East Surrey Walkers welcomed members of the London Blind Ramblers to Oxted on Sunday 24th. Although we have walked with the London Blind Ramblers over many years, this was their first walk outside of London since the pandemic. Two walks in the local area were followed by tea and cakes at the Oxted British Legion, greatly enjoyed by all.

A big thank you to Kate Roffey for organising most effectively, Lorna Ball and Julia Draper for leading, the small army of ESW members who turned out to help and the Oxted British Legion for providing such a warm welcome.

Lorna wrote a short write up of her walk for us: The long walk (8 miles) was through woodland and meadows, down a few sharp slopes and up a long but gentle ascent near the end. We enjoyed coffee in the local community orchard and lunch in a beautiful wood perched on a fallen tree, long enough to accommodate all 15 of us. It was a challenging walk but one that we all enjoyed. I was very impressed with the energy of our visitors who strode out full of confidence. We were so lucky with the weather which meant the ground was firm underfoot, the sky was blue and the air full of the scent of bluebells. We were all gasping for tea and cake by the end and we weren’t disappointed, there was a welcoming pot of tea and a lovely selection of home made cakes. Now we’re looking forward to next year.