Richard Saynor – Page 2

Hike to Signal des Voirons, 17 August 2023

Due to the current heatwave, it was with some reservations that I suggested a hike on the Voirons, that dark-looking ridge across the lake from Vaud. However, having followed the same hike some five years ago, I was reminded that much of the trail is in woodland so there would be a fair amount of shade. Five of us in two cars rolled up at the designated time at the tiny hamlet of Le Penaz near the pleasant town of Boëge. In the event, the skies were heavy with cloud and there was even some rain in the air.

We set off at a good pace climbing up steeply through the forest, even grateful for the light rain that fell occasionally. After an hour or so, we heard some gentle singing and came across a group of about thirty Girl Scouts who were camping in the woods. It was a good opportunity to stop and drink some water and listen to this delightful choir.

Further on, we skirted the grounds of the Monastery of the Sisters of Bethlehem which was built in the 1980s and housed around 100 nuns. It had been my intention to take an extended walk along a ridge towards the Pointe de Brantaz, but the guidebook was quoting non-existent signposts so we proceeded to the Signal des Voirons, which at 1,480 meters is the highest point on the mountain.

Apart from the Guides, we hadn’t met anyone else on the trail, but at the Signal there were many people and among them was a family from Versailles that we had seen at the monastery. The father told us that he was visiting his sister who had been a nun for 20 years and this was the only time that she could have contact with the outside world. She was obviously relishing being with her nieces picking bowls of wild fruit.

We had a little snifter of Armenian Brandy to fortify us and continued on our steep downward route until we reached the Notre Dame de Voirons, a five-hundred year-old chapel. There was an invitation to ring the bell, but try as I might, I couldn’t raise a clang. However, Mark must have been a campanologist in a previous life as his gentle touch produced a wonderful sound! Nathan had visited the area last year and remembered a good viewpoint further on that we could use for lunch. This proved to be ideal and we were able to perch on a large fallen log overlooking the whole Geneva basin and Jura beyond. Mervyn produced a very acceptable Argentinian Cabernet Sauvignon and Nathan passed around his home-grown tomatoes. Dessert was available on the low-growing blackberry bushes all around us.

Suitably bolstered, we descended down through the forest on a very steep path that looked suspiciously like a dried up riverbed until we came to open country with great views of the Vallée Verte and the Alps. At the top of a steep bank was a Copacou, a cupule or cup stone. Apparently, this had been used for human sacrifices where the victim’s throat was cut and the blood flowed down the steep side of the rock. This naturally provoked a realistic enactment, but happily Mark was granted a stay of execution at the last moment.

We passed the 12^th Century castle of Rocafort (not the cheese!) on our final stretch down to the cars.

The whole area is a nature reserve, but the promised roe deer, red deer, wild boar and lynxes were obviously on their summer break as there was little wildlife to be seen. The high temperatures had finally caught up with us and there was a general consensus that beers were warranted, so we repaired to Boëge for some welcome refreshment before heading home. Many thanks for the drinks, Peter!

Present: Mark 2rrs, Mervyn, Nathan, Peter Strebel and Richard S.

Distance: 11 kms

Denivellation: 664 meters

Hike from Col Du Marchairuz to Mont Tendre and Buvette De Mont Tendre and back. May 25th 2023.

Written by Rob Pashley

The plan was to start walking at 10am from the Col, and ten adventure-minded members turned up on time for a quick coffee at the restaurant before moving off. Our favourite parrot was unfortunately missed as it was having a rest at the home of one of the restaurant servers.

Peter D, Mervyn P, Andrew N, David C, Mike M, Mark Warren, Richard S, Richard W and Robert P. Richard W, Ralph W and myself set off on the dot in true Swiss style. As is usually the case with hikes or indeed snow-shoe outings led by our Scottish leader, as soon as we started the clouds disappeared and the sun shone for the rest of the day. It wasn’t long before most were disrobing to cope better with the rising temperature.

We managed to stay together for about a third of the way to the Buvette two of the group decided to take the official route at the Cabane du Cunay while the rest of us tried a much longer shortcut.

Consequently, those who knew better had to climb over a numbers of walls and cover some rough terrain and we ended up with three separate groups, with the leader leading diligently from the rear. It was a bit of a climb reaching the top of Mont Tendre at 1679 m and the three groups came together again for fabulous views into forested France and the Alps. Two of the team were sent on to the Buvette so ensure a suitable table was found and the beers were already in the fridge waiting while the rest of us admired some high-tech Swiss German mountain bikes resting at the summit.

