We’ve watched the comedy of the European veto that didn’t stop anything. Cringed at the farce accompanying the Big Society which despite multiple relaunches is no longer mentioned even by its main protagonist. And now we are witnessing the unfolding tragedy behind the pledge to be ‘the greenest government ever’. This hubristic claim was made way back in the euphoric early days of the coalition government on 14 May 2010 to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) on a trip round Whitehall to explain the new government.

It began with him telling us that he ‘cared passionately’ about the environment and saw real possibilities in boosting initiatives in the area. Then came the ill-fated forestry sell off proposals. The Forestry Commission is the government department responsible – in its own words – “for the protection and expansion of Britain’s forests and woodlands”. In England it manages 250,000 hectares comprising approximately 1,500 forests, including the Forest of Dean, the New Forest and Kielder Forest which is about 18% of the total woodland. Back in January the government pledged to sell off 15% of this holding by 2015. Cue public outrage and scathing criticism from august organisations like the National Trust, Ramblers and RSPB. Not to forget the Daily Telegraph and the Today programme. It was the making of 38 Degrees and the virtual world of groups like mumsnet were awash with scornful comments on the proposal. All swiftly followed by a rapid u-turn by the government. So far so bad and not very green.

Then there’s the solar panel fiasco. The government is committed to increasing the amount of energy generated from renewable sources. Back in 2010 before a subsidy was introduced for those generating power from solar panels we created a derisory 30 megawatts. In October 2011 we had increased this to a much better figure of 321 megawatts (an impressive tenfold increase.) Over 90,000 homes, including me, had carried out installation. This not only sounds like a success but is a success. So what does DECC do – with effect from 12 December it slashes the tariff rate from 43p per kilowatt hour to 21p a full 5 months ahead of schedule and 2 weeks before it’s own consultation period considering the issue was due to close. This prompted successful legal action by Friends of the Earth challenging the legitimacy of this decision and a whole industry warning it was close to collapse meaning the possible loss of over 15,000 jobs. The courts ruled the government’s tariff change illegal and their whole policy is left in disarray – sound familiar?

What about the Green Investment Bank I hear you ask. Frequently trotted out by ministers wishing to establish their green credentials it will not be able to borrow money for years. Fuel duty was reduced in the budget and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) suffered savage cuts. Local councils are laying off rights of way staff left, right and centre and Greg Clark, the Planning minister, proposed planning reforms that would have seen our current 1,000+ pages of policy reduced to just 52. One wonders what they’ve filled out the 52 with because the new policy appears to be ‘build where you bloody well like’ at the same time as completely scrapping the equally important environmental and social elements of the system. Conflating ‘sustainable development’ and ‘sustainable economic growth’ has meant, according to the Commons select committee responsible for reviewing the reforms, the strong possibility that there will be more legal actions challenging proposals not less.

But the final nail in the ‘greenest government ever’ coffin came in the Chancellor’s autumn statement. “We are not going to save the planet by shutting down our steel mills, aluminium smelters and paper manufacturers. All we will be doing is exporting valuable jobs out of Britain,” announced George Osborne in promising amongst other things an airport, at great environmental cost, in the Thames estuary that no one wants or needs. Incidentally he seemed to be harking back to an industrial old Britain redolent of Orwell’s novels. In addition to this support for heavy industry, he spoke of the “ridiculous cost” that EU initiatives on the environment were imposing on firms, and emphasised the burden that green policies were placing on the economy. Chris Huhne, the Liberal Democrat Environment Secretary, is said to be furious, having not been consulted.

So the journey from the noble aspiration of being ‘the greenest government ever’ to becoming the most environmentally destructive government to hold power in this country since the modern environmental movement was born is complete. At the heart of the problem is not just austerity, but the perception in government that pursuing green policies is an inconvenient burden on the economy rather than a necessity and an opportunity.

After all that national gloom let’s take a quick look at some local disquiet. Those of you familiar with the Capital Ring will remember that the route takes you through the grounds of the unbelievably posh, public Harrow School as part of one stretch. Up until 8 years ago I understand it followed the route of a 19th century footpath. I am familiar with the route – known as Footpath 57 to the local authority – and have always enjoyed it for the marvellous vista of London as you walk down from Harrow on the Hill.

A few years ago the school wanted to further develop the grounds and 2 more all-weather pitches were proposed to be built on top of the right of way. I say more because if you visit this part of London it seems to have more pitches than Hackney Marshes. As I understand it the local Ramblers, being a co-operative bunch, agreed as long as an alternative route was created. The path you walk today is clearly signed as permissive and Harrow School swiftly built the pitches but as yet have not confirmed the other route as a path that would be available as a right for everyone to walk for ever.

Not only that but they are now threatening to shut the permissive path as a part of their ‘developing anti-trespass policy’. This policy seems to be ‘developing’ along standard class warfare lines. They’re rich and arrogant and don’t give a damn what anyone else thinks. They think that just because they charge £30,000 a year per student and a couple of their ex-pupils were Prime Minister they can do what they like. Their attitude has always been one of sufferance. Go along and walk this part of the Capital Ring and you’ll notice numerous large signs telling you where you can’t walk in contrast to the smaller fingerposts showing you the correct route. I found the atmosphere is unwelcoming and hostile, while for others I’ve spoken to the route is confusing which leads to a wandering about looking for the correct path.

As I understand it the local council, are supporting North West London Ramblers in their struggle with Harrow School. As local councillor Sue Anderson (Labour, Greenhill) said: “I think the area should be open as it is a right of way and you can’t just fence that off”. And Gareth Thomas (Labour), Harrow West MP, has added: “The route has been here for decades and it’s not right to block the footpath. I hope the school will listen to the public who use the path.” It is to be hoped that common sense prevails and this doesn’t end up in the courts because the school should not get away with their selfish decision to make this area even more exclusive. Why not add your weight to this argument and let the school know you want to use the path.
George Orwell described doublethink as the act of simultaneously accepting two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct. Put into practice nationally and locally it’s enough to make this grown man cry.

