Jane’s Walk 2013 Timetable of weekend walks: 3-6th May 2013

FRIDAY 3RD MAY

Date/time Walk Title Brief description Access Meet and end point

Walk 1

Fri 3rd May,

13.00-14.00

‘Tales from the

campus’ led by

Kate Dunton

This short, lunchtime walk around the University of Essex campus will

incorporate stories, urban myths and oral narratives to explore the

coming of the university to Wivenhoe Park, including the sale of the

land by the Gooch family, the envisioning of the new university by the

first VC, Albert Sloman, the responses of the locals to their new

neighbours, and the student protests of the late 60s and early 70s.

Access: hard surfaces but long steep gradient.

Walk

Accessibility:

1

Start: Outside the

Lakeside café,

Square 5.

End: Square 4

Walk 2

Fri 3rd May,

12.15-13.00

Colchester’s

Travel Plan

Club’s Tram and

Transportation

Tour

Come join us in a lunchtime exploration of Colchester’s transport

history with special focus on the town’s experimentation with trams!

We encourage you to share your own experiences and knowledge of

Colchester’s transport past (this walk is repeated Mon 6th, see below).

Access: hard surfaces but some steep gradients.

Walk

Accessibility:

2

Meet and end point:

Town Hall

Walk 3

Fri 3rd May,

18.00-19.30

Fred Slattern's

Greenstead

Gambol

A history and poetry tour with Colchester’s slum poet, Fred Slattern and

friends. 500,000 years of history and fun, squeezed into 90 minutes.

Culture vultures don your walking shoes...

Access: Almost all hard surface (short grass section) but hilly in

places.

Walk

Accessibility:

1-2

Meet and end point:

Greenstead

Community Centre,

Hawthorn Avenue

(frequent buses) SATURDAY 4TH MAY Date/time Walk Title Brief description Access Meet and end point

Walk 4 Sat 4th May, 10.30-12noon

“Stuff we like to look at in the park”

Approx. age range 10 years and under.

A family walk (loads of kids please!) led by Emily Harrup’s boys, Halim (6) and Zak (4) who give us their tour of the Castle Park: slitty windows, garde de robe poo shoots and portcullis gate at the Castle, ammonites in the roman wall,

bumpety bumpety steps, feeding the squirrels, pooh sticks on the Colne and more! What’s your Castle Park? Access: hard surface, but steep slopes and one section of shallow steps. Children accompanied by an adult please!

Walk Accessibility:

1-2

Colchester Castle bridge (at entrance)

Sat 4th May,

12.30-2pm

Jane’s Walk intro

and 1-minute-1-slides

A welcome to the Jane’s Walk weekend and an invitation to take part in the

one-minute-one-slide session (see end, below) Access: small step at entrance but otherwise level. No accessible toilet

2 Slack Space, Victoria

Place (off Eld Lane).

Walk 5 Sat 4th May 14.00-16.00

Colchester through the lens of old postcards

A trail of notable Colchester buildings and their stories, then and now, told through postcards from the past 100 years, led by local historian Jess Jephcott. This walk cut its teeth in bitter wind and rain at Jane’s Walk 2012. Even then, it

was one of the most talked about... Access: hard surface, but some steep slopes.

Walk Accessibility:

1-2

Meet and end point: Slack Space, Victoria Place (off Eld Lane).

Arrive 1pm for Jane’s Walk intro and one-minute slides.

Sat 4th May,

6pm-late

I Walk the Line

Jane’s Walk supports local music...

Great local music given free all night in support of Jane’s Walk. Artists include:

The Catrinas, Yak Attack, The Occupants, Oliver Daldry, The Sally Army (featuring Sally Theobald) and Cake Stupid. Make it the mid-point of your

Jane’s Walk weekend. Oh please bring your own!

N/A Slack Space, Victoria

Place (off Eld Lane).

SUNDAY 5TH MAY Date/time Walk Title Brief description Access Meet and end point

Walk 6

Sun 5th May,

10.00-12.30

Exploring

Colchester’s

Urban Fringe

with Mags

Hobby

(5.5 miles)

A joint Ramblers and Jane’s Day walk with Colchester Ramblers,

heading out from the town centre into the surprisingly natural fringes of

the town, past Abbeygate, the Roman Circus, the Cemetery, Bourne

Mill, Bourne Valley and Distillery Ponds, St Leonard's on Hythe Hill, the

Moors and back into town. Time to take photographs, swap stories

about the areas we walk through, do some geocaching: whoever

comes, decides.

