Somerset Walking & Activity Group

A great way to end the old year. Come and join the SWAG Barn Dance Group for an evening of good company, great music and the opportunity to dance away the excesses of the Christmas season to the excellent ceildh music of our friends Jeroka.
Tickets cost £12.00 which can be booked through the organiser or by going to the David Hall website.

SWAG verses Devon Bootlegs Skittles Challenge for Saturday 21'st of January 2012, at 7.30pm for an 8.00 pm start.
The venue is the Eagle Tavern, Buckland St Mary, TA20 3JE. 01460 23429 (pub)
The cost is £5.00p per head which includes a buffet.

The Admirals Landing Pub, Admirals Court, The Marina, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 3EX at 7.30pm. All SWAG members are welcome to attend or put an item for the agenda. An email will be sent out in the new year with more details.

The Lotus Flower is in Station Road in Taunton and only 2 minute walk from the train station. They serve gorgeous Thai food and are willing to adjust the strength of flavours to suit individual tastes. They do a party menu at a set price or A la Carte. Drinks to follow at the Plough Inn.
Time 7.30pm at The Lotus Flower - arrival anytime from 7.20pm to be seated.

An opportunity to join SWAG and the Quantock Orienteers for a day of orienteering at Cothelstone Hill.

The aim of orienteering is to navigate between control points marked on a special orienteering map and decide the best route to complete the course in the quickest time. Great fun and good for anyone wanting to improve their navigation skills. No experience is necessary and the Quantock Orienteers will talk us all through the basics at the start to get us up and running (or walking!).

Please bring: walking clothes and boots, lunch and drinks, a compass if you have one (not strictly necessary but will make navigating much easier), a whistle is a useful safety measure if you get lost or injured, money to pay your entry fee.

You will be provided with: A map and a "dibber" (which is an electronic device that records when you go to a control point)

Dogs are welcome.
Cost: £7 to take part and £1 for Dibber hire

Orienteering starts time at 11am but please arrive by 10:30am so we can walk to the start of the orienteering together - start point is at Grid Ref: ST190326. (Please note SWAG parking and meeting point is different - see below)

Deadline to let us know if you are attending is 5th Feb 2012.

Park and meet at Cothelstone Hill car park at 10.30am.

A talk at the Ebeneezer Chapel in Burrowbridge
The price will not be announced until nearer the event but will probably be around £13 and will include some food and a glass of wine in a very interesting venue.
There is no deadline just let me know if you are interested.

Adventures, encounters and insights from the award winning camera man inc: Blue Planet, Planet Earth, Life, Human Planet, Ocean Giants and most recently Frozen Planet. See film footage and listen to his experiences. Octagon Theatre Yeovil
Car park, Petters Way, is by the theatre, free after 6pm.
Tickets £15
Let us know by 1st Feb or try the box office.

The Inspiral Carpets are playing at the thekla in Bristol www.bristolticketshop.co.uk 0870 44 44 400 or www.seetickets.com/tour/inspiral-carpets tickets are £22.
There is no deadline just get a ticket and let me know.
A great live band, this is an excellent opportunity to see them in a small venue.

Please let Lindsey have your socials for the next programme or click here.

Click here for the sample menu of traditional pub food including vegetarian options.
Numbers provisionally limited to 15.

The Bridgwater Operatics Society Present Sweeney Todd – The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. This will be at Bridgwater Town Hall. Ticket prices have not been announced as yet, but normally £12. Previous performances have been excellent! Click here for more details.

In our anniversary year, we are hoping to stay at the first Youth Hostel SWAG went to in 2002. Therefore, we invite you to Golant YHA over the May bank holiday 2012 (arriving on Saturday and leaving Bank Holiday Monday). Golant is a 3 star hostel and overlooks the Fowey Estuary. Click here for further information.

For those of you who have not experienced a YH weekend led by us, it is fairly relaxed over the types of walks we do during the weekend. Expect some moderate rambles between 6-12 miles (going on past weekends).

20 beds have be reserved for the weekend. However, if the hostel cannot accommodate this, he will reserve as many beds as he can or book the nearest hostel which has 20 beds available. Please note that he must pay a deposit by the end of this year. Therefore, please let us know before 13th January 2012 if you would like to stay. At the time of writing, it is unknown how much the full stay will cost. Typical hostel prices have ranged from £20-40 per night, so please make sure you can afford it. Once the bill has been paid, it is your responsibility to pay him and you will have to contact the YHA separately if you need to cancel the bed (and try to get a refund).

If you don't fancy the hostel, other members are considering local B&Bs, hotels or campsites too. If you wish to stay in alternative accommodation, you will need to organise this yourself.