Tag Archives: Chiltern

2019 Quiz Evening

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CDWS Quiz Evening 25/01/19

Thirty-six members of the Chiltern and District Welsh Society attended the 2019 Quiz Night (held on Burn’s Night) and we arranged ourselves into tables of six for a 7:30 start.

Jonathan set the quiz and delivered it with help from his with (lovely?) assistant Graham. This was a relief to many as Graham Beavan’s team has often won the quiz in prior years.

Each table had first to devise a name for its team. These were: The Gladiators, The Haggis, The Commoners, Dragons, Y Frrinda and Rebellion.

We started at 7:30 and Jonathan’s fiendish questions were set in 6 rounds with titles such as Name that advert and decade, Food & Drink, Science, General Knowledge, Cities with 2 names and Famous faces.

After the first two rounds Fish & Chips were delivered from the Three Households Fish and Chip shop ‘The Village Chippy’ – they were prompt, hot and tasty.

As the rounds progressed it became obvious that one team were drawing ahead, and at the end of the evening, the winning team, The Commoners, were revealed to be a team comprising of Gwyndaf & Janet John, David & Irene Powell & Rose Edwards. Two Committee members in the winning team? They denied any inside knowledge, but one never knows…..

David thanked Jonathan for all the work that he had put into organising the quiz and a show of hands supported the proposal to change to the September trip from a tour of Bath to a coach trip to Slimbridge, where Peter Scott’s house will be opening with the opportunity of seeing his pictures and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust site that he founded.

Bristol Trip – 20th September

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CDWS Trip to Bristol 20th September 2018

The coach came to pick us up from Gerrards Cross at 7:45 – an early start! After picking up the rest of the party from Amersham, we set off for the two-and-a-half-hour journey to Bristol. Jonathan Pegler had planned and organised the event, and gave us an overview of what to expect and what to look out for as we travelled along the motorway.

Rain started falling as we headed west along the M4, but we were very lucky as it held off for the rest of the day, until the return journey.

Muriel & Ann with Suspension Bridge in the background

Our first stop was at the famous docks, stopping at the Cumberland Basin, in front of two massive bonded warehouses built in the style known as ‘Bristol Byzantine’ which were used for storing tobacco. Jonathan had taken us to see ‘Brunel’s Other Bridge’. Now disused, it was a swing bridge across the Avon in 1849 and predates the famous Clifton Bridge.  Jonathan explained that the floating docks were created by digging a man-made ‘cut’ to divert the Avon, and putting lock gates across the original river to create a harbour where the level of the water could be preserved.

We walked around the Basin to reach the Underfall Yard. This is a small museum, originally a boatyard, then the centre of a sluice system (the underfalls) which helped remove silt and mud. It now contains exhibits showing how the docks were used, how the locks worked and how water pressure was utilised to work cranes, locks and other machinery.

Sue & Bill Jones at the Underfall Museum

The party spent a happy half hour or so examining the exhibits and playing with the models.

Kate shows how the locks work

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then all trooped off to board our sight-seeing boat for a tour of Bristol harbour. This was fascinating. Our guide took us right through the city from the Cumberland Basin to Temple Meads Station with many detours going through crowded shopping streets, quiet residential areas and some areas where the harbour had not been developed.

SS Great Britain

 

Most of us crowded into the front of the boat to get the best view of exhibits like Brunel’s SS Great Britain, old dockside warehouses, breweries and churches, whilst we were told about the history of Bristol and its trading past.

 

 

 

 

 

The boat dropped us off at Welsh Back, which was the area which used to be where Welsh goods such as slate were traded.

Jonathan led the party up to St Nicholas Market, where we dispersed for an hour or so, grabbing a bite to eat at one of the restaurants or from the street food stalls or making the trip over to see St Mary Redcliffe church with its soaring gothic columns.

Corn Exchange Clock with 2 minute hands

 

At 2pm Jonathan re-convened the party and led us around some of the sites of central Bristol including the famous Corn Exchange, with its two minute hands showing both GMT and local time, and the ‘nails’, small columns or tables where deals were transacted, hence the term ‘paying on the nail’.

 

 

View of Bristol from the Suspension Bridge

After the tour, we climbed back onto the bus and travelled on up to Clifton, to walk over the suspension bridge and wander around the village, enjoying the coffee shops and large number of interior design studios.

 

We started our journey home with a ride around the Clifton Down area, a large open green space with great views over the Avon and across to the port at Avonmouth and some very impressive looking houses.

