Let us know what you think of these apps, or suggest some other apps

Before we start, don’t forget Google Maps on the Android is also an amazing app and is really quite powerful.

Google Sky Map

If you’ve ever found yourself staring up at the night sky and pondering the names of the various stars and constellations then Google Sky Map is just what you need.

The application is incredibly simple to use, when you switch on the app it finds your location and the direction the phone is pointing (using GPS or cell location, the digital compass and the accelerometer) and displays a real-time annotated map of the night sky. As you move around the sky map moves with you, providing an augmented reality view of the sky, showing the brightest naked-eye stars, planets, sun and moon, constellation lines, horizon, cardinal points, and Messier Objects

Sky map also provides you with a search tool, simply type in the name of the object you are looking to find. An on-screen pointer then appears and leads you to the object you were looking for. Sky Map does not require a data connection which is definitely an advantage when out and about in remote locations where 3G coverage is limited. Layers? You can toggle viewing modes for day/night as well.

Peak.ar

Peak.ar is a fun augmented reality app which annotates the names and relative heights of mountains onto a live camera feed.  Again this application doesn’t require internet connectivity except for the first time the app is used when it downloads a database with the peak information. The database has reasonably good coverage of the UK with most major areas being well covered.  You can also set your line of sight distance to only display peaks within a certain range as well as being able to get a map view of the locations of surrounding peaks (although this requires data connectivity as it uses google maps) . Overall its a fun, very well made application although its probably not of that much real use to any serious outdoor person.

Kinomap

This is a really fun app that basically geotags video. Kinomap is really simple to use you just press the record button and start filming your, walk, bike ride or anything else you want. Press stop when you are done recording and then click the send button to upload.  You then have to select the video and gpx track you want to upload. Here you can add the title and description to be displayed alongside the video on the website as well as setting the mode of transport from which there is a long list to choose from including kayak, skateboard, bob sleigh and model plane alongside more conventional modes of transport.  You can also set the video to be private so that it is not publicly displayed. Then all you have to do is upload the video. This is obviously best done over a wifi connection as it will take a very long time using mobile internet. After the upload is complete you will receive an email with a link to you video when it is ready to be viewed on the internet.

The website itself presents you with a view of the video, the GPS track overlaid on google maps and a graph of speed and altitude along with some other statistics. Clicking on a position on the video, map or graph will then update the others to the same point making navigating through the timelines a fun interactive process.

Overall I think this is an absolutely brilliant application the only downfall is that the supplied instructions are rather poor but considering its so easy to use it isn’t really a big issue.

myTracks

myTracks is a GPS mapping and performance analysis app for android. My Tracks plots runs, cycles, kayak trips and anything else to custom Google Maps or a Google docs spreadsheet.  Using the app couldn’t be easier you press a button to start recording your activity and another to stop. The app also displays live statistics of your current speed, total distance and time and elevation along with your current location on a map. When you’ve done recording you can easily upload the route details and statistics to a google document, create a google map for your route and share all the information with friends.  My Tracks is a great tool for analysising your preformance especially when training but also can be used to let you easily create records and maps of walks and hikes. The only problem with mytracks is that it will quickly use up you battery.

Don’t forget if you’ve an app suggestion or have a comment about an app mentioned above, leave a comment below.

The Travel Trekker Pro 70 + 17 consists of a large 70 litre rucksack and a small 17 litre daysack. The travel daysack fits snuggly onto the back of the rucksack, secured by clips and is semi-covered by protective flaps, described by Lowe Alpine as a clamshell pouch. This clever design will help to protect the daysack from being accidentally torn off the main rucksack whilst your luggage is being man-handled during your travels.

The ultimate adventure travellers bag. The TFX Travel adjustable back system ensures comfort when carrying heavy loads and yet folds flat for mechanised transportation. The Pro comes with a small day bag for city tours and day hikes. Lowe Alpine.

Travel Trekker Pro 70 – Main Rucksack

There are two carrying handles, one on the top of the rucksack and one on the side. These handles feel strong, and with ample padding so that the bag can be picked up quite comfortably. There is also a detachable strap that enables you to sling the rucksack over your shoulder, so that you can easily carry your travel luggage around when the proper back system is stowed away. However, this strap and its clips seem a bit flimsy.

