Croydon Outdoor Pursuits & Social Events Club

Ken's Kroydon Kwiz 3
2026-06-09 20:15 - 22:00 (Europe/London) | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom
From its first incarnation via Zoom back in lockdown days, to live versions 1 and 2, my Kroydon Kwiz has evolved. Now it returns in a new, enhanced, multimedia, AI-assisted, Starlink-enabled version to tickle your local memory circuits once again.
Popular demand? Yeah, honest!
And, just because I like it, here’s a repeat from #2:

Sorry, she won’t be in it this time

On the plus side, neither will he

And definitely no hardly any roundabouts!

Turn up on Tuesday to earn the admiration of your COPSE fellows as you demonstrate your knowledge of all things local and, possibly, odd. Still guaranteed no hardly any roundabouts!

Stonehenge Midsummer Solstice
2026-06-20 08:00 - 2026-06-21 17:00
STONEHENGE AT MIDSUMMER SOLSTICE – JUNE 20TH-21ST WEEKEND, 2026.

PLEASE GO TO THE WEBSITE FOR THE STONEHENGE MIDSUMMER CELEBRATIONS AND READ IT THROUGH THOROUGHLY AT LEAST TWICE AS THERE ARE MANY CONDITIONS AND DOS AND DON’TS FOR ATTENDING.

Summer Solstice 2026 | English Heritage

The main headlines are that
1. If you are coming by car you need to book up in advance for parking.

2. You cannot bring any camping equipment with you on the site, NOT EVEN A SLEEPING BAG. A rug or wrap is allowed. Strictly speaking you are not even allowed to lie down, but people do, moreso as you get further away from the Stones.

So, should you happen to be attending this on the way back from a stay in the West Country (“just saying”) you need to store your camping etc, gear somewhere, i.e., in a vehicle, or perhaps at Salisbury Station. I leave you to make all these arrangements YOURSELF please.

Last year I went to this, and the weather was fine and warm, not a drop of rain in sight. BUT I imagine if the weather is not so good, it may not be entirely pleasurable to be there – it depends what you are used to. So please think about what it may be like to stay awake all night in drizzle and coolness. If the forecast is really bad I MYSEL:F will not go.

I don’t wish to put the Fear of Thor into you and put you off coming, but you need to imagine what it may be like at Stonehenge under different weather conditions!! (with no tent or proper sleeping bag with you)

The Oak and the Ash have been coming out about the same time this year, which may indicate some rainy spells this Summer, if you believe the old country saying…

My plan: Last year I got there late in the evening, and stayed until ‘late’ish’ (about 7.30am GMT or BST I can’t recall!) in the morning. By the time I got there it was dark and I was bumping into and tripping over the stones and when I put my hand out to touch a stone I found I was touching a person!! It was noisy and crowded. I lay down and rested near the stones with people climbing over me – by the time of sunrise I had rather forgotten what I was there for, and which stone to look through for the sunrise. I then hung around for a few hours, and then joined a long, long queue for the special bus back to Salisbury Rail Stn (at least two hours in the queue – it’s all a bit hazy by now). The bus back to Bournemouth (where I was staying) took some three hours owing to traffic, likely because of road works. This last bit was NOT due to Stonehenge, of course, but added to the strange day. (I then managed to catch a train to Wareham for a multiple garden open day there in the afternoon!)

THE PLAN FOR THE WEEKEND
SO THIS YEAR I want to do things the other way around: Get there early while it’s still light, and have some time to explore around the stones before it gets dark (might be quieter too!). Then retire to quite a distance from the stones (as it’s possible to do) to rest and doze through until the early hours. At sunrise (around 3.40am GMT) I shall be back at the stones. And then I shall leave quite soon (the bus service back to Salisbury starts VERY EARLY), despite possible temptations to linger on in the atmosphere. Back at Salisbury I shall either go home, go to Bournemouth on the bus (if that’s where I’m staying), or possibly – if there’s any life left in me – go and explore a bit of the city. Sometimes you get a second wind after a poor night’s sleep.

So that’s my intention. If anyone else wants to do anything differently then please do so, and we can try and meet up using the wonders of modern technology.

If the conditions are good this is quite a thing to go to and you can walk amongst the stones of Stonehenge – there’s some so-called Pagan drumming and chanting going on within the stones too! It’s free to enter, but getting there (and I imagine parking a car) is expensive. Bear in mind this is the last time the Summer Solstice falls at a weekend for some years, probably until the early 2030s (although it takes place every year, of course, whatever day it is).

Just be aware of all possibilities and bring a sense of Humour (and maybe flowers in your hair!).
Also good to bring your own food and flask. There are stalls selling food and drink (which I didn’t use last year), which will have queues.
There are loads of portaloos available.

GETTING THERE

I shall appoint a meeting time in the early evening outside Salisbury Rail Stn for anyone coming at that time. I may or may not have been in the City for part or all of the Saturday to explore around, I haven’t decided yet and may not know until much closer to the time.

