Monthly meeting.

Royal British Legion booked for the April and May meetings, charge £2 per head. Members should also make a purchase at the bar.

On Saturday 18th July 2026, 28 of us went to Chichester Festival Theatre to see a musical, and ended up as witnesses to a drama!

We all enjoyed the first act of My Fair Lady, with some great acting and famous songs like Wouldn't It Be Luverley, With A Little Bit of Luck and The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on the Plain. We came back for the second half for the scene at the Ball, the orchestra struck up, and then the music was drowned out by what sounded like 3 or 4 attempts by a novice to get a note out of a trumpet. The music stopped, the stage manager came out to say there was a technical issue they needed to resolve, and the performance would restart in a few minutes. Three more false starts and half an hour later, the performance was called off.

Hopefully if you were one of the attendees, you will know by now whether you can attend a different performance or await a refund.

In the morning, 20 of us did a backstage tour which was very enlightening. In retrospect, we realise how much work goes on backstage to make the theatre's performances work, and how much different equipment there is that can cause a disaster for the event if just one element misbehaves!

John Perry will help us navigate safely on-line. He will talk us through what precautions to take with unsolicitous communications. John will cover good practices and how to avoid being defrauded, all with examples and the guidance’s that should be followed. Plus, he will tell us about the implications, with real examples of what happens if we do not take care. A good opportunity to ask the questions from a real expert about how to stay safe on the internet.

More details to follow.

We plan to organise car shares in advance, so will not meet at West Town Car Park.

Park at the Bluebell Inn, Batt’s Corner, Dockenfield or on nearby Boundary Lane if not staying for lunch, postcode GU10 4EX, grid reference SU819410. Meet at the gate to the pub car park for walk start at 10 a.m. latest. Possibly pre-order lunch.

We start by walking briefly into Abbotts Wood Inclosure then to the Visitor Centre in Willow’s Green Inclosure, where there are toilets (about 1.5 miles into the walk). We then walk to Lodge Pond (possibly sighting a Gruffalo on the way) then cross the A325 into a quieter part of the forest. We circle back via Holt Pound.

We then go in to the Bluebell Inn for lunch (served till 2.30).

It should be generally dry underfoot – most of the paths are hardcore, and if we meet a muddy or very wet area it should be relatively easy to backtrack to find a dry route.

The total distance is 7.6 miles with 400 feet of height gain, and no steep sections.

We will arrange car shares from Hayling to West Marden.

Park at the Victoria Inn, West Marden, or safely nearby, postcode PO18 9EN, grid reference SU772136.

We will start walking when everyone is ready, and 10 a.m. at the latest.

The walk goes west to Finchdean then north over Chalton Down to Chalton. We drop sharply to the railway then join the Sussex Border Path followed by a brief climb to Ladyholt. We return to West Marden over Compton Down.

The total distance is eleven miles with 1150 feet of height gain.

There could be some wet and muddy patches after heavy rain, particularly in the valley at Finchdean and on the Sussex Border Path.

Late lunch should be available at the Victoria Inn, which is open for food every day from 12 noon to early evening.

This is the planned route...

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

This walk was first offered in December 2025.

We plan to organise car shares in advance, so will not meet at West Town Car Park.

Park in the public car park at Hampshire Farm Meadows in Westbourne (free, no toilets), postcode PO10 7GE, grid reference SU752074 for walk start at 10 a.m.

The walk goes northwards through a housing estate then into Hollybank Woods and continues into Stansted Park. There is the possibility of a stop for coffee and toilets at the garden centre (approx. 3 miles into the walk). We turn eastwards, crossing into West Sussex, and continue, climbing very gradually, to Racton Monument.

We drop to the B road up to West Marden and Compton - after a little way we pick up a side road to Aldsworth. Here we take a footpath which leads us to the edge of Westbourne, and we rejoin the cars after a short walk through the Farm Meadows.

Virtually the whole route is on hardcore tracks or tarmac road. If we have a wet summer, there are a few very short muddy stretches in Stansted Park and two short paths towards the end of the walk, one in Aldsworth and the other in Westbourne. Neither of the paths near the end showed signs of being difficult to negotiate in winter, but they could be bypassed without much effort if they did.

The total distance will be 7.1 miles, with around 400 feet of ascent.

