Advice and Reviews from the OFC http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:53:04 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/images/M_images/ofc_logo_75.png http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk Advice and Reviews from the OFC http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=511&Itemid=38 This is an article looking at the booklet, Southwold Town Trail - The Hunt for King Edmund's Crown . This is a town trail, devised by Peter Burgess, a secondary school teacher by trade, and adult educationalist, Steve Button. The trail focusses on the delectable Suffolk town of Southwold. The Trail is intended to guide you around Southwold seeking out information in order to solve clues and thereby gain the key to your final quest and task. All those successful on the trail receive a certificate of completion. Read on to find out more and buy your own copy.... Thu, 01 Apr 2010 00:37:03 +0100 http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=507&Itemid=40 Simon and Monica Cunningham left Bristol in June 2008 to relocate to the Abruzzo region of Italy. For those not in the know, Abruzzo (pronounced [a'bruttso]) is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than 50 miles due east of Rome. In a series of articles Simon describes, the roller coaster ride they have undertaken to move to this naturally stunning region of Italy and continues our recent tranche of articles covering mountains in other parts of Europe. Fri, 05 Mar 2010 02:43:06 +0100 http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=496&Itemid=38 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. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:44:43 +0100 http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=475&Itemid=92 When Peter Burgess asked for suggestions for a future OFC survey I thought of the major waters of the Lake District, the limit of twelve for survey purposes would be, I naively believed, of no great obstacle.This article introduces an OFC online poll with related links to find out more about The English Lake District's other inspiring subject apart from the fells..... Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:00:00 +0100 http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=478&Itemid=40 From what I have perceived within the fellwalking fraternity, as well as the pastime of walking there is also another hidden agenda within this seeming conservative group. Whether AW was a member I cannot tell, but I know that others, including myself, partake in this secretive activity whilst out in the fells. This article examines this less well known pastime which to date seems more akin to some taboo rather than the fantastic experience it is. You might wonder whether it's some Masonic rite or hitherto unheard of Mithraic ritual, but to find out if you're a member of this more exclusive fell related club then do read on. Fri, 10 Jul 2009 01:52:54 +0100 http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=476&Itemid=38 With the advent of a recent poll examining people's favourite lakes proposed by David Dimmock, I thought it a good prompt to review an excellent book portraying charts of the English Lakes. Remarkably, despite the name, most books on our beloved district encompass the high fells and walking. However, John Wilson Parker has gone some way to correct the balance with this excellent atlas. It really is a worthy addition to the shelf... Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:06:25 +0100 http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=468&Itemid=38 For my birthday in 2009 I was given a book which, as a geographer, I undoubtedly had an interest for. No doubt my partner thought I had been purchased the ultimate geographical book. Maps are a prerequisite for the fellwalker although AW famously lacked one in his backpack. However, like many fellwalkers, I grew up with an innate interest in maps and like the author of this book used to spend my time scanning my gaze across them no doubt at the expense of some literary classic. I started reading the book Map Addict with great anticipation. Would it prove an interesting read with new insights into the cartographic world or a bland forey into the dusty world of antique maps? There was only one answer and that was to read the book which I did in two sittings.... Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:02:11 +0100 http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=452&Itemid=40 Lakeland’s greatest untapped energy resource – its fast-flowing rivers and streams – could fulfil a major role in providing green power thanks to a proposed shift in Government policy. The British Govenment's Renewable Obligation has breathed new life into the UK hydropower sector. The development of a 315 kWe micro-hydro power plant in Church Beck, Coniston now has the potential to supply 290 homes with virtually no environment detrement. For the first time in about 40 years, a scheme in Coppermines Valley is producing green electricity. Read this article to find out more about hydro power in Lakeland and an audio visual presentation of how the scheme works... Mon, 09 Mar 2009 01:28:00 +0100 http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=439&Itemid=38 On one of my trips ‘north’ I had the good fortune to meet one of those people who to me represents the grassroots of the Cumbrian celebratory. Of course, amongst the climbing fraternity, Bill is famous as not only the son of Lakeland pioneer cragsman Jim Birkett, but also as a fine climber and author in his own right. In 2008 this book won best illustration and presentation and was runner-up 'Lakeland Book of the Year'... Wed, 04 Feb 2009 00:36:47 +0100 http://www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=434&Itemid=92 This article originally appeared in issue 6 of The Lost Sheep in 2007, p38. Peter Dickinson BSc (pictured left) included the article in the 'Ask the Geographer' section of that issue. Cloud inversions at or near ground level are one of the most striking weather phenomena in the Lakes. Nothing can beat setting off on a cold, dark, damp morning, and when you crest the final incline you are greeted by ‘islands’ poking through the sea of white. Stunning! So how does it form? Mon, 02 Feb 2009 00:14:15 +0100