Lowe Alpine Travel Trekker Pro 70 + 17 Rucksack: The best travel luggage!

Lowe Alpine TFX Travel Back System

The back system is Lowe Alpine’s TFX Travel back system, which can be shut away underneath a zippered panel. When the panel is unzipped it can be rolled up and stored away behind a velcro fastening. It is a little awkward to roll the panel and stuff it away, but having the panel eliminates the risk of the shoulder and waist straps from being accidentally torn off during baggage handling, so it is worth the inconvenience.

The back system itself consists of height adjustable shoulder straps and waist straps. These padded straps are quite stiff but surprisingly comfortable, even when the rucksack is fully loaded up. Adjusting the height of the shoulder straps is relatively simple: unclip the cover and slide the shoulder harness up or down as required, using a wide strap. There are markings to give an indication of where shoulder harness should be for a person of your height. The shoulder straps have tension adjusters and clips so that you can attach the travel daysack in front of you. There is also a chest strap which has a plastic buckle with a built in whistle. With all these features, the TFX back system makes the pack suitable for hiking and is far more than just a means of carrying the rucksack through the airport or across the station.

Rucksack Pockets and Storage

The rucksack has a generous 70 litre storage capacity and is opened by a zipper that runs around the pack in such a way that it opens up like a suitcase. It is possible to lock the zip together with a padlock, providing some security for your luggage.

The Travel Trekker opens like a suitcase and has plenty of pockets

Inside the main compartment of the travel backpack there is a big mesh pocket on the back of the lid, handy for storing dirty clothes. There are also two smaller pockets along the sides that connect together with a clip, which can help to keep your gear tidy. One of these is a mesh pocket and the other is not. Finally there is a large circular bucket pocket which closes with a draw cord. These pockets and compartments enable you to keep your gear reasonably organised without losing the large empty space that you would be use to if using a suitcase. There are also compression straps on the outside of the rucksack, just in case you have some space in your bag when embarking on your travels!

Backpack Luggage Features

It is made from “N630, 1680 Poly Ballistic” Fabric, which is fairly tough, yet still flexible. At 3.5 kg it is a relatively lightweight when compared to other popular luggage such as large wheeled suitcases, but heavier than backpacking rucksacks of a similar size.

A rucksack rain cover is stored in a small pocket at the top of the rucksack, where it is handy for quick deployment to cover your backpack should you encounter a sudden downpour.

There is also a large mesh stash pocket at the front, underneath the daysack storage clamshell.

Travel Trekker Pro 70 – 17 litre Daysack

The travel day pack has a number of features that are particularly suitable for the traveller. There is a hole at the top for a head phone cable with a pocket just inside for your iPod or mp3 player. There are also two secret pockets, one on the front and one at the back, which are ideal for keeping your passport, tickets and other important travel documents. The secret pocket at the front also contains a clip for attaching your keys. As with the large part of the rucksack, it is possible to secure the zipper with a padlock.

There are two mesh pockets on either side of the daysack and a compression strap. The only disappointing feature are the straps, which are very lightly padded and not really suitable for spending a whole day carrying the daysack sightseeing around a city or on a short hike. A small waist strap would also be a welcome addition, if for example you were going on a day hike or cycle ride.

Lowe Alpine Travel Trekker Pro 70 + 17 Review Summary

The Travel Trekker Pro 70 + 17 from Lowe Alpine is a well thought out rucksack which is ideal for gap year and world travel luggage. The large 70 litre backpack has a solid, comfortable and stowable back system with suitcase opening. The 17 litre travel day pack fits securely onto the main rucksack and includes features specifically for the traveller such as secret pockets. The shoulder straps on the daysack could be improved but would be acceptable for most people.

Have you got a Lowe Alpine Travel Trekker Pro 70 + 17 or similar rucksack? What backpacking luggage would you recommend? Tell us what do you think and add to the review. Click on “comments” and let us know!

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www.lakedistrictwalks.com

General / Searching for a Walk

John Dawson’s Lake District Walks is a veteran walking website with a classic, straightforward design. It contains 40 hikes in the Lake District and over 300 photographs taken en route. The walks can be found using an index that is subdivided into sections of the Lake District based on the location of the walk. These are north, north east, east, south east, etc. and The Howgills. Each walk within these sections is identified by the name(s) of the major peaks on the route, or the name of the walking route, e.g. Fairfield Horseshoe. Each walk has a brief list of the summits and points of note along the walking route, the grid reference of the start and finish point, the total distance, total ascent and equivalent distance. All of the walks are circular, except of the Morecombe Bay Crossing.

