Friendly Faces of Warwickshire

FFW: Bank Holiday Monday Hike : Kineton Circular (7-miles)

Mon, May 25 · 1:00 PM BST

Kineton, Warwick, GB

With summer pretty much upon us and incredible weather forecasts commonplace, it would be a travesty to stay at home and miss out on this classic, much-loved Friendly Faces hiking route.

What are the details for this event?...
It's an absolute belter, and has everything you could wish for in a countryside walk. Originally scheduled in 2023, our Kineton / Little Kineton / Butlers Marston route was the second-ever Friendly Faces route, and due to its popularity it has been repeated more times than any other route since. It is always enjoyed by new first-timers and also those returning to do it again. The Kineton countryside truly is a hidden gem.

Starting in the churchyard in the centre of Kineton we'll take a 7-mile circular route through the most amazing remote countryside and surrounding villages, including picturesque views and scenery sure to get your camera snapping.
When we get back to the start point (approximately 4pm depending on our speed) we'll have a well-earned sit down in the splendid pub garden for a post-hike drink.
The pub is of course optional for each individual, and while we all hope you can stay for a bit longer to chat some more - you will not be judged if you really do need to dash.

Here is the old briefing video that I put together to describe what you can expect in a bit more detail.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyrAysdFokw

Getting there?...
Drivers offering lifts from their local town will undoubtedly gain hero/heroine status, so if you have an empty space or two in your car please write a comment below with your preferred pick-up point.
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 asking if anyone is driving from your home town that could help.
Don't forget to offer a few pounds to your driver towards petrol money.

If you are a driver, the start point is X minutes drive away...
Warwick 12; Leamington 12; Stratford 12; Coventry 22; Rugby 20; Central Birmingham 34.

Where do I park?...
Roadside parking is free all along Warwick Road, so park as close as you can to the meet-point and walk up. Please arrive early, and (if needed) pay a visit to the loo in the White Swan pub because there wont be any more opportunities throughout the hike.

The 1pm Meet Point :
https://maps.app.goo.gl/FyZScMp1UygCAtht5

Parking along Warwick Road :
https://maps.app.goo.gl/hoZwQJBiZZsGkRj7A

Feel free to drop me a private message if you have any questions.
If not - click the big red "Attend" button now to make sure you don't forget.

EVENT SUMMARY / 5x IMPORTANT POINTS

1. Your first Friendly Faces event is free.
'First-timer' attendees are always welcome to come along and check out who we are and how we do things. After that if you wish to return for another one, becoming an official subscribing group-member is necessary, so provided you're (strictly) within the permitted group age range of 25 to 55, read the details here...
https://www.meetup.com/friendlyfaces/events/305407432/

2. This event starts at 1pm. Do not be late. Make sure you arrive early enough to get parked, and be ready at the start point for this time or we will leave without you.
In the past, several people have discovered how unpleasant it is to arrive at a meet-point and find it deserted, only to have to turn around and drive home again. Plan your journey beforehand and check for traffic/roadworks on the day.

3. To attend this hiking event you must be physically active, hike-fit, free from injury, and have experience of covering this distance in one go. If you are not all of these things - please remove yourself from the attendees list.

4. Dogs are NOT allowed 🐶❌ to attend this event. This is due to close proximity with farm animals and public pathways taking us through farmers land.

5. This is a hiking event, and all attendees are expected to wear proper hiking footwear. No matter how confident/familiar you feel about walking in the countryside - due to the uneven terrain on this route, ankle-protecting waterproof footwear is compulsory.
If you do not currently own any - please invest in a pair in advance. Mountain Warehouse offer an excellent selection, so there is no excuse to not be equipped for this event.
Trainers may not protect you from a nasty injury - which could bring an unpopular end to the event for everyone.
(* 2026 UPDATE *) To ensure that all attendees sensibly follow this request respectfully of everyone else : Anyone who injures themselves and is not wearing ankle-protecting hiking footwear will be permanently removed from the group.

FFW: Leamington Saturday-Night Social

Sat, Jun 6 · 7:30 PM BST

The White Horse, Clarendon Avenue, Leamington Spa, GB

What better way to get out of the house 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 Saturday 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?...
Either read on for a written explanation of the format of this event, or watch this YouTube video that I put together in 2023 when we first started doing them...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st6irM814UM

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 focuses on the social aspects : getting out and meeting new people, mingling, and expanding your social circle.
Don't waste your energy trying to find someone you know to come with you - coming alone is perfectly normal and is what 99.9% of attendees do, and by sticking with a friend - you wont meet anyone new.
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 pretty chuffed about having chatted with a group of nice friendly people and made some cool new connections,
(3) feel like they fit right in,
(4) be checking the diary to see if they can make another event!

If you're driving, or (like me) 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, you certainly wont be judged.

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 visit around 3 or 4 venues throughout the evening, and stay 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'll be present for introductions, and you'll get much more out of the evening.
So to start we'll gather at the very laid back "White Horse" pub at 7:30pm and let the socialising commence.
The White Horse : https://maps.app.goo.gl/yL1THf5cbDr6pk3M7

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

There are plenty of parking options around the town including roadside parking along Beauchamp Avenue near the top of the Parade, and St Peter's Multi-Storey carpark at the bottom.
Beauchamp Avenue : https://maps.app.goo.gl/6jEPLhwP5DPtqkXy8
St Peters Multistorey : https://maps.app.goo.gl/7XuxdrbcwRodCGya8

Very Important Note...
A polite reminder that Friendly Faces events are for meeting new people, networking and expanding social circles. This means positive energy only.
The following 5 rules apply, as a way of safeguarding members from a few things. By attending this and any subsequent events, you agree to abide by them.

