All official IOG events were cancelled during the restrictions required by the Covid pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Social distancing and isolation were very real challenges for all of us – particularly for those whose lives are all about outdoor activity, those who live alone and those who don’t have strong social media networks. With the goal of maintaining the rewarding social contact so many of us have found in the IOG whilst the group’s outdoor activities were suspended, small groups of friends kept up the traditions, meeting safely when they could to get out in the glorious Suffolk countryside. The “Living with COVID-19” category is a record of how we spent our days during this difficult time.
All “Living with COVID-19” newsletter posts are reports from our friends within the group making the most of their own private walks, abiding by the relevant coronavirus guidance at the time, NOT from official IOG activities.
Text and pics contributed by Raj. Thank you all for your kind birthday wishes. We had a lovely walk around Mersea Island.The weather was just right , occasionally sunny but cold although I did have to take my coat off at around 6.5 miles as …
Text and pics contributed by Paul J. My group at work try to arrange some kind of social activity every now and then. There was only one idea which seemed possible with the restrictions in force just before Lockdown Two: some kind of walk. The …
Text and pics contributed by Joyce The weather was kind on Sunday, as 6 of us enjoyed a walk offered by Sarah and Simon. Somersham was a new area to me so I was particularly interested in the views, churches and countryside. The walk was …
Text contributed by Christina, pictures by Karen It truly felt like an Indian Summer day when 5 of us joined Glen on a pleasant Sunday stroll near Ardleigh Reservoir, an affluent and green area with picturesque cottages and grand country houses not too far from …
Text and pics contributed by Christina Five and a dog went off on this walk, starting from Witham, Essex. We crossed a posh golf course – beware of flying golf balls – whilst enjoying a long stretch along the River Blackwater. At the outskirts of …
Text and pics contributed by Angela Thanks to Sarah for organising this 10-mile day walk around Stoke by Nayland and Polstead. The weather was kind to us as we explored this picturesque part of Suffolk near the Essex border. We weren’t alone as we passed …