The English Lake District is the most beautiful natural terrain I know. In 1990 I was fortunate enough to be able to come to live here permanently and walk the Lakeland fells to my heart’s content. This site is dedicated to all those who explore the area on foot. John Dawson.

There is an index of photographs listing each photo in alphabetical order, with the photo name including the main object of the photo and where the photo was taken from. Most of the photos can be viewed in small or large versions, whilst some others have a zoom-in feature. There are also a number of panoramas. These are very useful if you are planning a hike and want to get an idea about a particular part of the terrain, or if you just want to look at photos of great Lakeland scenery. Each photo page has a link to hikes that are relevant to the photo.

The search facility is useful for searching for specific locations such as Taylorgill Force. Searching for names of the highest or most popular peaks, e.g. Scafell Pike, Bowfell or Blencartha, gives too many results since these are mentioned on lots of webpages within the site.

Navigation around the website could be improved. There is a small navigation bar near the bottom of each page, which is obscured by banner adverts. The navigation bar only contains links to the Title Page, Walks Index, Photo Index and Site Search. There are a few pages listed at the top of the photo index page that I would have missed seeing, had I not looked at the photo index.

www.lakedistrictwalks.com - lots of great hikes throughout the English Lake District

Walk Descriptions

Clicking through to the webpage for an individual walking route gives you a repeat of the summary, the option to view the route on an OS Map and a list of route grid references. You can also view the route mapped onto satellite images which have been added to the website ShareMyRoutes.com.

Next there are “Escape Routes” that enable you to make the walking route shorter or abandon the hike in the case of fatigue and/or bad weather.

The Lake District, arguably the best place to go walking in England. Source: Flickr by dullhunk.

Following this heading section comes the route description. The navigational information is quite detailed and there are helpful comments about the difficulty of the terrain. Links to pages containing photographs are contained within the walk description. The descriptions of the photographs state where the photo was taken from and often identify many of the peaks and summits that can be seen.

As well as Lake District walks there are also hikes and trekking routes in Turkey and Cyprus.

GPS waypoint data is provided for some of the walking routes.

There is a fair amount of advertising in the form of banners and Google Ads.

Summary – lakedistrictwalks.com

John Dawson’s has walked many of the fells in the Lakes. He is obviously passionate about the area and knows it well. Consequently this walking website is very comprehensive. The walk descriptions and maps provide detailed and helpful information.

The equivalent distance calculated for each walk provide a useful indication of the severity of the walk. The photograph index is very useful for identifying Lakeland Peaks and looking at views the Lake District.

If you are going hiking in the Lake District then lakedistrictwalks.com is definitely worth looking at.

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www.walkit.com

The urban walking route planner

Whilst walkit.com does cover the most of the UK, it is region specific in as much as it a walking route planner for a the urban environment. The aim is to help people who live in cities get some exercise and reduce their carbon footprint. It differs from other walking route planners because it dynamically creates walking routes in much the same way as on-line car journey planners. So for example you can you use it to help you plan a walking route to work, the pub, the shops or your friend’s house etc. The design of www.walkit.com is uncluttered and allows ease of use, although it could benefit from a photograph or two to help provide inspiration to get people walking.

Walks can be found in the urban environment, for example along a canal towpath. Source: Geograph.co.uk. © Copyright Robin Hall and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons Licence.

To create an urban walking route you must first select your city from a drop down menu. You can then enter your start and finish locations as well as adding any additional places that you wish to travel via. It is possible to use place names or postcodes. Then you can choose between a “direct route” or a “less busy” route. There is also a “low pollution” route available for some places.

The direct route generally keeps to main roads, whereas the less busy route utilises minor roads, footpaths and canal towpaths. There are lots of urban footpaths programmed into the walkit.com database so it is often possible to find short cuts and road free routes.

The route is then displayed on a scalable map on the right hand side of the screen, with numbered navigation instructions down the left hand side of the screen. Clicking the navigation link shows you the location for that instruction on the map.

