Two Mighty Greens Go Blue For The Great West Run

Sidmouth Running Club’s Clare Luke and Donna Womersley-Westlake swapped their Mighty Green club shirts for blue ones when they ran in the Great West Run last week.

Clare, Sue, Sarah and Donna before the start

They were part of the Sidmouth Hospice at Home team raising vital funds for their 24/7 specialist palliative care hospice at home service. The ladies enjoyed every minute of the half marathon and finished in 2:48:38 and raised over £200.

Sprint finish

Also running through the streets of Exeter in the glorious sunshine wearing his new MG top was Tom Knight who had a cracking run finishing in 1:38:48, 48th out of 1,723 runners!

It was a PB for MG Yasmin Salter who rang the bell at the end to celebrate finishing in 2:03:45 and Ollie Goodchild-Horne wasn’t far behind in 2:12:54.

Yasmin rings the bell

Running together and enjoying the supportive crowds along the length of the route Sue Collman and Sarah Clapham finished in 2:30:08, which they were very pleased with as it was very hot!

Flying through the finish line

 

Posted in SRC

Fun Runs To Marathons For The MG’s

Three Mighty Green Juniors took part in the Beer Blazer event on Sunday organised by Beer Primary School PTFA.

John, Amelia and Dom represented the Mighty Greens

Amelia Womersley-Westlake and Dominic Hall ran in the fun run and both found the ground hard going on the ankles. Amelia, age 7, said it was her hardest ever run to date will hills, fields and uneven ground but enjoyed it.  Dom finished in 6th place; but as fellow MG John Dunsford lined up to take part in the 5k race, Dom made a last minute decision to run in that event too. Getting his number sorted delayed his start so Junior helper Grahame Womersley-Westlake ran with him, which was a bit of a shock having already run from Sidmouth to Beer!

John Dunsford running up that hill

Both Juniors finished strongly over the line with John finishing 3rd male in 31:51 and Dom who overtook at least 10 others on the way finished in 41:05.  Grahame said it was great to see the future of the club show such awesome determination.

On Sunday 14th May, Cheryl Boulton set out for the Western Super Half marathon; her fourth time of running the event.

Cheryl’s last long run of 11 miles was on 8th April as due to a tight calf/painful ankle hadn’t run much since so was slightly anxious whether she would even finish! The Mighty Green decided to have pasta every day for the week beforehand hoping the extra carbs would help and they certainly did!  Club secretary Cheryl set off with the 2 hour pacer running at 9 minute miles for the first 7 miles before answering a call of nature which meant she lost sight of the pacer. The next 6 miles were more challenging running on her own especially as the sun came out which didn’t help.  Cheryl’s husband Bruce cheered her on from the seafront before the final sprint down the pier to the finish line where Cheryl was delighted to get a PB 2:04:43, knocking a whole 5 minutes off last years’ time!

Neville Hylton was spotted at the Copenhagen Marathon by Jason Blount who always joins the club runs when he is visiting Sidmouth-what are the chances of that among the 10,233 runners that took part! Neville enjoyed the completely flat route which took him through the different parts of the city, the green Osterbro, the multicultural Norrebro and the hip Vesterbro.  Finishing in 4:19:33 the Mighty Green said it was a great way to explore the city’s best highlights and impressive architecture.

Running into Neville

South West Coast Path Association Donation

Sidmouth Running Club Treasurer Tim Clay handed over a cheque for £250 to Christie Burton from the South West Coast Path Association from the proceeds raised from the Sidmouth Celebrates weekend of events.  Donations of £100 to the RNLI via Axe Yacht Club and £100 to Exmouth Beach rescue for the use of their premises where also distributed.

Treasure Tim Clay

Posted in SRC

A Mighty Green Turnout For The Ottery 10k and Fun Run

In the middle of the Coronation weekend, Honiton Running Clubs’ Ottery 10k and fun run took place which meant SRC’s social secretary, Naomi Garrick, could go to town with the red, white and blue!

Naomi dressed for the occasion

Participating in the 1 mile fun run were 6 SRC Juniors Jonathan, Marcus, Dom, Louis, Harry and Amelia and two mums Carol and Donna, all of whom were pleased with their finishers medal.

