Reunion Review

John Watson – First OODS Walk, Exmouth, 1956

Tom Clemo – OODS Anniversary Reunion, Exmouth, 2016

Eighteen alumni (and in some cases, their partners too) spanning 1965 to 2013 joined twenty-five current university students on the Out of Doors Society’s Anniversary Reunion on 21st May (click here for a full participants list). We set off from Exmouth station in the pouring rain to retrace the steps of the first OODS walk to Budleigh Salterton in 1956. Sadly the weather did not improve, but we enjoyed the scenery and good company along the way. On reaching Budleigh we took the opportunity to dry off and warm up over a drink, before returning to Exmouth by coach. We were met on the sea front by a delivery of piping hot fish and chips which we devoured sitting in the shelters. Needless to say, the sun came out just as we polished off the final chip!

We felt that this was such a success that we will be discussing the possibility of holding similar events more frequently in the future (and not just for the 70th Anniversary!).

Bev Clemo – A wet afternoon on Exmouth Sea Front

Bev Clemo – OODS in the Rain

Bev Clemo – Kite Surfers and OODS

Tom Clemo – Exmouth Sea Front

Tom Clemo – Orcombe

Gavin Fuller – OODS walkers ascending out of Exmouth

Tom Clemo – Out to Orcombe Point

Tom Clemo – Approaching the Geoneedle

Tom Clemo – Orcombe Point Geoneedle

Tom Clemo – Sandy Bay

Gavin Fuller – OODS Reunion Walk ascends West Down

Tom Clemo – OODS on the Coast Path

Tom Clemo – Arrival in Budleigh

Gavin Fuller – View West from Exmouth Seafront

List of Participants

A big thank you to everyone who came on our Anniversary Reunion!

OODS Alumni

Paul Bradbrook (1972-1973)
Lynette Costello (1994-1997)
Jemma Davie (2008-2012)
Ryan Edginton (2011-2013)
Gavin Fuller (1987-1990)
Roberta Howard (2008-2011)
Desmond Mansfield (2010-2013)
Geoffrey May (1972-1975)
Tim Poole (2011-2013)
Michael Sherwood (1965-1968)
Maria Smirnova (2012-2013)
Jane Smith (1972-1975)
Patrick Tompsett (2010-2013)
John Vernon (1971-1975)
Ian Warne (1965-1968)
Liz Warne (1965-1968)
Chris Willey (1970-1973)
Elaine Willey (1970-1973)

Current OODS

Tobias Bachmann
Jake Chan
Jason Chang
Gemma Ciampolini
Zoe Cunningham
Sarah Duxbury
Josephine Greenland
Melanie Hacke
Kostis Kakoudakis
Che-Pai Kung
Chen Liang
Anna Phillips
Anežka Svobodová
Clemens Ziller

OODS Committee

2015-2016

Beth McGill (President)
Lucy Forsey (Secretary)
Amber Harding (Treasurer)
Jenny Miller (Publicity)
Ben Drummond

2016-2017

Emily Beckett (President)
Emily Glazebrook (Vice President)
Emma Dunne (Secretary)
Lucy Hart (Publicity)
Alexandra Smith

Anniversary Coordinator

Tom Clemo

1959 Video Clip

by OODS Exeter

We have recently rediscovered this old video from 1959, filmed by John Watson on a pre-war Kodak wind up camera. Many thanks to Tom Furnivall for providing a digital version. The video can be downloaded from our Vimeo channel.

Photos from the Mid Sixties

by Patrick Wass

OODS Member 1964-1968

I was a member, and for a time a committee member, of OODS in the mid sixties. I thought you might  to see some of my photos from that time.  The first photo shows Jean Thompson, Mike Hills, Ken Beecham and me, Patrick Wass, at an after walk sing song with the famous ‘Mac” ; our driver for most of the walks at that time. The second picture shows committee members, Jean Thompson, Mike Hills, Ken Beecham, Pauline Grace and Patrick Wass during a walk in 1967. The third picture show members of OODS starting the Pennine Way in 1965.

Jean Thompson, Mike Hills, Ken Beecham and Patrick Wass, at an after walk sing song with the famous “Mac”

Committee members, Jean Thompson, Mike Hills, Ken Beecham, Pauline Grace and Patrick Wass during a walk in 1967

Members of OODS starting the Pennine Way in 1965

Commemorative Polo Shirts Available

Hi everyone! There are some commemorative polo shirts left over from the Anniversary Reunion if anyone would like to buy one (or more than one!).

Each polo shirt has the University of Exeter crest and the OODS compass logo on the front, and the limited-edition Anniversary Map (above) on the back.

Available sizes:
1x Unisex XL
1x Unisex S

2x Ladies Fit XL/16
3x Ladies Fit L/14
2x Ladies Fit M/12
1x Ladies Fit S/10
2x Ladies Fit XS/8

If you would be interested in purchasing one, please send us an email at outofdoors@groups.exeterguild.com, including details of your preferred size and delivery address. Each shirt costs £20 (+ £5 P&P if you’re not in Exeter). Thanks!