In some places the navigational description gives additional information such as:

Go to the right around the roundabout, 1/2 kilometre on, and then turn off onto PARLIAMENT SQUARE, heading north. You’ll pass BLACKBIRD BAR OR PUB, pass CAFE ROUGE RESTAURANT and then pass ZEROS NIGHTCLUB.

Above the map is a table showing the distance in miles, kilometres and steps, the time it will take and how many calories you will burn up walking at fast, medium and slow speeds, and the amount of CO2 saved by walking compared to taking the car, bus and train, tube or metro.

An elevation chart is also shown. For the routes I was looking at the scale was too large and the elevation chart showed a flat line.

www.walkit.com - creates walking routes along footpaths and towpaths in the city.

One useful feature is that you can create a circular walk. To do this enter a starting point, your walking speed of either 2, 3 or 4 miles per hour and the length of time that you wish to walk for. The suggested walks encompass footpaths instead of roads where possible. The only drawback is that for a given set of choices only one possible walk is suggested.

There are three large advertising banners on the website. Ironically whilst I was on the walkit.com website the banners were advertising the new Mini!

The walkit.com website is being developed and they have a prominent invitation for people to suggest improvements.

Summary – walkit.com

The idea behind this website is a good one and overall the functionality is quite impressive. Since walkit.com enables you to plan a walk to and from places that you normally go to, you have no excuse for not leaving the car at home and getting some exercise!

Possible improvements could include points of interest along the walks, for example if there is a statue or monument, building with interesting architecture, gardens or one of the blue plaques that indicate a historical fact about a particular place.

At present there are no cities located in Wales or Northern Ireland, however the walkit.com website is expanding.

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www.walkni.com

Northern Ireland offers plenty of hiking opportunities, for example in the Mourne Mountains. Source: Flickr by Ryan McD

General / Searching for a Walk

The www.walkni.com homepage has an engaging design with interactive search features and a useful weather forecast. There is clickable map of Northern Ireland that enables you to view walking routes in each county. If you click on a county the walk locations appear on the map and are listed in a table. The table includes a brief description of the walk, the distance and the nearest town. It would be useful if the table contained grading information in based on the terrain and ascent of the walks.

You can switch between short, medium and long walks by clicking on the relevant tab. For short and medium walks the start location appears as a blue circle on the map. For the long walks, the whole route appears as a grey line on the map, which are not all immediately visible.

Alternatively, from the homepage, you can choose a walk based on length by following the signpost. Here walks are divided into five categories:

• Walking Areas – e.g. Sperrins, Mourne Mountains
• Short – up to 5 miles
• Medium – between 5 miles and 20 miles
• Long – over 20 miles
• The Ulster Way – a circular route around Northern Ireland

Within the walking areas the walks are grouped into Fermanagh, Mourne Mountains, North Coast & Glens of Antrim, Sperrin Mountains and Strangford.

Clicking through by walk length shows a map with all the walks of your chosen distance by county. Click on the tabs to choose between Antrim, Armagh, Down, Fermanagh, Londonderry and Tyrone.

The whole walking route of the Ulster Way is also available on www.walkni.com. The Ulster Way is divided into two types of section, quality sections which are waymarked through the countryside and link sections which are mainly road based, for which taking public transport is recommended.

www.walkni.com: the Official Website of the new Ulster Way – a 625 mile (1000 km) circular long distance walking route that is one of the longest in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

There is a quick search facility on the top right hand side of the navigation bar and an advanced search accessed through the menu bar. The advanced search lets you choose county, length, linear or circular and walking route type, e.g. coastal, hall, woodland etc. The search results are automatically ordered by name but it is possible to re-order them by distance or nearest town which is useful.

Some walks are identified as quality walks. A quality walk has car parking, toilets and information on the walk at the trailhead, there are way marked signs along the trail route, the walk is through scenic landscapes and the walk is suitable for the tourist market.

There are no adverts, however there is a prominent banner with the logos and links to other Northern Irish outdoors websites. Other than www.walkni.com has a design that is pleasing on the eye.

walkni.com - walking route planner for Northern Ireland

Walk Descriptions

Each walk has a table of boxes summarising the route including information such as county, distance, terrain, route type, route shape, start and finish grid reference and the name of the relevant OS map. There is a brief description of the walk and a note about whether there are any points of interest. The main walking route descriptions are quite detailed and give information about the terrain.

