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ARNO'S VALE CEMETERY - SATURDAY 14TH JANUARY 2023

A nearby visit to this fascinating location which featured on the BBC series Restoration. It is a large site and I would recommend good shoes. The easiest way to get there is by bus but there is limited car parking by the chapels. There is a cafe there and later on some people may want to visit a local pub but unless we get a lot of interest I won't be booking anything.
For more information - Arnos Vale | Cemetery Services, Woodland Weddings & Events
I suggest we meet at the main entrance at 9.30am to give us plenty of time to explore.

Peter

RSPB HAM WALL NEAR GLASTONBURY - SATURDAY 11TH FEBRUARY 2023

This is a RSPB reserve in a remote location west of Glastonbury. It is a great place to see birds including marsh harriers ( I have seen lots) and maybe a starling murmuration. It is supposed to be a place where you have a good chance of seeing this incredible spectacle. Bring good footwear and also food and drink. There is a cafe there which should be open but that is not guaranteed and the choice is limited. There is a pub 200 yards away, The Railway Inn at Ashcott Corner but it does not do food. Car parking is £3 all day but free for RSPB members. There is no admission charge. You have to pay for everything by card.
https://www.rspb.org.uk/reserves-and-events/reserves-a-z/ham-wall/
I suggest that we meet at the car park at about 1.00pm or earlier if you want so that you get a good chance to look around . Dress warm.

Peter

Bradford-on-Avon Monday 13th February 2023

We will meet in the Canal & River Trust car park at 11 am, see address and Postcode below.

Car Park, Baileys Barn, Bradford-on-Avon, BA15 1BW
You may think you have made a wrong turn, as the entrance to the car park is down a quiet residential road on a new estate.

We will probably have lunch at The Lock Inn Cafe by the canal. All are welcome! Any queries please contact Geoff Mallin at geoffmemsechps@gmail.com.

Geoff

DUKE OF BEAUFORT'S HUNT POINT TO POINT DIDMARTON, GLOUCESTERSHIRE - SATURDAY 4TH MARCH 2023

A chance for some sports photography. Horse racing over jumps. However you do need to be careful as the organisers do let you get close to the action. Just use common sense. VERY IMPORTANT - You must not use flash on any photographs. Admission charge last year was £12 per person. Car parking in a field. Plenty of food and drink options (burgers etc). The main racing starts at 12.30pm but there is a chance to take pictures of a lot more than that. It is difficult to suggest a meeting place so best to phone each other when you are there.
Beaufort Hunt

Peter

ADVANCE NOTICE!
LYME REGIS - SATURDAY 25TH MARCH TO SATURDAY 1ST APRIL 2023

Following the success of our trip to Porlock- we were lucky with the weather- the people who went indicated that they would like another early Spring trip. Lyme Regis is a lovely West Dorset town. There is a lot to see in the town and nearby and of course there is the Jurassic Coast. I can organise a variety of days out from there without travelling too far I will source an affordable but good quality B&B and provide an itinerary in due course but this notification is so you can put it in your diary. Could you please let me know if you are interested in coming along. Partners and friends are welcome.

Peter

15th April - Bristol Cathedral

A guided tour to the 900-year-old Bristol cathedral. We will meet at the
entrance at 10.00am for a forty-five-minute guided tour and then the time is yours to take
photographs. Please note - NO TRIPODS. There is a cafe in the cathedral for refreshments. There
is a big event on that day on College Green so the chapter house maybe unavailable but there are
many other photographic opportunities in this beautiful building. Wide angle and telephoto lenses
would be useful. Afterwards we could explore the outside where there are many photographic
opportunities.
I would like to know numbers for the guided tour beforehand please.

Peter

17th April - Monday Club visit to Big Pit

We plan to visit Big Pit, the National Coal Museum, in South Wales, on Monday April 17th.
This will be a car share trip so I will need to know who will be going and who is willing to take their car and share.
Entry to the museum is free but there is a £5 charge per car for parking, Blue Badge holders are free.
Google Maps says it is 47 miles taking 1hr 9min, so one and a half hours.

If we can meet in the car park at the museum, the one closest to the wheel house, at 11 am.
There is quite a lot to see there and in the surrounding area, visit the website for more information, it has not got a direct link so put Big Pit National Coal Museum in your search box.

Please email me if you intend to go geoffmemsechps@gmail.com

If you have a problem on the day, phone me on 07452 960265.

Geoff Mallin

29th April - Iford Manor and Bradford on Avon

Just off the A36 near Norton St Philip (signposted on the left from the road) is the grade 1 listed
gardens designed by Harold Peto. I have visited them many times and managed to get some good
photographs and there are also some interesting buildings to take photographs of, the manor itself
is open to the public. TRIPODS ARE NOT ALLOWED. Entrance is free for Friends of Historic
houses Association. There is a very nice cafe and restaurant. There are lots of steps to navigate.
Afterwards we will visit Bradford on Avon to explore some of the interesting places including the
canal side. The Cross Guns is an excellent pub for food.
We will meet at the garden entrance at 11.00am. There is limited car parking in a field so it is
best to get there early.

