History of our Club

The First Year

After an area RA meeting in Newport in Mid-March 1967 it was decided by Ken and Brenda Smith along with John, Muriel and Angela Spence to try to arrange a public meeting with the view to start a local ramblers' group in the Pontypool area. The meeting would take place in "Mount Pleasant Congregation Church", Pontypool on 4 May 1967. Mr Andrew Dolby from RA Head Office was asked if he would open the meeting to which he agreed.

At the meeting a committee was chosen from some 30 people who had come along in answer to the many posters that Ken and Brenda had displayed and the advert which had been placed in the Free Press. At the meeting a walk was arranged for Saturday 6 May 1967. The walk was led by Mr Edgar Waring. It started from Pontypool Park taking in Garn-Wen, then onto Mamhilad and returned to Pontypool. There were 20 people on the first ramble.

At the inaugural meeting six programmes were planned and approved with rambles on alternate Sundays and Saturdays. In general these rambles were planned with half-day rambles on Saturdays and full-day rambles on Sunday. Within the first year the newly formed club visited the Brecon Beacons, Upper Neath Valley, Wye Valley and Symonds Yat. As a club most of the members preferred walking in the high mountains (Beacons). In the first year the average full days walk was 12 miles but on few occasions members would reach out and do 18 miles, bearing in mind that most of the members were relatively new to walking, there must have been a great deal of enthusiasm amongst them. Only on one occasion was a ramble called off due to the weather, but due to the Foot and Mouth outbreak the programme was suspended and for a while all the walks were mainly on the roads. In addition to the rambling activities which were planned to cater for all year round ramblers there was a winter social programme with slide show, talks, etc, organised by the social secretary, Mrs M Williams. Members ranged in age from 7 to 67 years and everyone took part in all activities.

The first annual dinner was held on 5 January 1968 and was a great success. By the end of the first year the membership had grown to approximately 60, with enthusiasm as high as ever plans were laid to visit the West Country and possibly venture further afield.