We drive into Westbourne for lunch at the Stag's Head, booked for 1.30.

This is the planned route:

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

This is a walk of flexible length but with a maximum of 7 miles return. Although flat it has varying terrain from pavement to pebble, sand and a shallow paddle. Appropriate footwear is beach shoes and bare feet. We meet to walk from the outer Community Centre car park at 9am to reach the southern end of the West Winner sandbank for the 10.38 low tide. We will go via the following pick up points if you wish to shorten the walk. These are at the south east corner of the golf club and Gunner Point just before we walk onto the West Winner. There is parking near the Ferryboat Inn or alternatively at the gun emplacements.

Lunch will be at the Ferryboat Inn.

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

On the first day of June's heatwave, seven of us used the businessmen's minibus for the first time for a day out to Parham House and Gardens.

The minibus can take 16 passengers so the turnout for the visit was disappointing.

We found the minibus very comfortable, especially once we had sorted out the air conditioning! Juliana, our driver, declared it a good vehicle to drive.

We arrived at lunchtime so found some shade in which to eat our sandwiches. We all went into the house which had the advantage of being cooler than the world outside, and which dates from Elizabethan times. Several rooms have been rebuilt in the style of a particular era and feature paintings and furniture from that time. Each of the bigger rooms had a guide who was valuable in answering our questions.

There was a particularly English view from one of the windows, over a cricket match which was in progress in the grounds.

We came out and had time to explore the delightful and thoughtfully planted gardens then take more refreshment before the drive home.

We look forward to using the businessmen's minibus again in the future. If we can get a dozen passengers or more, we are confident that we can drive to a venue up to an hour away and only charge £10 a head for the coach. In contrast, when we get a quote from Powell's or Laguna for a 50-seater coach to go even a short distance, the coach cost is more than double that.

This route was recce'd on saturated ground on 8/2/26 after a wet January and early February and there were many muddy stretches, especially (but not limited to) the half-mile or so to the south of the gates on both sides of the island onto the Thorney defence establishment.

This walk will go ahead in late Spring or Summer 2027 if it is dry and there is not a heatwave.

The plan is to use the bus for a change.

Meet at the Barley Mow at 9.35 and catch 31 bus at 9.43 to Havant. There are toilets at the bus station in Havant, but none after that point. Catch 700 Coastliner at 10.12 to Hermitage Bridge, Emsworth, arriving about 10.25.

Alternatively there is free parking on Lumley Road.

We walk southwards through Emsworth Marina and the gate controlled by the military. There is only one path around Thorney and as we go round we get views back to Hayling and then Itchenor and finally Chidham.

After passing through the other military gate, we take the footpath across the top of the peninsula back into Emsworth for late lunch. One option is The Ship, which serves food all day.

The total distance is 8.4 miles, with minimal height gain.

This is the planned route:

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

This is our first walk using the new ferry from Sparkes Marina to East Head, which is scheduled to run on Fridays and weekends through the summer. Single fare £8.

It carries 11 passengers at a time. The first ferry of the day leaves at 9 a.m. and then every 50 minutes.

This walk is therefore limited to 11 members and we plan to arrive at the marina at 8.45 so (hopefully) we can all get on the first ferry.

Sparkes Marina now charges £14.50 per day for parking but it should be possible to park free at the top of Wittering Road or on Earnley Road. We also have members who live on or near Bracklesham Road who can offer a space in their drive.

There are no public toilets available at Sparkes Marina. There are toilets at the Beach car park at West Wittering (about 400 meters off route) then at Itchenor (3 miles into the walk).

We will take the ferry to East Head from Sparkes Marina at 9 a.m.

We will walk 9.5 miles by the side of Chichester Harbour to Fishbourne. We can have a coffee stop after 3 miles walking at Itchenor or after 5 miles at Chichester Marina.

Lunch will be arranged at the Bulls Head in Fishbourne (food served until 3 p.m.) and we return to Hayling on the 700 bus then the 30/31.

This is the planned route:

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

A multicultural event in Victoria Park celebrating 100 years of Portsmouth being a city.

Playing on the acoustic Community Stage from 3.20 to 3.40.