We set off back along the M5, with views of both Severn Bridges in the distance, and with Jonathan completing his story of Bristol with details of other sites that we hadn’t managed to fit into our schedule.

We arrived back at about 7pm and Colin Picton proposed a vote of thanks to Jonathan for putting in so much effort and planning for our trip, making it so informative and enjoyable.

 

 

Golf Day 2018

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Once again we had a glorious golf day at Oakland Park Golf Club on 31 August 2018.  The day was well supported with 34 sitting down for lunch.  It was agreed without dissent that the golf day will again take place at Oakland Park on 30 August 2019.

 

It was good to have so many members coming for lunch who did not play.  As lunch was not until 2.30 it gave members the opportunity before lunch to catch up with old friends and meet new ones from the Society.

 

 

The day is primarily for fellowship and fun, and although the golf and scoring is always important, it is the enjoyment of the day that is paramount.  Our president, Anne Evans, presented the prizes.  There were 6 teams of 3.

 

 

The winning team was Margaret Broomby, Colin Thomas, Eryl Morris

Highest stableford score was awarded to Margaret Broomby

Longest lady’s drive – Jane Morris

Longest men’s drive –  Rob Britton

Nearest the pin – ladies – Sue Mills

Shame on the men, no-one landed on the green from the tee on the designated hole!!

 

Members thanks Pam Britton and Chris Thomas for organising the day.

 

Robert Britton

An Evening at the Races

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Windsor Races Monday 6th August

Everyone got the message to arrive for the coach 15 minutes early, and almost thirty members of CDWS set off for Windsor. On the journey, our treasurer, Graham Beavan, surprised us by distributing a refund of £5 to each of us – the additional numbers reducing the individual cost per person and supplying funds for the first race.
We arrived at the Royal Windsor Racecourse in time for the first race at 5:30, with plenty of time to buy programmes and acquaint ourselves with the layout of the course.
The course itself lies in a bend of the River Thames bounded by water on two sides, but from the main paddock area, that is not at all obvious.

For many of us, this was the first time that we had attended a race meeting. Rob Britton had arranged that our tickets covered entry to all areas, so we wandered through the paddock lawn and got our bearings, discovering the sites of the parade ring, the grandstands, finishing post, bookies booths and bars.

Kay Beth and AnnIt was a glorious summer’s evening., and many of our party took shelter from the sun on chairs beneath a large marquee on the paddock lawn.
It was difficult to see the whole of the circuit, even from the stands, as it stretched around a corner, but there were several big screens showing all the action.

 

We studied the racecards, which gave details of all the horses, riders, past form, owners, trainers, heritage, and weights. We checked the odds given by the bookies, then chose our horse based on its name, looks or the rider’s colours.

It was possible to get very close to the horses as they walked round the parade ring, seeing them gallop past at the winning post, and then seeing the winners steaming and sweating and being cooled down and attended to in the winners enclosure.

Many of our party were able to pick a winner in one of the seven races that were run that evening, however some (myself included) had to be content with keeping the bookies in business.
Stalls sold food and drinks, most of it reasonably priced, but even the winners were surprised at the cost of a glass of Pimms!
The last race finished at around 8:45, leaving enough time for either a last ice-cream or a slow saunter back to the coach, as a Queen tribute band began to play on a stage in one corner of the Paddock Lawn.

Rob made sure that there were no stragglers an that everyone was on board and we set off back, arriving home before 10pm.

Thanks to Rob Britton for arranging such good weather, and organising the trip.

Trip to Aberystwyth  18-22 June, 2018

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Chiltern Welsh Society – Trip to Aberystwyth  18-22 June, 2018

An early start for the Society – 8 a.m. saw the Gerrards Cross Group welcomed by Mike- our driver from Mid Wales Coaches. Once all on board with pickups from Little Chalfont and Amersham the 20 + souls motored West. The first stop was Ludlow. What a brilliant medieval town. Everywhere the architecture was impressive. Our visits to various lunchtime hostelries confirmed that most of the interiors of the buildings were somewhat ‘higgledy piggledy’ ……. a reflection of the 15th century.

By late afternoon we arrived at Aberystwyth- greeted by dismal weather and high winds. The group was joined by a further 6 free spirited members of the Society – so we were 26 having the opening Dinner at Medina- the nearest thing to an Istanbul Restaurant that most of us had seen. This was the first taste of friendly staff and very good cuisine; such events and venues were repeated on all subsequent evenings at other establishments.