The Buvette was very welcoming and all heartily tucked in to mainly Rosti based meal with added cheese extra eggs and sausage, however the waitress was having quite a difficult time keeping up with the beer order. But we all managed.

After some traditional toasting with some Scottish liquid and some Danish stuff (that some suggested had some strange sexual connotations) and dire coffee, we paid the young lady of the Buvette and started off on the 8k or so hike back to the cars. The temperature had risen and it turned out to be a slightly more difficult and longer return route, although we all kept to the official paths. The quality of the chat, though, diminished as tiredness fell upon us, or maybe it was just the beer as the few that weren’t drinking beer seemed to talk more sense.

A couple of the team held us back at the re-visit to the summit of Mont Tendre having some polite conversation with two young ladies. They eventually caught up with the rest of us.

One of the advantages of starting a hike at Marchairuz is that you can relax at the restaurant at the end of a hard day’s hike. We took some well-earned refreshment there while congratulating ourselves on our hiking prowess, amongst other things. After all, it was a 16.8 km, 734 m déniv hike.

GIN hikers – Balcon de Salève – 27th April 2023

Despite a gloomy weather forecast, 17 hardy hikers signed up for a double hike around the top of the Salève. In the event, Drew had an unavoidable commitment at the last moment, so 16 of us made our way somewhat erratically to the rendezvous point by the Observatoire restaurant. I failed miserably to communicate to the Divonne team that Drew would not be there, so precious time was lost in their departure. Anyway, they set off in an assortment of vehicles trying to avoid the autoroute which was apparently blocked. One of the said vehicles, or rather its driver, got somewhat confused by the ever-changing 5 year-old roadworks by the Ferney tunnel and had a pleasant magical, mystery tour of Grand Saconnex before proceeding to Bardonnex.

The weather forecasters had, luckily, misread their instruments and we set off half an hour late in warm sunshine and blue skies with scattered clouds. Two of us were so encouraged that we opted to bare our lower limbs for the first time in 6 months, leading certain comments about the whiteness of our skin!

The views of the Jura, Lac Léman and the Alps were clear and quite spectacular leading to much snapping of cameras (and smartphones).

We followed an anti-clockwise route around the famous Genevois landmark and soon made a short detour to a viewpoint above the Grande Gorge to marvel at how much concrete there was in the Pays de Gex and Southern Geneva. The beauty of our beloved Jura mountains with a few vestiges of snow on the peaks compensated somewhat for the destruction of the countryside below, though.

Happy guys
Our path took us through pleasant woodland until we reached the open alpages where numerous skylarks were singing.

Heading towards La Croisette, we reached a stony outcrop which was the highest point of our hike. In true GIN fashion, bottles were produced whilst we recovered from our exertions and even champagne glasses to celebrate Mark 2tts’ birthday from two weeks ago. “Happy birthday” was duly sung and a crowd-funding campaign was suggested to enable a parapente ride for him, but he graciously declined!

Glasses clinked and stowed away, we continued on our route and we were now having great views of Mont Blanc and the rest of the Alps. Old stamping grounds were identified and plans discussed for future sorties in that direction. We reached the restaurant at the Observatoire right on time for our updated reservation and found an excellent long table for all 16 of us ready and waiting.

Excellent local beers were consumed by most of us, whilst at the Northern end of the table, some red wine was espied. The menu choices of burgers, roast lamb and diots were reviewed and subsequently consumed, followed by coffees.

She says she’s more interested with what’s on the plate

As the circular trail we had taken before lunch was only about 6 kms, 12 of us set off this time in a clockwise direction on the same route, whilst 4 of our number decided to return home for various reasons. The weather was still warm and Mark 2tts and I felt somewhat vindicated by our earlier decisions whilst others stripped off to single-layer tops. Reaching the site of our earlier refreshment stop, we marvelled at the number of parapenters enjoying themselves nearby. 17 were counted in the air at one time, miraculously avoiding each other, but Mark was still not accepting our generous offer!

Someone’s having a nap in the background

Peter was suggesting taking a precipitous path lower down on the way back, but as we had spent a considerable time in the restaurant, we decided to forego this pleasure until another occasion as time was moving on.

It wasn’t the toughest hike for the group, at about 12 kms and less than 300 metres dénivellation, but the company was, as usual, great and the views were superlative. And by the way, we had two Marks, two Mikes, two Steves and two Richards – must be a record!