Last week we discussed:

Using Park and Ride to get there

Use of busking amps in readiness for quick set up and exit

A set of 4 or 5 lively numbers

That we would be back well in time for the Barley Mow in the evening

Details to follow

Meet at the Barley Mow at 10.10 and catch 31 bus at 10.17 to Havant. Catch 20 bus from Havant at 10.45. The route starts with a scenic tour of Leigh Park so it takes about 35 minutes to reach our stop at Farlington Avenue, postcode PO6 1BB, grid reference SU671064.

This is a 2.7 mile walk with no height gain, but 280 feet of descent, and no stiles.

We admire the panoramic view over Portsmouth and the two harbours then take the grassy path gradually down and along the side of the hill to meet the main road close to QA Hospital. We take Widley Road, Park Lane and an urban footpath to the shops at Cosham, cross the railway at the level crossing, then take the underpass under the motorway to Hilsea. There are various possibilities for lunch e.g. the Toby Carvery in Hilsea or the Casements Cafe in Hilsea Lines for a pizza, panini or cake.

We will be on chalk down for most of the first mile, which was not at all muddy on the recce (3^rd March), soon after a wet winter, We are on pavement or tarmac for rest of the walk.

Catch the 700 coastliner (1 every 20 minutes) from Hilsea back to Havant.

This is the planned route...

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

Meet at the Barley Mow at 9.35 and catch 31 bus at 9.43 to Havant. Catch 700 Coastliner at 10.12 to Walton Lane, Broadbridge, arriving at 10.35.

Alternatively, park at Broadbridge Business Centre just off the A259 Bosham roundabout, postcode PO18 8NF, grid reference SU810051 and walk to meet us at the bus stop. (Please advise the walk leader in advance if this is your plan).

The walk follows a path to the B road which crosses the A27 then picks up a path through woodland and fields to East Ashling. The path through the woods is muddy after rain.

We take another path westwards to West Ashling. On the edge of the village we pass the Sussex Stone Circle and walk through the village past the pond to the Richmond Arms, where we turn southwards alongside the Bosham Stream.

We walk on a verge and on the roadside a little way and turn on a side road by Concierge Camping (toilet available) then recross the A27 and pick up the original path and Williams Road back to the Bosham roundabout.

This is a 5.4 mile walk with 100 feet of ascent and 2 stiles.

Lunch is booked for 10 to 12 people at The Crate at Broadbridge Business Centre, expected arrival time 1 p.m.

This is the planned route:

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

Evening Buffet at the Moghul in Mengham.

The car park behind the Moghul is free of charge from 1800 hours (6 p.m.).

If you wish to attend please email Angie Driscoll with the words YES CURRY in the title of your email, at least 2 days ahead of the meal date.

Pay for your meal and add £1 tip (total £15.50 in February 2026) and pay for your drinks.

Help yourself to your meal from a choice of 9 different Indian dishes - both starters and mains.

In this newsletter:

• Dates for your diary
• Updates
• Group reports
• Short story
• Quizzes

(more…)

Medical Scanners: Xrays and MRI and how they help the Doctor, by Bob Hornby HI u3a

THIS WALK WAS ORIGINALLY PLANNED FOR 26th JUNE BUT CANCELLED BECAUSE OF 30 DEGREE TEMPERATURES. IT IS NOW A POSSIBILITY FOR 4th SEPTEMBER.

We plan to organise car shares in advance, so will not meet at West Town Car Park.

Park near the Hawkley Inn on Pococks Lane Hawkley, postcode GU33 6NE, grid reference SU746291, or failing that, on the green by the church. Meet outside the pub for walk start at 9.30 a.m. latest.

We walk eastwards out of the village back along the road where we came in and the pick up footpaths north-eastwards. We turn north-west to cross Mill Lane and come down to Empshott Green where we use the Hangers Way for a mile. We then climb Hawkley Hanger then circle southwards to Warren Corner and Shoulder of Mutton Hill (Ashford Hangers) We walk along the ridge to the old trig point where the trees have been cleared to reveal Cobbett’s View from Wheatham Hill which he recorded in 1822 in “Rural Rides”.

...out we came, all in a moment, at the very edge of the hanger! And never, in all my life, was I so surprised and so delighted! I pulled up my horse, and sat and looked; and it was like looking from the top of a castle down into the sea; except that the valley was land not water' 

We then return to Hawkley along the Hangers Way and across Oakshott Stream.