The start of the fun run

The 10k route took the runners along quiet country lanes and was enjoyed by everyone.  Tom Knight was the first MG to cross the finish line in 44:41, 44th in a field of 227. Jo Pavey MBE presented the top 3 male and female awards and although Shaun Tipton was not a recipient, he was delighted to have a photo taken with the Olympian.

Photo opportunity for Shaun Tipton and Jo Pavey MBE

This race saw the return of MG Emma Grainger back from injury and although it has been nice seeing Emma marshalling at many local events cheering on the Mighty Greens it is even better to be running alongside her.

And they are off!

Results: Tom Knight 44:41; Colin Ryan 44:49; Mark Andow 45:55; Colin I’Anson 48:07; Richard King 49:23; Yasmin Salter 50:38; Shaun Tipton 52:05; Christine Farnham 54:18; Tim Swarbrick 55:06; Naomi Garrick 56:02; Karen Farnham 56:21; Georgia King 57:30; Christie Ward 1:00:51; Sarah Clapham 1:02:38; Hannah Maslen 1:03:09; Jo Earlam 1:04:47; Amelia Frankpitt 1:06:22; Marion Johnson 1:06:47; John Doherty 1:11:03; Ann Cole 1:14:30; Emma Grainger 1:17:06

 

 

Posted in SRC

Ultras and Halves

SRC’s David Chipping and Martin Barnard ran the East Devon Round on Saturday, 107kms of absolutely stunning East Devon countryside. Although Martin said there was a fair bit of walking, shuffling and a dose of hobbling too! With wake up alarms set for 03:00 and a 05:30 start time at Ofwell near Honiton they saw the best of the day with a beautiful sunrise along with SRC’s Jess Watkins, Grahame Womersley-Westlake and David Wright who were running the 35 mile ultra option.

David and Martin enjoying the scenery

Ruby Red Running the organisers behind The East Devon Round were amazing and had planned a fabulous route, with endless bluebells and a constant chorus of bird song with the countryside being the real star of the day. David and Martin stopped for ice creams at Lyme Regis,

A well deserved ice cream stop at Lyme Regis

bumped into fellow SRC members doing the ‘half‘ distance and enjoyed plenty of snacks at the wonderfully stocked aid stations. Martin said by linking up so many places they knew and discovering so many more made the time fly by and it was only at about the 80k mark when the endless soup, cake and crisp supplies started to struggle to keep the fuel tank full. As night fell and torches were fired up the two Mighty Greens were met by family and friends which gave them a great boost and a couple of those legends joined them for the last 10K to provide some new conversation topics, a gate opening service and to protect them from some frisky bullocks.

Stunning trig point view

The pair eventually finished just after 22:30, a full 17 hours after the start and quickly got stuck into some sticky toffee pudding. There were 35 finishers and they came in joint 24th, but for them it was never about a position, it was a journey to look back on for years to come and smile. For David looking down at his 10 black toes is a reminder of his amazing achievement! For anyone who has thought “I can’t run that far, but I’d like too” no matter what that distance is, Martin has just learnt you probably can, give it a go. And if you want to see East Devon in all its glory, do the East Devon Round, it’s a belter.

East Devon Round 35 mile ultra Mighty Greens

In the 35 mile ultra, Jess was very happy to finish first lady in 7:30:00.  The Mighty Green highly recommends the race for the beauty of the scenery and the support given. Running his first ultra, Grahame was delighted to finish in 8:15:00, 15th overall and 9th male and said he had a great day, enjoying every minute and is now looking for his next challenge!  David Wright ran a marathon distance before stopping at checkpoint 4.

Grahame was spotted by Martin and David

Meanwhile in East Devon, eleven Mighty Greens ran the Sid Valley Ring Half Marathon organised by Climb South West. Starting with an uphill climb the race takes you through quiet country lanes and footpaths to a height of 236m before dropping into Sidbury, follows a section of back lanes through Harcombe, a steep climb to Dunscombe cliffs and the coast path before a short excursion inland to Salcombe Regis, through the woods and back onto the coast path back to Sidmouth.

