Friendly Faces of Warwickshire

What better way to get out and meet more people... whether you're a first-timer or a regular, get your name down to join this mixed casual group-tour around downtown Leamington on a relaxed Friday evening, and we'll descend together upon its most popular bars one at a time, staying long enough for a drink or two before we all move on to the next one.

What is a Friendly Faces Monthly Social "Flash Mob"?...
To the untrained eye this event looks like a pub-crawl, but rather than being about getting drunk (as pub-crawls are) this monthly meetup event instead focusses on the social aspects : getting out and meeting new people, mingling, and expanding your social circle. Bring a friend if you want to, but coming alone is what most attendees do.
The changing of venues helps encourage the mingling upon us, and typically by the end of the evening - each attendee will (1) have met most if not all of the other attendees present, (2) feel like they fit right in, (3) feel pretty chuffed about having chatted with some friendly like-minded people, and (4) be checking the diary to see if they can make next months event!

If you're driving, or alcohol isn't your thing, then do as I (and other non-drinkers) do, and instead sip on a glass of cordial, coke, or zero beer. There is no pressure to buy drinks. If you decide to skip the bar and just enjoy the social occasion, its perfectly fine.

Big Win #1
Unlike the usual sit-down or stand-still-all-night meetups, this style of event will keep mixing us up as a group every time we change venue, and the mingling will happen automatically as we go with the flow.

Big Win #2
As a big group of people it will be great fun and a guaranteed laugh watching the bewildered faces of the non-meetup people in the bars as we all walk in the door together and fill the place, and then after an hour or so of meetup chatter - all leave together and empty it again!

Venues...
As you may know there are several cool bars in central Leamington so we wont have to walk far between venues. We'll keep it to between 3 and 4 venues throughout the evening, and stay quite close to the Parade in the town centre.

I'll keep our location-changes communicated as the evening progresses so you can join at any point along the route, but lateness is not recommended. Obviously if you're on time at the start you wont miss the introductions, and you'll get much more from the evening.
So to start we'll gather at the Old Library at 7:30pm and let the socialising commence.

Click the attend button now so you don't forget.

If you hadn't guessed by now this is a monthly event, and as always, I'm looking forward to it!

Whether you're new to Friendly Faces or you're a seasoned regular, click the Attend button now and take full advantage of this tried and tested hike which will get you (1) out of the house, (2) meeting new people, (3) exercising, and (4) blasting into 2025 determined to be successful.

What are the details for this hike?
Before I say anything more about this hike - be warned that if you do not like hills, then this walk is not for you. Near the middle of the route, there is a long slow incline lasting about half a mile (that's it in the picture) heading up towards Old John Tower which sits on the top.
I took a small team of testers out to trial the full route a few weeks ago, and we agreed that its worth warning that the hill is particularly challenging and will leave you huffing and puffing by the time you reach the top and keen for a sit down. (the top is where we will sit down and stop for snacks)
This hill is sure to beat anyone who is not a fit and able regular walker, so please consider this before clicking the attend button, because running out of steam and giving up half way is not an option.
As a point of reference - if you have conquered the Malvern Hills recently without issue (specifically the initial incline starting at the 99 steps) then you should be ok with this one as well.
If anyone would like more detail on the specifics of the difficulty level of this hike, drop me a message and I'll be happy to discuss.

So thats the big warning out of the way, now where was I... ah yes.. back to the details....

If you're still reading, you can be sure of a stunning day out exploring the finest countryside that this country has to offer. Amazing scenery, picturesque views, fresh air in your lungs... nature at its finest.
An incredible outdoorsy place to visit and no mistake.
So parking up in the Groby Pool car park and setting off at bang on midday, we'll walk out towards the other-worldly Bradgate Park, which is full of wild animals including an enclosed deer park, swans, and ducks, and complete a big loop along the well-trodden paths taking us all the way round the edge.
Note: The deer park is separated from the public by a wide running stream, and the animals come right up to the edge on their side to observe the humans, meaning you can add some stunning photos of them to your collection.

When we get back to the cars having covered just over 7 miles, we'll take the short 2-minute drive to the nearby pub for a well-earned sit down to end the day out.

Need a lift?...
If you aren't a driver and would like a lift to and from the starting point, leave a message here on the event page (as soon as you sign up) asking if anyone is kind enough to offer. Do that now, because leaving that question until the last few days before the event is too late.
Don't forget to offer a few pounds to your driver towards petrol money.

Other things to note...
- Unfortunately dogs are not allowed 🐶❌ to attend this event due to there being lots of wild animals and livestock all along the route.
- At this event you'll have a fantastic outdoorsy afternoon out, you'll meet a like-minded group of super-social Friendly Faces (including first-timers as always) and you'll be amazed at how easy it is to make new acquaintances / connections along the way.
- Compared to other hiking routes in the huge Friendly Faces library of routes, the terrain for this one is among the most challenging, and can be quite muddy in places. Trainers will simply not suffice for this route.
I do my best to warn people and to save them from wrecking/soaking inappropriate footwear. and despite insisting in the event description of every Friendly Faces walk that each attendee brings ankle-protecting walking boots, there are always a few who either ignore it or dont read it and arrive in trainers. Dont let that be you!
We'll hopefully see you returning for many more of the Friendly Faces hikes scheduled for the year ahead, so if you don't own proper walking boots then buying a pair will be a great investment. If you do not currently own any - a quick trip to your local Mountain Warehouse or Trespass store will quickly remedy that.
- This is one of several hiking events through the winter/spring months that you are welcomed and encouraged to join as we all work off the Christmas flab and launch into 2025 with health and inspiration!
For more details on how you can take even more advantage of the new-year positivity, check out the Friendly Faces New Year Challenge event on the events list.