The total distance is only 9.0 miles, but with 1200 feet of ascent on a route which is rarely flat.

We plan to go in to the Hawkley Inn for lunch - last orders 2.30.

It should be generally dry underfoot, but there will be some muddy and puddly stretches and wet vegetation after heavy rain. There is a short section just before Mill Lane which is permanently wet, but not problematic in dry season.

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

This is our first opportunity to use the Hayling Island Businessmens Club minibus. Because of the popularity of the minibus, we've booked it for 11.30 on Sunday 21^st June.

That means the cost is low, but spaces are limited. If you are interested, we recommend you book now!

Parham House and Gardens

You can find out a lot more about what's on offer at its web site here.

There's also some history in the Parham Park Wikipedia page here.

And accessibility information here.

Cost of the visit

We are charging just £10 per member to provide for:

• Petrol
• Free admission for our volunteer driver
• A contribution to the Businessmens Club charity

This does not, however, include the cost of admission to Parham that you will have to pay on the day:

• £18.50 for the house and gardens
• £13.75 for just the gardens

Historic House members get in for free. There is a scheme for RHS members, but it will not apply at the date of our visit.

Note that Parham is a cashless business. Admission, café and shop payments have to be made by card or phone.

Booking

This event is over.

In a change to the normal pickup arrangements, the coach will leave from the Langstone Quays hotel. This arrangement will save around £4 per member off the cost of the trip. The booking form gives you the opportunity to request or offer a car share to the hotel where there is free parking as well as an opportunity for a coffee and a loo stop.

There will also be a stop in Market Place, Havant (opposite Iceland) to pick up Havant U3A members and members of neighbouring U3As who can get to Havant by train. The pick-up point is 2 minutes' walk from Havant Station.

The £46 visit cost will cover: coach hire and parking; driver gratuity; entrance to Bletchley Park; and a multimedia guide. You will also be able to return to the museum for a year without charge.

There will be comfort stops on the way to and from our destination.

Bletchley Park

Once the top-secret home of the World War Two Codebreakers, Bletchley Park is now a major attraction to visitors.

Immersive films, interactive displays, museum collections and faithfully recreated WW2 rooms will guide you on a journey to discover the past at Bletchley Park. Exhibitions, set within beautifully restored historic buildings, tell the story of this once top-secret operation. Find out more about the brilliant minds and complex machines that made this vital work possible, and discover the global impact Bletchley Park had on the outcome of WW2.

There have been many updates and improvements since we last visited Bletchley nine years ago so it is well worth another visit. Especially if you didn't know:

• Without help from Poland, we would never have broken any of the codes
• There were more important contributors to the codebreaking effort than Alan Turing
• There were many different Enigma codes, and each had to be broken every day
• There was more than one Enigma machine; the basic model had 158,962,555,217,826,360,000 possible settings, the German Navy model was more complex
• The Lorenz code was even more difficult to break than Enigma, it required the world's first digital processor: Colossus
• Having broken the codes, processing the information, distributing useful intelligence, while keeping Bletchley's activities secret was a mammoth task needing completely new processes and procedures

It's a fascinating story. There's more information about what to see and do here.

The mansion

Not the most attractive piece of architecture, but where the codebreaking effort started and the eventual hub of a huge network based in Bletchley but spanning the world.

The huts

Where code breaks were created and the resulting data was filed, cross-referenced and converted into useful intelligence. Find out about the fatal flaw built into the Enigma machines.

The bombes

The machines that used the code breaks to find Enigma settings. Named by the women operators as the "Hell hole". Find out why they were named after a Polish ice cream.

The blocks

As war progressed and codebreaking efforts became increasingly successful, an army of personnel was needed to keep up with all the incoming data needing new accommodation blocks.

Today they house various new exhibitions and galleries.

The teleprinter building

Once the communications hub of Bletchley Park, now the home of a new, multimedia exhibition titled "D-Day: interception, intelligence, invasion".

The RSGB National Radio Centre

A showcase for radio communications technology. Operated by the Radio Society of Great Britain, in partnership with the Bletchley Park Trust, this exhibition traces the development of radio communications from inception through to the current day.

