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This is a story of stars aligning and delightful coincidences set amid 40 years of Rambling.
Graham Clarke was born and raised in Horrabridge. As a young adult he moved to South Wales to pursue engineering training then to London where in 1965 he worked as a draughtsman and project engineer working on a variety of projects. Facing the high cost of property in London and being a country boy at heart, Graham decided to move back to the West Country and settled in Saltash. In 1974, taking a break from painting his new house, he came across a walks list for the Devon Ramblers Association in the Plymouth Library and noted that the next walk was starting at the Old Horrabridge Train Station – a site opposite the very house he was born in and a place he knew well from his youth. He decided to try it out…..
Rosemary Clarke was born in South Wales. In 1966 she joined the Middlesex hospital in London where she trained to be a nurse. Interested in psychiatry she discovered a position in Devon for psychiatric social work and applied for the post. She rented a bungalow in Dousland and was also busy painting when a friend suggested she needed a break and why didn’t they both consider joining the Ramblers. The next walk was setting off from the Old Horrabridge station….
Rosemary and Graham were the youngest walkers in the group at that time, so it was only to be expected that they would befriend each other and walk together. After their first walk they agreed to meet again and so began a lifelong love of rambling and of each other. They were married one year and one day later and before long had started a family.
Graham says that he and Rosemary learnt a lot from the more experienced senior members of the group and in time they became more senior themselves. Graham is now Footpaths Officer and Rosemary collates the walks programme for the Tavistock Ramblers. When Tavistock Ramblers was formed in 1976 Graham lead the very first walk. Their first child, Catherine, took her first ramble at just three and a half and was sustained and kept happy by being fed with wild strawberries. The Ramblers walk 3 times a week in the summer but slightly less so in the winter months and Graham and Rosemary rarely miss a meet. I ask if they know how many walks they have undertaken and both say it must be thousands. Graham tells me his favourite walks, in addition to the ones in this country, have been abroad in places as diverse as Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Burma and Spain. Rosemary’s favourite walk was the Coast to Coast Wainwright walk crossing the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North Yorkshire Moors over 15 days.
With 40 years of rambling under their belts, it has not always been plain sailing; Rosemary explains about the time she was airlifted off after breaking her ankle and Graham recalls times when they had been chased by a bull or fallen foul of a Dartmoor bog. They don’t show any sign of stopping even though they now juggle grandchildren duties. Rosemary says she enjoys exploring the countryside especially the challenging walks. She has witnessed the positive mental health benefits gained by walking as well as the physical benefits from being outdoors and active. Graham says “I don’t know if we are fit because we walk or we walk because we are fit but just stepping outdoors, taking in the fresh air, meeting friends and enjoying a beautiful view are reason enough to ramble”. Forty years on and going strong, Graham and Rosemary are lucky the stars aligned but I have a feeling they would have met either way – probably whilst out on a long walk.
To find out more about the Tavistock Ramblers Association please go to www.tavistockramblers.org.uk