Present: David C, Larry F, Marks 2rrs, Mark 2tts, Mervyn P, Mike H, Mike M, Peter T, Rob P, Ralph W, Richard S, Richard W, Rudi P, Stephen L, Stephen W (Ralph’s brother) and Thatcher S.

Walking group Divonne-les-Bains 7 March 2023

Parcours Patrimonial of Divonne les Bains

Twenty-one members and guests (we were twenty-three by lunchtime) of the GIN Walking Group met at the old railway station of Divonne under a sunny blue sky, which stayed with us all morning – the rain only starting as forecasted in the late afternoon.

Mark explaining the route

All listening attentively

The Tourist Office has prepared an excellent brochure that describes the more important buildings and other items of interest that are identified by blue plaques around central Divonne and we followed this itinerary, starting with the old station. In the first half of the 20^th century, Divonne was the meeting place of trains from Paris (some carriages were direct) and Nyon, via Crassier, and walking from the station we saw that the actual Police Station was the Hotel des Etrangers. For Divonne in the late 19^th and early 20^th century was an important spa, attracting the wealthy from all over the world that resulted in the development of several hotels. We also noticed the bust of Marcel Anthonioz, mayor, deputy and tourist minister, who inspired many of the post-war developments including the casino.

Continuing up the Avenue de Genève, we turned right down the Grande Rue that is everchanging with its major road works. Today’s major activity did not hinder our progress as we ticked off the three blue plaques on our way to the Place de l’Eglise, which includes the Villa Beaulieu, one of the few pre-revolution buildings and the only Divonne one officially listed as a historic monument. Thereon, we took the riverside walk and onto the Casino, the 1904 theatre and two large hotels constructed for the wealthy curists in the early 20^th century.

The hares arrived first…….

……..and then the tortoises

And then the arranged visit to the Moulin David. This Moulin is the oldest hydroelectric plant in France still operating on its original site. It was originally set up to provide electric power to the town’s prestigious hotels and spa and had been scheduled for demolition when a few volunteer enthusiasts headed by people from CERN lovingly restored it to working order. And several were there to welcome us and to give an excellent presentation and demonstration. The 1907 Winterthur’s thermic engine with its 3 tons wheel was particularly impressive – very much the icing on the cake of the visit and much appreciated by us old boys.

Our knowledgeable guide at the Moulin

Hi-tech electronics

Watch those fingers

Spellbound!

Lunch was taken at La Truite, a 19^th century hotel and restaurant where Guy de Maupassant once stayed and which was the only one listed in the first red Michelin Guide ever (1900). The three-course meal was excellent value.

A much-appreciated cultural walk of approximately three kilometres. Thanks to all and especially to our Walk Co-ordinator, Alan Baker, who asks for volunteers to lead further walks this year.

Present: Brian Allardyce, Alan Baker, John Burley, Bryan Clark, David Colledge, Trevor Davies, Norman Eatough, Ray Fiander, Nathan Finkelstein, Larry French, Dave Gernandt, Philip Jenkins, Rob McKenzie, Mike Muller, Hubert Pettingell, Mike Price, Richard Saynor, Paul Sochaczewski, Wouter van Ginneken, Gary Vannatter and Mark Warren plus guests Hugh Pettingell and Dave Watson.

Blog written by Mark Warren

Snowshoeing to Chalet Gaillard and beyond 16 February, 2023

Nine of us met at the Divonne lake car park and set off in a convoy of three cars to the designated What3words meeting point of “vowel.handle.scornful” above Bois D’Amont by the Forêt de Risoux which straddles the border between France and Switzerland. Temperatures of -6c were indicated in the cars at the bottom of the valley but had climbed to a balmy -2c by the time we reached Peter and Mike who had arrived barely a minute before us. They were, like Nicholas, sadly dog-less as we were entering the natural reserve, although we noticed a wolf-like hound running freely in some nearby gardens.

After booting up, we walked a short distance to the start of our steep climb through the forest but within 20 metres decided to don snowshoes. As usual, some acrobatic manoeuvres were required to accomplish this, but we set off at a rate of knots belying the age differential of twenty years between the members. Thankfully, even the youngest were able to keep up and we trudged up the first brutal ascent. Unfortunately, the trees were now devoid of the snow that Mark 2rrs and I had witnessed some 10 days before, but the trail was sufficiently snow/ice-covered to warrant the use of our raquettes.

We reached the Chalet Gaillard within 1 ½ hours and we confirmed our presence in the area to the hut manager. A young Belgian lady approached us whilst coffee was being consumed and told us that she was on a 10-day snowshoe tour through the Jura. We were impressed that she was doing this alone, whilst carrying an enormous rucksack weighing more than 15kgs.