The National Museum of Computing

This is a separate museum that has its own admission fee (not included in the visit cost) and entrance.

It traces the development of computing: from the Turing-Welchman Bombe and the Colossus, through the large systems and mainframes of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, to the rise of personal computing, mobile computing and the internet.

Accessibility

The Museum has step-free access.

All the exhibitions are positioned at ground floor level. Ramps are installed on site for easy access. A disabled access lift is available to use to enter the exhibition area in Block A (The Intelligence Factory and The Art of Data).

A limited amount of wheelchairs are available to borrow from the Visitor Centre.

More details here.

Links to allow you to pay for your visit by card will appear here if you log in, have made a booking and have not yet paid

Your bookings

Cost of the visit is £46 per HIU3A member
There are 40 bookable places.
Number awaiting payment: 7, confirmed bookings: 19, waiting list entries: 0.

To see the status for your booking(s) you need to log in. Click here to do that now.

Important: although the visit is not until July, we needed to pay for our group booking by 26^th March. We have a few tickets left to sell so will therefore close booking on 17^th April after - the day after our next monthly meeting.

Lerner & Loewe’s evergreen musical My Fair Lady has a bouquet of songs including The Rain in Spain, I Could Have Danced All Night, With a Little Bit of Luck and Wouldn’t It be Loverly. With its sparkling dialogue, brilliant lyrics, witty story and gorgeous costumes, this 20^th century masterpiece has been described as the perfect musical.

There's more information on the Chichester Festival Theatre web site.

We have arranged a group booking for the 2.30 performance on 18^th July at £54 per member - a saving of £4 on the full price.

You'll need to make your own way to the theatre and back. There's plenty of parking at the theatre. The 700 bus drops passengers by the cathedral and it's then a half mile walk to the theatre; alternatively, the 60 bus stops at the cathedral, is fairly regular, and can take you to within about 200 meters. Please get in touch if you are willing to offer or accept a car share.

As a companion to the performance, we have also arranged an optional backstage tour that you can book separately for £14 per member.

Booking

This event is over.

A 7½ mile walk through the Arundel Park, across to Amberley then back along the river Arun.

The walk has a significant climb and descent through the park. but the rest is flat.

This is the route we took the first time we did this walk, led by Peter Haskell:

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

For a subsequent walk in 2022, we used this route to avoid flooding of the Arun around Houghton:

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

We will arrange car shares to leave Hayling around 9.00 so we should be able to start walking at or soon after 10.00.

Park on Bury Lane, Bury, postcode RH20 1NS, grid reference TQ010136. This is a long lay-by to the left-hand (west) side of the A29 formed by a scheme to straighten the main road. Enter it by a small (not signposted) side road 0.2 miles after passing the Squire and Horse pub - failing that, turn at a sign for Charlie's Farm Shop then turn left again immediately.

We go westwards to West Burton and Bignor then north into Bignor Park and then west to Sutton. We then turn southwards to climb Bignor Hill - this section, between mile 5 and mile 6, has the most ascent of the day. On Bignor Hill, we join the South Downs Way going eastwards. The next few miles are undulating downland with great views southwards, and we finally drop down to the River Arun near Houghton. We return to the village of Bury along the riverbank.

The total distance is 9.9 miles with 1250 feet of ascent.

There is a chance of wet or muddy sections after heavy rain, especially at a stream crossing south of Sutton.

Late lunch will be booked on the way back to Hayling, at the Old Stables, Fontwell - food served all day.

This is the planned route...

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file

This is a rerun of Jo Hallet's walk on 26^th November 2018.

Meet at the car park by the Community Centre to car share leaving at 9.15am. Proceed to Ye Olde George Inn, East Meon, GU32 1NH.

We will set off from the pub at approximately 10am and walk east of the village. The walk starts to climb behind the church to the top of the hill and we meander our way to Park Hill Farm. After crossing the road there is a slight climb. We make our way through gently undulating farmland to the Spider's Web. From there we make our way to Frogmore and then back to the pub. It is quite a challenging walk, although only 4 Miles and the views are worth it!

We can lunch at Ye Olde George Inn. For the menu etc., see www.yeoldegeorgeinn.net.

This is the planned route:

Click to show the route

Loading the route, please wait...

Show full screen  

Download the GPX file