Things to do instead of/as well as crying:

Join The Ramblers
Fit solar panels
Oppose the Thames Estuary airport
Contact Harrow Council about Rights of Way

Support the work of the Ramblers – sponsor me here:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=walkingclasshero

Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar
Penguin Cafe Orchestra – Walk Don’t Run
Pink Floyd – Run Like Hell

Useful links:
o The Ramblers
o National Trust
o RSPB
o Friends of the Earth
o 38 Degrees
o George Orwell 
o David Cameron
o John Major
o George Osborne
o Chris Huhne
o Gareth Thomas
o 1984
o DECC 
o DEFRA 
o Green Investment Bank
o Harrow School
o Capital Ring

Listen to:

Stonestorm – Doublethink
British Sea Power – Who’s In Control
Ry Cooder – No Banker Left Behind
Eurythmics – Doubleplusgood
Build Buildings – A Solar Panel
Billy Bragg – We’re Following The Wrong Star
Steve Harley – Harrow On The Hill

Follow me @walkngclasshero

I think it was Heraclitus who said: ‘Mortals are immortal, immortals mortal, living their death, dying their life’. He’d have said it in ancient Greek of course and I’m not sure I fully understand what it means but it often springs into my mind when I’m looking at a scene that seems to be old and new as well as in the process of change all at the same time.

Take a walk down from Tower Hill towards the Thames using the subway system and stop just before the Tower of London. Fix Heraclitus in your mind and think of his aphorism. Here you can see exposed some of the brickwork from the original Roman wall constructed around 190. Lifting your head you see the Tower where building began just after the conquest in 1066. Shuffle around a bit and crane your neck and you can see City Hall, the home of the Greater London Authority, which was opened in 2002. And dominating this, and seemingly every London skyline, is the nearly completed Shard which is due to open in May 2012. This small snapshot of London shows you the physical manifestation of very nearly 2000 years of building. Paradoxically it manages to convey permanence and flux at one and the same time.

I love London and this combination of dynamism and history is an important part of the charm for me. Indeed I think the best way to experience this is by traipsing about at street level soaking it all in by some strange process of osmosis. Even so every so often I come across a change that fair takes my breath away. Last month I went to see the mighty Chelsea beat Wolves 3-0. I’m coming up to my 50th consecutive year seeing at least one home game at Stamford Bridge. Since I’ve been old enough to drink my pre- or post- (or often both) game ritual involved a visit to the working man’s club in Britannia Street opposite the stadium for a few beers. Imagine my shock last year when I found it had been demolished. Perhaps it was the irony of working men in Chelsea that appealed to me but in many ways I’ll be more able to deal with Chelsea moving away from Stamford Bridge than this. These days I start off with a couple of beers in The Atlas in West Brompton.

During that year I’d been walking around Blackheath and discovered that my old school had been demolished to make way for housing. This change pleased me – housing seems a much better use of the land than the hate ridden place I’d been educated in. However, the houses haven’t yet been built and rather disappointingly the Catholic church had built a bigger and shinier new school across the road. (They’ve changed the saint’s name from Joseph to Matthew though – wonder what that signifies.) If you then add in that the place I first worked other than Saturday jobs was the long closed London Evening News in Bouverie Street and that my first job after uni was in the now rebuilt office block above Cannon Street station I was left with the overwhelming feeling that my past was being re-written around me.

And, of course, it’s not just London that epitomises constant change. (It’s true I’m London-centric but not that much). Whenever I go to Manchester I make sure I visit the site of the Hacienda. The canal side of the new building commemorates the key events of this club. I’m not entirely sure this works for me – it’s almost as if they are apologising for knocking it down. As George Harrison sang: ‘A cloudburst doesn’t last all day’. Sometimes that’s a bit difficult to believe up in Manchester.

Support the work of the Ramblers – sponsor me here:

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=walkingclasshero

I completed the Grand Union half marathon in 2 hours 19 minutes. Thanks to everybody who sponsored me.

Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar
Moby – Run On
The Rolling Stones – Before They Make Me Run – 2009 Re-Mastered Digital Version

Useful links:

• The Ramblers
• Inner London Ramblers
• Ramblers Board of Trustees
• Heraclitus
• Tower Hill
• London Wall
• Tower of London
• City Hall
• The Shard
• Chelsea FC
• Wolverhampton Wanderers
• The Atlas
• London Evening News
• The Hacienda
• George Harrison

Watch:
George Harrison

Listen to:

The Waterboys – All Things Must Pass
The Webb Sisters – Everything Changes/21
The Faces – Debris
Billy Bragg – Glad and Sorry
Neil Young – My My, Hey Hey – Out Of The Blue Album Version
New Order – Blue Monday

 Follow me @walkngclasshero

Coastal erosion is in the news these days. Most spectacularly near Hayle in north Cornwall where geologist Richard Hocking caught an enormous fall on camera and, of course, like the modern equivalent of whether a falling tree makes any sound if there’s no one there to witness it, these things don’t really happen unless they are uploaded almost immediately to youtube. (It’s well worth a look though.) It goes without saying that the South West Coast Path has been diverted.

Technically speaking this erosion of the land is caused by the constant battering of the sea, primarily by the processes of hydraulic action, corrasion, attrition, and corrosion. Hydraulic action occurs when the force of the waves compresses air pockets in coastal rocks and cliffs. The air expands explosively, breaking the rocks apart. Rocks and pebbles flung by waves against the cliff face wear it away by the process of corrasion, or abrasion as it is also known. Chalk and limestone coasts are often broken down by corrosion and attrition is the process by which the eroded rock particles themselves are worn down, becoming smaller and more rounded. That’s cleared all that up then.

My staycationing this year has seemed to take me quite naturally to our picturesque coast, and particularly the south coast along the Solent. One more bright and sunny day of this Indian summer (I’ve often wondered about that phrase and apparently it’s a north American term dating from about 3 centuries ago: In the same way that Indian giver was coined for people who take back presents they have bestowed, the phrase Indian summer may simply have been a way of saying “false summer“. Well this year has been odd a scorching April and a blistering opening to October, I’ve never known anything like it) found us in Lymington.