A email much nearer the time will give a meeting time (around 6-7pm) outside Salisbury Rail stn on the evening of Saturday June 20th (Midsummer Even) – the Solstice is not until 8.24am GMT on Sunday June 21st, BUT THE MAIN EVENT HERE IS THE SUNRISE THROUGH AND OVER THE STONEHENGE, some hours before that at – yes – sunrise.

SO UNTIL THEN PLEASE GO STUDY THE WEBSITE and see what you think. (The special bus service timetable has not appeared yet, but will do shortly, I’m sure. DON’T CONFUSE THIS SPECIAL CHARGED BUS SERVICE FROM SALISBURY TO STONEHENGE VISITOR’S CENTRE WITH THE FREE SHUTTLE BUS LAID ON BETWEEN THE VISITOR CENTRE AND THE STONES (FOR THOSE NOT WANTING TO WALK OVER TO THE STONES (about a mile or so) ).

Paul

Southdown Walk - details coming soon
2026-06-27 10:00 - 17:00

Visitors' Open Evening
2026-06-30 20:15 - 22:00 | South Croydon United Church Hall, Aberdeen Road, South Croydon, CR0 1EQ, United Kingdom

Visitors' Ramble or Cycle Ride - details coming soon
2026-07-05 10:00 - 17:00

Capital Ring Walk 8 - details coming soon
2026-07-12 10:00 - 17:00

Ruskin House Garden Party
2026-07-18 12:00 - 22:30
COPSE will be enjoying the Annual Folk & Blues Festival in the rear garden of Ruskin House, 23 Coombe Rd., CR0 1BD. 12 Noon to 10.30pm. £8 on door, cash or card. Live music throughout the afternoon and evening, plus side-stalls and refreshments, including a bar.

Sussex market town - details coming soon
2026-07-25 10:00 - 17:00

Sidmouth Folk Festival - details coming soon
2026-07-31 10:00 - 2026-08-08 17:00

Manor and Ashbury Resort Okehampton
2026-09-13 08:00 - 2026-09-18 17:00
Please contact Ireen if you are interested in going or have any queries.
Manor & Ashbury Resorts – Leisure, Craft, Spa, Golf and Sports

St Matthews Quiz night (Redhill) - details coming soon
2026-10-10 19:00 - 22:00

The 42nd Gatliff Marathon - Edenbridge
2026-10-17 06:30 - 17:00
The Gatliff Marathon is an annual challenge walk, jog or run 25 or 50km mostly on footpaths and tracks in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex countryside.
The challenge is to complete the event in under 10 hours, following the route directions and checking in at each of the checkpoints.
Please click the below link for information and details on how to enter.
Gatliff Marathon

Guangzhou and Hong Kong
2026-10-28 08:00 - 2026-11-11 17:00
Dear Members,

I’m going to be organising a trip to Guangzhou (Canton) and Hong Kong running from the 28th October to the 11th November. It will be organised along the lines of the Berlin and Amsterdam trips, that is, anyone who wants to join the trip will be responsible for booking their own accommodation and transportation. There will, therefore, be a fair amount of flexibility in regards to how you travel to the area, where you choose to stay and when you choose to go. That means that you will be free to leave and join when and where you please.

The plan for the timing of the trip is to be in Guangzhou for the first 8 days and in Hong Kong for the latter 5 or 6 days. There are flights available where you can fly in to Guangzhou and fly out of Hong Kong and travel between the two is quite straightforward. You could also consider flying into and out of Hong Kong as there is more availability to there from London and flights can be cheaper than flying in to Guangzhou. At the moment, indirect flights are showing up for around 600 to 650 pounds. Unfortunately, other than flying, alternative options are not particularly practical. As for accommodation options, these are numerous and there are hostels and hotels in both places, however, hotels tend to be relatively expensive in Hong Kong whereas in Guangzhou there are many cheap decent hotels available. For example, I’ve just had a quick look for the period I’m planning on being there and there was a Chinese chain hotel in a good location in Guangzhou (near the Chen Clan Temple) coming up for around 23 pounds a night for a room for 2.

As some of you may know, I lived and worked in Guangzhou for some years and I’m planning on showing you the different sides and sites of there. These will be as varied as seeing the more modern buildings such as the Guangzhou Opera House (designed by Zaha Hadid) and the Canton Tower (pictured in the photo attached) to the Qing era buildings which remain; to temples and parks. We may also take day or longer trips out of Guangzhou. As for Hong Kong, when I was living in Guangzhou, it was a place I visited fairly regularly and where I used to go hiking. Hong Kong is of course, known for its urban landscapes and shopping but in addition to that I’m planning on visiting an outlying island or two and taking you on a hike or two.

If anyone is interested in joining me, they can email me and I will be able to give them further details, advice and suggestions.

Best wishes,
Greg