The Mighty Greens at the start of the Sid Valley Ring (missing Liz and Jim)

Colin Ryan had an exceptional run finishing 22nd out of a field of 75 in 2:11:29 and Beccy Johnson who was running her first half marathon was very pleased with her time of 3:20:37.

Beccy and Kerry with their medals

Results:  Colin Ryan 2:11:29; Christine Farnham 2:50:01; Karen Farnham 2:50:01; Beccy Johnson 3:20:57; Sarah Watkins 3:20:57; Kerry Salter 3:21:00; Jim Hudson 3:27:46; Liz Wright 3:46:32; Carol McManus 3:46:32; Donna Womersley-Westlake 3:50:56; Clare Luke 3:50:56

Donna and Clare at the finish

Posted in SRC

PB’s A Plenty For SRC’s London Marathoners and LME’s Maer Half and 10k

Four Mighty Greens travelled to London to take part in this years London Marathon including Mark Andow who won the draw for the club place.  It was Mark’s first LM and he was aiming for a sub 3:30:00 finish which he certainly achieved finishing in an impressive 3:28:22. The Mighty Green tucked in with a very encouraging pacer for the first 18 miles, caught a glimpse of Mo Farrah, and enjoyed the encouraging shouts of ‘Go Sidmouth’ from the crowd.

Mark Andow collecting his LM number

Mark who said it was great to run in club greens took the opportunity to raise some much needed funds for a small local charity-SnackPack (Exeter’s Children’s Diabetes Group).  Mark chose this charity as the 9 year old daughter of his Mental Health Team colleague, Claire, became critically unwell and subsequently diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. Claire now volunteers as Chair for SnackPack which organises outings and events throughout the year for children and their families to get together and share their experiences, concerns, successes and have fun. The link to Mark’s fundraising page is https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/claire-potts9

Lynda Hawkins at the start of the LM

Lynda Hawkins was the next Mighty Green to cross the finish line in 3:53:48. It was her third LM and was delighted to get a new PB.  Hot on her heels was Richard King finishing in 3:53:03; surprisingly they didn’t see each other!  Richard has been looking forward to this event since he completed the LM for the first time last year and has been training hard to get a sub 4 hour finish which he absolutely did!

Richard King and the record breaking Exmouth milkman

One memorable moment came when he went to the family meet up point after the race which was near the Horse Guards Parade ground just as the Government alert went off-the noise was something else!  The Mighty Green also met the record breaking milkman from Exmouth who carried four bottles of milk all the way round!

MG Jane Hemsworth had to wait patiently to get through the starting line, her wave went off at 11.09am and it was 11.20am before she ran over it, nearly her lunch time!  Running her 6th LM Jane had a lovely day, enjoying the carnival atmosphere with drums, singing and live music.  Jane said residents were offering food, water hoses and unofficial rest stops while pubs and spectators were offering runners half pints of beer!  The Mighty Green declined the offers and finished in 4:53:35 with a smile on her face.

Jane Hemsworth with her 6th LM medal

Closer to home several Mighty Greens gathered under the club flag at Exmouth in brilliant sunshine ready to take part in LMEvents The Maer 10k and Maer Half.

The Mighty Greens at LME’s Maer Half and 10k

Having won an entry as part of her prize in last year’s 10k event, Mighty Green Marion Johnson decided to challenge herself and signed up for the half marathon, her first, along with MG Janice Ranson who finished in 2:18:27.  The course was definitely challenging, a multi-terrain single lap climbing nearly 1000ft along the spectacular coast path but Marion took it in her stride and finished in 2:41:59, coming first in her 70+ age group!

Lizzie Mayne from LMEvents does a great job creating a community event and encourages marshals by offering a free place in a future event.  Niall Hawkins was running thanks to his wife Kate for marshalling at the Sidmouth 10k and Yasmin Salter had her dad, Ollie, to thank.  Christie Ward had volunteered her dad, John Sharples, to marshal for this event and earnt herself a future race entry.

Marion Johnson on her way to claim 1st in age category

The Maer 10k Challenge is a single lap course which is scenic and a little challenging at times but the Mighty Greens excelled themselves especially Niall Hawkins who finished 4th overall and first in his 40-54 age group in 40:14 out of a field of 116.

