We have been putting our 2016 weekend walks programme together and we’re really excited to offer you a fist-full of options to choose from.  We love the weekends away as they’re an opportunity to spend a good few days exploring a new area, getting to know people a bit better and, of course, using our Nordic walking skills in different terrain!  Here’s a taster of what’s going on:

We have some cracking longer walks coming up over the next few months, including an author visit, plus a new regular walk starting shortly in Nailsea.  They are too good to give just a brief mention to in our Newsletter so here’s more detail.

New Nailsea regular walk

Last weekend Joy, one of our walkers, joined over two thousand others and tackled the annual Dixons Carphone Race to the Stones 100k challenge.  Starting in the Chilterns, Oxfordshire, the race followed the Ridgeway National Trail, finishing next to the 5,000 year old stone circle at Avebury.  This is a route that I am interested in walking next year, maybe in one go or else over a couple of long weekends - so watch this space!  In the meantime, here is Joy's account of her experience:

My friend, Elaine Sylvester from Love Dartmoor, and I have just spent a magnificent day walking on this unpredictable moor (today it was sunny and warm, if windy).  A little east of the route Elaine is planning for those of you who are coming on the Dartmoor weekend in September, we started at Sourton church.

This Indian summer has prompted me to explore a few walks near Bristol that have been on my ‘to do’ list. I walked them with my son, who is on the cusp of leaving home for university. What gems they turned out to be.

We were walking the coastal path in Pembrokeshire in 2007 when we saw the small handwritten notice tied to Trefalen Farm gate; Cottage for long term rent.  Within a month we had become the new tenants of Trefalen Cottage and we have divided our time between the (very small!) former out house and Bristol ever since.  For seven years I have enjoyed scrambling and walking over much of the nearby coast ; and now I have my Nordic walking poles to add to the fun.This is an account of a walk I did on the recent bank holiday.

Yesterday was a bit of a red letter day for us Nordic walkers.  It saw the first ever UK Nordic walking race and, what's more, it was held here in Bristol in our very own Ashton Court.

Nordic walking racing is a well-known competitive sport across Europe and in Japan. Poland has one of the most active Nordic walking race series.  They run a Polish Nordic Walking Cup competition which comprises 7 races over the summer months.  Like ours, they compete over three distances - 5km, 10km and 20km - but they have 8 different age categories. 

The centenary of Lauree Leeʼs birth today reminds me of the beautiful 7 mile circular walk I did with a group of Bristol Nordic Walkers earlier this year.