by John Watson
OODS Member 1956-1959
Leading walking parties out into the Devon countryside, Dartmoor and the coast in 1956 really was for me a step out into the great unknown. My previous experience had always been in the Lake District mountains. Devon was very different. I had to set up new routes entirely from nothing. So, poor as I was, I bought all the local guide books I could find and sat down with an old ordnance survey map and started afresh. I still have all these old guide books today.
Exmouth to Budleigh Salterton was the first organised walk and I remember particularly my feelings that Budleigh was a place which appeared to have changed little since the 1920s. You have to remember that the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s were years of crisis and austerity and time had just stood still for so many places. So exploration of the unknown also became a fascinating exploration of the past. My memories of many of these walks can be found at www.vintage120.com and more fully in the following ebook available from www.smashwords.com at $2.99 and from the Apple Store at £2.41. You will need to do an author search to find it on Apple.
We would like to thank John for his encouragement and support, and for suggesting the route for our Anniversary Reunion on 21st May. We consider ourselves very fortunate that he has provided us with so much information on the early days of our society, and, as “Head of the Walking section”, instituted many of the practices and routes which we still follow today. John’s e-book, Exeter Memories, can be found at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/628702, and is a fantastic illustrated chronicle of life as a student in 1950s Exeter.
OODS Anniversary 
I would like to contact (or be contacted by Mr John Watson) as he waxes long on my father, Vosper Arthur, still going (relatively) strong at 98! I am happy to provide details as to the reason of contacting him, but this will, at least initially, have to be by email as I live in Switzerland.
Stephan Arthur
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