CYHA NEWS

The Monthly Newsletter of Chelmsford YHA Local Group

December 2001

Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire

If you've never stayed at Blackboys Youth Hostel it probably needs a bit of an introduction. Originally built in the 30's to house refugees from the Spanish Civil War, it is a small wooden building situated in a quiet corner of Sussex woodland. We had booked rent-a-hostel, so we had the place to ourselves and were able to indulge ourselves with mulled wine and pyromania in the fireplace.

Saturday was a windy but surprisingly mild day and several times on our walk we stripped down to t-shirt level. It's perhaps a little late in the year for the best Autumn colour, but there is something rather wonderful about tramping through fallen leaves whilst more spiral down around you. Wilderness Wood supplied our obligatory tea stop with the most wonderful selection of home-made cakes (so much for the pre-Christmas diet). The last couple of miles of the walk saw Helen stooped in the golden rays of the setting sun as she gathered sweet chestnuts for roasting.

After an enormous meal we settled back for an evening of scrabble, cards and consequences. John tried to teach us 'Zip, Boing, Kaboydle' but we got hopelessly confused - must be that fresh Autumn air, nothing to do with the 4 glasses of mulled wine (hic!)

Ali

The Day I met Henry

Imagine the scene, in the Wilderness Wood of rural Sussex, a small tea shop with an open log fire, I sat reading the rain forest of a Saturday paper on my second slice of cake, when...........

the door flew open and large smelly black & white hound looking a bit like a Dalmatian (a non Disney variety) dragging a crowd of CYHA bedraggled walkers behind.

Well, so much for a quiet cake and paper!, the dog seemed to need restraint of at least a dozen handlers, such was his exuberance and being fussed over. "It seems he's is called Henry", this after a struggle to get the dog into a half nelson to read his collar tag and a phone number. I rang the number to be asked "are you ramblers?" It would appear that Henry has a penchant for following walkers...and lemon slice as my last piece disappeared into a maw the size of the room.

The owner who lived three miles away, came to collect Henry and explained his fondness for following walkers she thanked us as Henry dragged her out and disappeared to look for more walkers!

Nice walk though, thanks Dave

Ian

Ashdown Forest looks just like the drawings in Winnie the Pooh.

There was a funny moment on Saturday when an approaching walker said "you're not the Taliban, are you?". It was funnier on Saturday evening when Bob couldn't read out "and the consequence was: they strolled off into the sunset and 22 ramblers appeared from behind a bluff and cheered" for laughing!

Lorna

Halloween

Halloween was a quiet relaxing evening, away indeed from the trick or treaters. I sat quietly (for me) engrossed in carving pumpkins while Lorna, Tom, Trudi and Dave J. munched their way through vast quantities of gingerbread witches and ghosts, taking an advantage of a rare opportunity with no Dave present (Dave I'm not saying that you have a healthy appetite here!). Of course the YHA was in capable hands while Dave and Ali away, as evidenced by their singed newsletter, not at all an accident by Trudi trying to light the candle in the pumpkin.

Lynn

Weald Park Walk

To Weald Park we wended
[With wellingtons advised]
We stomped on through the autumn leaves
To meet with a surprise

The news had reached a canine friend
Who chose to tag along
And tried to fell the entire group
By carrying a log

She hid and sought behind the trees
But failed to be discreet
Unlike our path, which disappeared
Whilst I just dogmatised

Though I was lost in a debate
Our route was soon regained
And contrary to all our fears
It hadn't even rained.

Trudi and Polly

Place Names Quiz

Splatt, Droop, Thong, Booze and Thrupp. All real place names in England, but can you guess which county they are in? We concluded that Leicestershire has the best names (e.g. Newton Burgoland, Barton-in-the-Beans and Frisby-on-the-Wreake). Thanks to Tom for an entertaining evening!