They love their sailing down here – it’s got three marinas – and some TV programme rated it the best town on the coast but we were here to walk along the Solent Way along the edge of Pennington and Keyhaven marshes to Hurst Castle. The castle is one of Henry VIII’s coastal forts and was constructed at the end of a long shingle spit. It also has a picture perfect lighthouse. And it is long, about 2 kilometres I reckon, and every step is strength sapping, especially on the calf muscles. (So strength sapping that we took a ferry back to the shore rather than walk it again.) This is the beauty of shingle it can absorb huge forces and this beach was created by longshore drift.

OK pay attention here comes some more science. Longshore drift consists of the transportation of sediments (generally sand but also, as in this case, coarser sediments such as gravels) along a coast at an angle to the shoreline, which is dependent on prevailing wind direction, swash and backwash. (Swash as I’m sure you all know is a turbulent layer of water that washes up on the beach after an incoming wave has broken. Hence swashbuckling I guess.)

Spits are formed when longshore drift travels past a point where the dominant drift direction and shoreline do not veer in the same direction. As well as dominant drift direction, spits are affected by the strength of wave driven current, wave angle and the height of incoming waves. Spits are landforms that have two important features. The first feature being the region at the up-drift end or proximal end. The proximal end is constantly attached to land (unless breached) and may form a slight “barrier” between the sea and an estuary or lagoon. The second important spit feature is the down-drift end or distal end, which is detached from land and in some cases, may take a complex hook-shape or curve, due to the influence of varying wave directions. It’s on days like these I wish I’d paid more attention during geography.

The walk is splendid even if you don’t understand any of this and trust me at best I’ve got a very tenuous grip on it. You leave the chandler shops and marinas of Lymington behind you and you are quickly on the flat marshland with the whole walk spread out in front of you. It’s certainly big sky country round here and the landscape which at first appears deserted is actually teeming with wildlife. There’s oystercatchers, redshanks and what I think were curlews. All dipping, bobbing and wading their peaceful way through the pools and lagoons that surround you. The air is redolent with their gentle whistling and calling. The salinity in these lagoons varies widely, but is generally lower than seawater. This specialised habitat supports its own distinctive plants and animals, some of which are only found in this environment. The lagoons are some of the most important in Britain with populations of rare species including Foxtail Stonewort, Lagoon Shrimp and starlet Sea-anemone. On the walk back in the early evening we were accompanied by swooping sand martins who seem to revel in their ability to fly and for all the world just seem to be doing it because they’re simply having fun. And who can blame ‘em?

Claim the Coast:
Support the  campaign here

Support the work of the Ramblers – sponsor me here
Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar
Neil Young with Stephen Stills – Long May You Run
Lighthouse Family – Run

More information:
OS Map used – Outdoor Leisure 22 New Forest
Pay less when you order this map here

Useful links:
The Ramblers
South West Coast Path
Hayle
Coastal erosion
Staycation 
The Solent
Indian summer
Lymington
Solent Way
Hurst Castle
Longshore drift
Grand Union Canal half-marathon

Watch:
BBC News reporting on the coastal fall near Hayle 

Listen to:
cshx – Solent
Kate Bush – The Big Sky (Special Single Mix)
Shawsax – An Evening On The Estuary
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Longshore Drift
Phonem – Warm Rays (Longshore Drift)

Follow me on Twitter @walkngclasshero

I don’t suppose any ancient maps of the Isle of Wight had the ‘here be monsters’ tag which is a shame. In fact in geological terms the Isle was linked to mainland Britain – from the Needles to Old Harry’s Rocks in Dorset – only yesterday. About 10,000 years ago sea levels started rising as the great ice sheets of the last Ice Age melted and as sea level rose higher, the Isle of Wight became separated from the mainland about 7,000 years ago. Sticking with the geological theme the Isle of Wight is made up of a wide variety of different rock types ranging from Early Cretaceous times (around 127 million years ago) to the middle of the Palaeogene (around 30 million years ago). The northern half of island is mainly made up of Tertiary clays, with the southern half formed of Cretaceous rocks (the chalk that forms the central east-west downs, as well as Upper and Lower Greensands and Wealden strata). Cretaceous rocks on the island, usually red, show that the climate was previously hot and dry.

All this adds up to a remarkably diverse landscape which often leads this diamond shaped island to be described as England in miniature. It’s one of the few places in England where the red squirrel is still flourishing and it’s certainly a wonderful place to go walking – particularly the 92 km of coastline. Well when I say 92 km you can’t actually walk all the way round the island on the coast and frankly this is both surprising and disappointing. David Howarth goes as far to say that: “Over half of our so-called coastal path doesn’t even follow the shore”. And he should know ‘cos he’s chair of the Isle of Wight Ramblers. They really seem to value their footpaths on the island – there’s plenty of ‘em, they’re well sign posted and we didn’t come across any obstructions. The main part of the coast that is restricted is around Osborne House.
Even more surprising and disappointing is that the Isle of Wight was excluded from the 2009 Marine and Coastal Access Act. I’m certainly in the Stuart Maconie camp of believing that: “The roots of the Ramblers are not in cream teas and stiles, but in dissent and protest”. (Just to make it clear I haven’t got anything against cream teas and stiles and am I the only one who thinks Stuart Maconie would make a great pantomime dame? – please insert your own ‘oh no he wouldn’t’ gag here.) So to add your voice of protest please join the Ramblers in their English Coastal Path campaign and contact Kate Conto (kate.conto@ramblers.org.uk) to find ways you can help.

