UPA ColworthN E W S L E T T E R JUNE 2015

I recently finished a bottle of Unilever’s Lynx Excite shower gel. (My excuse is that it was a “Two for £2” offer at Tesco.) On the back of the bottle it says “A fragrance so tempting that even angels will sin for its heavenly masculinity”. I’m going to have to contact the Customer Care line because I don’t recall seeing many angels queueing up outside the door, waiting to sin, over the last few weeks – or lesser mortals for that matter. Who reads these things, anyway? Everyone has heard of Burton Latimer because the Weetabix pack presents itself at breakfast but it’s hardly the same with shower gel. Still, it’s a great sentence.I was shocked to read the other day that according to a WWF-UK report 25% of 2000 British people surveyed thought that the dodo still “roams the planet”. Species identified as endangered by a significant number of people were swans, crane-flies, grey squirrels and Fresian cows. One-third regarded the brachiosaurus as extant although, to be fair, most of those did say that it was endangered. Can you credit this? I was aware that 50% of Americans believe dinosaurs and man co-existed but perhaps they should get out more. (Strictly speaking they’re right, of course, but I doubt they are thinking of birds.)

On to the magazine. Thanks to Thiru for his piece on Iceland, to Pat and Mike for the cruise-and-ramble report and to Roger for writing up the trip to Crich tram museum. Also, to Toni and Cham for sharing their news. Please let me have your ideas for future articles. In this issue we are including a full list of events for the remainder of the year so that you can fill in your diaries. Unfortunately our WW1 holiday for 2016 has been cancelled because of lack of support. The committee is considering what we might offer as an alternative for next summer – a trip to North Wales is a possibility. Check out the newsletter for further news.

Next spring don't miss the treat of the bluebells at Coton Manor Garden. (Coton is about 10 miles north-west of Northampton.) First you wander round the outside of the manor clothed with wisteria and the gardens – wonderful in any season. Children can run around the paths and grassy areas and are entertained by the chickens and flamingoes wandering around with you. Then you arrive at the bluebells – a definite “wow factor”. The tea and cakes were great with hot meals available too and to cap it all you can buy plants! More pictures on page 2. Cham Willey

Editorial

Bluebells at Coton Manor Garden

I am stealing from Cyril Higgs, UPA Leeds, (thank you Cyril) some info on travel insurance which you may find useful and help some of you to join our holidays.We have to make a disclaimer that “you are responsible for your own insurance” when travelling with UPA, and increasingly we need evidence of your insurance for our holidays. We all have different requirements and medical conditions and insurers are very “picky” on these thorny issues. Declaring all the same things to different insurers can result in astoundingly different quotations for the same holiday – but still check the small print. Leeds UPA came up with the following list in alphabetical order, and no preference. You may like to try some for yourself and we would welcome any suggestions if you too get some good quotations. AgeUK: 0800 030 4629 Good to Go: 0844 334 0160All Clear: 0845 250 5350 Media Travel: 0151 334 2600Avanti Travel: 0800 201 4092 Saga: 0800 015 8055Explorer Travel: 0800 043 4003 Stay Sure: 0333 251 4347Free Spirit: 0845 230 5000 Worldwide: 0800 019 3505European Health CardDon’t forget – if you are travelling in Europe, you will also need your EHIC (European Health Insurance Card) that does not replace travel insurance, but initiates the reciprocal medical treatment arrangements in many European countries. These cards must be updated and you can do so free at: ehic.eu-travelcard.org or phone 0300 330 1350. Cham Willey

Travel Insurance

At the AGM in March I was kindly presented with a garden voucher on my retirement from the Pensioner’s Club Committee. With the voucher I bought a flowering cherry tree, Prunus subhirtella, which flowers from late Autumn through to late Winter. I wish the Committee all the best for their hard work in the future and thank them once again for my presentation. The photo shows Cliff setting the tree in pride of place in our front garden. Toni Smith

2

Toni Smith

Coton Manor Garden

Although the weather forecast was poor the trip benefited from dry weather and we were able to enjoy the museum that covered the 200 years of tram history. The first passenger tram service (horse drawn) started in 1809 in Swansea. Many towns and cities had extensive tram routes driven by overhead electricity in the late 19th / early 20th century, however tram travel declined to only one route on the Blackpool promenade in 1962 but has now expanded with new services in London, West Midlands, Nottingham and Edinburgh.

