'the imjin magazine' Summer 2021 | Page 20

ARRC SOCIAL CLUB ( ASC )

ASC walks by Ann Tooming

It was a splendid tradition to take monthly walks in the Cotswolds to explore the area with its beautiful historic landscape , visit idyllic stone-built villages and see fine buildings , and after the walk have lunch in a pub . But then came Covid lockdown that broke that pleasant custom . Therefore , the last walk took place in February 2020 .
However , with Spring 2021 and the easing of lockdown rules , we could once again walk together in groups , but we needed a new walk coordinator . Ann Tooming from Estonia , kindly volunteered for this position .
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THE WHITE HART INN
B4078
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B4632
WINCHCOMBE
SUDELEY CASTLE
STANCOMBE WOOD
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Our first walk of 2021 took place on the 31st March in the Winchcombe area , home to the famous Sudeley Castle . Distance : 7 km , elevation gain : 172 m , duration : 1hr 45 min , paths : fields and lanes , many stiles , landscape : woodland , hills and town . According to Covid rules , we had to divide ourselves into groups of 6 as there were 22 participants . The UK recorded the warmest day of March in 53 years on that day , when the temperature rose above 24C . It was nice to meet old international friends and find new ones after such a long time . As the pubs were still closed due to the Covid restrictions , we took a break and had a picnic on the hill instead of lunch in the pub and enjoyed the wonderful view .
Our second walk took place on the 26th April in the neighbourhood of Brimpsfield Village . Distance : 7 km , elevation gain : 132 m , duration : 2hrs , paths : fields , tracks , many stiles , landscape : woodland , steep narrow valleys and villages . We had to divide ourselves again into groups of 6 ( 27 participants ). As Covid restrictions had eased a little , it would have been possible to have lunch in a pub ’ s garden area , but since there were no pubs nearby , we took a short break for a picnic again . An additional bonus to the great company and the weather was the picking of white garlic leaves .
Roads
Route
The third walk was on the 19th May in the Slad Valley and again , Covid rules had eased a little . We no longer had to split into small groups and we were able to have lunch inside the Woolpack Inn and have fun together . This time we followed the footsteps of the English poet and prose writer Laurie Lee ( his novel “ Cider with Rosie ” is the story of Lee ’ s childhood in the village of Slad in the period soon after the First World War ). Distance : 8.2 km , elevation gain : 259 m , duration : 2hrs , paths : fields and quiet lanes , tracks , many stiles , landscape : woodland , hills , and valleys .
We hope for beautiful weather and lot of participants in the future – everybody is welcome !
20 SUMMER 2021 the imjin