Notwithstanding this we set out from Shanklin and walked west past Ventnor until we got to St Lawrence. Then we cut inland and headed for St Boniface Down, which is, of course, a Marilyn. A Marilyn is a mountain or hill in the UK, Republic of Ireland or Isle of man with a relative height of at least 150 metres , regardless of absolute height or other merit. The name was coined as a punning contrast to the designation Munro, used of a Scottish mountain with a height of more than 3,000 feet (914.4 m), which is homophonous with (Marilyn) Monroe. It also offers glorious sea views.
Later on in the week we popped along to the Shanklin Theatre to see Rick Wakeman. These days he seems to be famous for being a contestant on Just a Minute, a Grumpy Old Man and Countdown. But old prog-rockers know him as a member of Yes and I like him for his work as session musician where he played keyboards on tracks as various as Life on Mars, Morning has Broken and Grandad (well aboy’s gotta make a living). He also recorded an album entitled The Six Wives of Henry VIII and in a case of art imitating life I think he’s up to number four himself.

The island is also famous for Victorians. The eponymous queen lived at Osborne House after Albert’s death, Dickens holidayed at Bonchurch and Alfred, Lord Tennyson lived on the west tip near the Needles. I can highly recommend another great Isle of Wight walk starting on Tennyson Down. The wind was blowing hard and the rain was sleeting down as we trudged up the down and it all added to the atmosphere. I know these days the poet is probably famous for The Charge of the Light Brigade but I always remember him for the line from In Memoriam – ‘Nature, red in tooth and claw’. Then we walked to the Needles followed by a swift visit to Alum Chine – you know where all that coloured sand comes packaged in glass bells, cats and lighthouses. We took a slight diversion to nearby Warren Farm for some tea and cake and then pushed on for Headon Hill. A bit more coastal walking followed before we cut in country and back to Freshwater Bay. The evening was made complete with a few pints of local brewers Goddards Scrumdiggity.

It’s a shame about the coastal path but it’s hard not to warm to the Isle of Wight. There’s an understated solidity about the place. These days our monsters seem to be climatic and financial rather than kraken and Neptune but it’s not hard to imagine the Wighters facing these perils with a collective shrug of their shoulders, briefly stopping their DIY or temporarily ceasing to tend their gardens, stoically lacing up their boots, resignedly filling their rucksacks and staring them down armed with only a Mars bar. Not so much England in miniature but the spirit of England writ large if you ask me. Ah I can hear that Tennyson bloke again: ‘Was there a man (or woman) dismayed?’

Claim the Coast:

• Find out more about the campaign here
• Take action – add the Isle of Wight to the coastal route here 

Support the work of the Ramblers:

• Sponsor me here 
• Listen to
  Aloe Blacc – I Need A Dollar
  Jackson Browne – Running On Empty
  Plastic Operator – The Long Run

More information:
OS Map used – Outdoor Leisure 29 Isle of Wight. Pay less when you order this map here

Useful links:

• The Ramblers
• Isle of Wight Ramblers
• Isle of Wight
• Old Harry’s Rocks
• Osborne House
• Stuart Maconie
• Rick Wakeman
• Shanklin Theatre 
• Alfred, Lord Tennyson
• Chine 
• Goddards
• Grand Union Canal half-marathon

Listen to:

David Bowie – Life On Mars?
The Bees – Go Where You Wanna Go – Single Version
The Jesus And Mary Chain – Coast To Coast
Rick Wakeman – Morning Has Broken
Clive Dunn – Grandad

I was born in Lewisham and went to school in Blackheath and know the area really well. (I was tempted to say with all its echoes of Wat Tyler and the Peasants Revolt  I feel it’s my spiritual home but alongside that opening paragraph that would be way too much new age stuff for one blog.) Anyway quite a few years ago Bob Gilbert wrote a book called Green London Way. I’m not familiar with the route but when the West Essex Ramblers reported a set of steps going down to the Lethbridge Estate as very dangerous I thought I know the very place. A key part of the Ramblers’ work is ‘to encourage the provision and protection of foot paths and other ways over which the public have a right of way or access on foot, including the prevention of obstruction of public rights of way’. A representative of West Essex had informed Lewisham Council of the problem but I thought I’d pop along and have a look.

I approached along the edge of the heath and headed for Wat Tyler Road and then Morden Hill. The steps mentioned by the West Essex Ramblers are off a lane that starts here. Well their letter to the Highways Department had presumably prompted some action because the viewing area that the steps led down from was now padlocked off. Undeterred I clambered over the fence and walked down the steps. They were indeed in very bad repair. The exit into the estate was also padlocked off but this time by a gate that was only hip height and a lot easier than many stiles to negotiate. The estate is predominantly grey concrete and was probably built in the late 60’s and now is the subject of major redevelopment.

Now I’m not about to suggest that in some prelapsarian golden age before wholesale public service cuts Lewisham Council would have maintained these steps but in my mind the real stumbling block to getting this route re-opened is that the council are under no obligation to keep this path open for the public. Under the current legislation the Inner London boroughs (of which Lewisham is one) are excused from having to maintain a definitive map. This map depicts every single right of way within the authority’s boundary and these rights of way are then protected by law. These steps in Lewisham highlight exactly why the Ramblers are running the essential Put London on the Map campaign.

 In keeping with this theme of activity to encourage change I’m in training for the Grand Union Canal half-marathon being held on Sunday 13 November. I’m running this in aid of the Ramblers so if you support the work they do, any donations will be gratefully received. If you give online, the money goes straight to them and will be put to use preserving and protecting paths immediately. A link to my sponsor page can be found at the end of this blog.

And finally on Tuesday 27 September at 7 pm I’ll be leading an evening stroll from Richmond station. The local MP, Zac Goldsmith, a champion for the environment and friend of the Ramblers will be coming along. Zac was one of only 6 coalition MPs who had the courage to vote against the government during the controversial proposed sale of woods debate this year. Another great example of being the change you want to see in this world. Come along if you can and thank him for this action as well as urging him to do more to preserve our precious footpath network.