1. Friendly Faces events are not dating / singles events. Anyone engaging in persistent or unwelcomed attention towards others (either at an event or afterwards) may be removed from the group.

2. Having respect for others is non-negotiable. Anyone who is disrespectful to others (whether this is directed at members of the group or outsiders) may be removed from the group.

3. Drinking alcohol is normal (and optional) at these events, however our primary focus is on socialising, not on drinking to excess. Anyone being or becoming excessively drunk (or exhibiting drunken behaviour) may be removed from the group.

4. We are all Friendly Faces group ambassadors at the places we visit. Anyone misusing/abusing a venue/location (or the staff or property within it) may be removed from the group.

5. Our encouragement of others to attend more Friendly Faces events benefits us all. However anyone harvesting/sharing phone numbers to promote products, events, or other social groups may be removed from the group.

I feel very privileged that members of the Friendly Faces group are known for being so warm and welcoming to each other (and the expectations of first-timers are often exceeded) so good times and happy vibes naturally flow at our events.
With these rules in place and acknowledged we shouldn't need to refer back to them, but we have them and can use them if needed.
With that out of the way - lets do what we do so well, and enjoy these super-sociable group experiences and meeting new people.
If we haven't met you before we are all looking forward to meeting you, and if we have met you before - we're looking forward to seeing you again!

Finally...
Your first Friendly Faces event is free.
'First-timer' attendees are always welcome to come along and check out who we are and how we do things. After that if you wish to return for another one, becoming an official subscribing group-member is necessary, so provided you're (strictly) within the permitted group age range of 25 to 55, read the details here...
https://www.meetup.com/friendlyfaces/events/305407432/

FFW: Warwick Monthly Social

Fri, Jun 19 · 7:30 PM BST

New Bowling Green, 13 St Nicholas Church Street, Warwick, CV34 4JD, GB

This is the perfect solution to get out of the house and meet more people, and if you didn't know, downtown Warwick is a goldmine of easy-going, laid-back bars to hang out in.
So whether you're a first-timer or a regular, get your name down to join this mixed casual group-tour around the town centre 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?...
Either read on for a written explanation of the format of this event, or watch this YouTube video that I put together in 2023 when we first started doing them...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st6irM814UM

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 focuses on the social aspects : getting out there and meeting new people, mingling, and expanding your social circle.
Don't waste your energy trying to find someone you know to come with you - coming alone is perfectly normal and is what 99.9% of 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 pretty chuffed about having chatted with a group of nice friendly people and made some cool new connections,
(3) feel like they fit right in,
(4) be checking the diary to see if they can make another event!

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, you certainly wont be judged.

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 visit around 3 or 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 meet in the amazing New Bowling Green garden at 7:30pm and let the socialising commence.
Meet-point here... https://maps.app.goo.gl/Gi4kerViG8FsFJkH8

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

Take advantage of the free parking in the Cape Road car park which is free from 6pm on Friday, and its near to where we'll finish the tour.
Car park here... https://maps.app.goo.gl/4JSpR2ZoavrPPNP8A

Very Important Note...
A polite reminder that Friendly Faces events are for meeting new people, networking and expanding social circles. This means positive energy only.
The following 5 rules apply, as a way of safeguarding members from a few things. By attending this and any subsequent events, you agree to abide by them.

1. Friendly Faces events are not dating / singles events. Anyone engaging in persistent or unwelcomed attention towards others (either at an event or afterwards) may be removed from the group.
2. Having respect for others is non-negotiable. Anyone who is disrespectful to others (whether this is directed at members of the group or outsiders) may be removed from the group.
3. Drinking alcohol is normal (and optional) at these events, however our primary focus is on socialising, not on drinking to excess. Anyone being or becoming excessively drunk (or exhibiting drunken behaviour) may be removed from the group.
4. We are all Friendly Faces group ambassadors at the places we visit. Anyone misusing/abusing a venue/location (or the staff or property within it) may be removed from the group.
5. Our encouragement of others to attend more Friendly Faces events benefits us all. However anyone harvesting/sharing phone numbers to promote products, events, or other social groups may be removed from the group.

I feel very proud that members of the Friendly Faces group are known for being so warm and welcoming to each other (and the expectations of first-timers are often exceeded) so good times and happy vibes naturally flow at our events.
With these rules in place and acknowledged we shouldn't need to refer back to them, but we have them and can use them if needed.
With that out of the way - lets do what we do so well, and enjoy these super-sociable group experiences and meeting new people.
If we haven't met you before we are all looking forward to meeting you, and if we have met you before - we're looking forward to seeing you again!

Finally...
Your first Friendly Faces event is free.
'First-timer' attendees are always welcome to come along and check out who we are and how we do things. After that if you wish to return for another one, becoming an official subscribing group-member is necessary, so provided you're (strictly) within the permitted group age range of 25 to 55, read the details here...
https://www.meetup.com/friendlyfaces/events/305407432/