.
In October Dianne Hardwick and Pat Davis stood down and NIgel Pearce, Fred Goodwin and Karen Wesson joined the extended committee.
Walks of between six and eight miles were most popular, but in September a group of eight members climbed Scafell Pike, the highest mountain in our country.
We had two walking holidays
- Mallorca in April
- Chollerford on Hadrian's Wall in October.
Our group started to walk the Yorkshire Castles Way - visiting all eight ruined and preserved castles between Clifford's Tower in York and Scarborough Castle. We continue through to Scarborough in 2016.
Our Walking Diners social events continued approximately every six weeks when we visited the pubs and restaurants in our area. These are much enjoyed and are organised by Dianne Hardwick. £134 was raised from our BBQ and a raffle to help support Scarborough and Ryedale MRT and YAA. During the year our club started using social media site Twitter - our occasional tweets can be found by searching @ryedalewalking on Twitter.
2014
2014 was a very successful year for Ryedale Walking Group, helped by a stable committee working well together as a team under the chairmanship of Colin Humphrey.
Membership increased from 85 to 104 in the year 58 walks were led by 19 different leaders
Group walking holidays were organised at Skipton in June and Alnmouth in November Five members embarked on the first RWG Holiday overseas in Madeira in May We completed the Esk Valley Walk in four stages
A GPS theory & practice day was held at Cropton in February Social Events - Seven Walking Diners events were organised, there was a Barbecue and Walk and a Christmas dinner and walk based at Malton & Norton Golf Club Six members contributed to the Ryedale Ramblers Group Footpath Survey of all Ryedale Parishes
New 2015 committee was elected at the AGM:
Colin Humphrey,
Jan Dobson,
Judy Catterall,
Phil Catterall,
Dianne Hardwick,
Pat Davis,
Steve Harness,
Robin Rawson
Eric Wesson
Memory Map 2014 software was purchased for the use of our five most prolific walk leaders The highest peaks we climbed in 2014 were Pendle Hill and Buckden Pike A representative of RWG attended four out of six Ramblers Area Committee Meetings In conjunction with Lions International we adopted the "Message in a Bottle" scheme
2013
At the AGM in October 2012 RWG Colin Humphrey and Jan Dobson returned to be elected as Chairman and Secretary with Phil Catterall continuing as Walks Coordinator with his wife Judy staying on but becoming Treasurer. They were joined on the committee by Steve Harness, Helen Stack, Dianne Hardwick, Nick Langmead who took up the various positions.
Committee meetings in 2013 were held in members homes, a departure from previously, when we met in a Pickering pub. During the year we walked most weekends and on occasional midweek walks during the summer as well as the usual midweek evening walks. Several new leaders offered walks and this made 2013 our busiest yet in terms of numbers of walks organised. By the end of the year we had 89 members, which is far greater than ever before.
There was no Easter Walking Holiday in 2013. This was arranged in July instead and was based in Llangollen. Prior to that in May a Dales Weekend holiday was organised based at Skipton. During this Dales Weekend ten members of the group completed the Yorkshire 3 Peaks Walk in less than 10.5 hours. There was just one Challenge walk organised - this was in The Howardian Hills.
The Sun Inn again hosted our summer Barbeque in July, and one of our members, a certain farmer, invited us back after a walk in the Wolds for a slap up feast of sausages! Four out of the seven members who started walking Wainwright's Pennine Journey in 2011 finally finished it at Settle in September after walking 265 miles! The other three members hope to continue to fill in the sections they missed in 2014.....
Our group on the North York Moors near Danby Beacon on 31st August 2013
At an EGM in October members voted to elect the Walks Coordinator themselves at the AGM rather than by the committee. Also in October we initiated a photo group on Flickr which portrays our activities year by year, and in December an improved website was launched. The Christmas Dinner and walk was again based at Kirkbymoorside, but for the first time the dinner was held at Kirkbymoorside Golf Club. The Walking Diners continued with seven venues in the area being visited.
2012
2012 saw more changes on Committee including Margaret Stockdale taking over from Colin Humphrey as Chairman and Anne Barlow taking over from Jan Dobson as Secretary. Phil Catterall replaced Nigel Wildsmith as Walk Programme Coordinator.
The group walked the 66 mile long The Whitby Way between April and October (led by Nigel) and also had two challenge walks as part of the 2012 programme.
The Easter Walking holiday was based at Hexham, also led by Nigel. Another holiday was organised by Phil in May when members stayed at HF Holidays at Monk Coniston climbing Wainwright Fells in the South Lakes. In September Chas Bailey organised a weekend holiday based in Holmfirth.
2012 was the year when Pat Davis suggested the "Walking Diners". This proved to be a success with some members eating out at the best places in the area every few months.
2011
We had a fresh start in 2011 with a new committee... the winter programme was disrupted somewhat after resignations on the committee in late 2010 but things settled down again in the spring. Several members led walks at the Pickering Walkers are Welcome Walking Festival in April.
In August as part of the programme, the opportunity was offered to take part in A Wainwright's 1938 Pennine Journey - seven members took part and four of us completed this 247 mile long adventurous walk in September 2013 - over two years later!
2010
2010 was the year a group of members completed The Lyke Wake Walk - all 40 miles of it in less than one day. The walking year started though with snow at Great Barugh and we were lucky to leave the village in our cars at the end of the walk in blizzard conditions.
We had walking holidays in Morecambe and Thwaite (Yorkshire Dales) but a holiday planned at Portinscale (Lake District) in September did not go ahead due to lack of interest.
We organised "An evening with Alfred Wainwright" at Pickering Memorial Hall in May and raised a significant sum for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Scarborough & Ryedale Mountain Rescue Team. In December with the group having no elected Chairman several committee members stood down.
A new committee was elected in early 2011 under the Chairmanship of Colin Humphrey - with Jan Dobson as Secretary. From from that point on the group went from strength to strength.
2009
In 2009 our walking year started with everyone turning up for the New Years Day Walk in Dalby Forest wearing a silly hat.... We finished the year again with our Pre Christmas Walk and Dinner at The Buck Inn at Wrelton.
In April we became a fully constituted club with a committee elected at a Special General Meeting attended by 24 members. The group affiliated to the Ramblers and took out Civil Liability Insurance.
Special events and holidays in 2009 were The Lyke Wake Walk, which was completed in four sections and was ably led by Martin R. The Easter holiday in 2009 took the group to Moffat - this was fully booked and organised by Nigel. Steve P led us on The Wass Wanderer Walk in May and Phil took us on The Crackpot Trail (Nidderdale) in July.
2008
This was the year the group completed the Ripon Rowel - a 50 mile long distance walk over five legs around Ripon. This walk was written up by Phil and can be found on the Walking Britain Website . The two founder members of the group and their wives were finding it hard to lead so many walks so other members of the group were invited to help. Steve P, Brenda B, Sam B, John S, Pauline W and Doug J all became Walk Leaders!
2007
Phil and Nigel continue to lead three walks a month between them throughout the year. Nigel organised an Easter Walking holiday at Melrose in Scotland. Phil led the group on The Tabular Hills Walk from Scarborough to Helmsley over six days. The Challenge walk was held on August Bank Holiday Monday when we walked from Goathland to Pickering led by Nigel. .
2006