Peter

3rd June - Hawk Conservancy Trust at Andover

A long journey but this should be worthwhile to visit one of the best places to photograph birds of
prey. We will meet at 10.00am at the visitor reception, you can turn up later when we could meet
up. Long lenses would be useful. The aim is to spend part of the day there to justify the journey
time and entry fee. .It is recommended that you pre-book your tickets as they do restrict visitor
numbers. We will not get any preferential treatment but you can book photographic courses for
another time. They also usually run a photographic competition.
See the website for admission prices for Bird of Prey visitor attraction in Hampshire - Hawk
Conservancy Trust (hawk-conservancy.org)

Peter

THURSDAY 22ND JUNE - STANWAY HOUSE & FOUNTAIN

A weekday visit as Stanway house is only open between June & August on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons from 2.00-5.00pm. It is home to the tallest gravity fountain in the world which comes on a couple of times in the afternoon. There are gardens to see and the house is open to the public. No indoor photography allowed.There is a cafe and admission is free to friends of The Historic Houses Association. There is an attractive church next to the house. Nearby, on The Cotswold Way is Stanton which is one of the most attractive villages in The Cotswolds with another nice church and a superb pub, The Mount Inn.

I would suggest meeting at the car park at 1.45pm and in the early evening we can go to the pub.

Fountain and Gardens - STANWAY

Peter

SATURDAY 22ND JULY - FOURTEEN LOCKS CANAL CENTRE NEWPORT

A visit to an well-known beauty spot near Rogerstone, Newport where we can have a wander along the canal and there is a nearby nature reserve. There is also a shop and a cafe. I suggest we meet at 10.30 am at the cafe and you can bring sandwiches or use the cafe for food and drink.

Fourteen Locks Canal Centre - Visitor Information – MBACTrust

Peter

MONDAY 28TH AUGUST - WELLS & WELLS MOAT BOAT RACES

If you would like a a walk around The City of Wells firstly I can show you some places you might not know including The Vicars Close (the most complete medieval residential street in Europe) & St Cuthbert's Church and also some quiet side streets. Just after lunch at the moat next to The Bishop's Palace the moat boat races start. This is a FREE event and with a lot of fun and colour which runs for about three hours. You don't need a long lens to capture the action.

I suggest parking at the Waitrose multi-storey car park and meeting outside St Cuthbert's Church in St Cuthbert's Street at 10.00am

Peter

SATURDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER - AVON VALLEY RAILWAY BITTON AT WAR 1940's WEEKEND

This event is marking a return after a few years and is a great event to photograph re-enactors including 'Winston Churchill'. There are usually a range of vehicles and the opportunity to ride on one of the steam trains.It is a really good fun occasion. More details will be available closer to the date and I can then let you know a time to meet up. There is a small admission charge.

Bitton at War - 1940s weekend - Avon Valley Railway

Peter

SATURDAY 7TH OCTOBER TO SATURDAY 14TH OCTOBER 2023 - TENBY

This Autumn's trip is to Tenby, a lovely town in Pembrokeshire. Four of us are already booked into a B&B and if anyone else would like to come along you can do so if you book your own accommodation. There is a lot to see and photograph in the area including the town, Caldey Island (worth spending a full day) Pembroke and its huge castle, Colby Woodland Garden (National Trust), Manorbier and its castle, Carew Castle, Bosherton Ponds & Stackpole Head which is a great Nature Reserve. The trip is socially based but with many opportunities to take some very good photographs.

Peter

SATURDAY 21ST OCTOBER 2023 - TETBURY WALK

For those of you who might like an easy walk of only three and a half miles. We start at the Tetbury Goods Shed Arts Centre post code GL8 8EY where there is a large free long stay car park.There are also toilets and a cafe there. If you wanted to explore the town in the morning we could meet there at 10.30am, have a drink and a light lunch after and then start the walk at 2.00pm. The walk is very gently undulating with only two stiles and if you wanted to I could book the nearby Royal Oak pub for food at 5.30pm. It is a very good pub-quite upmarket. The walk is partly along an old railway line and is very pastoral finishing with an interesting stroll through Tetbury's outskirts with different views of the town.

Peter

SUNDAY 19TH NOVEMBER 2023 - CASTELL COCH

This is a superb fairy tale castle owned by Cadw at Tongwynlais, just north of Cardiff. We can meet at the entrance at 10.00am when it opens and then spend about two and a half hours exploring. Indoor photography is allowed but no tripods.It has sumptuous decorative art and was restored by the third Marquess of Bute, one of the richest men in the world in Victorian times.There is an excellent cafe there and I suggest lunch in nearby Tongwynlais at the Marston's pub, The Lewis Arms which is cheap and cheerful. This village is worth a little bit of exploring.

Visit | Cadw

Peter

SATURDAY 16TH DECEMBER 2023 - AVEBURY MANOR AT CHRISTMAS

The National Trust have run a special event over the last couple of Christmases periods during which the house is decorated for Christmas with a different theme each year. I have been the last couple of years and it has been superb. You can take photos in the house without flash and you should get some fantastic images. You need to park in the National Trust car park £7 (free for members) and we can meet in the Circles Restaurant at 10.00am and then book a slot to visit the house. The Red Lion pub in the village is a good option for lunch but will need to be booked, maybe about 1.00pm. Highly recommended.

Avebury | Wiltshire | National Trust

Peter