In the morning our first port of call was the National Library of Wales. We were treated like royalty with an outstanding guide and an endearing helper ensuring stairs were negotiated and lifts made available. The National Library is far more than ‘it says on the tin’ ; it is a wonderful archive of Welsh history, culture and indeed a repository of all things Welsh. We all had an injection of joy and pride from the visit. The 200 staff should be very proud of how they are looking after the legacy in their custodianship. We had the privilege to see the Kyffin Williams Art Exhibition. Though the paintings were somewhat melancholy (see illustration) – the mood and atmosphere of the North Wales mountains is brilliantly captured.

 The afternoon visit to The Cliff Railway and the Camera Obscura was abandoned as the railway was not working and the ONE repair engineer was indisposed- so plan B was introduced; a visit to Cae Hir, – a Welsh Garden with Dutch history. A 6-acre garden – the dream of Dutchman Wil Akkermans – now an elderly Welsh speaking gentleman. An afternoon for all of us to remember- some visitors even managed a scone (A WHOLE ONE ) tea ! We returned to Aberystwyth and enjoyed a walk around the Castle in glorious afternoon sunshine.

Wednesday morning soon arrived and we embarked on our boat trip from New Quay- to look out for dolphins and seals. To say the trip was rough would be an understatement- the sounds of all sea birds were drowned by the screams from the amateur mariners.  I do not recall if we saw any dolphins!  We returned to terra firma and progressed to Llanerchaeron House; a John Nash villa – the Regency architect responsible for the Royal Pavilion at Brighton and Buckingham Palace. The walled garden and picturesque lake were a delight – on yet another cold dank Summer’s day. On the way home Aberaeron shared its excellent afternoon teas – with the select few.

Next day the steam train to Devil’s Bridge- with a carriage totally assigned to the Chiltern Welsh. The scenic panorama is breathtaking – Wales at its best! Anyone in doubt about the beauty of Mid Wales should book a trip on the Rheidol Steam train. At Devil’s Bridge there is a choice of walk, – one of 210 steps the other nearer 680 steps. Hafod House, nearby offered refreshments – if you had enough time to wait, and wait …………We then visited Strata Florida Abbey, translated from Latin – simply ” Vale of Flowers”. Strata Florida, built around 1164, quickly became not only a site of huge religious significance, but also a natural home for Welsh culture.  You only need to admire the majesty of the huge carved West door to appreciate how impressive the building must once have been.

It is worth recording that Aberystwyth is a GEM awaiting to be found and enjoyed. See one further photo – Aberystwyth Sea Front. The entrepreneurial cocktail bars, St Paul’s Methodist Chapel – now an elegant bar, plus the BBQ restaurant, Pyscoty – boutique eatery, Ultracomida – outstanding Tapas Bar, – were all a delight and contributed to a most social ending to every evening. We will return.

The journey home was a fitting end to the Mid Wales visit,  – a comfort stop in the delightful Builth Wells and then experiencing the beauty of Chepstow – the Castle – built on cliffs above the River Wye and  an appropriate reminder of the Castle grandeur of the Principality.

Well done Jonathan for again organising such a rewarding trip.

Gwyn Owen.

 

More pictures of the trip are shown here

Spring Walk 2018

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Tuesday May 15th – Our Spring Walk & Pub Lunch took place on a gloriously sunny day. How could it have been otherwise!

The members gathered outside the Swan in Ley Hill. This attractive old pub faces the open land of Ley Hill Common and was originally three cottages dating from the 16th Century.

Sam, the bubbly landlady, unlocked the pub and came out to meet us – so some much needed relief was had before we set off!

Thirteen members went off on the walk with another five joining us later for the lunch.

Passing the little village Memorial Hall the footpath led to Tyler’s Hill. This woodland is full of large deep holes from which clay was excavated for the local brick and tile making  industry. We wound our way past and through these dips and on through open fields with distant views across the Chess valley, then followed a long, wide, but fortunately shady, path along a typical Chilterns “bottom”.  Finally we strolled up through open parkland and woods to reach the far end of the Common.

Ley Hill Common is the home of a golf course, and here Ralph Broomby was delighted to re-make his acquaintance with a par three hole of particular difficulty with the green located in a valley well below the tees. After admiring this tricky golf hole we strolled back across the springy turf of the common to the pub.

During the walk we learnt how to distinguish the scented native bluebell from the oft-planted Spanish species, smelt and tasted the leaves of Garlic Mustard, and discovered the extraordinary reproductive strategy of the Cuckoo Pint (also known as Lords & Ladies).

