East Bay Dinner

"A Stroll on the East Coast of England"

Thursday, April 26, 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).

Join Susanna Van Leuven and Stuart Sparling for a slide show that will take you knapsacking and tramping along England's East Coast.

In the summer of 2005 Susanna and Stuart walked the Cleveland Way, a 110-mile English National Trail. A dramatically beautiful part of this trail is located on the spectacular east coast of England. There they walked along an eroding trail that rimmed the top of 500-foot-tall cliffs overlooking the North Sea. They walked through Saltburn-by-the-Sea, a village perched along the top of the cliffs, then down a road that twisted down to the sea, then up along a narrow footpath towards Sansend, then down and up through deep breaks in the cliffs, to Staithes, a town where houses cling to cliffs, and where sections of the local pub, The Cod and the Lobster, are periodically washed out to sea.

They explored up and down, tramping over or through becks but always returning to the upper edge of the cliffs. They wandered into Whitby, a tourist town, then on to Robin Hood's Bay (a once-busy smugglers' community) built at the edge of the sea on a steep slope. From there it was on to Scarborough, a beautiful resort town, and on into Filey in a driving rain. They stayed in bed-and-breakfasts and youth hostels, met some wonderful people, had some adventures, and lived to tell the tale.

Stuart and Susanna have been hiking, backpacking, and canoeing in the United States for many years. They both have extensive walking experience, especially in the Sierra and Montana, but England does hold a special treat: After a long day out on the moors, or picking their way along the cliffs' edge, or wandering through the woods . . . there, just around the turn, a pub is beckoning, offering a pint of beer, a "hot pot", and a warm bed.

Cost of dinner and program is $23, including tax and tip. For a reservation, please send your check, payable to "Sierra Club", with your name, your telephone number, date of program you are reserving for, and the names of your guests, to:

Evelyn Randolph
938 Galvin Drive
El Cerrito, CA 94530
(510)526-2494.

Attendance is limited to the first 115 reservations received. Reserve early, as these programs do fill up. Reservation deadline is April 16. There is no admittance for program only.