Duly boosted by caffeine, we continued towards our goal of Le Roche Bernard. This viewpoint proved be at the top of an impressive cliff overlooking the dual lakes of Bellefontaine and Mortes which are in the departments of Jura and Doubs respectively. The vista North-West across the Jura range was breathtaking, and inevitably a bottle or so was cracked open to celebrate our achievement.

Stephen and Peter getting their breath back

Top half of group with Peter taken by local amateur

After the obligatory photos were taken, we hastened back to the Chalet reaching there just three minutes after our planned rdv time. True Swiss, or maybe Jurassic, timing!

The eleven of us squeezed onto a table in the small dining area and ordered our meals. The plat du jour, partaken by everyone, was a hearty bean and vegetable soup with lumps of sausage and generous helpings of grated cheese. Mark and I had eaten exactly the same fare previously and wondered if, in fact, it was the plat de chaque jour! Beers were ordered by some as well as a litre of red wine. The latter had a distinctly watery taste raising some possibly libellous suspicions. Some persevered with it, but Peter threw in the towel and ordered a (price unknown) bottle of Bordeaux which saved the day. Mike gallantly finished off the house wine declaring that he wasn’t up to a full-bodied red at that time of the day.

Philip wondering what on earth he was drinking

Conversations were as diverse as usual, but those of us at the North-West end of the table noticed some very animated cultural discussions taking place at the South-East end. Of course, absent friends were heartily toasted.

Deserts and coffees downed, we set off for the relatively easy stroll back to the cars. Steve decided that snowshoes were for wimps and elected to strap his to his backpack and leg it home. In the icy conditions, those following had cameras at the ready expecting some good photo opportunities but he is very sure-footed and kept upright.

GIN outings often have small, or larger, dramas (helicopters, etc), and this one didn’t disappoint. Two thirds of the way back, Peter, who was leading, encountered a(nother) young girl who had lost her family, and her way back to her starting point. She was from Grenoble, 14 years old, and was pleasantly named Ocèane. Having given her mobile phone to her mother and knowing that it was on mute, she was unable to get in touch with her. Fortunately, she finally managed to remember the number of her brother so she used one of our phones to try to call him. Of course, there was no network connection at that spot anyway, so rather than leaving this little defenseless maiden in the dark forest, we offered to take her back to our cars, about 1km away. We must have looked the harmless old codgers that we are, as she accepted our offer and later on was able to reach her brother’s phone, assuring him that she was in safe hands. When we got back to the parking spot, I drove down to the village and delivered her to her mother who was anxiously awaiting her. Then I went back to the rest of the group to say our goodbyes.

Present and correct: Marks 2rrs and 2tts, Peter, Mike, David, Stephen, Philip, Nicholas, Nathan, Larry, Richard. Mark informs me that eleven was a record for us, so well done, everyone!

Distance: a generous 12kms and 450ms dénivellation.

More snow, please, for the next sortie!

Lunch at La Croix Blanche, Ferney Voltaire, 25th January, 2023

La Croix Blanche with the Chateau de Voltaire in the background

Numbers of participants for the lunch fluctuated wildly in the last week before the event, but in the end, 21 hungry diners turned up on time at La Croix Blanche in Ferney Voltaire. The restaurant opened last year after the complete restoration of the building which was delayed by the pandemic. This historic site was constructed around the same time as the Chateau de Voltaire in the 18th century and was originally used as a workshop. More recently, in the 1960s, it served as the social club for Bernie Cornfeld’s IOS staff, but then became derelict after the collapse of that company.

We were placed at two long tables on the ground floor and other diners were probably grateful to be well away from the chatter by being placed on the first floor. Two new members, Jeff Crudgington and Ralph Wares, were welcomed and introduced themselves to the group. Contacts were made and intimations of interests in our various activities were carefully noted.

Everyone opted for the three-course menu, which made things easier for the chef, the serving staff and not least, the organizer! The bill reflected that 11 carafes of St Joseph and Chardonnay were consumed. Discussion was animated in true GIN style, before we all ventured back into the cold at around 14.00.

It was great to meet up with old and new friends and sample the local French cuisine.