Access: Mixed, but mostly paved/tarmac. No steps but one long steep

hill (the town’s ‘East Hill’)

Walk

Accessibility:

3

Meet and end point:

St Botolph’s ruin - next to

interpretation board.

End back in the town

centre.

Walk 7

Sun 5th May,

13.00-15.00

Christopher

Howard’s

Castle Park

Tree Trail

One of the Friends of Castle Park, Christopher takes us on a leisurely

hike around our beautiful park, highlighting 65 of its trees which range

from the rare to the familiar. Learn how to tell your Ash from your

Elder, and other fascinating facts from some interesting stories about

this surprising collection.

Access: hard surfaces, but some steep slopes and one section of

shallow steps.

Walk

Accessibility:

2

Meet and end point:

By the entrance bridge to

the Castle

Walk 8

Sun 5th May,

15.00-17.30

Walking with

the

wordsmiths.

Colchester seen through poetry, song and imagination - a poetic stroll

around some interesting buildings and places round the town. Led by

Dorian Kelly with help from the poets and singers of Colchester.

Access: hard surfaces, some steep gradients

Walk

Accessibility:

1-2

Meet and end point:

Slack Space, Victoria

Place (off Eld Lane)

MONDAY 6TH MAY Walk 9

Mon 6th May,

Time tbc

CTPC’s Tram

and

Transportation

Tour.

An extended version of Friday’s lunchtime walk for those who couldn’t

make it, with Colchester’s Travel Plan Club. An exploration of

Colchester’s transport history with special focus on the town’s

experimentation with trams! We encourage you to share your own

experiences and knowledge of Colchester’s transport past.

Access: hard surfaces, some steep gradients.

Walk

Accessibility:

1-2

Meet and end point:

Town Hall

Walk 10

Mon 6th May,

15.00-16.30

'Secrets of New

Town’ with

Derek Wray

It was a new adventure – to build a new town rivalling Colchester. It

used new designs and new materials to create the housing and the

factories for Colchester’s rising industrial classes. It was boasted to

have everything a town should have - from sewerage even to gas street

lights. It was the birthplace of Colchester’s cooperative movement, and

the home of England’s very own foreign legion – the German Legion. All

this and more in The Secrets of New Town.

Access: hard surfaces, no hills. Bus stop for no 66 or 61 nearby.

Walk

Accessibility:

1

Meet: old garrison

church on Military Rd,

now Church of St John

the Wondermaker

(Russian Orthodox).

End: opposite the old

Recreation Hotel, corner

of Wimpole & Old Heath

Walk 11

Mon 6th May,

17.30-19.00

(with drink

after!)

‘Blah-di-blah-di

Blah...’ with

park ranger

Will Jenkins!

Or What’s that… in the Castle Park? In Will’s words ‘an experimental

democratic walk led by the customer/guest… hoping it won't stray into

politics or religion too much!’ Aka a meander through the park’s rich

landscape with walkers setting the agenda - come armed with

questions… and stay for a beer afterwards at The Castle pub as this is

officially the end of the Jane’s Walk 2013 weekend.

Access: hard surfaces, but steep slopes.

Walk

Accessibility:

1-2

Meet and end point:

War Memorial

(at main entrance to

Castle Park)

Jane’s Walks happening elsewhere in the region Friday 3rd May marks the launch of the Walton Trails project, a funding bid which it is hoped will see the creation of 4 themed trails connecting with

Walton’s history and local environment. To mark this, and to connect with Jane’s Walkers in Colchester and worldwide, guided versions of the intended

trails are being given over the weekend. Walk coordinator is local Colchester graphic designer, Sara Hayes, who has been instrumental in the project.

Date/time Walk Title Brief description Access Meet and end point

Walk 1

Sat 4th May

14.00-16.30

(4.5 miles)

Walton Wildlife

Trail

A wildlife walk around the stunning Naze at Walton, as an introduction

to the new Trails project, a group of walks in and around Walton. A

fairly long walk at a fairly slow pace. Dogs are welcome, on a lead

near nesting areas. Children welcome but consider walk length.

