I always looked forward to meeting up with John on the trips away, joining in on his lovely well-led walks. Although he was fitter than the rest of us (which makes this even sadder) he was always patient and helpful, and any unexpected obstacles were overcome with the minimum of fuss. At the end of each walk there was invariably a well-earned friendly pub drinking session with good conversation on such varied topics as politics, past and future trips, football and good beer. Will be greatly missed. RIP my friend