At the museum working trams run regularly on tracks laid within an old quarry and there are three exhibition sites showing 60 trams, from the UK and other counties collected over the 50 years that the site has been developing. The tram trips start with the 1d fare paid with an old penny provided with admission. Historic buildings have been transferred to the site including the Red Lion pub from Stoke on Trent that serves Tramway Mild, and the Derby Assembly Rooms where exhibits are displayed. As part of WW1 anniversary trams have been decorated to show how they were used as recruitment vehicles.

The old quarry has spectacular cliffs where we saw peregrine falcons. It is possible to enjoy a woodland walk giving splendid views of the Derwent Valley and interest from a series of sculptures carved from fallen trees.A short drive to Matlock Bath gave us the opportunity to stroll along the riverbank or climb up to the Heights of Abraham (the cable car was an alternative) before our evening meal at The Fishpond. Then a doze in the coach on the way home. An excellent trip, well organized by Jean.

Visit to Crich Tramway Village and Matlock Bath, April 29th 2015

Roger Westcott

3

Cruising & Walking ! ! ! ! ! ! Pat & Mike Quickenden

VER the years we have been on several Ramblers walking holidays all over the world but this last January we went on our second Cruise & Walk holiday. Ramblers holidays work exclusively

with Fred Olsen Cruises and have developed holidays to quite a few destinations. The holiday is booked directly through Ramblers and all excursions are organised by them.

This year we flew to Barbados and spent one night in a hotel. The next day we went to several destinations in Barbados including a short walk in Welchman Valley and visited a plantation owner’s

house which was simply stunning. We then joined the ship, the Braemar, and in the evening we set sail for St Lucia. The following morning met our local guide for the day. We had a ver y pleasant walk through some mangro ves eventually arriving at a beach. According to the i t inerar y we were supposed to see lots of beautiful birds but we think they were hiding!

The second port of call was Grenada. This walk was disappointing as it was an extremely hazardous walk through the rain forest. It was very muddy and required the negotiation of some very muddy steps cut into the red clay. The walk took a lot longer than anticipated so the day was cut short and we returned to the boat.

We then had a day at sea which we both enjoyed. There are a wide variety of talks and activities to while away the day such as line-dancing and bridge from which to choose or alternatively one can always soak up the sun on deck. We both enjoyed the cruising aspect of the holiday, there seems to

be limitless food at all times of the day but luckily we were able to restrain ourselves to a large extent. We also enjoyed the evening entertainment although on our first cruise the previous year we thought that it wouldn’t be our scene. ▶ ▶

OA Ramblers Holiday in the Caribbean

4

Walking in St Lucia

Willemstad, Curaçao

Late night supper

We visited Curaçao where we walked amongst the cacti and more mangrove swamps and Aruba where we walked in the island’s national park which led us to the coast. After another day at sea we arrived at Colon which is in Panama . One o f the highlights of the trip for us was the visit to the Panama Canal. We did not go into the canal but spent quite a time watching the ships going through the locks and learning all about the history. We also visited the site of the new enlarged locks which are not complete yet but will enable much larger ships to transverse the canal. After Panama we then travelled to Columbia where we visited two ports, Cartagena and Santa Marta. Cartagena had some marvellous architecture and a very interesting castle. The excursion in Santa Marta cou ld ha ve been bet ter planned. We spent about an hour and a half in a rickety coach travelling some rough roads to arrive at a beautiful beach.

Our final island was Bonaire where we had a walk through more scrubby cacti. Our final day in Barbados was interesting where we v is i ted the f i sh market and the parliament building.