More information:

Sponsor me here
Put London on the Map campaign

Useful links:

The Ramblers
Gandhi
Lewisham
Blackheath
Wat Tyler
Green London Way
West Essex Ramblers
Zac Goldsmith MP
Grand Union Canal half-marathon 

Watch:

Kat Edmonson – Be the Change
MC Yogi – The Gandhi Rap

Listen to:

MC Yogi – Be The Change – Niraj Chag’s Swaraj Mix
David Bowie – Changes
Fairport Convention – Wat Tyler
Captain Phoenix – Blackheath
Camera Obscura – Underachievers Please Try Harder
Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx – Running
Spencer Davis Group – Keep On Running

I’d never been to Yeovil before and hadn’t given the town much thought at all – one of the few things I associated with it was The Chesterfields’ song Last Train to Yeovil and particularly the lyric above. In fact if pushed it would mostly be music I would mention if I had to say what I knew about the place. (Although I do know that Yeovil Town FC used to play on a sloping pitch.) PJ Harvey was brought up thereabouts and Frank Turner is famously a Wessex boy. (One of my enduring memories of the dying days of New Labour is of Gordon Brown, still Prime Minister, appearing on the Andrew Marr Show in April 2010 and watching in utter bemusement as good old Polly Jane, playing her autoharp, performed Let England Shake.)

I now know that in the mid-19th century the town was the centre of the glove making industry and that in 2006 Yeovil became the first town in Britain to institute a somewhat controversial system of biometric fingerprint scanning in nightclubs. Individuals wishing to gain access to one of the town’s nightclubs were asked in the first instance to submit their personal details for inclusion in a central system. Me, I’d popped down on the Friday to sell some t-shirts for the Wedding Present gig at the Orange Box that evening and then do a bit of walking the day after.

I don’t know if the biometric experiment is still in operation but I wasn’t asked to submit any personal details at the Wetherspoons nor on the door at the Orange Box. And well I never, Simon Barber (of Chesterfields fame) was 2nd on the bill with his new band Design and sitting around in the almost deserted venue. The venue began to fill steadily and I guess the world probably doesn’t need any more singer-songwriters but a pretty decent one – Nick Parker – began the night. The Wedding Present were their usual entertaining selves and t-shirt sales were brisk.

Armed with the local OS map and fortified with a cooked breakfast that did its job and took the edge off of last night’s beer we headed out to explore the countryside around Yeovil. It’s probably a bit harsh to say there’s not much to look at but it is a fairly identikit sort of a town. A Greggs, the average number of charity shops and all the other stuff you’d expect to find these days.

Maybe it’s just me but I often find the most difficult thing is getting out of any town – hey it’s almost as if they don’t want you to visit the countryside. The weather forecast was predicting rain about 3 pm and there was a train, out of Yeovil Junction, to Waterloo about 2.30 pm so we headed for Nine Springs Country Park and then looked for the Monarch’s Way. Commemorating Charles I’s flight from Cromwell, this story can now be re-traced in one of the country’s most varied walks. I knew the creator and founder of this route, Trevor Anthill, and his sudden death in August 2010 was not only a terrible loss for his family and friends but also the walking community.

Maybe people don’t get out of Yeovil much because once out of the town some of the footpaths didn’t show much evidence of being walked and we hardly saw anyone else at all. I reckon it’s quite fun to do some walking on the fly – no real plan but just a map and the signposts when you’re out there. Just after leaving The Monarchs Way near Coker Moor sewage works we needed to check the map quite carefully to see where we actually were. A few footpaths that were overgrown and a couple of missing signposts had put us about kilometre further east than we’d expected. We were soon back on track though, passing a llama farm – aren’t alpacas funny creatures? – and we made the train with 10 minutes to spare and despite the ominous black clouds that accompanied us for the last hour or so we beat the rain.

I used the 10 minutes at the station to buy some coke, crisps and chocolate from an old guy running the cafe who used to live in Putney and who knew my local in Kingston – The Boaters Inn. It was a good weekend of walking, music and beer and, you know, I don’t know who invented gloves but I reckon you’ve got to hand it to them.

More information:
OS Map used – Explorer 129 Yeovil & Sherbourne
Pay less when you order this map here

Useful links:
o The Ramblers
o Yeovil
o Yeovil Town FC
o The Wedding Present 
o The Chesterfields
o Nick Parker
o Orange Box
o The Monarchs Way
o The Boaters Inn

Watch:
o PJ Harvey on the Andrew Marr Show

Listen to:
The Chesterfields – Last Train To Yeovil
Bubblegum Splash – 18:10 To Yeovil Junction
Frank Turner – Wessex Boy
The Wedding Present – Don’t Take Me Home Until I’m Drunk – Acoustic Version
Nick Parker – Metaphor
The Smiths – Hand In Glove
Pulp – Pink Glove

I love walking and find it hard to succinctly articulate all the many benefits that come from going on a ‘good walk’. If pressed I’d begin with the fact that for me it’s a great way to temporarily leave behind the stresses and strains of modern day life and it’s so easy to do. Whereas the only walking that some young carers do is to and from the chemist to pick up a regular prescription for a parent, grandparent, brother or sister. Very rarely does this fall into the good walk category. Inevitably one the consequences of this life is that many of these youngsters end up not having enough time for themselves or to be able to spend with their peers.

Westminster Carers Service is an independent charity formed in 1988 to provide relief for carers of dependent people in the City of Westminster and Ramblers member Elena Fuller recently contacted them to see if there was anything they thought she could do to help. She knew that the Ramblers is excellent at providing led walks so how about us offering this service to a group of people who might really welcome it. After all one of the association’s charitable objectives is: The provision of facilities for the organising of open-air recreational activities and in particular rambling and mountaineering with the object of improving the conditions of life for the persons for whom the facilities are intended, namely the public at large, and in the interests of social welfare (including health). What better fit could there be.

Westminster Carers Service agreed it was a great idea and London Strollers, the newest of the Ramblers’ groups in London, kindly offered to host the walk. So on wet Sunday morning I joined Elena, Sinead and Carol on the banks of the Thames at Ham House to guide the kids, along with John Henry (known as Josh) on a walk through Richmond Park. (After lunch we were joined by another Rambler, Caroline.) The 10 young carers ranged in ages from 8 to 18 and they were made up of 6 girls and 4 boys. It was easy to work this out because when they exited the mini bus they separated immediately into 2 groups by gender. (They later lined up for photographs either side of Josh like this as well.) It’s also worth mentioning that the only white faces were us 5 from the Ramblers. Right from the off this was not your usual Ramblers group.