For some of the walks there are PDF files with good quality black and white 1:25,000 maps showing the walking route in red. Other walks have simple sketch maps.

Each walk has a picture gallery of thumbnail photographs. The maximum number of thumbnails displayed on the walk description page is three, however clicking onto one of the thumbnails opens a light box where there may be many more photographs of the stunning Northern Irish countryside.

There is not any GPS waypoint data available to download on www.walkni.com, which is surprising since the general quality of this walking route planner is high and overall it has been well designed.

It is possible to leave comments about a walk and suggest new walks to be included in the Northen Ireland walking route planner.

Summary – walkni.com

This is a well presented walking planner website. The use of maps makes it easy to locate walks, although it takes a little while to find your way around the tabs. The walking route descriptions are detailed but could benefit from including more about the points of interest. The walkni.com walking route planner could be further improved with a difficulty rating for each walk and GPS waypoints.

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The award winning and much loved ME Kongur at £252 is a lot of money, so why wouldn

Breathable waterproof fabrics such as Gore Tex, eVent and Gelanots are highly technical and can be expensive. So it is not surprising that there are numerous products on the market that claim to protect and prolong the life of waterproof clothing. Is it necessary to use these fabric care products or will my waterproofs be ok as long as I simply look after them?

In this post we’re going to look at how best to care for breathable waterproof fabric by categorising garment care into three areas. They are storage, cleaning and re-proofing.

Before looking at these areas of fabric care, a brief sortie into the science of breathable waterproof fabrics is needed to answer the question of why do my jacket and over-trousers need so much TLC?

Why look after Breathable Waterproof Fabric?

If breathable waterproof fabrics are not looked after you will see a reduction in the performance life span of your clothing. To keep your waterproof jacket and trousers in tip top shape there are two main areas to look out for. They are protecting the durable water resistant outer layer and keeping your clothing clean.

Breathable waterproof fabrics (Gore-Tex, eVent and Gelanots) are made up of a number of layers, for simplicity we only need to look at two. These being

1. Waterproof membrane
2. Durable water resistant (DWR) layer.

The waterproof membrane is exactly this, a membrane that does not allow water to pass from the clothing to the skin, whilst allowing your sweat to pass out into the atmosphere.

A simple animation explaining how Gore-Tex works

DWR waterproofing provides water repellency by making water bead on the outside of the fabric, thus stopping water soaking into the outer layers. Without the DWR layer your clothes will still be “waterproof” and you will not get wet from external water. But by repelling water, the DWR layer allows all the layers to breath. If layers cannot breath the heat and perspiration from movement is trapped inside the clothing and turns into condensation. This makes you feel wet and probably very uncomfortable. This is why it is important to use fabric care products such as re-proofing and re-conditioning agents.

Dirt is the other major enemy of water proof fabrics, heavy or prolonged soiling clogs up the fabric, thus reducing breathability and increasing moisture that is trapped inside, a secondary effect of dirt it the abrasion is causes on DWR layer, this is why it is essential to keep your waterproof clothes as clean as possible.

Storage

Most people seem to store smaller waterproofs in a stuff sack or in their rucksack and so long as it is a dry clean environment then this is fine, in an ideal world putting your waterproof clothing away properly is best. Coats and jackets need to be hung in clean dry place, a clothes hanger which distributes the garments weight more evenly is advised.

Cleaning

Keeping waterproofed products clean is vital because dirt impedes the beading of water and breathability. Always make sure that your clean your jacket or trousers when you have finished using them. Simply shake any dust particles off and if needed clean small amounts of dirt off with a damp cloth or, if it is dried in dirt clean with a soft brush. All cleaning will degrade the DWR a little as cleaning is abrasive, but this reduction in water repellency is less than if you leave the item dirty.

Like all clothing, waterproof products have to be washed from time to time especially after heavy soiling. Using the manufactures washing and drying instructions is best. (As in the unlikely event you product is faulty you can not be blamed for its failure.) But for those of us who don’t read instructions, never use Non-Biological washing products as they will strip off the DWR layers. If you don’t use the recommended washing brand (normally Nikwax or Grangers) use biological soap flakes with no perfume, detergent or softeners.

Non-detergent, biological treatment such as Nikwax Tech Wash are designed to protect waterproof fabrics especially DWR layers whilst removing dirt and contamination, and then if needed to apply a reproofing agent such as Nikwax TX Direct Wash which will then re-protect the DWR layer.

