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The Outdoors Show 2008 (Win a Prize!) |
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Written by Peter Burgess
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Monday, 17 March 2008 |
 Quite frankly, one long afternoon was never going to be enough to cover all the experiences at the Outdoors Show 2008. With well over 300 exhibitors spread over two massive halls at Birmingham's NEC, I was never going to get round. However, I enjoyed the event and by 5pm had begun to get a feel for the layout of the place. At this juncture I realised it would have been better to attend for at least two days and I'd recommend taking a larger rucksack. A little earlier in the proceedings I looked at a guy with a large day sack on his back and by 5.30pm I knew what it contained apart from the remains of his packed lunch, flask and freebies! I'd recommened packing for a long day on the fells - without crampons of course!!
Mountain Rescue was represented by Rossendale and Scarborough MRT and I spoke to Graham Dalley of Rossendale and Pendle Mountain Rescue Team (www.rpmrt.org.uk ) who was very pleased to hear about the fundraising efforts of the OFC. I did suggest that we could support RPMRT in the future. When you watch the video however, you will notice the latest piece of kit donated by GM in the form of a Hummer - it's just not the same!
On arrival at the lower hall, I could immediately smell hops! Wandering over to the Jennings Cumberland Pub I enjoyed a decent pint of beer from the north.
In the meantime, I also became interested in a walking site that may, in the future be of interest to members of the OFC. Sadly, on perusal at home, the site presently has an annoying flash media introduction and accessing the various features is not immediately obvious. I will be contacting Mountain Sites UK in the near future to gain more information about the site as it has the potential to be a really useful resource. Perhaps we could produce something similar?
I had considered attending a talk whilst at the show, and although I met Doug Scott (the first British guy to summit Everest) I only managed to catch the last talk of the show in the same venue where Mark Richards had spoken on Friday 14th.
Bob Davey of Edale MRT gave an informative discussion on a typical 'shout' for the unitiated and a questions and answers sessions was held afterwards.
As the show quietened down I perused the stalls at my leisure and in some cases gear was being sold off at well below RRP. Even the bread stall was selling of items for three for a £1! I'd recommend hanging around after 5pm if you attend in 2009.
 I did make sure I visited the Cicerone (www.cicerone.co.uk ) stall to see the great new book by Mark Richards - Great Mountain Days in Lakeland . Mark had already presented a talk on Friday which was very well received. I have to say I was immediately impressed by the new book which really had a fresh look to it. My initial reaction was that it looked different to the norm. I look forward to getting my copy in the near future and not just because I have a credit to a photograph in there! Sarah Spencer of Cicerone was very pleased that the OFC might make reciprocal links and thereby give members money off the RRP of their excellent guides.
There were other activities in the day, such as a display by the Royal Marine Commandos and a fantastic climbing course where the participants had the chance to win a cash prize and car! All-in-all it was a great day and I'd heartily recommend you visit in the future. I'm even sure I saw Roger Hiley 'Going Ape' but that might just have been the Jennings' influence! Watch the video below to find out what I'm on about.
On a final note, I will be investigating the costs of a stall for next year's show and would actively like to get involved in promoting the OFC. I think this would be a great chance to promote not only the OFC but also raise the profile of other's fantastic sites in a collegiate kind of way.
 Along with this article, I would like to give readers the chance to win a small give away prize of a few bits and pieces I picked up in Birmingham. To get the chance to win a 'spork', a fantastic wildlife calendar and other exciting artefacts like a Jennings beer mat, then please send your answer to the following question:-
"Which member of the OFC spoke at the Outdoors Show this year?"
Please submit your answer (with your name and address) to the usual contact at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
(see bottom of this page). Alternatively you may use snail-mail. Please enter or be cursed by a thousand ravens!
Watch the Youtube presentation to see some of the show:
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| HAVE YOU SEEN? |
 As a child growing up, I was always proud to be Lancastrian. On one of my earliest trips to Lakeland I remember stopping at the summit of Wrynose Pass in my friend's Volkswagon camper. I guess the year must've been about 1979, but it was the monolith of limestone near the summit of the motor road that caught my interest. Seeing LANCASHIRE emblazened across it was obvious to a child, but it was the L, W and R embedded in the grass that had me intrigued. "They stand for Lancashire, Cumberland and Westmorland", I was told by my friend's father. With hindsight, it's the first recollection I have of taking note of that word. I'd been to Kendal and of course driven through the old county of Westmorland on many an occasion, but this piece of limestone at the summit of the infamous pass has become somewhat of a pilgrimage point for me - a kind of qiblah whilst I'm exiled in London! |
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 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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