Leaving from the car park in Hay at 0930. Big climb up to hay Bluff first. Pack feeling heavier today. I wonder if anyone will meet us in Pandy this evening? JJ

Not content with walking tours with The Reluctant Ramblers, JJ is also walking to the rearranged Oysterband gig in Bristol this week.

He and Colin are setting out for the Offa’s Dyke Path down to Chepstow and on into Bristol for the re-scheduled Oysterband show (cancelled in March due to illness and now taking place this Wednesday 21st May) – JJ says: “Thanks for your understanding previously.. I am in good form now. Whether we meet you in Bristol or at Bollington Festival or Bearded Theory Festival (all Oysterband shows in the coming week) we are really up for it, and hope you are too.

After that: a week today I will be in Devon and The Reluctant Ramblers hit the road for their annual tour. With Rowan with us and Lindsey on double-bass, it’s a full sound and they add some gorgeous singing. Our relationship with our fans and with this incredible landscape is a strong one. In the next two weeks we will celebrate both. See you somewhere along the road. JJ ”

More information for those thinking of joining the Devon walk or gigs.

The first sample of the walking tour t-shirt has arrived from the printer! (Available for sale on tour ONLY)

More details for the walking tour now available, including start times and meeting places for each day: https://jj-rr.org/walks-on-the-two-moors-two-seas-tour-2014/.

If you are thinking of bringing an instrument to any of the sessions on the walking tour later this month, here are some of the tunes we hope to be playing:

Kentish Cricketers / Galopede
Bonny Breast Knot [Devon]
Shepherd’s Jigs
Jacky Daley’s /Salmon Tails
Jack Robinson’s / All A Sidin
Seneca Square Dance
Morpeth Rant / Stephen Baldwins
Roger De Coverley
Redowa Polka / Double Lead Through
3 Around 3
Scan Tester 1 And 2
Durham Rangers / Soldiers Joy
Blue-Eyed Stranger

See here for an article from Spiral Earth!

JJ walks to the re-scheduled Bristol show at St George’s.

Leaving home on Sunday morning 18th May, John and his friend Colin will walk the Offa’s Dyke Path all the way down to Chepstow and across the Severn Bridge in time [he promises] for Oysterband’s gig at Bristol, St George’s.

There will be no gigs / music on this leg [that is saved for Devon] but should you wish to join them on the walk or just for a pint in the evening the itinerary is as follows:

Day 1, Sunday 18th May – Leave Leave Titley 0930 …walk to Kington , then follow OFDP over Hergest Ridge to Gladestry and the on to Hay-on-Wye [17 miles]. Finish Kilvert’s Inn.

Day 2, Monday 19th May – leave Hay 9am. Walk up to Hay Bluff and walk the ridge with great views over Golden Valley…descend to Llanthony Priory lunchtime. Back on ridge and walk to Pandy. Steep climb and high level walking [18 miles]. Finish Park Hotel.

Day 3, Tuesday 20th May – Leave Pandy 0930 on OFDP. low level walking with White Castle the highlight. Mixed pasture/woodland landscape… arrive through arched gateway into Monmouth [16 miles]. Finish, Queen’s Head Hotel.

Day 4, Wednesday 21st May – start 0830. Steep path out of Monmouth then walk along ridge, crossing Wye with beautiful views of Tintern Abbey. Down to Chepstow Castle to complete path at Sedbury cliffs… then across the old Severn Bridge…high winds permitting..to the old Services.. and on into Bristol. Finish.. St George’s Church , Bristol

Oysterband play Bollington Festival, Cheshire [23rd May] and Bearded Theory [24th May] – then JJ and the Ramblers begin walking and gigging again on Sunday 25th on Exmoor – do join us..

Only a few more days left to order a shirt to collect on the tour!

Pre-ordering allows us to offer the full range of sizes in both men’s and women’s styles – but orders must be in by the END OF APRIL!

We’ll have some t-shirts available for sale on tour for those who haven’t pre-ordered, but the choice will be much more limited as it isn’t cost-effective to stock everything.

No mail order at this stage – collection on tour ONLY – though after the tour we will look at whether we can also offer a mail-order option for people who couldn’t join us.

Pre-order details here.

A new video for a song by John Jones and the Reluctant Ramblers “Black and White Bird”:

Come and hear Black and White Bird live on the walking tour through Devon in May.

Rowan Godel , the wonderful voice on Diamonds on the Water, also sings on “Black and White Bird” and will be joining John for all the gigs on the Walking Tour. Other members of the Reluctant Ramblers will include Lindsey Oliver, the great stand-up bass player who added such depth to the album; the powerful Oyster rhythm section of Al Scott and Dil Davies; and the multi-instrumentalist and regular Rambler Tim Cotterell. A formidable band of troubadours who will be strolling (!!) through the Devon countryside. New songs , great tunes, maybe even a dance and a chance to re-connect with the landscape at a natural  pace. JJ

[JJ writes] At last a break in Oysterband touring and I can look forward to this year’s Walking Tour. Crossing Devon north to south, taking in Exmoor and Dartmoor, has long appealed and my association with Devon goes back many years. My earliest ‘singing sessions’ were a haze of alcohol and harmony out in the pubs of Dartmoor and the rural villages of Mid-Devon. For a boy from a mill-town on The Pennines this really was another world. I must have sung Tavistock Goosey Fair for 3 years before I finally realised what the words were.

The Two Moors Way, The Tarka Trail and The Mariners’ Way are the three long distance paths we will touch upon but, as always, the beauty and character of the walking tours are the deviations to find that special place, the historic landmark, that bit of history or just a great pub. Check out our route and let us know of any special place – local knowledge is vital – and, best of all, come and join us. We keep it relaxed and fun and each night I have a great band of musicians with me, who walk as well, to round off the day with a gig. Hope to meet you there. JJ