Thanks for the list Ian. I will be in touch with Richard and will aim for the Salisbury walk if not on holiday, else the Swindon walks if free

Hi Simon,

The walk at Giant's Grave (Marlborough) is also reasonably close to you and is one of my favourite walks on the SOC list.

If you are going to make any of the walks be sure to post a note here as there are several other members of the forum who go on some of these and there are few things more irksome than to discover that you were in the same place as someone you know on the web but did not recognise them and say "hi" in meatspace.

Have fun,

Ian.

Red rubber band on standby  😎

Ok - I will start taking red rubber bands on the walks. I see some this year are on Wednesdays which are not good for me.
The first one is on the same day as an AGM I attend - as I am the incoming Chairman I cannot miss it - but will miss first walk yet again!
Next year I'll change the AGM date to something obscure!!
B

Wednesday 20th, Hannington (Basingstoke) 11 miles.

I guess that nobody from the forum went on the walk at Mereworth Woods last week. Shame, if the weather was anything like it was in the North East it would have been near perfect for a naked walk.

I have booked next Wednesday off work so that I can go on the Hannington walk (near Basingstoke, Hampshire). Hopefully my new boss will not try to arrange anything that requires my attendence and I will be able to make the walk. Hannington is only a few miles from where I work (my "base office" at least) so I'm quite keen to see the route they use.

Is anyone else planning on joining the Hannington walk? If you need details of start time or precise location, feel free to PM me.

Have fun,

Ian.

PS: If anyone likes the idea of an SOC walk, but finds the idea of 11 miles daunting, I should point out that it is likely to take between five and six hours to complete and will include a couple of stops (for lunch and tea). This walk (like most) starts and finishes at a pub where most walkers will stay for a meal.

I and another NC member were on the walk last week, it was a superb day - not a cloud in the sKy, a really good start to the season
Certainly hope to be at Hannington next week

wish i lived closer :'(

Same here....never anything near Manchester.  🙁

Indeed it would be very nice if there was something in the north east either in tyne and wear or northumberland.

If you are not well placed for an SOC walk you could try contacting David Martin of Coast and Country Naturists. David is based in Scarborough and certainly used to organise naturist walks and may still be doing so (the website is very out of date but the phone number still worked last time I tried).

If David can't help why not contact SOC and see if they can help you set up a walk or two as a northern section of SOC? I don't know how they would feel about that, but it has to be worth a try and I'm sure that Richard Hope, the walks organiser, would be happy to provide some guidance even if they can do no more.

Of course you could also try contacting Running Bear through this website. He runs Somerset Strolling Bears as a club affiliated to Shabden and would also be able to provide a mine of useful information.

All three of the above are run by volunteers, surely if enough folks outside the south of the country want to walk naked one or two of them are up for doing a little organising; it really does not have to be too arduous a task.

Have fun,

Ian.

Marlborough (giants grave) walk on Tuesday 5th July...is anyone else from here going? This is the first walk 'out west' and I thought of joining in BUT at the moment the forecast is for rain on Tuesday so i'm 50/50 at the moment HOWEVER my forecasts given out 4 days in advance this year have been....mixed...shall we say  :-/ ::) so there's hope!  ;D

I'm thinking of going, although thats not a definite yet. My experience has been that the weather on SOC walks frequently turns out to be better than what is forecast. That could be down to the skill of the walks organizer or just to chance !

John

Sadly I can't make this one as I shall be working in the frozen wastelands somewhere north of Watford Gap. However I think this is my favourite of all the SOC walks I've done. I have been back a few times to walk sections since the SOC showed me the route and have always enjoyed it.

Hope the weather is kind and all who go enjoy the day.

Have fun,

Ian.

Sadly the weather forecast is now consistently saying rain on Tuesday so I'm going to give it a miss  :'( :'( Will keep an eye on the weather for the Salibury walk on the 13th instead  🙂