On the 17th February, the government announced that it was to perform a
u-turn when it abandoned plans to sell 258,000 hectares of state-owned woodland in England. This would have been a total of 85% on top of the 15% they are already allowed to sell off, when in the public need. This announcement came from Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman in the House of Commons, a speech in which she admitted to being wrong and apologised. A good many walkers and outdoor enthusiasts were then able to breathe a huge sigh of relief! So, are we out of the woods yet?
Mary Creagh MP
This is my first blog post, and though it is not my first attempt to use English I’ll apologise in advance for the incorrect grammar, spelling, typos and general idiocy that this post will surely exhibit!
The point of this particular post is to discuss the Bogle Stroll 2011 that I have signed myself up for. The event is taking place at 7pm on Friday March 4th 2011. The Bogle Stroll 2011 is organised by Manchester RAG (Raise and Give), which is a part of the University of Manchester Students Union, an excellent organisation that oversees and supports charity fundraising by Manchester Students.
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Continuing our series of interviews with polar explorers and adventurers, such as Dixie Dansercoer and Mikael Strandberg, we have recently had the pleasure of interviewing Chris Foot, arguably the most self-demanding man to reach the South Pole on foot.
Solo, unassisted and unsupported, Chris Foot had to carry and drag everything he needed for the entire expedition.
During the 2010 / 2011 summer season in Antarctica, polar explorer Chris Foot made an attempt to become the first person to travel solo, unsupported and unassisted to travel from Hercules Inlet to the South Pole and back.
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Unless you’ve had your head in the sand over the past few weeks we have all heard about the changes to the Public Bodies Bill which will mean that the government can sell off up to 85% of our forests, without protection for access or biodiversity. This as many of us agree cannot be allowed to happen, these woodlands are part of our national heritage and are loved by the British public.
Cycling in the Forest of Dean - Source: GeoGraph
Noel Sofley is a downhill mountain biker from Northern Ireland. He recently contacted us with a view to raising both his profile and that of his sponsor, KOBC. Here at CheapTents we like to give some exposure to up and coming outdoor athletes, so we asked Noel to tell us about his passion for mountain biking, his achievements and his goals in his favourite sport…
Noel Sofley with his MTB
Noel got his first inspiration for mountain biking at the age of 9, when he picked up a copy of
Mountain Biking UK magazine in his local newsagents.
I felt a buzz and felt amazing! I just wanted to try it, which I did and it stuck with me ever since.
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The International Mountaineering and Climbing Federation UIAA have produced an instructional video about ice climbing which they have posted on YouTube and is embedded below. It is called Basic Ice Climbing and is presented by four-time world champion ice climber Ines Papert. Considered the best female ice climber in the world, Ines Papert specialises in climbing frozen waterfalls, so she certainly has the necessary credentials for the ice climbing instruction.
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Mike Kloser never stops training. This is his idea of just hanging around!
Mike Kloser is one of the world’s top endurance athletes. He is an Adventure Racing and Mountain Biking World Champion. Among his many achievements, Mike has won the AR World Championships 5 times, Eco Challenge 3 times and Primal Quest 5 times. Before taking up Adventure Racing, Mike Kloser was a dedicated Mountain Biker and won a gold and two silvers at the MTB World Championships. With a whole host of championship titles for endurance sport events, Mike Kloser is an outstanding athlete with a passion for competing in, and winning, epic races.
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Mount Everest, Eric Larsen's Third Pole. Source: Flickr by watchsmart
Earlier today polar explorer
Eric Larsen summitted Mount Everest, the third pole in his three pole challenge. Along with the Arctic North pole and the Antarctic South Pole, the
summit of Everest is referred to as the third pole. Whilst taking on the challenge of reaching each of these specific points may not be a new one, Eric Larsen has achieved his goal in a single year. It is also worth noting that Eric and his Sherpa guides are the only Everest summitteers in the Autumn season this year.
The main purpose of the three Poles challenge is to highlight the importance of these icy environments to the planet and the wildlife that they support:
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Swiss Alpinist and speed climber Ueli Steck is famous for his fast and lightweight approach to the world’s hardest and highest mountains. Sponsored by Petzl, Scarpa, Leki and Mountain Hardware, Ueli Steck has set the speed record for the Matterhorn (1 hour 56 minutes), Grandes Jorasses (2 hours 21 minutes) and the North Face of the Eiger (2 hours 47 minutes). Has has also summitted Gasherbrum II (8035m) and soloed Makalu west pillar (8463m).
Speed climber Ueli Steck climbed the Matterhorn in 1 hour 56 minutes. Source: Flickr by Jeff Pang.
When Mark Moxon isn’t working on web development projects for the likes of the BBC and the Victoria and Albert Museum, he puts on his walking boots and sets off on hiking and travelling expeditions. Mark has travelled extensively in West Africa and the Far East, to countries including Senegal, the Gambia, Burkina Faso, French Polynesia and Australia. He has done a number of long distance hikes in far flung parts of the world such as Indonesia, Malaysia and New Zealand. Back in the UK, Mark has walked from Land’s End to John O’Groats (LEJOG) and in 2008 he embarked on a fascinating, 500 mile urban walk following the routes of all the London Underground train lines.
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