Present: Brian Allardyce, John Burley, Bryan Clarke, David Colledge, Jeff Crudgington, Trevor Davies, Norman Eatough, Ken Forrester, Harry Leefe, Stephen Long, Rudi Pluss, Mike Price, Tony Raeburn, Richard Saynor, Paul Sochaczewski, Peter Taylor, Wouter van Ginneken, Gary Vannatter, Ralph Wares, Mark Warren, Mark Watts

“Snowshoeing” to the Vermeilley 22 December 2022

Seven optimistic stalwarts (David Colledge, Nathan Finkelstein, Philip Jenkins, Robert Pashley, Richard Saynor, Bill Westermeyer and Mark Warren) met on time at the Givrine for our first snowshoe outing of the 2022-3 season. It was raining and as anticipated very little snow so no need for snowshoes.

That didn’t dishearten us and as “Winter Wanderers” we set off, dreaming of those white Christmases of bygone years and in particular the exact same trail taken five years ago to the day. Dream on, because the Jura is still very sparsely covered.

Progress was swift and we soon passed the Genolière stopping for our usual liquid refreshment of coffee, etcetera. The coffee was excellent as always and Richard didn’t disappoint with the etcetera; although mixing the two together was not a success. At the same time the Vermeilley phoned to have confirmation that we were actually coming. They couldn’t believe that anyone would be “brave” (stupid?) enough to come out on a day like we had, and in truth we were the only ones out other than a few chamois and a nutcracker showing off its white tail tip as it vanished into the trees.

The Vermeilley even without snow is a lovely refuge; the table was laid for us and the log fire was roaring. A lovely homely feeling and the fondue was excellent. We toasted absent friends and reviewed the various excuses for acceptability. But it was the Christmas season of goodwill so we were generous, giving one out of ten for the need to stay at home to help prepare for a do!

And so back to the Givrine for a hot chocolate before returning home.

An outing to be repeated if and when we have snow.

Nine kms and 200 metres height difference.

Written by s/s leader Mark 2Rs.

Dreaming of a White Christmas (Vermeilley 22 December 2017)

And back to reality (22 December 2022)

GIN hike Lac de Joux 27th October

Five of us (Peter, Philip, Mark 2rrs, Nicolas and the writer) met early at the usual parking spot by Divonne lake and set off in high spirits for the Lac de Joux despite temperatures of 6 degrees and misty conditions. Our progress was somewhat thwarted by ominous but ambiguous signs in Longirod suggesting deviations – but were they just for lorries? We pressed on regardless and entering St George it became obvious that the signs were to be taken seriously, but Peter knew a small byway which took us around the town which brought us into a car park surrounded by road works. We had unknowingly caught up with Nathan and the three cars managed to circumvent the holes in the roads and after taking a slightly illegal route, managed to get back on the route to the Col du Marchairuz. Up there, the weather was bright and sunny, but on the descent to Le Brassus we could see a thick layer of fog above the Lac de Joux.

We had intended to leave the parking lot at Altitude 1004 in Les Bioux at 09.30, but Drew called and told us that his GPS gave him an ETA of 09.50 due to the deviation. Knowing that we didn’t have that much leeway in order to reach our lunch stop some 14kms away at 13.00, the Famous Five plus Kobie set off around the lake in a clockwise direction. Rob called and cancelled due to a medical issue. I waited for Drew to turn up as scheduled and we drove to L’Orient at the southern end of the lake to wait for the guys to appear through the fog. They had already walked 2.5kms along the excellent boardwalk which traverses marshy ground.

Reunited, we continued around the bottom of the lake and carried on past Le Sentier and its many watch factories, and Le Rocheray where four hardy souls had just finished swimming in the lake. For a time we were on minor roads, but were rewarded by the sight of many pretty lakeside properties. Reaching Les Esserts-de-Rive, the sun finally broke through the fog and confirmed that there was indeed a large lake on our right-hand side! We then entered a wooded area and enjoyed the peace and tranquillity of a rocky path right by the water. The level of the lake has been very low – more than 1 metre below its normal height of 1,004 metres, but the recent rains had restored the level to its “working” height.

The low level path soon ended and we had to climb a series of switchbacks to reach Le Lieu where we thought that we deserved some light refreshment. Some limoncello shots and an excellent Riesling revived us in true GIN fashion and we set off on the last leg of our pre-lunch journey. Outer layers of clothing were discarded in the warm sunshine and absent friends were of, course, honoured in the usual way. Entering a new wooded area, we hadn’t gone many metres before we encountered a small herd of chamois which spooked Kobie somewhat and required some frantic whistle-blowing by Peter. Order was restored when the chamois headed down a steep bank and our canine companion returned to his master. Shortly afterwards, those of us leading had to restrain him again as we came across another herd. Our chief wildlife photographer, Nathan, managed to take some fine shots of the animals who did not appear to be particularly perturbed by our presence.

