CMVC
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Choir walking group
Solstice four honour Polly
The choir walkers undertook their most celebrated annual outing on December 18, namely the Polly Ankle Memorial Winter Solstice Walk. It marks the fabled day in December 2016 when choir stalwart Martin “Polly” Perkins slipped and fractured an ankle on the Greensand Way near Bletchingley.
The fab solstice four
A multi-function rescue task force was dispatched to rescue Martin and transport him to hospital, but at the same time leaving him sitting waiting for so long that he contracted hypothermia.
The 99 steps
The first section taken by the ten walkers from the Sir Julian Huxley on November 20 followed an urban setting down Farley Road and Upper Selsdon Road, then turned into Croham Hurst, one of Croydon's Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) due to its rare geology.
Banners shows the way through Croham Hurst
Youthful memories and double custards
A select group of six walkers left the Woodman in Woodmansterne on October 23 and headed west across flat horse-grazing land towards Banstead. Former cricketers in the group remembered their youth as we crossed Banstead Cricket Club before passing the ancient Banstead church.
Five of the select six stride out
Of slippery slopes and treacherous rabbit holes
Ten walkers left the Caterham Fox on September 18 and headed westwards across Coulsdon Common towards Happy Valley. Much care was needed on the slippery degraded steps down into the valley but all arrived safely. The group traversed the rolling grassland on the far side of the valley and ascended to Leazes Lane. A short walk led to a hidden path down the side of the golf course.
The happy Fox ten
Walkers, please note
Choir members take part in informal local walks once every 3-4 weeks. These are mostly circular walks of 5-6 miles with a mid-walk refreshment stop, following a route proposed by a navigator. During British Summer Time they usually start at 2.30pm and finish around six, with a meal at the start/finish pub to follow. When the clocks revert to GMT, the walks start progressively earlier, starting around midday or 12.30 during the winter. All choir members are welcome to take part, and they are welcome to invite guests too. Please note that members and guests take part in the walks as individuals, and so take full personal responsibility for their own safety. The walkers followed all rules and guidance in respect of gatherings and outdoor activities during the Covid crisis.
Free beer all the way
There was an anxious prelude to the choir walk on August 28, as walkers bound for the start at the newly-reopened Whyte Harte in Bletchingley had to negotiate the traffic gridlock caused by the fete on Godstone Green. We were still counting them in at the due departure time, but in the end the group of eleven left only a few minutes later.
En route between pubs