The group was quite soggy by the time we got to the park and finding a place to eat lunch was a bit tricky. It was also a bit of a shame because we had to drastically curtail my brief introduction to map reading and how to use a compass as the rain relentlessly hammered down. Silva had donated some compasses and pedometers to give out and we’d packaged them up along with some information from Ordnance Survey as well. Well advancing the education of the public in subjects relating to access to, and the preservation and conservation of, the countryside and of the health benefits of outdoor recreational pursuits is another of the Ramblers’ charitable objectives. (Love the sentiments but am I the only one who thinks these need a bit of a re-write to reflect contemporary language?)

The children (and Josh) all seemed to have a great time and at least one of them commented that the day was ‘wicked good’. (I’m quite gratified that the youth of today still say wicked.) The ones I chatted to had the same dreams and aspirations as all of us. They wanted to be footballers, dancers and pilots but mostly they wanted to see their loved ones well and wished to be able to live a normal life. They worried about exams and their girl/boy friends and the hole in their newish trainers. They marvelled at the deer and parakeets that live in the park and were staggered by the number of joggers, cyclists and horse riders out and about on such a damp day.

Hardly a month seems to go by without the Prime Minister, David Cameron, offering us some new reboot of his tired grand idea – the Big Society. In his hands it has become an idea so stale that even the Archbishop of Canterbury ridicules it for God’s sake. This walk was a timely reminder to me that for too many people in the UK the reality has nothing to do with patronising politicos casting around for a new sound bite nor leftie do-gooders like me salving their consciences. For them it is the only way they are able to live their lives. The real Big Society is alive and well and has been fully functioning for many years in the person of people like Elena, as well as organisations like Westminster Carers Service but mostly in the everyday actions of these admirable kids who need all the help they can get.

More information:

o Westminster Carers Service http://www.westcarers.org.uk/
o The Ramblers   http://www.ramblers.org.uk/
o London Strollers   http://www.londonstrollers.org.uk/
o Silva     http://www.silvacompass.com/

Useful links:

o Young Carers    http://tinyurl.com/6z9qgou
o BBC survey report   http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-11757907
o Richmond Park    http://www.royalparks.gov.uk/Richmond-Park.aspx
o The Big Society   http://www.thebigsociety.co.uk/
o Archbishop of Canterbury  http://www.archbishopofcanterbury.org/

Listen to:Annie Lennox – Universal Child
M People – Search For The Hero
Frank Turner – Peggy Sang The Blues
Alpha & Omega – Suffer Little Children
The Big Chief Jazz Band – High Society
Beach House – Take Care

If you’ve ever been confused about the date of Easter, literally a movable feast, you can blame the Synod of Whitby. It was convened because different parts of what was in truth a nascent Christian church were celebrating Easter according to different calculations and differing calendars. So one part of your family could have finished Lent while you were still fasting away. Very confusing.

On the one hand the date for Easter is simple – Easter day falls on a Sunday, it must fall after the full moon and after the solstice. On the other the actual calculation for the date is somewhat complicated. Easter is determined taking account of lunisolar cycles, the paschal lunar month, the paschal full moon and the ecclesiastical new moon. Apparently the ecclesiastical new moon falls on a date from March 8 to April 5 inclusive; the paschal full moon (the 14th of that lunar month) must fall on a date from March 21 to April 18 inclusive.

Accordingly Gregorian Easter can fall on 35 possible dates—between March 22 and April 25 inclusive. It last fell on March 22 in 1818, and will not do so again until 2285. And Easter was last celebrated on the latest possible date, April 25, in 1943 and will next fall on that date in 2038. However, this year saw it arrive very late, on April 24, just one day before this latest possible and it will not do so again until 2095 (so that’s not gonna be bothering many of us then). The cycle of Easter dates repeats after exactly 5,700,000 years (I wonder what the creationists make of that?) with April 19 being the most common date, happening 220,400 times compared to the median for all dates of 189,525 times. Phew – no wonder they needed a Synod to decide the formula but ultimately you’ve gotta be asking yourself why bother?

There are 199 steps up to the Abbey and if you keep on the path you find the Cleveland Way. About 11 km southwards (or should that be eastwards?) down the coast is Robin Hood’s Bay. There and back is pretty obviously 22 km, making it a sort of Goldilocks day walk – neither too long nor too short. Helpfully laid bare by the relentless erosive power of the North Sea Whitby’s geology is well-exposed – which brings us neatly to Whitby Jet. It’s a semi-precious stone which, when polished, takes on an intense waxy lustre of the deepest opaque black – hence the use of the term ‘jet-black’ in literature since the 11th century. The rich black colour never fades, and the shine which can be achieved is such that polished jet was even used as mirrors in medieval times. Jet is formed from the fossilised trunks of Araucaria trees, the same genus as the modern day Monkey Puzzle.

As well as the sea and the cliffs and the breeze (wind?) your other constant companion on this walk will be seabirds. Kittiwakes cartwheel on the thermals seemingly taunting us earthbound mortals with their ability to fly. The cliffs play host to enormous seabird cities teeming with guillemots, razorbills and the occasional puffin. Further down the coast at Bempton Cliffs there’s a huge colony of gannets. These large black and white birds with distinctive yellow heads are the north Atlantic’s largest seabird with a wingspan of up to 2 metres.

These days Robin Hood’s Bay is probably best known as the eastern terminus of Wainwright’s 300 km Coast to Coast walk. So as we left the oh so quaint fishing village – where the pubs all stop serving food at 2 pm – we met a few straggling groups of tired and limping walkers. Robin Hood’s Bay is built in a fissure between two steep cliffs and is made up of a maze of tiny streets. It has a tradition of smuggling, and there is reputed to be a network of subterranean passageways linking the houses. The origin of the name is uncertain, and it is doubtful if Robin Hood (if he ever existed) was ever in the vicinity.