Feel free to drop me a message if you have any questions.
If not - click the big red "Attend" button now to be kept in the loop, and so you dont forget.

p.s. A big thankyou to Claire, David, Diane and Hussain for help with the testing of this route, helping to qualify it as a brand new and amazing Friendly Faces hike for us all to get out there and enjoy.

EVENT SUMMARY / IMPORTANT POINTS

If you know how to hold a pool cue, and you're either (a) a beginner (b)
a have-a-go hero when it comes to cue sports, or (c) you've potted a few balls in your time.. then this event is a perfect way to mix a lots-of-fun Saturday evening activity with getting out of the house and meeting like-minded people.

So act now, and nab one of the highly sought after spots for this special event taking place at the very impressive 'Frames' on the Parade in Leamington where we'll play 9-ball pool.
As people arrive I'll randomly pair you up for a best-of-three session against another random pair, and keep swapping the pairs around as the evening goes on, so you should get a chance to have a game with just about everyone who comes along.

We'll have a handful of pool tables booked from 7.30 thru 9.30 that we'll use for our evening of entertainment, and you can rest assured you'll be very surprised when I come back round to tell you that our time on the tables is up, because you will have had so much fun that you'll feel like the time has flown by!
But not to worry, for those who want to - we'll continue the socialising with our new pool buddies and move to a nearby bar for a sit down, drink and chat for an hour or so more to round off the evenings entertainment.

This Friendly Faces event is tried-and-tested and has taken place many times in the past. As always it attracts first-timers and regulars alike - hardly any of whom consider themselves to be particularly good at pool. Sure, some balls get potted, but countless other shots get missed. The fun of having a go is what gets us all involved, laughing at what we're doing, and enjoying the atmosphere in this pleasant and laid back setting. The feedback afterwards is always good.

As with all Friendly Faces events, it's absolutely fine to come alone as that's what most people do. You'll be made to feel very welcome and this being a fun activity event - you're sure to go away having enjoyed the experience and feeling glad you made the decision to attend.

Cost to join is a bargain £5-per-head contribution in advance towards the pool-table hire. The attendee limit is reached quite quickly for this event when people see it, so if you want to come, don't hesitate - get your name down early. If you have only just seen this event and it is already full, you can always add yourself to the waiting list on the off-chance that someone drops out nearer the date.
Note: Due to the high demand for the places on this event - any guests you want to bring must log in and add themselves on to the event as individuals.

Your £5 payment can be made on PayPal using the following link..

What better way to get out and meet more people... whether you're a first-timer or a regular, get your name down to join this mixed casual group-tour around downtown Warwick on a relaxed Friday evening, and we'll descend together upon its most popular bars one at a time, staying long enough for a drink or two before we all move on to the next one.

What is a Friendly Faces Monthly Social "Flash Mob"?...
To the untrained eye this event looks like a pub-crawl, but rather than being about getting drunk (as pub-crawls are) this monthly meetup event instead focusses on the social aspects : getting out and meeting new people, mingling, and expanding your social circle. Bring friends if you want to, but coming alone is what most attendees do.
The changing of venues helps encourage the mingling upon us, and typically by the end of the evening - each attendee will (1) have met most if not all of the other attendees present, (2) feel like they fit right in, (3) feel pretty chuffed about having chatted with some friendly like-minded people, and (4) be checking the diary to see if they can make the next one!

If you're driving, or (like me) alcohol isn't your thing, then do as I and any other non-drinkers do, and instead sip on a glass of cordial, coke, or zero beer.
There is no pressure to buy drinks. If you decide to skip the bar and just enjoy the social occasion, its fine.

Big Win #1...
Unlike the usual sit-down or stand-still-all-night meetups, this style of event will keep mixing us up as a group every time we change venue, and the mingling will happen automatically as we go with the flow.

Big Win #2...
As a big group of people it will be great fun and a guaranteed laugh watching the bewildered faces of the non-meetup people in the bars as we all walk in the door together and fill the place, and then after an hour or so of meetup chatter - all leave together and empty it again!

Venues...
As you may know there are several cool bars in central Warwick so we wont have to walk far between venues. We'll keep it to between 3 and 4 venues throughout the evening, and stay close to the Market Square in the town centre.

I'll keep our location-changes communicated as the evening progresses so you can join at any point along the route, but lateness is not recommended. Obviously if you're on time at the start you'll be present for introductions, and you'll get much more out of the evening.
So to start we'll gather at the Rose & Crown (CV34 4SH) at 7:30pm and let the socialising commence.

Click the attend button now so you dont forget.

If you hadn't guessed by now this is a monthly event, and as always, I'm looking forward to it!