Reproofing

It is a common misnomer for people to think that we re-proof breathable fabrics (Gore Tex, eVent & Gelanots) because an item is no longer waterproof. Technically this isn’t correct. If, for example, you never reproof your clothing, the item should still be waterproof, it just will not work so effectively.

Water beading on a surface. Re-proof when beading no longer occurs. Picture by Andrewk100

The six million dollar question is, how often do you need reproof your items? The answer is very simple. It’s entirely up to you! Not a very helpful answer is it? The problem is that your DWR layer will degrade at differing rates depending upon how dirty you get and how much you use your clothing etc. It is also worth noting the UV from the sun will degrade your DWR finish. A simple rule of thumb is that when water starts to stop beading off your clothing properly then this is the time to reproof.

You don’t need to reproof every time you wash your clothing, but it may be a good idea if preparing for a holiday, multi-day walk etc. then you reproof to make sure that your clothing performs well.

Re-proofer generally comes in a spray or liquid to be washed in. The spray although quicker will not provide as good a coverage due to the fallibility of the human eye (you may miss bits!) Therefore at CheapTents.com we recommend using liquid (wash-in) re-proofer which soaks into the item of clothing and will cover all surfaces with an even finish.

Breathable Waterproof Fabric Care – Summary

So there you have it, the best way to look after your waterproof clothes and get a lot of use out of them is to:

1. Store them properly
2. Keep them clean
3. Re-proof when needed

Storing breathable waterproofs correctly helps to reduce wear and keep items clean and dry. Cleaning is vital as it removes dirt and debris from clothing and allows the item to breathe. Re-proofing recreates your garments outer DWR layer to restore water repellent qualities and protect breathabilty.

www.walkingnorthwales.co.uk

General / Searching for a Walk

As part of an initiative to encourage walkers to the region, this website has been created for Tourism Partnership North Wales. The simple, clean design of www.walkingnorthwales.co.uk make this walking route planner initially likeable, yet using the website and reading introductory text on the homepage gives the impression that it has not been written or designed by walkers.

There are four Welsh regions covered by www.walkingnorthwales.co.uk. They are:

• Isle of Anglesey
• Snowdonia Mountains and Coast
• North Wales Borderlands
• Coastal North Wales

Clicking through to Snowdonia Mountains and Coast brings up a list of only 22 walks, 8 of which start and finish at Trefriw. Considering this region covers Snowdonia National Park which includes some of the finest mountain scenery in the UK, this is a pretty poor show and was most disappointing. The North Wales Borderlands section contains an adequate 54 walks, but this could be improved upon given the amount of countryside in the region.

The mountains of Snowdonia in North Wales are a popular destination for walkers. Source: Flickr by erwlas.

Fresh air. Open spaces. Four walking regions. Hundreds of miles of paths and trails.

No wonder walkers love to visit North Wales. They come here to find themselves (or lose themselves) in our great outdoors. But sometimes you have to walk – just because there’s no road.

For each walking route there are links to other attractions nearby, which is useful if you are planning to partake in activities other than walking whilst you are in North Wales.

There is a keyword quick search facility which seems to work, and which also displays an advanced search on the results pages. The advanced search needs a bit of improving since it is possible to select a region and then select a nearest town that is not in that region. Unfortunately even searching using sensible parameters resulted in “Warning: Invalid argument supplied”!

The Find A Walk facility enables you to choose walks in the short, medium or challenging hike / long distance trek categories and displays their starting point on a map of North Wales.

If you are unsure where to start there are three featured walks on the homepage.

There are no banner adverts. At the foot of each page are images linking to other websites in the North Wales series, such as adventure, gardens and events, however these are un-intrusive and could be useful.

walkingnorthwales.co.uk - choose from walks in Anglesey, Snowdonia, the North Wales Coast and Borderlands

Walk Descriptions

The walk descriptions depend upon the walking route. For example the Gwaenysgor – Llanasa walk description has very good navigational detail, whereas the Ogwen Slate trail has a map only. Some walks do not have a description or a map. Differences in the style and layout of the walk descriptions indicate that the walks have been taken from other sources, which is confirmed on the walk descriptions themselves. Sources include North Wales Outdoor Challenge and Clwydian Range ANOB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty).

