Friendly Faces of Warwickshire

What better way to get out and meet more people... whether you're a first-timer or a regular, get your name down to join this mixed casual group-tour around downtown Leamington on a relaxed Friday evening. We'll descend together upon its most popular bars one at a time, staying long enough for a drink or two before we all move on to the next one.

What is a Friendly Faces Monthly Social "Flash Mob"?...
To the untrained eye this event looks like a pub-crawl, but rather than being about getting drunk (as pub-crawls are) this monthly meetup event instead focusses on the social aspects : getting out and meeting new people, mingling, and expanding your social circle. Bring a friend if you want to, but coming alone is what most attendees do.
The changing of venues helps encourage the mingling upon us, and typically by the end of the evening - each attendee will (1) have met most if not all of the other attendees present, (2) feel like they fit right in, (3) feel pretty chuffed about having chatted with some friendly like-minded people, and (4) be checking the diary to see if they can make next months event!

If you're driving, or alcohol isn't your thing, then do as I (and other non-drinkers) do, and instead sip on a glass of cordial, coke, or zero beer. There is no pressure to buy drinks. If you decide to skip the bar and just enjoy the social occasion, its perfectly fine.

Big Win #1
Unlike the usual sit-down or stand-still-all-night meetups, this style of event will keep mixing us up as a group every time we change venue, and the mingling will happen automatically as we go with the flow.

Big Win #2
As a big group of people it will be great fun and a guaranteed laugh watching the bewildered faces of the non-meetup people in the bars as we all walk in the door together and fill the place, and then after an hour or so of meetup chatter - all leave together and empty it again!

Venues...
As you may know there are several cool bars in central Leamington so we wont have to walk far between venues. We'll keep it to between 3 and 4 venues throughout the evening, and stay quite close to the Parade in the town centre.

I'll keep our location-changes communicated as the evening progresses so you can join at any point along the route, but lateness is not recommended. Obviously if you're on time at the start you wont miss the introductions, and you'll get much more from the evening.
So to start we'll gather at the White Horse at 7:30pm and let the socialising commence.

Click the attend button now so you don't forget.

If you hadn't guessed by now this is a monthly event, and as always, I'm looking forward to it!

Whether you're new to Friendly Faces or you're a seasoned regular, click the Attend button now and take full advantage of this tried and tested hike which will get you (1) out of the house, (2) exercising, and (3) meeting friendly, like-minded people with ease.

At this event you'll have a fantastic afternoon out, you'll meet an outdoorsy group of super-social Friendly Faces (including first-timers as always) and you'll be amazed at how easy it is to make new acquaintances / connections along the way.

What are the details for this hike?
Anyone disappointed at having to miss out on some of our walks this year due to the many challenging hills we take on - you'll be pleased to know that this one is flat from start to finish. However, unlike all of our previous walks, this one has a twist.. it finishes 7.5 miles away from the starting point!...
But don't worry, we catch the train back. 😄

Starting and ending at the Stratford Train Station Car Park we'll trek out of town and along the canal, and across an outstanding feat of engineering - the Edstone Aqueduct. Its the longest cast-iron aqueduct in England, allowing the canal to continue flowing (and boats to travel along it) high above a road, and above two railway lines.
We'll then veer away from the canal for a spell before eventually reaching the quiet village of Wootton Wawen.
As is customary when we reach the end of a hike, we'll then call in at a pub there for a well-earned drink and a sit down / final chin-wag, before jumping on the train to take us back to our cars at the start-point.

See the map on the event page if you need sat-nav assistance to help you find the train station.
When you arrive grab yourself a parking spot and we'll meet by the paying machines.

Getting there...
If you are a driver, the meet-point (Stratford Upon Avon train station) is x miles away from...
Warwick 10; Leamington 13; Kenilworth 15; Coventry 20; Rugby 29; Central Birmingham 34.

Need a lift?...
If you aren't a driver and would like a lift to and from the starting point, leave a message here on the event page (as soon as you sign up) asking if anyone is kind enough to offer. Do that now, because leaving that question until the last few days before the event is too late.
Don't forget to offer a few pounds to your driver towards petrol money.

Other things to note...
- Well-behaved dogs ARE allowed 🐶✔️ to attend this walk, but must be kept on a short lead. Remember also that some people can be fearful of dogs and hide it well, so please be respectful of that and keep your dog under control at all times.
- Compared to other hiking routes in the huge Friendly Faces library of routes, the terrain for this one is flat and very easy-going, however there might be the odd spot that will be muddy at this time of year where rain has lingered, so ditch the trainers and don your waterproof walking boots. Ankle-protecting boots are always recommended for hiking anyway. If you intend to join more Friendly Faces hikes and dont own proper walking boots then it will be a great investment for the months ahead.

Oh and parking...
Parking is super convenient for this hike. The Stratford upon Avon train station carpark is cheap and big, and always has plenty of spaces on a Sunday afternoon.

Feel free to drop me a message if you have any questions.
If not - click the big red "Attend" button now to be kept in the loop, and so you dont forget.

EVENT SUMMARY / IMPORTANT POINTS