Yasmin and Becky McDonald were also well under the hour finishing 51:09 and 53:30 respectively, and a PB for Becky to boot!  Christie had a fantastic run too, finishing in 1:00:19 with Alexa close behind with a PB of 1:01:18.

It was a very friendly, well organised event (as you can tell by the smiles in the race photographers’ photos) especially as MG John was manning the water station halfway round cheering us on and everyone received a medal and cake!

 

 

 

Posted in SRC

SRC’s Antony Hall Runs The 127th Boston Marathon

SRC’s Antony Hall took his Mighty Green running vest and matching Mighty Green trainers to America to compete in the 127th Boston marathon having qualified with his time from running the Manchester marathon last year.

Look at those MG trainers!

Antony caught his bus transfer out to the start at Hopkinton and made his way in the drizzle along with 30 thousand fellow runners to the start line. Once they got underway, a steady undulating route followed, with great views and absolutely incredible support from the locals for the whole way, which was especially helpful when they reached the infamous Heartbreak Hill at mile 20, which Antony said certainly lived up to its name!

Well deserved medal

With that out the way, it was a straight run to the finish outside the Boston public library to huge applause from the crowd and the Mighty Green picked up his medal after finishing in a steady but respectable 3.33.05.

Antony had a great time saying the support and kindness of the local community make this one of the best races he has done in a long time!

 

Posted in SRC

OOH LA LA! Yasmin Runs The Paris Marathon

Yasmin Salter represented the Mighty Greens when she ran the Paris marathon last weekend.

The Sidmouth Running Club leader enjoyed the course which went past all the big monuments and finished in 4:21:00.

Yasmin Salter enjoying the sights of Paris

Yasmin was cheered in by her support team who wore fetching green berets and her dad Oliver flew the Devon flag.

The Mighty Green Berets

Will we be seeing more of the Mighty Green berets?

Posted in SRC

Sidmouth Celebrates The 50th Anniversary of the SW Coast Path By Land And Sea

Following a visit from the Easter bunny at SRC’s last Junior session (jumping very apt!) on Wednesday there was much excitement for the upcoming Junior Fun Run especially as this time there were optional water obstacles along the way.  Numbers swelled as Saturday approached due to football being cancelled because of the weather which meant a busy Friday evening of admin for SRC chairman Terry Bewes but worth it to see nearly 50 youngsters line up at the top of Muttersmoor.

A fantastic turn out for the Junior Fun Run

With club members and parents marshalling the route down to the grassy slope above Jacobs Ladder, their first chance to get wet and have fun loomed.

Slip Sliding away

Tony Sarsby and his Sidmouth Fit crew had set up a water slide which was thoroughly enjoyed and not just by the fun runners before they all headed down to the beach for more boot camp activities in the sea and sand.

Great team work on the beach

Now completely wet and covered in sand the smiling group continued their run along the promenade to the finish line at the Ham where they received a well deserved medal.

The finish line beckons

SRC 11+ leader Adrian Horne said what a brilliant well organised event it was, and it was great to be in collaboration with Sidmouth Fit.  He loved being involved with it.

Terry would like to thank everyone involved especially Tony Sarsby and the Sidmouth Fit crew for making the event such a success but most of all the children and their parents who had some very soggy, sandy clothes to wash!

SRC run leader Alexa Baker swapped her trainers for walking boots to lead a walk around the Sidmouth Ring on Saturday. SRC chairman Terry Bewes waved off seventeen walkers (not all SRC members which was great) and a dog called Blue as they set off from Kings Garden and Leisure Centre and headed to Core Hill to pick up the trail.

Ready to walk the Sidmouth Ring

It wasn’t as muddy as anticipated following the previous day of rain and the views were stunning over the different valleys.  The rain showers became a bit more persistent as they approached the SW coast path and waterproof trousers were donned but it did not dampen the groups spirit especially as the free cream tea was fast approaching.