Following the prescribed path to Le Pont, Nicolas and I were startled by a huge chamois crossing our path at speed pursued by Kobie who had taken a higher route with Peter. Fortunately, our furry friend gave up the chase and was once again reunited with his master. Our timing wasn’t too bad as we reached the Relais de la Truite only 5 minutes after the time that we had been instructed by the management to arrive by.

Plats du jour had been ordered in advance without any knowledge of their composition but moules frites were gratefully accepted by 6/7, with the seventh opting for croute forestière. Beers and a modest bottle of chasselas were enjoyed and we repaired to have our coffee outside in the glorious sunshine. Serious conversation subjects during the meal and whilst hiking covered many topics, including the state of UK politics, global warming and energy storage, as well as more lighthearted bantering. The “douloureuse” when it arrived was noted to cost each participant half of that paid by some of us earlier at a well-known resto below the Dôle, although in fairness, there was slightly less alcohol consumed!

Reluctantly, we had to face the fact that we still had 8kms to return to our starting point, so we set off at varying speeds passing “toblerones” and the Breguet building at L’Abbaye. Curiously, most of the towns around the lake have rather simple names, the Bridge, the Path, the Place, the Abbey, the East, showing perhaps a surprising lack of imagination when such beautiful time pieces are created in its many watch factories.

Nine pairs of tired legs (including two of Kobie’s) reached our vehicles safely and Peter, Nicolas and Nathan decided to head off to try to avoid the rush- hour traffic, but Mark, Philip and Drew accepted my invitation for beer and crisps at our pad. Drew was then returned to his car and the three of us remaining took an circuitous route past Les Pralets which avoided the blockage at St George.

Distances were estimated at between 22 and 26kms depending on which Apple Watch, iPhone, Samsung Galaxy, GPS, website or map measuring tool was used, but we seemed to agree on a mean of about 24kms and a modest 200 metres ascent. In any case, it was more than a half-marathon! We wish Rob well and hope that he can rejoin our group asap. This, of course, applies to other GINvalids as well!

Sorry –a bit long, but it was a long hike!

GIN Divonne walk 2 June 2022

“WOT – NOT ENOUGH WATER?”

Mark Warren’s plan to lead the GIN Walkers to and possibly through lesCascades d’Hérisson on 2 June 2022 had been postponed for a rarely encountered reason – the spring drought had deprived these famous waterfalls of adequate water to show themselves off in their full glory.

In the circumstances, a cheerful band of 8 Walking Group participants (Mark, Alan, Bryan C., Richard S., Nicolas, Paul, Rob, and Tim retraced our steps along the bank of the Divonne River to and from the Swiss border at Crassier. New decking avoided much of the mud encountered during our previous walk along this route.

Another excellent Lunch was then enjoyed at Le Bon Accueil in Divonne, during which we added our own toast to the many others ongoing that day in celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee.

Thanks again, Mark, for your patience in planning and then needing to changethe location for this walk. We look forward to sharing in the postponed visit to the “Hedgehog Falls” in the not-too-distant future.

Thanks also go to Tim Goodyear for the photos.

Alan Baker. 3 June 2022

There’s a couple of herons there somewhere

GIN Golfers Xmas lunch

The golfing season is drawing to a close and a lunch was planned at the Manchettes clubhouse in Bretigny to follow our regular Monday morning 9 holes on 29th November. Unfortunately, snow overnight meant that the course was closed, but we all met up at midday for apéros, kindly offered by Eric, and an excellent lunch prepared by the staff. A terrine followed by a superb boeuf bourguignon and apple tart washed down with a bottle or three of Côtes du Rhône went down very well. GIN golfers are probably unique in the club as 100% of the 13 members attended the end-of-year event as evidenced by the photo below.

13 strapping menfolk! Left to right – Mike Price, Bill Hogg, Mark Warren, Richard Saynor, Trevor Davies, Eric Williamson, Daan Rademaker, David Jacobs, Stephen Long, Rob Pashley, Bryan Clark, Gerry Swart, Mik Ferran.

We have played around 35 times this year, meaning that we have only had to cancel about half a dozen times due to bad weather. Several members have claimed birdies and many more have scored pars, but that elusive hole-in-one is still awaiting! We don’t keep a record of our scores and do not always strictly follow the established R&A rules but just enjoy being out in nature and starting off the week with some gentle exercise. Inevitably, the odd beer is enjoyed on the terrace after our efforts!