Berkhamsted Walks and Social

I'd be very grateful if members could make a £1 donation towards Meetup costs. For anyone who has gone 'cashless', please transfer payment to the KROO Bank Meetup account:
Martin Jones
04-07-09
#00779315.
Otherwise, it's possible to make a payment through PayPal using paypal.me/MartinJ1986 and choosing the friends and family option.
Thank you!

This new 6 mile walk should take not much more than 2.5 hours. There is a gradual climb at the start and a gradual descent at the end otherwise it's fairly flat. We head out from the Black Horse pub through Ramscoat Wood. We skirt around the outer edge of Chesham before going into Captain's Wood. Heading north out of the woods, we cross farm fields to Bellingdon. We pick up Hawridge Lane before following paths back to the Black Horse.

Please note that this walk is not led by a qualified leader and, as such, isn't covered by insurance. Be sure to wear suitable boots and clothing. The organiser cannot be held responsible for any injuries, however caused. Members are expected to take responsibility for their own preparation and safety including adequate fluids, weather protection and a snack. Please be sure to make me aware if you have any medical conditions.

Dogs are welcome as always but please be mindful to keep them on leads for roads and around other animals.
If you are unable to attend please be sure to change your RSVP otherwise our departure will be delayed. My contact number is 07587867371

I'd be very grateful if members could make a £1 donation towards Meetup costs. For anyone who has gone 'cashless', please transfer payment to the KROO Bank Meetup account:
Martin Jones
04-07-09
#00779315.
Otherwise, it's possible to make a payment through PayPal using paypal.me/MartinJ1986 and choosing the friends and family option.
Thank you!

Discover The Golden Valley, a hidden gem of the Ashridge Estate, on this 5.3 mile walk. Designed by the famous ‘Capability’ Brown this masterpiece ranks amongst his finest works. Following historic rides and paths, this route begins at Ashridge House and explores the faded grandeur of Ashridge Park and the historic deer park. We return through the woods of Berkhamsted Common, pass the visitor centre and return along Prince’s Riding. The walk should be pleasant at this time of the year but may be muddy in parts and should not take much more than 2 hours. After the walk, we can visit the Ashridge House cafe for refreshments.

Please be aware that the location listed is generated by Meetup and can be confusing for SatNav users. The post code I have for Ashridge House is HP4 1NS but the road to the house is off the main road and can be accessed from Little Gaddesden to the north or Frithsden and Potten End to the south. Please check your route before setting off.

Please note that this walk is not led by a qualified leader and, as such, isn't covered by insurance. Please be sure to wear suitable boots and clothing. The organiser cannot be held responsible for any injuries, however caused. Members are expected to take responsibility for their own preparation and safety. Please be sure to make me aware if you have any medical conditions.

Dogs are welcome as always but please be mindful to keep them on leads for roads and around other animals.

If you are unable to attend please be sure to change your RSVP otherwise our departure will be delayed. My contact number is 07587867371.

Welcome to our Berk Worms 🐛 book club. Each month we all aim to read the same book from a particular genre and then meet to discuss it. We also then talk about other books we are reading and sometimes exchange books with one another. All are welcome!

Our book for discussion in November is a Family Saga and Pulitzer Prize winning novel (1992) entitled A Thousand Acres, written by Jane Smiley. This novel was first published in 1991 when it also won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction. The novel runs at approximately 370 pages, depending on the edition you read.

About the novel for discussion:

Larry Cook’s farm is the largest in Zebulon County, Iowa, and a tribute to his hard work and single-mindedness. Proud and possessive, his sudden decision to retire and hand over the farm to his three daughters, is disarmingly uncharacteristic.

Larry Cook decides to incorporate his farm, handing complete and joint ownership to his three daughters, Ginny, Rose, and Caroline. Ginny and Rose, the two eldest, are startled yet eager to accept, but Caroline, the youngest daughter, has misgivings. Immediately, her father cuts her out. This sets off a chain of events that brings dark truths to light and explodes long-suppressed emotions.

In A Thousand Acres, Jane Smiley transposes the King Lear story to the modern day, and in so doing at once illuminates Shakespeare’s original and subtly transforms it.

Critical views:

‘A Thousand Acres is a strong, gnarled shocker of a novel… superb. Its success is down to Smiley’s ambitious gusto, her intuitive handling of the relationship between character and landscape, and her willingness to haul genuine moral freight across the panorama she has so expertly painted.’ Sunday Times

‘Epic fiction of the very highest order, naturalistic , penetrating and wholly absorbing.’ Literary Review

Reading Ahead:

December is our Christmas 🎄 meal where we reflect on our year of books and choose our genres for 2027. We will also be reading a war novel called Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh

January 2027: we are reading a book by a local author and have chosen that author to be Graham Greene. In our November meeting we will choose which of his books to all read and discuss in January.

Happy reading, 🐛Cazza