The walk back was excellent – the wind was just the right side of bracing and the soft light of the early evening sun sinking low on the horizon lent an ethereal blurring to everything. Whitby was bustling and there were more goths milling about now the light was drawing in. It’s hard not to come over all Ken Dodd in his ‘What a beautiful day…’ guise and rush over to them and tell them they’re looking well. There’s people waiting for the Dracula Walk to start and it seems obligatory for everyone to be eating fish & chips. Me, I settled down for a pint or three of Timothy Taylor’s Golden Best in one of the town’s many pubs, the Duke of York. It’s near the bottom of the steps not far from Argument Yard.

More information:
o Whitby    http://www.thewhitbyseagull.co.uk/index.html  
o Easter     http://www.answers.com/topic/easter 

Useful links:
o The Ramblers     http://www.ramblers.org.uk/
o  Common Era    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Era
o St Hilda of Whitby   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilda_of_Whitby
o Caedmon    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C%C3%A6dmon
o Synod of Whitby   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synod_of_Whitby
o Bram Stoker    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bram_Stoker
o Dracula     http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dracula
o Cleveland Way    http://www.clevelandway.co.uk/
o Robin Hood’s Bay   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hood’s_Bay
o Alfred Wainwright   http://www.wainwright.org.uk/
o Coast to Coast Walk   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coast_to_Coast_Walk
o Robin Hood    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin_Hood
o Ken Dodd    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Dodd
o Timothy Taylor beer   http://mobile.timothytaylor.co.uk/
o Duke of York, Whitby   http://www.dukeofyork.co.uk/

Listen to:

Meadowland – Whitby Jet
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman – The Whitby Maid
Gorillaz – Dracula
Annie Lennox – Love Song For A Vampire
Guillemots – Walk The River
The Decemberists – June Hymn

Walking Class Hero is a regular blog about walking and the walking environment. Whether you like walking on your own, with friends or in an organised group this blog will cover it. It’ll embrace walking in cities and towns and villages. Walking in the countryside and along the coast and up hills and down dales. Walking through parks and by rivers and across heath and down and moor. It’ll comment on public rights of way, access to open country, permissive paths, public urban space and countryside protection. Basically if you can walk there it’ll be in this blog.

So on the one hand that definitely sounds like the epitome of a vanity project in these straitened times of austerity. But if we want to be serious about getting cars off the road we need this sort of rail network. The financial benefits seem persuasive but what about the cost to the environment? And then I think who cares – in a coupla hundred years the route will make great walks for future ramblers just like Julia Bradbury’s Canal Walks not to mention her Railway Walks.

Of course it’s not only historic forms of transport that find themselves transformed into walks, routes and treks. I don’t s’pose that when Emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of his 120 km defensive fortification that runs from Wallsend to Bowness on Solway he envisaged it being one of the premier UK walking attractions a couple of thousand years later. And even earlier Qin Shi Huang didn’t begin the building of China’s Great Wall so numerous charities could host sponsored walks on it centuries later. Mark Thomas certainly seems to share this view.

He’s probably the first person to have the honour of walking the length of Israel’s West Bank barrier and just like the examples above he’s sees a future of tea shops, souvenirs and tour guides for the fence that when finished will career across about 723 kms of land. So next time you’re out for a countryside stroll this comedian has recently finished a countrywide walk. He’s written a book about it – Extreme Rambling – you can buy it on the internet of course, but if you’re old school it is available in all good (and bad presumably) book shops now. Being a standup he’s also on tour telling his stories from the walk.

I went to see him at Kilburn’s Tricycle Theatre (hurry his residency finishes Saturday 28 May) and he’s definitely an accomplished anecdotalist who creates instantly accessible characters. Despite mocking himself repeatedly as a bourgeois radical there’s no doubt that in full stride (see what I did there) he’s tremendously powerful and I left feeling humbled by the length some people will go to make such a worthwhile point.

Earlier in the day I’d exercised my democratic privilege and wasted my time by voting yes to AV. It was all I could do to stop myself scrawling ‘it’s jokes like this that make us all despise you Clegg’ across the ballot paper. But in the privacy of the booth I thought, ‘like whatever’, shrugged, gritted my teeth and put my X in the YES box. Later on in the day I couldn’t help thinking that some gestures are just so much more profound than others.

While not quite meeting the high standards of activism set by Mark Thomas it is still important to engage, albeit prosaically, with the machinations of the Coalition Government. Hiding behind the smokescreen of pausing to listen they are currently conducting A Red Tape Challenge. I strongly urge you all to follow the link below and tell them to keep their hands off all the incredibly important pieces of environmental legislation that function brilliantly by protecting and preserving the things we care passionately about and are as far removed from red tape as it is possible to get. So far the government seems to have little resistance in parliament and the reforms that have foundered – the NHS, forest sell-off – are a result of public outcry.

And finally having endured months of the public national fawning that accompanied the Royal Wedding I couldn’t help thinking about the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee upcoming next year, 2012. Deciding the whole tribute needs some balance I was considering organising some Republican Rambles to go along with it. Anyway if you think this is a good idea let me know and keep your eyes peeled (why do we say that?) for more details.

Actions:
o Red Tape Challenge
http://www.redtapechallenge.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/environment/
o Ramblers press release
http://tinyurl.com/6cfu3mz

More information:
o Mark Thomas   http://www.markthomasinfo.co.uk/
o Julia Bradbury   http://www.juliabradbury.com/

Useful links:
o The Ramblers     http://www.ramblers.org.uk/
o  HS2     http://www.hs2.org.uk/
o Hadrian’s Wall    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hadrian’s_Wall
o Great Wall of China   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Wall_of_China
o West Bank Barrier   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_West_Bank_barrier
o The Tricycle Theatre   http://www.tricycle.co.uk/
o AV     http://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/article.php?id=55
o Queen’s Diamond Jubilee  http://www.visitlondon.com/events/detail/7693688

Read:
o Extreme Rambling
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=extreme+rambling&tag=yahhyd-21&index=stripbooks&hvadid=74553551031&ref=pd_sl_55b80sjql_b

Watch:
o Down with this sort of thing
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT9xuXQjxMM

Listen to:
Lou Reed – Walk On The Wild Side
Kanye West – Jesus Walks
Don B – Gaza Strip
Labi Siffre – (Something Inside) So Strong (WSM Edit)
Annie Lennox – Universal Child
Sex Pistols – God Save The Queen

The Hull story goes that in 1293 on his way north to hammer the Scots, Edward I needed a strategic position for dispatching troops and goods, for defence, and for ship building. Hull was ideal so he acquired – he was good at hammering and acquiring that Edward – the town from the monks of Meaux Abbey. In 1299, he gave it a royal charter and the full name Kingston-upon-Hull (see what he did there). It stands on the north bank of the Humber estuary at the mouth of its tributary, the River Hull. The original settlers called it Hull, after the river as do the people of Hull (Hullensians) today.

