This section is devoted to the membership of the Online Fellwalking Club.  Here you will find much to link you with other members of the club and share in each other's experiences.  Since its inception, the membership has made the OFC what it is - a great place to be. Please feel free to contact us and include your own selections and articles.

A selection of the latest items from our Club Members is shown below:

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    Dale Head
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    Polly completes her 214
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    Birkhouse Moor
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    With Wasdale MRT - Remembrance Sunday, 2005
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    Helm Crag
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    New OFC website launch (23 August 2007)
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    AW Centenary Walk - Pendle (Jan 2007)
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    With Jos Naylor - Fellrunning legend!
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    Drinks in the Unicorn, Ambleside
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    Ascent of Skiddaw, February 2003
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    OFC on Ullock Pike
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    Roger Hiley leads a walk up Haystacks
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    At Cockermouth MRT Base Presenting £400
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    The OFC Photographers!
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    A Kentmere Round with Austrian member, Helmut Hudler
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    Ascent of Low Fell before the Inaugural Dinner 2nd Sep 2006
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    Pendle Summit - The Wainwright Memorial Walk
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    3rd Club Meet - An Ascent of Rannerdale Knotts
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    The Highest Book Launch in the Land!
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    Ben Hammond et al - Remembrance Sunday
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    Housesteads Fort, Christmas 2002
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    First OFC Club meet
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    High Pike on the occasion of the AW Society Inaugural Meeting
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    Honister meet August 2007
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    Hunter Davies - The OFC Inaugural Dinner
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    Lost Sheep 6 - Launch August 2007
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    Channel 4 Roman Walk - Traverse of High Street
Greystoke Village Meeting on Berrier Hill Windfarm Print
Written by Mark Richards   
Thursday, 27 September 2007

Say No to Berrier Wind FarmI attended a village meeting at Greystoke last night, attended by in excess of ninety people. The overwhelming majority parishioners, but people from quite a wide area came too, knowing the implications of proliferation. The knowledgeable speaker was Dr Mike Hall from FELLS (Friends of Eden, Lakeland and Lunesdale Scenery - www.fells.info).

The topic has far-ranging implications on our greater landscape integrity. Wind farms only go to show the major dilemma facing politicians seeking to maintain more than a base level of energy for our modern society. They contribute such an insignificant proportion of needed electricity. All accept that the carbon footprint of the manufacture and installation cannot be reclaimed in their working life. When they become obsolete the 1000 tonne concrete base to each turbine is so massive that it can only be soiled over.

Lord Sainsbury in a written answer to the House of Lord's select committee stated that to achieve the agreed proportion of renewable energy from wind farms, Britain would need to erect 15,000 turbines. They operate at under 30% efficiency. Lambrigg wind cluster, a comparable site to Berrier, has a year-round load factor efficiency of 24%. You can understand why I, and any right thinking person, would make strenuous efforts to fight of this alien invasion.

A landscape devoid of wind farms allows the eyes liberty to gaze at will. A landscape containing a wind farm, no matter the number of turbines, capture every glance, animated, conspicuous, discordant, dominant, dragged into full frame from peripheral vision, they shackle the view. They have so many minuses, there are no mitigating virtues to justify their imposition on our land. Quite simply they are political lip-service. I can offer Sean's perspective no fence for sanctuary.

You can download a four page feature as a PDF here (310KB)




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Dow Crag by South Rake
Read more... The continued good fortune of being in Cumbria along with good weather, continued again on this outing, as a few OFC again gathered in Coniston.  My intentions were not to stay in Coniston, but with £100 to give to Coniston MRT it seemed logical to overnight in Coniston for two nights in order to make the best of my time.  Robbie K had already contacted me to say he would join me and Lorraine also hinted at a walk out.  However, as with all things, matters can change but I was mighty pleased when those who said they would walk did so.  Along with myself, Robbie, Lorraine and even Steven P joined me on the long ascent of the Walna Scar Road from the village.  It really was a magic morning!
 
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Read more... Modern life takes it's toll on family relationships. Alan Nolan and his son, Ian, found themselves distanced from each other following Alan's divorce from his son's mother. For 20 years, they were apart.  Ian lived in Italy and Alan in the UK.  We were separated by a physical as well as an emotional distance, recalls Alan, who was determined to reignite the bond with his son.
 
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Read more... Having a brand is the new buzz word and I am afraid that AW has become a brand.  Sadly, and I am sure he would hate this, when people mention AW in fellwalking circles, their ears prick up.  Of course AW is to be admired, but when people start to abuse this name many years after his death I begin to feel that they might just have lost the plot.  Although for anyone unfamiliar to AW, this book might be useful, however to most of us I think that investment in a very large barge pole will be the order.  I don't want to slate the company that saved the Wainwright guides but come on Frances Lincoln, let's have some originality if you are going to use the great fellwalker's name to sell a book!
 
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"I'd just like to say what a great weekend it has been and thanks to everyone who made it such a great time." Liz Lemal on the Honister 2007 weekend