Access: this walk is mainly off-road and the terrain is grassy and can

be uneven. Refreshments and toilets available at the meet point, but

no pit stops over a large part of the walk and it is very open terrain.

Please dress sensibly for the weather and bring water.

Walk

Accessibility:

2

Meet and end point:

The Naze Tower

Regular trains from

Colchester to Walton-on-

the-Naze. Bus service

from town to Naze.

Walk 2

Sun 5th May

14.00-15.00

(1 mile)

Walton WWII

Trail

An interesting walk exploring the history of the Naze during World War

Two. Short walk at a slow pace. Dogs and children are welcome.

Access: this walk is off-road, the terrain is grassy and can be uneven.

Refreshments and toilets are available at the meet point.

Walk

Accessibility:

3

Meet and end point:

The Naze Tower

(transport as above)

Walk 3

Sun 5th May

10.00-12.00

(3 miles)

Walton History

Trail

A walk through the town and industrial areas of Walton-on-the-Naze

with a focus on the history of the town. A short walk at a slow pace.

Dogs and children are welcome.

Access: this is a medium length walk partly off-road on paths that

may be overgrown. Refreshments and toilets are available en route.

Parts of the walk are on open sea wall, please dress sensibly for the

weather.

Walk

Accessibility:

3

Meet and end point:

Walton Train Station

(transport as above)

Walk 4

Mon 6th May,

10.30-11.30

(1.5 miles)

Walton Little

Explorer Trail

Approx. age range 10 years and under.

A walk around the town of Walton designed for children, stopping at

points of interest with things to see and do. Dogs are welcome.

Access: this walk is all on road. Refreshments and toilets are

available en route. Bring paper and crayons to do rubbings of the

signs en route. Children accompanied by an adult please!

Walk

Accessibility:

1

Meet and end point:

Letterbox Nursery Walton

High Street

(transport as above)

Walk Accessibility (Note: this is a rough guide only. Please contact us if you would like to discuss further). 1 Easy Access (mostly level, hard surfaces; fully wheelchair accessible)

2 Partially accessible (e.g. curbs, busy pavements, some gradients - mobility-restricted walkers and chair users may require assistance, but there will be

plenty available if necessary)

3 Limited Access e.g. steps, uneven terrain, steep or narrow paths (likely to be inaccessible to chair users, but please contact us to discuss)

ALL WALKS ARE FREE AND NO PRIOR BOOKING IS NECESSARY. For more information, and updates about Jane’s Walk Colchester

Visit: www.walkcolchester.org.uk/projects/janes-walk-2013; Email: walkcolchester@rocketmail.com

ONE IDEA : ONE MINUTE! How would you change our town?

Saturday May 4th at 1.00 pm

Venue: Slack Space, Victoria Place (off Eld Lane).

One Idea: One Minute is part of the Jane’s Walk 2013 lunchtime launch to which all are welcome. It will be followed by ‘Colchester through the

lens of old postcards’, a walk with Jess Jephcott at 2.00pm

Jane Jacobs, in whose memory Jane’s Walk was established, believed in the importance and vision of local people to understand and shape the places where they live.

So, to launch Jane’s Walk 2013, we are calling on Colchester people…

You are invited to present one idea in one minute on the subject of:

Something I would do to make our town an even better place… Who can take part? Absolutely anyone (kids very welcome)

How will it work? The ideas will form a slideshow (one idea, one slide, one minute!) which we’ll show on the day. All we need from you is a title for your idea, together with your name and brief contact info, and we’ll create a slide for you. If you want to include an image (or even design your own slide) that’s fine, just send it on. And then we simply need you to turn up on the day to speak for your minute! Note: slides will be organised alphabetically by surname, so you’ll know roughly when to expect your own. It’s fine to write down what you want to say and simply read it out, but be careful to time it first, because the clock won’t stop for anyone…

What kind of ideas? Your idea may relate to physical spaces, buildings or events; it may be serious, playful, off the wall… small, large, conservative or radical! ALL ideas very happily received. Who should I send them to? Please send the title of your idea etc by May 1st to walkcolchester@rocketmail.com. Any queries at all, call Rowena (07710 474999)

Is that it? That’s it. See you there…