Perfect photo opportunity for the Sidmouth Ring Walkers

So much so a short cut was required on top of Salcombe Hill to divert down Milltown Lane and up through Woolbrook to make sure they didn’t miss the 3.30pm deadline.  The walkers received a lovely welcome from Georgia and her team at Kings who served up endless pots of tea and huge, delicious scones with plenty of jam and cream. After 13 miles it went down a treat and was much appreciated.

Enjoying a well deserved cream tea after 13 miles

 

Sid Valley Cycle Club joined in the celebrations by having a club ride on Sunday morning taking in the coast path and visiting three beaches, Exmouth, Budleigh Salterton and Sidmouth.  SRC member Chris Heywood swapped his Mighty Green shirt for his SVCC one and joined 30 club riders for the 62km round trip.

SVCC at the start of their celebration cycle around the coast

Starting from Sidmouth, with two other meeting points along the way, the riders split into smaller groups.  Amazingly all the groups arrived at their coffee stop, Kings Garden and Leisure Centre in Exmouth at the same time before heading off to Budleigh Salterton on their way back to Sidmouth.

Sid Valley Cycle Club enjoying a well deserved coffee stop

Also, on Sunday morning 12 members of Axe Vale Canoe Club set off in sunshine from Seaton to enjoy the SW coastline from the sea as they paddled to Branscombe and back.

Axe vale canoe Club joining the celebrations

Once landing at Branscombe they chatted to the SRC marshals at the water station before having brunch at the Sea Shanty.  It’s a good job they fuelled up as their journey back was into a head wind making it much harder to paddle.

AVCC enjoying the coastline from the sea

The SRC marshals at the finish line at the yacht club watched their progress as they paddled across the bay completing their 9 mile trip back to their club house.

 

Ted Swain from East Devon Ramblers led a walk along the Coleridge Link,  open to everyone as part of the celebrations which included a lovely afternoon tea at Newton Poppleford village hall afterwards.

Admiring the views along the Coleridge Trail

31 walkers and 2 dogs joined leader Ted  to walk the 8.5 mile scenic route and a special mention must go to Martin Pratt who took part in the Sidmouth Ring walk and this one, was it the lure of the cream teas?

Afternoon tea for the East Devon Ramblers

Sunday saw the fruition of months of planning and organising for a small team of Mighty Greens Terry Bewes, David Lee, Rob Edwards, Tim Clay, Alexa and Kyle Baker , the inaugural Sweetcombe Scramble marathon and JP’s Exe to Axe race.

Most of the great Mighty Green organising team

At 8am Melissa Butcher, the only marathon walker, set off under sunny skies with a matching smile as the marathon runners gathered for their 9am start.

Melissa Butcher came from London to walk the marathon

The self-navigating route took them along the coast path to Budleigh Salterton, an inland loop to Otterton then back onto the coast path all the way to Axmouth. Sponsors Polly Cochrane and Alex Gwillim from Sweetcombe Cottage Holidays were at the finish line cheering the runners in and presented the overall winner James Blackbourn with a plaque, medal and lovely engraved Dartington glass vase.  James finished in 4:07:55, with Adam Gregory in second place in 4:19:37 and Matthew Harrison in third place 4:22:39.

Polly and Alex presenting their trophies to the winners of the Sweetcombe Scramble Marathon

First lady over the finish line was Harriet Foreman in 5:19:24, Adele Foxwell was second in 5:19:37 and Harriet’s mum, Jenny Lailey came third in 5:26:04.

Polly and Alex presenting the female winners of the Sweetcombe Scramble Marathon

They all received an engraved Dartington glass vase and a commemorative medal. For the Mighty Green marathon runners Jane Hemsworth came 1st in her age category and Mark Andow and Hannah Maslen came 3rd in their respective age categories. Jane and Mark were using this brute of a marathon as a training one for the London marathon in a few weeks’ time!

Richard entertaining MG marathoners

It was marathon 99 for Jo Earlam and she really appreciated marshal Richard King’s rendition of ’99 marathons’ to the tune of ’99 red balloons’ at the first water station.

The 19th JP’s Exe to Axe race was started at 10am by race director David Lee and David Perratt. The Exe to Axe race was renamed in memory of John Perratt, founding member and long term treasurer of Sidmouth Running Club and it was an honour to have son David, daughter Lynne and John’s wife, Brenda present throughout the event.  SRC had one relay team, Birds On The Run, with Ann Cole setting off with 11 other Mighty Greens ready to swop with Brigid McEleney-Smith at Sidmouth.