The Caribbean was idyllic in January and it was great to be able to sit out on deck late into the evening. We enjoyed the holiday very much but the party were in agreement that there were better walks we could have undertaken. Rambler’s holidays have to trust local contact s to organ i se the excursions for them and since

they do not visit the same islands very often it is difficult for them to establish a good relationship with the local excursion providers. We understood from our excellent leader that the Cruise & Walk holidays to other destinations such as Norway are much better set up with interesting walks.

▶

5

The Panama Canal – A tight fit in the locks

Cartagena castle

Aruba

How do you pronounce “Eyjafjallajokull”? " " " " " AT Thiru

ANI was fascinated by what she had read in holiday brochures about Iceland. She

was very interested to see the wonders of nature, especially as the country is only a short flight from London. So we booked an organised group tour with Titan Travel. We left Heathrow on a sunny August morning in a group of 25 to fly to the capital, Reykjavik, where we landed in bright sunshine and 21°C. Our first stop – even before the hotel – was at Blue Lagoon. Surrounded by black lava fields the distinctive milky blue waters of this naturally-heated spa has therapeutic benefits. We immersed ourselves in it for a short while to refresh before travelling to the hotel.

Iceland has a population of 325,670 and an area of 103,000km2 (40,000 sq. mi), making it the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Reyk ja v ik i s the l a rges t c i ty and the surrounding area in the south-west of the countr y i s home to two - th i rds of the population. The island is volcanically and geologically active – much of the country’s heating is provided by hot water pumped from the ground. The interior consists mainly of a plateau characterised by sand and lava fields, mountains and glaciers, while many glacial rivers flow to the sea through the lowlands. Iceland is warmed by the Gulf Stream and has a temperate climate despite its high latitude just outside the Arctic Circle.

On the morning of day 2 we left Reykjavik by coach and headed towards north-east Iceland on roads with remarkably little traffic. On the way we saw a number of waterfalls and passed through Borgar&ordur (renowned for its world-class salmon fishing rivers). From here we crossed the Holtavordi Plateau and travelled through the village of Blonduos situated at the estuary of the glacial river Blanda to Skaga&ordur, where we visited a church built in 1836 from turf and stones – one of the six so-called “turf churches” still standing in Iceland. From here we continued to Akureyri, gateway to the rich natural splendour of the north east and Iceland’s second largest city, for an overnight stay.Akureyri is a stone’s throw from the Arctic Circle, surrounded by tree-lined streets and overlooked by snow-capped mountains. On day 3 we drove to the Lake Myvatn area, famed for its lava fields, volcanoes and underground caves running with geothermal water. Then we moved on to Namaskard with its bubbling hot mud baths and steam coming out of the ground. The stench of sulphur is amazing and it seems as if you’ve entered a different world. ▶ ▶

Sulphur pits at Namaskard

RA holiday in Iceland

Dettifoss

Jokulsarlon lagoon

6

Day 4’s tour included the mountainous Tjomes Peninsula indented with short valleys and gorges , and Asbyrg i , home to a spectacular horseshoe-shaped canyon with sheer cliff faces up to 100m high. From here we drove to Dettifoss and saw the mightiest waterfalls in Europe before travelling through part of the interior highland plateau to the beautiful town of Egilisstadir located by the banks of the Lagarfljot River.

On day 5 we travelled southwards by coach along the rugged and spectacular coastline of the eastern #ords to Almannaskard. The main attraction here is the remarkable Vatnajokull Glacier, the largest in Iceland and the largest

glacial mass in Europe. It covers an area of approximately 8100km2 and is approximately 1km thick.

Our glacier trail continued the following day along the coast to Jokulsarlon, home to large lagoons and icebergs. Then on to Skaftafell National Park, set beneath the towering Oraefajokull, Iceland’s highest peak at 2,109m. The landscape here is magnificent from glistening glaciers and shining lakes to woodlands with numerous birds and carpeted with more than 200 species of flowering plants.