Inside the Swan still has the wooden beams, inglenook fireplace and the old original stove. Fortunately padded cushioning has been fitted to the old beams though I still managed to bump my head on one beam. After a rest with drinks in the cool garden we went in for our meal. Tables had been thoughtfully arranged in a U shape for us. Very conveniently the landlady had taken main course orders previously and had set up a tab for the various couples and singles present. The meals were excellent and quite a few found the desserts irresistible. The Swan delivered good food and excellent service.

All in all it was a relaxed day out. We learned about bricks and how they are laid as well as some natural history. And we enjoyed the good weather in some lovely Chiltern countryside.

Gwyndaf John

2018 Annual General Meeting

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On 11th May 2018 we held our annual general meeting at Coleshill Village Hall.

People started arriving at 7pm, and by 7:30 there were 44 members present as Kay Day called the room to order.

The minutes for the previous AGM were agreed and Kay reviewed the past year, starting with the passing of Mike Stythe, an enthusiastic supporter of CDWS and who had organised memorable trips to Snowdonia. Kay remembered how Mike’s army background meant that he always planned for the unexpected, including carrying a foldable stretcher in his rucksack in case of mishaps on the walk!

Two of the past year’s events had been beset by snow, many were unable to attend the Christmas party due to impassable roads (leaving generous supplies of canapes for those who were able to attend). Then the St David’s Day Dinner had to be postponed as snow meant that even the staff at the Harewood Downs golf club were unsure that they would be able to get in. On that basis, Kay hoped that there would be no snow forecast for the summer lunch on 1st July!

Kay reviewed the past year’s events and thanked Ernest Morris for hosting the Summer Lunch, Colin & Di Thomas for hosting the Christmas drinks and Pam Britton & Chris Thomas for arranging the golf day.

There were 7 new members this year meaning that we now have approximately 120 members.

Graham Beavan gave his financial report, showing that the society’s finances were in good form with an underlying balance of about £2,800. Graham also announced that he is planning to move houses, and would soon he stepping down from the committee.

We then came to the election of the committee. Ann Thomas and Jean Owen are both retiring from the committee, and Kay and Jonathan Pegler are stepping down from positions as Chairman and vice Chairman after many years of service, but would still be standing as committee members.

Colin Picton has been seconded to the committee as Minutes Secretary, and was now proposed and elected.

David Powell was proposed as the new chairman, with Rob Britton as vice chairman, and these were both elected unopposed.

Ann Evans thanked Kay for her years of service as Chairman, Vice Chairman and Minutes Secretary and present her with a bouquet of flowers.

Ann Tennant then served a choice of chicken or beef stew with a choice of desserts.

David Powell thanked Ann Tenant for once again providing such a good meal, and then ran through the list of coming events: Spring Walk, Aberystwyth trip, Summer Lunch, Windsor Races, Golf Day, Bristol coach trip, Musical evening and Christmas Drinks.

David then introduced the evening’s entertainment – Tony and Margaret Curtis with Jayne Pegler reciting light hearted and amusing works by among others Carol Ann Duffy, Idris Davies and (of course) Dylan Thomas.

The evening ended around 9:30 with Jonathan Pegler leading the singing of the national Anthem.

Say Cheese (and Wine)

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As a change from our usual January Quiz Evening, this year we had a Cheese & Wine (& Beer) event. Approximately 40 CDWS members assembled at 7pm in Coleshill Village Hall (26th January).

Jonathan Pegler had scoured the country for Welsh Cheeses, and even a Welsh wine. He started by teasing us with the question of which was best with cheese – red, white or beer, then explained that it all depended on the type of cheese, but beer usually worked (think Ploughman’s lunch).

Jonathan had done his research and was able to describe in some detail each of the various beverages and cheeses we were about to try.

Cheeses came to each table two at a time and everyone could choose what should go with each. The seven cheeses varied from Brie-like, through Caerphilly to strong tangy cheddars (most people’s favourite). Among these were a smoked goat’s cheese which divided opinion between those who loved it, and some who thought it inedible.

There were two wines, two whites (including Glyndwr from the Vale of Glamorgan) and two full bodied reds from France and Italy.

The four Welsh beers were also very popular – ranging from light Reverend James and Madog’s Ale to a dark, liquorish and tar tasting Cwrwgl.

We all had notes with the names and sources of each cheese and wine, with details of the suppliers, and Jonathan asked us to guess which were the most and least expensive of each cheese, wine and beer. Jonathan and Graham Beavan also had several additional bottles of wine and beer which people could buy at cost. They did a roaring trade.

We finished the evening around 9:30 or so and everyone thought that this was nice to have a change. Thanks to Jonathan for his painstaking research and entertaining talk.

David Powell