The Mighty Green Relay Team

Starting at 11am from Sidmouth 12 Mighty Greens ran the Sid to Axe, the toughest section by far.  In fact, the total climb overall is higher than Ben Nevis.

Ladram looking lovely in the sun

First to cross the finish line was Matt Clist in 3:05:26 and hot on his heels, Tim Lenton finished in 3:06:27 and James Green finished in 3rd place in 3:15:09.  Brenda Perratt presented them with their well-deserved trophies and medals having cheered them over the line.

Brenda Perratt presenting the trophies to the winners of JP’s Exe to Axe

A special mention must go to one family who went the extra mile to celebrate the anniversary of the coast path; Justin Adkin rowed a single scull wave piercer from Exmouth to Axmouth, his brother Robert ran JP’s Exe to Axe race and his sister Emily Fabizio cycled from Beer to Exmouth, turned around and cycled to Axmouth, all starting at 10am!

A family affair-rowing cycling and running from Exmouth to Seaton

Sidmouth Running Club would like to say a big thank you to their sponsors Sidmouth Town Council, Visit Sidmouth, Sweetcombe Cottage Holidays and councillor Ian Barlow for his vision without which the weekend of celebrations would not have happened.  This is true of the members of Sidmouth Running Club too who came on board supporting the events either by participating in them, marshalling them or both.  A weekend to remember.

The Exe to Axe Mighty Greens (missing Colin, Lynda and Pete)

Sweetcombe Scramble Marathon Results: Mark Andow 9th overall, 5:15:57; Grahame Womersley-Westlake 5:53:14; Ollie Goodchild-Horne 5:54:49; Martin Barnard 6:02:37; David Chipping 6:02:37; Hannah Maslen 7:08:43; Hamish Spence 7:13:11; Jo Earlam 7:55:25; Jane Hemsworth 7:55:53; Leeann Thomson 7:57:47. Adrian Horne retired at Sidmouth

Exe to Axe Results: Colin Ryan 4:11:22; Lynda Hawkins 4:35:46; Pete Norman 4:54:35; Becky McDonald 4:55:52; Vicky Eul 4:55:55; Paul Reeve 5:03:48; Clive Gilbert 5:37:58; Mark Norton 5:37:59; Helen Palmer 5:50:43; Clare Luke 6:14:50; Donna Womersley-Westlake 6:54:28. Simon Hollyer retired at Branscombe.  Out of a field of 126

Exe to Axe Relay:  Ann Cole and Brigid McSmith 5:36:21

Sid to Axe: Christine Farnham 2:43:53; Karen Farnham 5:43:53; Derek Blackburn 2:52:48; Becky Robson 2:54:51; Ian Robson 2:54:51; Kerry Salter 3:01:10;  Beccy Johnson 3:01:10; Kathy Jordan 3:01:10; Sarah Clapham 3:03:25; Christine McCormick 3:04:41; Liz Wright 3:05:50; Jim Hudson 3:05:50.

Posted in SRC

Local Community Groups Take The Lead To Celebrate the SW Coast Path Associations’ 50th Anniversary

Over the weekend of 1st-2nd April Sidmouth will be celebrating the 50th anniversary of the South West Coast Path Association and there are lots of opportunities to get involved.  In fact, the coast path will be experienced by land, air and sea (weather depending) thanks to several local organisations and the generous support from Sidmouth Town Council, Sweetcombe Cottage Holidays and Visit Sidmouth.

On Saturday you can join a FREE guided 10 mile walk taking in the Sid Valley Ring with Steve from the Sid Vale Association and enjoy a FREE cream tea afterwards too.  The Sid Vale Association hold a countryside walk on the first Tuesday of every month exploring the countryside around Sidmouth and nearby towns.  The walks cover 5 miles at a moderate pace avoiding steep hills and lasting about 2.5 hours. Visit www.sidvaleassociation.org.uk for further information.