The next day we travelled across vast stretches of sand formed by glacial rivers and over the vast Eldhraun lava fields to Skogar, which means “woodland”. From here we continued eastwards passing stunning views of the Eyja#allajokull and Myrdalsjokull glaciers. The April 2010 eruptions of Eyja#allajokull were relatively small but caused enormous disruption to air travel across western and northern Europe over a period of six days. On the way to the hotel we drove past Skogafoss and Seljalandsfoss waterfalls.

On day 8 we visited the thermal area of Great Geysir, especially its spouting hot spring, the Strokkur, “The Churn”, which erupts every 10 minutes or so sending a column of boiling water to a height of 30m. The area features many hot springs, steam vents and mud pools.

Thingvellir, home of the first parliament and now a national park, is where the American and Eurasian tectonic plates are pulling apart creating a beautiful landscape.

The whale-watching on day 9 was very disappointing – we only saw one minke whale and two dolphins during our three hours in the freezing cold. The following day, with Bardarbunga volcano threatening to erupt, we left Reykjavik to fly home.

Iceland is beautiful with ever-changing scenery. But it’s not cheap. Alcohol especially is expensive: a 300ml local beer £4.50; a glass of wine £12. Even bowls of soup cost £12. And there is no point in trying to pronounce place names. But it is still is a wonderful experience and thoroughly recommended.

Skogafoss

Signs of continental drift at Thingvellir

Strokkur geyser

▶

�

7

2015 Events Update

August 4th “ “Olympic Legacy Tour – Still spaces; see UPA website for booking formSeptember 15th “My Boy Jack”, Mill Theatre, Sharnbrook – Now bookingSeptember (tba) “Lunch Club – Flyer in August NewsletterOctober 6th “Melton Mowbray (including market) – Now bookingNovember 12th “Lunch, Knuston (possibly with speaker) – Flyer in August NewsletterNovember 4th “Wine & Cheese with Ian, Colworth Clubhouse – Flyer in August NewsletterNovember 16th “Parade”, Mill Theatre, Sharnbrook – Flyer in August NewsletterDecember 9th “Christmas Lunch, Vesuvio, Sharnbrook – Flyer in October Newsletter

2015 Walking Programme Update Crawlers Boots & SocksJune 8th Alex & Maureen Mathie 26th Geoff & Robina GilpinJuly 15th Dave & Jackie Martin 29th Terry HorsmanAugust 7th Helen Minter 13th Stewart Rainbow (Chipping Norton AwayDay)September 9th George Holland 25th Kath Dixon & Jen GilesOctober 5th Steve & Jean Ablett 28th Dick Safford & Ian KimseyNovember tba Crawlers / Boots & Socks Combo – End of Season Ramble

ObituariesWith great sadness we report the deaths of Carol Cooke and Colin Quincey. Carol was the wife of Harry who worked at Welwyn then at Colworth in Accounts from 1964 until 1987. Colin joined Colworth in 1963 and retired in 1998. He worked in Engineering.Our thoughts are with their families.

8

Association Chairman: Cham Willey, 01604 402730 e-mail: chairman@colworthupac.co.ukAssociation Secretary: Sally Butler, 07768 715846 e-mail: secretary@colworthupac.co.ukNewsletter Editor: Geoff Gilpin e-mail: editor.upac@colworthupac.co.ukUPA Website: http://www.colworthupac.co.uk

New membersA very warm welcome to Ann and Martin Powell. Ann joined Colworth in 1975, originally working in the Typing Pool. She retired in April from SEAC. Martin joined in 1988 and retired from the Distribution Centre.

2016 Events

The WW1 & Belgium Delights Holiday planned for July next year has been cancelled due to insufficient interest from members. As an alternative, the Events sub-committee is proposing a visit to North Wales based in Caernarfon for July 3rd–8th 2016. Further information will be provided in a later newsletter.

“I wanna hang a map of the world in my “house. Then I'm gonna put pins into all the “locations that I've traveled to. But first, I'm “gonna have to travel to the top two corners “of the map so it won't fall down.”

Mitch Hedberg