East Bay Dinner

"A Walk Across England"

Thursday, September 22, no-host cocktails/social hour - 6 pm, dinner - 7:00, program - 8:00, Berkeley Yacht Club on the Berkeley Marina, one block north of the west end of University Avenue (ample free parking is available in the Marina parking lots).

In the summer of 2003 Susanna Van Leuven and Stuart Sparling walked from St. Bee's Head on the Irish Sea to Robin Hood's Bay on the North Sea. This 195-mile jaunt took them up narrow trails, on the sides of wave-crashed cliffs, across fields, up steep inclines, and down, down, down into valleys and into pleasant English villages. In 18 days they walked through three national parks, the gorgeous Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales (home of James Harriott), and the North York Moors, whence they first glimpsed the North Sea.

They stayed in remarkably wonderful bed-and-breakfast inns and youth hostels and enjoyed great food, good company, and a welcoming atmosphere. Despite much planning, however, they were hardly prepared for the lack of signs, the steep trails up and down hillsides, the rough streambeds, or the low-flying jets in the Lake District. The Coast to Coast Trail, cobbled together in 1970 by Alfred Wainwright, is not well-marked, and so they found plenty of opportunities to get lost. The countryside was beautiful, and every town was unique with stone architecture and rich history.

Susanna and Stuart have been hiking, backpacking, and canoeing across the United States for many years. Come share their wonderful English adventure.

Cost of dinner and program is $22, including tax and tip. For more information, call (510)845-8055. For a reservation, please send your check, payable to "Sierra Club", with your name, your telephone number, and the names of your guests, to:

Jane Barrett
170 Vicente Road
Berkeley, CA 94705.

Attendance is limited to the first 115 reservations received. Reserve early because these programs do fill up. Reservation deadline is Thu., Sep. 15. There is no admittance for program only.