After the long bank holiday weekend a very impressive 25 GG Yorkies turned up to help out at Hempland Haven, a community events space in Heworth Allotments. There were no celebrations this week although many of the group had been away camping for the now annual GG Yorkie's August Weekend Away (if you've not been before, you should definitely come to the next one) and a few others had spent the day doing some serious training for their upcoming attempt at the Marathan du Medoc, which features a fair bit of wine across the 26.2 route in the vineyards of Bordeaux. Tonight we also welcomed newcomer Jenny who was doing her first ever GoodGym task. Giver her a big cheer 📣

The task was just over 3km away each way, so Vicky led a cycling group out whilst Tristan led the running group with Ed bringing up the rear. The cycling group arrived first and were joined by Nicola and James who were meeting us at the task. Taskowner Gayle got them set up with tools to get the weeds out of the cracks between the patio stones, whilst the running group were still struggling to find the right allotment space, before realising they'd stopped their run a touch too early and needed to head a little bit further into the allotments to join the others!

The team made great progress clearing as many weeds out from the cracks as possible before spreading sand onto the ground and sweeping it into the gaps. Gayle and her small assistant were on hand to provide a few bottles of water to the more thirsty GGers (mostly those that had been wine training earlier in the day), and before too long the sand was being filled into every crack the team could find. There was a mad dash to sweep it all away in order to finish with enough time for the group photo and a fab nautical themed fitness session from Tristan, which showed that a lot of us could do with swotting up on our ports and starboards, as well as our left and right!

It was then back to the Priory Street centre for a bit of a fruit and veg giveaway thanks to various gluts and some delicious cake from Jenna!

Well - Good Gym have only done it again with Vicky doing an excellent job sorting out our (seemingly now annual) August get together. For both those that were there (but bits of it are hazy) and those that sadly want to know what they missed out on read on….

Yet again Vicky had come up trumps with finding us a great place to stay and this campsite even had a shower. With time to go, the spreadsheet was out there to ensure nothing was missed and lifts could be shared. As is always the case everyone mucked in and brought something essential, whether that be a BBQ, food, wood and of course loads of cake. Everyone arrived on Friday safe and well with Rich setting off on a mammoth bike ride whilst Pete, Egg, Nicky G and Egg enjoyed an excellent social ride complete with coffee and ice cream arriving at a similar time to many others.

With plenty of hands available the gazebo was soon up and the BBQ on the go. Relaxing around the fire pit we were surprisingly well behaved eager for activities on the morrow. Rich went off for more biking whilst Steve did battle with the cows on his own run as he trains for Kielder. Everyone else was destined to Buxton Park Run with a running group heading out before the others to complete a roughly 7k route on the way there. Arriving just as Park Run started, Tristan fought through the crowd taking the racing line (although how he did 500m less Vicky according to watches remains a mystery). Meanwhile Ed who had arrived just in time to start at the front, remained (almost) in front and finished second - congrats to him. Then into the centre of Buxton for breakfast ad thanks to David and Laura for finding a most excellent cafe for that could fit us all in. After that it was up the hill to the temple before a running group ran the long way back to camp and the others drove back to eat cake, chill and join the shower queue. The others led by Pete and Nicky managed to time passing a pub bang on opening, provided too good an excuse not to stop. This may have been needed by Nicky W who managed to walk past a dog the size of a small horse without realising it on the way to rehydrate.

Eventually, back at camp, quick showers and cake was followed by most people walking to the pub. A nice walk that included stepping stones (although superfluous given the lack of water !). Pete waited for Rich who had completed an epic biking challenge that he had started a while ago and in cycling 250 km in the last 2 days was not really fit to walk…A nice meal at the pub booked by Vicky - good honest grub with good service although Rich getting his food last and the tip left by Fergie on leaving were perhaps less than ideal. While some intrepid explorers walked back Tristan, Laura, Pete and James S were able to provide the taxi driving for those preferring the extra tipple. Having said that James T and Steve managed to walk back despite being the last to leave. Then it was all around the fire pit with a beverage with Stef acting as resident DJ.

The next morning the offer of a 0700 start for what Egg described as a “punchy” route was only taken by the usual early birds who knew what they would get with Egg. A great mix of trails, ridges and the off flat bit (i.e less than 5% gradient !) they amazingly finished roughly on expected time and distance. However, there are probably better ways of avoiding the clear up ! Nearing the end of their run they passed Phil, Nicky and David making the best of the weather running to the ice cream shop. By the time they got back everyone was leaving the campsite en route to various cafes or the aforementioned ice cream stop

All in all an excellent weekend - big shout particularly to Vicky but also Ed and all of those that went. For those that have not been on a weekend away or have recently joined Good Gym you might want to get the jan weekend pencilled in your diary - there really is something for everyone...

Great to introduce folk to the York GG Tiny Forest. Despite the option of either weeding the edge of the forest to stop the grass intruding and taking the vital nutrients from the baby trees or taking artistic photos for sharing on socials, astonishingly all opted to weed. The Tiny Forest that York GG has created on Kimberlow Hill is there for all to enjoy. It was started in winter 2023 when we enriched the earth with compost. In spring 2024 over 600 saplings were dunked in mycorrhizal fungi and planted. The rest of that year was spent weeding and mulching. Despite the drought in 2025, the trees are all looking verdant and growing magnificently. If you feel like going back sometime, look out for sessions or post something on the social chat. It's a great place to connect with nature, watch the butterflies and have a picnic!

It was wonderful to see so many York GGers out & about on a summer evening. Despite the promise of plenty of bike racks - they were full, luckily everyone found somewhere to lock their bike. David led Nick & Steve out on an 11k route around Heslington. As they romped around the fields they managed to fit in some wildlife safari spotting including hare & various raptors. 🦅 Laura led the 5k runners. Not allowing any sneaky short cuts! She avoided the roads & we had lovely tracks through the green countryside. Abigail led the walkers with perfect timing, arriving at the Tiny Forest task just before the 5k runners. She even managed to gain a couple of runners who preferred to walk back to the pub. Something for everyone at GG York! 😉 Particular thanks to David, Laura & Abigail for sorting out routes & leading groups. It was good to explore some new routes. Whilst waiting for the food we had a quick quiz - all in aid of offloading a glut of cucumbers! who would like to see the Vienna Vegetable Orchestra? In no time at all the food appeared & was polished off. Tristan made an appearance, after having completed his 5k in under 18 minutes - extremely impressive. Thankyou all for coming, hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did.