Reunion Video

First Year Rep, Secretary and Vice President

by Gavin Fuller

OODS Member 1987-1990

My three years of OODS are amongst the highlight of my time at Exeter. It was a great way to explore the South-West of England, even though our two default options for a walk seemed to be part of the South-West Coast path and Dartmoor! That’s after the shock of the first walk being a particularly undulating part of the former which saw a lot of people never come on a walk again! So many memories of the people and places and the weather, although Dartmoor has so many – horizontal hail particularly nasty but a sunny day after snowfall the complete opposite; meeting the police in the middle of the night looking for a missing person, and encountering a local hunt when crossing a river. Then there was Exmoor in the mist, when the coach driver unpromptedly met us early as navigation was becoming a bit interesting, although again it made up another time with rainbows and glorious autumnal scenery. And the hills we did – highest points of Dartmoor, Exmoor, Bodmin Moor, Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia were all summited in my time which probably sparked my love of hillwalking which continues to this day, although my average walks are a bit more extreme now!

Gavin Fuller – Cairn, Dunkery Beacon, 1989

Gavin Fuller – Lunch on Dartmoor, 1990

Gavin Fuller – OODS 25th Birthday Cake

Gavin Fuller – OODS atop Mount Snowdon, June 1990

Gavin Fuller – OODS Committee 1988-9 up a pole in Cornwall

Gavin Fuller – OODS Committee 1989-90 at Jamaica Inn

Gavin Fuller – OODS descending Sharpitor, 1989

Gavin Fuller – OODS lunching on Purbeck, 1989

Gavin Fuller – OODS on a snow-covered Dartmoor track, 1991

Gavin Fuller – OODS on Dartmoor, 1989

Gavin Fuller – OODS on Yes Tor at 0330, June 1990

Gavin Fuller – OODS relaxing at Tarr Steps, 1989

Gavin Fuller – Rainbow over Exmoor, 1989

Gavin Fuller – Windswept OODS on Cosden Hill, 1990

Vice President, Equipments Officer

by Andy Wall

OODS Member 1988-1991

I hope the Anniversary Reunion walk has been all you hoped it would be today, despite the rain. Unfortunately both me and my wife (both ex OODS, its what brought us together) were unable to make it today. However, we spent the afternoon walking in the rain near our home in South Wales training for a 48 mile walk around Jersey in June and ended up as wet as we used to on Dartmoor. Many, many great memories of Saturday walks and weekends away, including one too many hired minibuses with burnt out clutches tackling Lake District passes. Great to hear the society is still going strong. I hope the Equipments Officer (or whatever it is now called) still has the antiquated wooden treasure chest for the maps (sorry GPS as it must be now). Enjoy every walk, University life passes all too quickly!

Meeting Point Details and Timings

Here are the final details for the OODS Anniversary Reunion on Saturday 21st May.

Meeting Points

Exeter, 1pm: Exeter St David’s railway station. Members of the current committee will be waiting outside the main entrance to the station. The train departs from Platform 1 at 13:16, and a standard off-peak return to Exmouth will cost £4.30.

Exmouth, 2pm: Exmouth railway station, outside the main entrance. I will be there from 13:40 onwards, and the train from Exeter should arrive at 13:50.

Car Parking

There are a number of car parks in Exmouth, with the closest to the railway station being Estuary Long Stay (The Royal Avenue, Exmouth, EX8 1DB). The closest car park to our finishing point on Exmouth Sea Front is Queens Drive Long Stay (Queens Drive, Exmouth, EX8 2AY).

These are both pay and display car parks with an hourly rate of £1.00, max charge £6.00 for up to 24 hours.

Public Toilets

Toilets are available next to Imperial Road Short Stay car park, which you will pass on the way to Estuary Long Stay. There are further toilets along Exmouth sea front, and in Budleigh Salterton.

Timings for the Day

1:40 – 2:00pm: Meeting in Exmouth

A limited number of commemorative polo shirts will be available to purchase at the Exmouth meeting point before we set off for our walk.

2:00pm: Departing Exmouth Station

At 2pm (or as soon after as possible!) we will set off on our walk through the town centre and along Exmouth Sea Front towards Orcombe Point and the South West Coast Path.

5:30pm: Arrival at Budleigh Salterton

We will follow the South West Coast Path (5.5 miles, moderate) along part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site to Budleigh Salterton, hoping to arrive some time between 5pm and 5:30pm.

6:00pm: Departing Budleigh Salterton

We will be returning to Exmouth by coach, leaving Budleigh at 6pm. If you have ordered fish and chips, we will be collecting £6.50 from you on the coach – please bring correct change if possible!

6:30pm: Fish and Chips on Exmouth Sea Front

Once we arrive back in Exmouth, we will be having fish and chips on the beach opposite the Exmouth Pavilion (weather permitting) or in the shelters nearby.

Return trains to Exeter

Return trains to Exeter leave from Exmouth station at 18:54, 19:40, 20:07, and 21:16. It takes approximately 20 minutes to walk from the Pavilion to the station.

 

Thank you for your support, and we look forward to seeing you!

Exploring the Unknown

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.

John Watson – First OODS Walk, Exmouth, 1956