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Oh well, so you’ve missed another one. But, that doesn’t mean that I am going to stop putting these events on the Group Programme! It is not only because Chris and I enjoy playing our part in these gatherings, there are other reasons why Leicester Group should do its best to support this fading facet of YHA’s traditions.At one time, Tanners’ Folk Nights were held monthly, on the second Saturday in the month from September to the following May, then there was the “Tanners’ Folk Festival” (not at Tanners but somewhere nearby, under canvas!) in either June or July. Now because of YHA’s “financial pressures” on the hostel, Tanners’ Folk Nights can only be held at Tanners’ Hatch itself, four or five months of the year, they were held only in February, May, September and November last year. The Tanners’ Folk Festival does still take place, but in July each year. Check your old programmes, our Group has now supported these events in two or three of those months each year, so helping to keep them open for all, against the tide of YHA’s downgrading or conversion of the simple hostels. If we had not supported those folk nights, they could have been lost entirely! Please, don’t be put off, just by the thought of that trek across the yard in the middle of the night, to the bog! The very friendly atmosphere of the hostel, the welcome of its roaring wood fire and Tanners’ own, very accomplished, musicians, all out-way the need for that basic necessity - these gatherings do need our support! If you are on-line you could always go to www.tannersmusic.co.uk for some further information. That’s the drum beating over and done with! So, what exactly did the six of us get up to one weekend in February 2007?

On Friday 9th February, two cars set out from Leicester between four and five o’clock, independently, but by sheer coincidence they both arrived at the same pub just outside Dorking, in time for all six of us to sit and take an evening meal together before heading to the hostel. On arriving at the hostel car park, we met up with Sarah Cudmore, one of the folk night’s regular musicians and our MC for the forthcoming Saturday night. We walked the mile and a quarter together down the unlit hardcore track, dodging the puddles by torch light as best we could, all of us heavily laden with rucksacks, guitar cases and bags of food and drink for the weekend ahead. On arriving, the hostel was a buzz with happy people and the fire was well alight. Soon we had all made our beds and congregated on the chairs, cups or glasses in hand, sitting around the fire. Our Group’s two recent authors soon took their chance to show off their books and Chris donated a copy of his, on the poetry of William McGonagall, to the hostel. Alice’s textbook for the Open University on the Environment was certainly not out of place and was also very well received. Since our last visit, in November 2006, Tanners had received recognition and awards for its efforts on energy and water conservation and Sarah Hart, its manager, is striving to improve the hostel’s environmental status much further. Good Luck, Sarah! Surely, that will further strengthen your position as a simple, but “vital”, green youth hostel rather than as a “bottom rate” YHA bunkhouse! YHA is supposed to value its standing as a “green” organisation!

I don’t know how it started, one minute we were all chatting over Chris and Alice’s books, the next someone had started strumming their guitar and an impromptu session was on. Sarah C with two more of Tanner’s resident musicians, Noddy and Glen, entertained us ’til 3:00 a.m. on Saturday morning - but who was complaining, I didn’t hear anyone!

No need to say, our walk started a little later than usual that same morning. The overnight rain gave us a wet start; but we walked out past Ranmore Church down through Denbies Vineyard. On leaving the hostel, we were all in full rain gear but the skies started to gradually brighten as we crossed the Stepping-Stones Bridge over the River Mole - not the stepping-stones themselves, as they were completely submerged! Then it was time to really wake up, as we climbed Box Hill by its steepest ascent, up through the boxwood. We climbed initially to the topograph, surveyed our surroundings, and then walked onto the National Trust visitors centre at the top, where large cups of National Trust tea were eagerly supped. As we sat down to a combined elevenses and lunch, there was a bright blue sky and we were almost down to shirtsleeves, in February! Only three days before in Leicester, it had snowed quite heavily and on arrival in Surrey, there was evidence of the same. We soon decided to move on, so as to make good use of the spring-like weather conditions, conditions that stayed with us for the best part of that afternoon. Our afternoon walk took us down through Juniper Bottom then another sharp up and over and we were down in Mickleham. There at the Running Horse, an offensive note pinned to the doorframe of the pub soon dashed our thoughts of a quick pint! The note effectively, ordered walkers to remove all muddy boots or cover their boots in carrier bags before entering - it was no polite request! As a general rule, Leicester Group always does remove its boots before entering any “hostelry” whilst out walking, especially in winter, no need to say we soon lost our thirsts and walked on. To add insult to injury, as we walked down the side of the same pub, I could see three “cooks” through a kitchen window waving and laughing at us, obviously pleased that their “note” had had its desired effect!

After cautiously crossing first the dual carriageway of the A24, and then the main railway line from Leatherhead to Box Hill West Humble and Dorking, we took the footpath from Swanworth Farm to West Humble. I was puzzled at Swanworth by a sign for a ‘Permissive Path’ that apparently directed us straight into a farmers field one side of the River Mole but with no evident footbridge to cross the river. It was getting on so I didn’t investigate and kept to the farm tracks and lanes. When we did finally come to cross back over the river, there was a footbridge but it was at first out of sight against a much larger road bridge. As we approached, the only visible way to cross seemed to be a raised sewer pipe! Boh seemed the only one willing to try this but he soon joined the rest of us on our less hazardous route. From the end of that same footbridge, we started to follow some curious inlaid metal signs; signs that looked as if they had originally been hand painted (graffiti?) that were later made permanent. We followed them into West Humble but decided to leave their investigation to a later date, as they appeared to be taking us back to the car park, and the wrong side of the hostel! We soon reverted to my usual route back to Tanners via Blagden Farm and through the beech woods of the Polesden Lacey estate. On arrival, Sarah H welcome us back with freshly made mugs of tea and gave us all a very helpful rundown on how to operate and get the best out of the hostel shower! We were soon all cleaned up, feed and watered ready for the folk night proper, and we were not disappointed! Sarah C ran the night as a sing around, everyone taking their turn around the room to sing, recite, tell a joke or make a request for a particular song - if anyone else might know it. I was glad to see that there were new “younger” faces there that night, one new face being our own Judith, and, I hope, they will all make return visits. Yes, these are called “folk nights” but what is folk music? The music of the people, the music of everyday folk! Yes, I do like to sing the old 18th and 19th century ballads, amongst other songs, but I no longer think of folk music in terms of the “the oral tradition” and the “folk revivals” of the 1950’s and 1960’s. What I like about the music at Tanners is a lot of the material on offer is contemporary, with songs from the likes of Leonard Cohen or even Jake Thackery! A Tanners Folk is not a whole night of, as Fred Wedlock would have put it, “finger in ear ‘ole dirges” - you might be pleasantly surprised if you actually came down to one!

Now, there was also a certain birthday, or two, to celebrate that night but how that huge chocolate cake was transported, in one piece, down the track to the hostel - I’ll never know, let alone a bottle of ‘bubbly’ to wash it down with! Many thanks to C & A.

No need to say, after two consecutive nights of bedding down at 3:00 a.m. or later, no one was in the mood for any serious walking on the Sunday morning. We decided on a morning stroll around the house and gardens of Polesden Lacey itself, just to clear our heads, and then to head back to Leicester just after dinner. My thanks go to Liz and Chris for driving and Alice, Boh and Judith for their company and their support for yet another Tanners’ Folk Night - see you again at the next one in May! Finally, I must also thank the two Sarahs for their welcome and hospitality down in “darkest” Surrey.