Fuzzacker Guided Walks

So we’ve reached the end of another year in the Fuzzacker calendar! All in all 2012 has been pretty successful, although not particularly in financial or visitor number terms.  We won’t be driving around the Forest in Rollers just yet! But we’ve had a great year in terms of the walks we’ve had, the people we’ve met and the experiences we’ve shared.

It’s been a terrible year for weather and the Forest, like most of the UK, is one colossal bog – a mass of mud and puddles. Yet, for all the rain in 2012, there were very few walks that were adversely affected. A few times we may have had to make last minute route changes but generally it was a case of the “sun shining on the righteous” – except with me it was more a case of the “Devil looking after his own!”.

 Ballard Down in May
Amongst my favourite moments:

 walking along the ridge of Ballard Down in Dorset in glorious May sunshine with panoramic views in all directions

the lady on the Friendship weekend who was so thrilled to have done the walks after serious back surgery         had threatened her future mobility

meeting Arabella, a funny, lively  3 year old who came on a walk with her parents  in June

the post-walk lunch at the Drift Inn with Southampton West Rotary which started at 1.30pm and we were still there at 4pm               

  ...... but there were many more great moments with great people.

We now look forward to the New Year where we already have a number of hotel weekends arranged in the New Forest, Dorset and Oxfordshire plus a number of day walks (see Information on walks). We also have some private groups booked such as the Tiger Bay Ramblers in February and the Adur Ramblers in September.

We are continually planning new routes and destinations mainly because we like to do that anyway but also because a number of you come back regularly which is really pleasing and we want to give you new experiences where possible. 

I’m hoping that we get a good response for our forthcoming walking breaks. The hotels we are involved with are very supportive and generally offer good deals so it is important that we get sufficient numbers to make it viable and to ensure that the breaks continue.

We are very fortunate to walk in some of the most beautiful parts of the country.  Lots of you take great photos and I plan to add a page to the website specifically for your pictures, starting in 2013. I also want to get your feedback on what we do and where we go.

Overall I hope we all have a great 2013 with some good walks, good weather and plenty of fun. If you haven’t been on a Fuzzacker walk before, give it a go – it’s all good healthy exercise and we are the best at making it a relaxed and informative experience; if you’ve been before and enjoyed it – tell your friends and bring them along.

Off to clean my boots now ready for the last walk of 2012! Oh, and before we leap into next year, please remember to feed the birds whenever you can as this winter is extra difficult for them owing to the poor crop of seeds and berries ...

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