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The
Anglesey Weekend
11th-13th May 2007 Pictures by Trevor and Uncle Walter, story by Uncle Walter. Friday
11th May There were 14 people expected to attend the first weekend away for the Rossendale Ramblers in 2007 and all were due to arrive during the afternoon and early evening of this day; there was a loose arrangements that there would be a meeting at the Kinmel Arms at around 5.00 pm, the venue being eminently suitable for those staying next door in the Fron Guesthouse.
In the event there were only 12 walkers who arrived; the couple who were friends of the leaders Trevor and Vinnie, had to cancel at the last minutes due to family problems. The 12 remaining were spread over four B&Bs with the majority staying in one particular place. The roll was as follows: Trevor and Vinnie (Leader and Leaderine), Jeff and Jeanette, Iain (Two I’s) and Joan, Elaine (Pickle 2) & Helen (Pickle Jnr.), Uncle Walter & Hon Sec. (travelling down together) and Tom & Rosemary (also travelling down together).
Although some arrived early and had a look around the town, the weather by the afternoon was not good with a heavy drizzle falling steadily on the way down. Uncle Walter and Hon Sec also had a look around the environs of the town in only a moderate downpour but by the time the meeting had begun, it was raining more heavily. The forecast also was not good, though Uncle Walter was quite up-beat because his forecast, downloaded from the web, indicated that there would be sunshine and clouds on the Saturday and clouds and a few drops of rain on the Sunday. This seemed also to be supported by the daily forecast outside the lifeboat station. The rest were quite gloomy, though all were glad to be there and were prepared to make the best of the expected bad weather. Trevor outlined the two walks that he had arranged and recced, saying that on the Saturday we would be visiting a vineyard during the walk, as a bonus! The meeting broke up only to re-assemble at 7.30 for the evening meal and the inaugural festivities.
Anticipating our arrival, the landlord of the Kinmel Arms had, wisely, positioned the walkers in an out-of-the-way corner of the pub and it wasn’t long before the noise started. It was set off by a discussion around the James Bond (007) films and, of course, the inevitable debate around who was the best 007! Elaine had us all in tucks after her very strong assertion that ‘Sean O’Connor’ was definitely the best – she finally got the name right but it took some doing and people were practically rolling around on the floor by the time she did! Next came the food which was well cooked and served and we all enjoyed what had been put in front to of us. Especially pleased was the Hon Sec, who insisted on having a starter and found his Prawn Cocktail not only pleasing in taste and presentation but also in quantity, with prawns galore. He insisted on having a pudding too and some wondered where he’d put it all! The next raucous event was the quiz which Trevor had arranged and in respect of which he himself was Quizmaster. The group was split into three teams and Vinnie, insisting that she did not know any of the questions, joined one of the teams. There was much barracking about this and a fierce debate about what would happen if her team actually won. However, given that the only prize was winning itself, it was all a light-hearted affair with much complaining from the ladies when a footballing question was posed; Two I’s though, was extremely pleased because he knew the answer. More howls of complaint from everyone when the question “What is fletcherism?” was asked, because no-one knew the answer to this one. Fletcherism, as we all learned when it was time to check each other’s papers, is the practice of eating only when hungry, in small amounts, and of chewing one's food thoroughly. It was devised by an American dietician, Horace Fletcher (1849-1919), who appeared to suffer a great deal from indigestion until he developed his system. Any road up, Vinnie’s team did win, but it was a close thing, and though she protested long and loud that it was no fix, she was not given the benefit of the doubt and her protestations fell on deaf ears. By this time a good amount of ‘falling down water’ of one denomination or another had been consumed but the fact that we would be walking the next day was not forgotten and the gathering broke up, with people going back to their digs at quite an early hour. The meeting for the walk would take place at 10.00 am on the car park in Moelfre and from there the convoy would leave for Bull Bay, the start of the walk. |
