THE group met on November 2 at the Baptist Church Hall, Alvechurch, for a talk and slide show by Vince Williams with the title A personal pilgrimage to K2.

Vince explained that his cousin, Gerry Lakes' son Jeff, had joined a New Zealand team in August 1995, led by Peter Hilary, Sir Edmund Hilary's son, with the intention of scaling the notorious K2 mountain in Pakistan.

The team picked for the final assault were lost in an avalanche but Jeff Lakes survived, although he lost all his equipment.

Miraculously, he managed to return to base camp without any equipment but unfortunately died during the night of dehydration and hypothermia.

Vince and Gerry made the hazardous journey, arriving on the second anniversary of Jeff's death.

A memorial of piled rocks had already been made and there were plaques to Bruce Grant and Alison Hargreaves, other members of the team who had died with Jeff.

After a moving ceremony, a plaque brought by Gerry from Canada was fixed to the memorial.

The first walk of the month was on Sunday, November 5, when 16 members assembled at Broadway's Fish Hill picnic site for a ramble on the Cotswold escarpment.

The seven-mile walk, led by Diana Yates and Jean Nokes, took the members through ancient tracks and woodland and finally through Broadway Country Park back to Fish Hill.

On November 16, members enjoyed a talk and slide show by Charles Hadwell entitled Russian trips.

The group heard of Charles' trip in 1971 when he was sent by the engineering firm Vickers on a marketing trip and lecture tour to Russia.

Members were treated to the delights and disasters encountered by Charles at The Kremlin, Red Square, St Basil's, Moscow University (where three engineers gave a lecture on Western Hydraulics and then answered questions from the audience until well after midnight!)

Stan and Lesley Stone led 18 members on November 19 on a ramble which started from Wootton Wawen.

Braving very muddy conditions, the group walked nine miles through interesting Warwickshire countryside, calling for refreshment at the Working Men's Club in Aston Cantlow before completing the last stretch along the river back to Wootton Wawen.

The final walk of the month was on November 26, starting from the Country Girl Inn, Stoke Prior.

Led by Jean Nokes, twelve members enjoyed a four-mile walk through lovely countryside which finally passed through the woodland paths of Pipers Hill common back to the inn for refreshments.

For membership details, call 870708.