Alexa from Sidmouth Running Club will be leading a FREE 14 mile walk around the Sid Valley Ring, enjoying the area of outstanding natural beauty and coastal views and finishing with a FREE cream tea. Sidmouth Running Club meets Monday and Wednesday evenings 7pm plus Juniors 5.45-6.45 Wednesday term time. A very friendly, encouraging club for all abilities, visitors welcome.   Visit www.sidmouthrunningclub.co.uk for further information.

SRC enjoying the coast path

For the youngsters and the young at heart on Saturday there is a Junior fun run with obstacles starting from Muttersmoor at 10am, going onto the beach at Jacobs Ladder and finishing at The Ham and a Senior slide and climb in the sea and on land starting at 11am from The Ham organised by Sidmouth Fit. Sidmouth Fit is Sidmouth’s newest fitness community which started in November 2021.  They offer early morning, daytime and evening group classes for all ages, abilities and preferences.  Their brand new facility at Alexandria Industrial estate opens this month and will enable them to provide bigger and better group classes ranging from HIIT and Circuits to Team Fit, Box Fit and weights.  They also provide personal training, open gym hours and bootcamps.  Send them a message through their FB page for more info.

Sidmouth Fit

On Sunday the East Devon Ramblers are organising a FREE walk along The Coleridge Trail followed by a FREE cream tea. The local East Devon group of the Ramblers are very active in the area and have around six walks every week throughout the year. They are always keen to welcome new members and would encourage anyone to come along and try a few of their walks as their guest with no pressure to join. They offer a variety of walks from 4 to 16 miles and their programme can be found on their website www.ramblers.org.uk/east-devon Just turn up on the day, there is no need to pre-book or alternatively phone 01395 567450 for further information.

East Devon Ramblers

Rather explore on two wheels instead of legs? Sid Valley Cycle Club will be touring inland towns on their way to Seaton. SVCC prides itself on being a friendly and inclusive club welcoming cyclists of all abilities and serving the local community.  Organised club runs are on Sundays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and often include great café stops to refuel for the journey back!  Visit svcc.org.uk for more information.

Sid Valley Cycle Club

On the water on Sunday Sidmouth Gig Club are planning, weather permitting, to row to Branscombe while another crew walk there, enjoy a lunch break together before swapping and heading back to Sidmouth on foot or in the gig. Sidmouth Gig Club are a very friendly and social club set up to encourage the amateur sport of Pilot Gig rowing serving Sidmouth and surrounding area. In the Summer months rowing is from Sidmouth beach on Wednesday and Friday evenings and Sunday mornings, reducing to Sunday mornings during the Winter months.  They compete around the country including the Scilly Isles. Email sidmouthgigclub@gmail.com for further information.

Sidmouth Gig Club

Also on the water Axe Vale Canoe Club will be paddling from Seaton to Branscombe and back, weather permitting. Axe Vale Canoe Club is based in Seaton and offers a wide range of canoeing disciplines including touring, white water and sea paddling in canoes, kayaks and SUPS.  They are a very active club with a Junior section; Wednesdays are club night but offer a variety of courses throughout the week from May onwards.  Visit www.axevalecc.co.uk for more information.

Axe Vale canoe Club

In the air you might see the Devon and Somerset Condors who will be hang gliding over the coastal path over the weekend also weather permitting. Devon and Somerset Condors fly from sites along the coastline and offer tandem flights.  For further information visit www.dscondors.co.uk

And while all these events are taking place on Sunday Sidmouth Running Club’s inaugural Sweetcombe Scramble marathon and JP’s Exe to Axe 22 mile race will be held.  Both start from Exmouth and follow the coast path (with a loop of the River Otter for the marathon runners) and finish at Axe Yacht Club, and both have options to walk them.  Please give them a cheer or an encouraging word if you pass one, it is a very challenging route!

Exe to Axe runners at Budleigh Salterton

Spaces are limited for the walks and Sidmouth Fit events.  If you are interested in any of the events mentioned please visit SRC’s website, www.sidmouthrunningclub.co.uk for further information, links and booking details.

What better way to start the Easter holidays enjoying the SW coast path, sea and countryside with family and friends?

Posted in SRC