Again, the quality of the maps is variable with some containing more detail than others. The maps are drawings as opposed to Ordnance Survey maps, and do not include details of elevation.

There are some photographs, the number of which depends upon the walk.

The walk descriptions contain a fair amount of interesting information about places long the walking route, which is a good plus point.

Some of the detailed walking descriptions are written in both English and Welsh.

There is not any GPS waypoint data available to download.

Summary – walkingnorthwales.co.uk

This walking route planner looks good and is easy to use, but it is not as comprehensive as it appears. The walks on featured on walkingnorthwales.co.uk appear to be a collection obtained from various government agencies and tourist information offices in North Wales. The major plus point is that the walks often feature interesting information about points of interest along the walking route.

There are a lot of walks along the east of the North Wales Borderlands, however the number of walking routes featured in the rest of the region covered by this hiking route planner is far fewer than expected, especially since it covers Snowdonia National Park. If you are planning a hiking trip to Snowdonia search elsewhere!

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www.walkhighlands.co.uk

General / Searching for a Walk

If you are planning a walk in Scotland then look further than Walkinghighlands.co.uk. This walking route planner contains an enormous data base of free walking routes, 1,104 at present.

The homepage contains quite a lot of information without being too busy, and photographs that make you wish you were out walking in the stunning Scottish countryside. From the home page you can select a region from a list of counties. Moving your mouse over the name highlights the area on a map of Scotland. Alternatively you can simply click on the map. This takes you to a list of areas within the county, again you can select from a list or using the interactive map. Clicking through takes you to a table containing the walking routes. The table contains the walking route name, grade, distance and time. The grade is symbolised using a walking boot icon, 1 for easy on well defined paths up to 5 for hard hillwalking including quite difficult scrambling.

From the menu on the homepage you can select Highlands, Islands, Lowlands or long distance walks. The “walks” menu changes as you proceed through counties, areas and walks.

The no.1 guide to walking and accommodation in Scotland

You can search for a walk using Google site search or try using the “Find-a-walk” feature that lets you choose from a host of various parameters including distance, grade, ascent and area. You can also search for walks including features such as waterfalls, castles, artworks, beaches, wildlife hides and more. Within the features choice you can choose to All or Any of the features that you have selected, but if you choose several and select All, you might not get any results. The search results are displayed in a list and on a map.

Other features of walkhighlands.co.uk route planner are the forum, personal walking route diary, Munro, Corbett and Graham location map and personal summit bagging records as well as the useful Gaelic place-name pronunciation recordings.

Information on accommodation in the locality of the walk can also be found on walkhighlands.co.uk.

There is some banner advertising on walkhighlands.co.uk.

www.walkhighlands.co.uk - over 1000 walking routes in Scotland

Walk Descriptions

The walk description starts with a summary and information about the walk including terrain, starting point name and grid reference, distance, grade, ascent, time, bog factor, user rating, public transport, pronunciation guide and summits climbed.

Bog factor is rated from 1, where the walk is usually completely dry underfoot, up to 5: It’s a swamp. Snorkel recommended!

Walkinghighlands has GPS waypoint data available to download.

You can view the walking route Virtual Highlands, in Google Earth or on an OS Map.

The actual walk description gives an adequate amount of navigational detail. It provides some commentary about the difficulty of the terrain as well as providing some notes of interest. There are plenty of photographs showing views and features along the hike. There is also an elevation graph.

Virtual Highlands Mapping

This has got to be the best feature to be found on any walking route planner. Virtual highlands is a Google Earth type 2D and 3D mapping view that can be used to assess the walking routes. Each route has been mapped as lines connected by waypoints. Easy walks are in green, moderate in blue and hard in red. The start point of hike is denoted by a walking boot icon. Accommodation is also shown, with different icons for campsites, hostels, b&b etc. You can zoom in and out of the 2D aerial view by height. The 3D first person view allows you to follow the route along the terrain in order to get an idea of the ascent, descent and view. The quality of the graphics is not photographic quality but it is reasonably good. The relief of the terrain in first person view is impressive but probably does not show how truly vertiginous ridge crossings are. The view of the north face of Ben Nevis from Carn Mor Dearg is worth a look. Scramble across the arete ridge to the summit. The view from the top of Scotland’s highest mountain extends as far as the eye can see!