A memorial to Robinson Crusoe can be found in Queen’s Gardens in the city centre. There’s also a memorial to Mick Ronson there – well it’s more of a cafe really. Ronson, who came from Hull, was a guitarist with David Bowie (and others) in the 70s & 80s who died of liver cancer in 1993. And when I think of Hull I normally think of music and musicians – yep The Housemartins and The Beautiful South but mostly Everything But The Girl. Actually that’s not entirely true because the first couple of names that spring to mind are William Wilberforce and John Prescott.  Not famed as musicians I know but Prescott, of course, represented Hull East in Parliament for 40 years and as yet there is no memorial to him that I could find.

There is no missing the huge deserved memorial to Wilberforce though. (He’s also got a trail.) A Hull native he famously headed the parliamentary campaign against the British slave trade for twenty-six years until the passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807. In later years, Wilberforce supported the campaign for the complete abolition of slavery, and continued his involvement after 1826, when he resigned from Parliament because of his failing health. That campaign led to the Slavery Abolition Act 1833, which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire; Wilberforce died just three days after hearing that the passage of the Act through Parliament was assured. He is a wonderful example of a Victorian do-gooder who kept fighting to ultimate success despite what appeared to be overwhelming odds at the time.

The city was heavily bombed in World War II – various estimates of 85% to 95% of the housing stock suffering damage are on offer. This makes the medieval/Georgian architecture near the old docks a real treat. Many of these can be reached by straiths – the name given locally to alleyways leading to the river. Some great pubs can also be found this way and I heartily recommend Ye Old Black Boy (frequented by the poet Philip Larkin – he’s also got a trail) and Ye Olde White Hart with its ‘plotting parlour’ where Sir Thomas Fairfax allegedly planned the English Civil War.

Heading away from the river I search out the Adelphi Club – an indie venue in a normal street. Part of the infamous “toilet” tour since the mid-80s, the club is one of the last  surviving underground live music venues in the country. One man, Paul Jackson, the club’s owner, has championed original live music, and in doing so has nurtured fledgling talent, many of whom have gone on to become household names. The club has played host to thousands of live bands – local, national and international – making the Adelphi the undisputed music capital of Hull.

It would be hard to visit Hull and not take a look at the Humber Bridge. Luckily the weather was still great and the 9 km walk along the Humber watching the sun set behind the bridge was a real treat. Although if the truth be told the council don’t make much of this route. Perhaps they don’t want to encourage you to leave the city, I read somewhere that Hull has the highest proportion of city residents who spend their whole lives there in the UK. The start of the route goes through the largely deserted docks and then you go down a section of alleyways that are more frequented by drug addicts than ramblers but once you get to the out of town shopping malls you’re all right. (Hey I walk ‘em so you don’t have to.) Had a nice coupla lagers in the Country Inn (in the shadow of the bridge) and then cabbed it back to Hull.

Hull has plenty to recommend it – as well as the Wilberforce Trail there’s the newly opened Philip Larkin Trail and the Seven Seas Fish Trail. (Can’t wait for the Housemartins Trail.) For a city founded by a king I was very pleased to discover that it had the lowest requests for Royal Wedding Street parties and of course it did fight on the right side in the civil war. It also, apparently, has the lowest church attendance in the country.

Finally, just a quick reminder about National Walk to Work Week. This year it’s 9 – 13 May and as the blurb says it’s an excellent time to give walking a go. Now that I’m working again I’ll be walking the 23 or so kilometres to work one morning during the week. You may remember I did it last year when I didn’t have a job and Paul is doing it again this year but he’s also gonna be walking home as well – 45 kilometres!

More Information:
o Kingston upon Hull   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingston_upon_Hull
o Humber Estuary   http://www.riverhumber.com/
o William Wilberforce   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Wilberforce
o John Prescott on twitter  http://twitter.com/#!/johnprescott

Useful links:
o The Ramblers    http://www.ramblers.org.uk/
o Daniel Defoe    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Defoe
o Robinson Crusoe   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robinson_Crusoe
o Edward I    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_I_of_England 
o Mick Ronson    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Ronson
o The Hosemartins   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Housemartins
o The Beautiful South   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beautiful_South
o Everything But The Girl  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everything_but_the_Girl
o Ye Old Black Boy   http://www.eyorks.com/hullpub/blackboy.html
o Ye Olde White Hart   http://www.eyorks.com/hullpub/whithart.html
o English Civil War   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Civil_War
o Adelphi Club    http://www.myspace.com/adelphiclub
o Country Park Inn    http://www.countryparkinn.co.uk/ 
o Wilberforce Trail   http://www.wilberforcetrail.co.uk/
o Larkin Trail    http://www.thelarkintrail.co.uk/
o Seven Seas Fish Trail  http://tinyurl.com/67g2kdq  
o Walk to Work Week   http://tinyurl.com/62t93x9
o Paul Davis Walk to Work  http://www.justgiving.com/Paul-DavisWTWW2011 

 Listen to:
The Housemartins – London 0 Hull 4 – Deluxe E Album Set
Art Of Noise – Robinson Crusoe
Everything But The Girl – Missing
Elton John – Madman Across The Water
Richard Hawley – Shallow Brown (Featuring Smoke Fairies)
Port Isaac’s Fisherman’s Friends – Bully In The Alley
The Beautiful South – Don’t Fear The Reaper