Did you know that jelly beans and flat coke are ideal for long distance walkers? Apparently they are highly effective budget-friendly rocket fuel. The cola is flat to provide a quick energy hit without the bloating associated with fizz.

Clearly, the organisers of the Alongside Circuit of Bath fundraiser had done their research. You could tell by the way the event was planned with 4x4 drivers and paramedics at hand and manned checkpoints along the 20 mile route circling Bath.

GoodGym Bath has supported the charity formerly known as Julian House for a number of years but this time was different. Firstly it now has a new name - Alongside- to reflect the way it comes alongside people facing homelessness and domestic abuse. Secondly, it offered a mini-route more suitable for families at ‘just’ 11k long. Thirdly, everyone went one way for 2026 - clockwise. And finally this year runners were also invited to take part. This is one of Alongside’s biggest fundraisers for the work it does and the organisation must be hoping these changes will bring in more money.

GoodGym Bath’s role was to join one of the checkpoint teams - in this case the penultimate one at St Gregory’s School. We clapped the participants in, took down their numbers and made sure they were fed and watered. My job was to stamp their maps to make sure each achievement was registered. Quite a few dogs took on the course, including Bailey in the photos. Maybe next year they’ll get their own medal.

After a few hours volunteering I obviously had to test the power of the beans (a few times) and I can say they definitely fuelled my walk home.

Inspired by the Slow Ways initiative that aims to verify a network of thousands of walking and cycling routes across the UK, Goodgymers from Bath donned their walking boots and took to the Kennet and Avon canal path from Bath to Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire.

It's arguably one of the most beautiful "Slow Ways" in the country. Meyrick, who selected the route, was accompanied by Cosmo, Jer, Mary, Ruth and Jane and her equally beautiful dog, Ted, who had more energy than all of us.

Along the way we enjoyed fantastic views. There were narrowboats with amazing paintwork and names, reflections in the water, wonderful scenes and lots of other towpath users, including four swans.

Jane, who is a boat dweller herself, bumped into quite a few people she knew too.

The main danger - apart from the fact that you are heading alongside a waterway - was probably from cyclists but they all used their bells - and one whistled - and we travelled without incident.

We think this was a record length of mission - more than four hours. It provided an opportunity for us all to get to know each other better and was time well spent.

I know I started to flag a bit in the second half of the journey and the prospect of making our way home but I brightened up at the prospect of a lift home. Big thanks to Meyrick who drove over to Bradford first thing and then came back on the train to meet us at the start.

There is a bit of a mystery in that the Slow Ways walk was advertised as around eight miles, yet, according to my Strava we walked 11.4 miles. This might have something to do with the detour we made along the Somerset Coal Canal for a light lunch at the Angelfish cafe.

We did lose one Goodgymer along the way but she went on to greater things. Mary, who is in training, left us near Avoncliff to do the journey back to Bath on foot. She could have gone the distance but was put off by the prospect of it getting dark.

Well done to Meyrick for organising the mission and Mary for her impressive contribution.

Note: You may wonder why I'm wearing a fez in the pictures - I'm taking part a fundraising challenge.

It seems that after the driest summer since records began no one expects a downpour but Sunday was that day. St Philip’s Church in Odd Down, Bath organises a special “One-2-One” meal for people in the community to combat loneliness. GoodGym Bath helps out by delivering takeaways to vulnerable residents who can’t make it to the church.

This month we were given five roast turkey dinners to deliver across the area - a trek of more than three miles and, with the rain pouring down, it was a case of #dogoodgetwet rather than #dogoodgetfit.

Everyone was really pleased to see me and didn’t even mind that the paper takeaway bags didn’t survive the torrents. They say the roasts are a thing of wonder.

With just a few weeks to go before Cleveland Pools in Bath opens its doors to visitors for one day only, GoodGym Bath made a welcome trip to make sure the site was shipshape and Bristol fashion.

Bath is a world heritage site due to its cultural and historic significance and once a year venues that match those values allow people inside to have a sneak peek. While the Georgian lido is not open to swimmers at the moment due to flood damage it is a secret gem with plenty of interest to see as well as a chance to find out more about its future.

Did you know, for example, that the wonderful curved changing rooms and cottage dating back to 1817 is lovingly referred to as Bath’s smallest Crescent?

Anyway, back to GoodGym. We were tasked with tidying the slopes of the site. We welcomed Richard from GoodGym Bristol who showed real strength in removing some stray roots and we all pitched in to help Paul plant a new tree to improve the biodiversity of the area. The field maple was a perfect add to the collection as it supports insects and is a great habitat for birds and small mammals.

Lovely as the tree was, even more impressive was Paul’s ability to get around the steep grassy banks of the site. He has acquired the skills of a mountain goat and I am quite jealous.

After a break - with some of Core Volunteer Sally’s delicious blueberry cake - we set our sights on making the pools look good for their oncoming moment in the spotlight. This involved removing the leaves from the surface using a big net. It seemed that however many we removed there still seemed more left behind but I’m told we made a big difference.

The Heritage Open Day will take place at Cleveland Pools on Sunday 13 September from 10:30 am to 4 pm. Why not drop in?

Bath GoodGym trio Cosmo, Ruth and Tanya returned to Grow for Life's walled garden where they helped the regular Saturday volunteer group tackle an overgrown area. it was a battle against bindweed, brambles and burdock with the odd surprise find of an old rake, long lost loppers and even a selection of wellies amongst the undergrowth! Great progress was made in clearing the area which is destined to become an additional space to be used in therapeutic sessions. Join us next time in this lovely place to help Grow for Life continue to transform lives through gardening.

Lovely sunny evening, nice time of day for this work as the afternoon sun is beginning to wane. Right at the back of St John's Court is a lovely garden area used by the residents, in fact some residents rooms have French Windows that open directly on to it.

Our job today was to tidy this area up, there were weeds in the cracks, trees and invasive plants where they shouldn't have been and, as usual since GoodGym are involved, fun to be had everywhere.

Mary, Tanya and Meyrick were on hand to carry out this mission, and we did a brilliant job.

Making this place look nice for the residents is in the Mission description, and that is exactly what we did. Good job all.