The North Face of Ben Nevis from Carn Mor Dearg viewed on Virtual Highlands

Summary – walkhighlands.co.uk

Walkhighlands.co.uk has an large selection of free walks that can be found through various search options, including search by dynamic maps and advanced search options. The walking route descriptions have detailed summaries, contain lots of photographs and points of interest. As well as Ordnance Survey maps, you can view the hiking route on Virtual Highlands 3D mapping which is great fun to use. If you are planning a hiking trip to Scotland walkhighlands.co.uk is great website for finding walking routes.

Review walkhighlands.co.uk

Have you used www.walkhighlands.co.uk? Were you able to find a suitable walking route? Was the information provided useful and accurate? Let us know what you think! Add to the review using the comments link below…

www.go4awalk.com
www.walkingbritain.co.uk
www.walkingenglishman.com
www.countrywalkingroutes.co.uk / www.trailroutes.com
(now rebranded on www.livefortheoutdoors.com)
www.walking-routes.co.uk

Is this footpath on the best walking guide? Source: Flickr by The Ancient Brit.

Region Specific Walking Route Planners

In this, the second part of the Guide to the Best Walking Route Planners we have reviewed five websites which each cover a specific walking region within the UK. The reviews will be posted over the next week or so. The hiking websites that will be featured are as follows:

www.walkhighlands.co.uk – Has lots of walking routes across of Scotland and not just the Scottish Highlands.
www.walkingnorthwales.co.uk – Covers Snowdonia, Anglesey, the North Wales coast and borders.
www.walkni.com – Features hikes in all the counties that make up Northern Ireland and also includes the Northern Ireland Way long distance trail.
www.walkit.com – The Urban Route Planner for planning footpath based walking routes in UK Cities.
www.lakedistrictwalks.com – Possibly the finest guide to walks in The Lake District.

The criteria by which the walking guide websites have been evaluated, are as follows:

• Ease of choosing a route and searching on the walking website
• Grading of the walk in terms of fitness level and technical difficulty required
• Navigational detail within the description of the walk
• Additional information about points of interest along the walking route
• Are there any maps showing the walk, or GPS waypoints
• Photographic content
• Information about services such as pubs and tea rooms along the route
• Amount of advertising on the website

We are always interested to know what our readers think. If you have used the walking route planner in the review please feel free to share your opinion by adding your comments!

Vango helium Superlite 200

The tents can be pitched as one or flysheet first and are reasonably straightforward to errect with the centre pole being a bit tricky at first, although if you get stuck the instructions are printed on a label inside the stuffsack.

The design is a “hybrid tunnel” which is made up of a prebent F10 Flexlite pole hoop just off centre and a short upright pole at the other side which helps raise the end and stop the tent hanging down onto your feet. The tent also comes with Vangos TBS Pro (Tension band system) which provides extra stability especially in more severe weather. The pegs provided are reasonably sturdy and made from c shaped aluminium weighing 5g each although they are not the best tent pegs in the world and I personally would replace them.

The vestibule is fairly roomy for a tent of this class. It has more than enough room for cooking and storing a few bits of wet kit. The rain stop fly sheet door prevents water dripping into the tent when vestibule is open in the wet.

Along with this there are quite a few other nice features including reflective webbing and inner tent pockets. The other striking thing about this tent is it’s colour, there aren’t very many black tents around and the black outer and orange inner look good together.

The Vango Helium Superlite 100 weighs 0.98 kg and packs down to 40 x ø10cm
The Vango Helium Superlite 100 weighs 1.14 kg and packs down to 40 x ø12cm

Vango Helium Superlite 100 Floor Plan

Vango Helium Superlite 200 Floor Plan

As you can see from the floor plans the Helium superlite 200 is only 30 cm wider than the helium superlite 100. I wouldn’t want to use the 200 as a 2 man tent for extended periods of time but for mountain marathons and short trips its ideal.

The Helium superlite 200 is also a good option for a 1 man tent as it isn’t that much heavier than the 100 and the extra room will make things much more comfortable, especially in bad weather. Another word of warning if you’re much taller than around 6′ you’ll struggle to fit in comfortable as with most ultralight tents.

Overall the Helium Superlite 100 and 200 offer great value for money and is a ruggged lightweight tent ideally suited for mountain marathons and solo walking.