Welcome to the OFC
 The Online Fellwalking Club was founded on the 9th April 2001 at the height of the Foot and Mouth Epidemic to give fell and hillwalkers the chance to pacify their inaction during that sorry time. With the passing of the crisis the club continued to flourish. Although much of the action takes place on the Yahoo! Message Board this site will benefit strongly with input from the membership.
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 A New Year's Day ascent of Ill Bell started with a walk up valley past Kentmere Reservoir. The ascent, in worsening winter conditions, included the ascent of the mountain's north-east ridge. A second ascent the day after included carrying my downhill skis to the summit of Yoke. The resulting descent from the mountain was one of those classic memories that will live with me forever, or until the next time I do it!.... |
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 Robbie via the OFC Yahoo! message board has proposed that during 2010 a gathering be arranged somewhere in Lakeland. His initial proposal is for a camp during August 2010 where people could congregate and of course walk, talk and socialise together. Although Wasdale is Robbie's favoured location, it seems feasable in the first instance to gather interest in this idea wherever the location turns out to be. What do you think? Please read on and give your opinions... |
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 This article is certainly not fellwalking, but after overnight snow, London awoke to some snow on 18th December 2009. After a pre-Christmas errand in Leyton, a drive with a friend into Epping Forest saw a photo opportunity metamorphose into a full blown walk. With the snow on the ground and good boots on the feet, Steve and I set off into the winter wonderland of Epping Forest. |
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 During the recent flooding episode which hit Cumbria and some parts of south-west Scotland it seemed inappropriate to linger on the events and developing trauma to hit the area. Media hype has festered on the tragedy and many people watching on their TV or listening on the radio could do little but offer support directly to people they might know in the region either by e-mail or telephone. With the worst of the severe weather now over it seems appropriate to highlight the clean-up and aftermath as national media coverage begins to subside. Now that the clean-up has begun perhaps some of us may be able to offer support by way of financial contribution especially in the run-up to Christmas. If you'd like to donate - no matter how small a sum, please read on... |
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 COMPETITION: Since the centenary of Alfred Wainwright's birth in 2007, there has been a massive resurgence in interest in the man himself. With the revival of the Pictorial Guides as a result of being saved by Frances Lincoln Publisher, the recent televising of Wainwright's Walks with Julia Bradbury and the formation of the Society in his name, there has been renewed enthusiasm for anything AW. Along with Hunter Davies biography of Wainwright, this new book also announces itself as the biography of Alfred Wainwright. This review (with competition) focuses on Wainwright, His life from Milltown to Mountain by W.R.Mitchell. |
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 The OFC ascent of Great Gable for the 2009 service of Remembrance performed by the Fell and Rock Climbing Club. This year the weather held and the party ascended from Honister Hause, meeting with Richard Ratcliffe and Ben Hammond. After the service, the group retired to the Westmorland Cairn to take lunch before descending via Green Gable and Grey Knotts to Honister Hause. |
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 Roger and Ann Hiley were honoured on 8th November by the Online Fellwalking Club for all their Lakeland related activities and positive contributions in their 9 years with the OFC. As Helmut Hudler once put it, "Peter might be the brains of the OFC, but it's the Hileys who are its heart." Undoubtedly there are many fantastic members within the OFC but from the time of their subscription the energetic couple have contributed much to the camaraderie within the club. |
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 On a recent visit to Cumbria I had the fine company of Mark Richards, guidebook author and illustrator. With about 48 hours in which to travel north to Carlisle, I was welcomed as guest into the Richards' home. Although brought up in rural Oxfordshire and later a farmer himself, it as author of many outdoors' guides that Mark is best known. In later years Mark became a regular house-guest of Alfred Wainwright. To find out a little more about Mark and a walk taken together read on... |
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 A fantastic 12 mile walk was undertaken by the OFC around the Goyt Valley taking in Burbage Edge and Shining Tor on Saturday October 10th. Refreshments were taken afterwards at the Cat and Fiddle Inn, the 2nd highest pub in England. By all accounts it was another fantastic day! |
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| FROM OUR CORRESPONDENTS |
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 Winter cloud inversion and its twin brother, hoarfrost, are rather common phenomena occurring on the continent when polar cold air merges with a stable high air pressure zone. Sunshine and even warm temperatures on mountains above 600 to 1.300 m are seen above the clouds, and permanent frost beneath with pretty hoarfrost forming within the cloud zone. The air stratification being stable for up to several weeks, the edge of the clouds may however move up and down a bit, so hoarfrost zones are temporarily exposed to sunshine giving stunning impressions of a white winter wonderland. This article comprises a short explanation about the weather situation and an abstract on descriptions of two nearly identical walks under these conditions, leading from the mist zone up into sunshine and back afterwards.
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 Today I had lunch with Alan Hinkes on Helvellyn! Well, to be more accurate, I was having lunch at the summit shelter when Alan popped up with a party of climbers. Read on.......
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Site Tips
Visitors to the site will be familiar with surfing the world wide web, but to get the most out of the new site you might want to know a few useful pieces of information. Please read on here to get some tips for getting the most out of the new OFC site...
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"A big thank-you too to Peter for piecing together the latest Lost Sheep, I feel honoured to find a place in this extra special issue and serve AW's dearest cause." Mark Richards
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