The Jonathan Conville Memorial Trust are holding a 30th Anniversary Lecture called Boundless Horizons – Great first ascents achieved beyond Everest in the greater ranges. The talk will be given by their patron Sir Christian Bonington at the Royal Geographical Society in London on 3rd June.
The funds raised by the lecture will go towards subsidising young people on their Scottish and Alpine training courses. They provide a very worthwile service and thousands of students have benefited from their courses over the last thirty years. At only £10 per ticket it is a great opportunity to support the trust as well as getting to hear Sir Chris Bonington, one of Britains most sucessful mountaineers. For more details on the Jonathan Conville memorial trust and to find out how to buy tickets for the event see below.
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What is a Rucksack Cover?
They are usually made from lightweight, waterproof, ripstop fabric and are secured around your rucksack with elasticated drawcord. When not in use they can be packed away into their own little stuff sack.
Trekmates Backpack Covers are available in small, medium and large to fit different sizes of rucksacks. Small fits 20-45 litre rucksacks, medium fits 45-65 litre rucksacks and large fits 65+ litre rucksacks.
Do I Need a Rucksack Cover?
The purpose of rucksack / Backpack covers is to protect your rucksack from the rain, but are they really necessary?
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At 1,344 m, Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in Scotland and the UK. As such it is a very popular mountain for people to climb. It is often attempted by inexperienced hikers who have no idea of the scale of the task or of the potential dangers involved. Many people attempt the summit of Ben Nevis without taking proper outdoor gear.
Ben Nevis Escape Route
If you are planning to walk up to the top of Ben Nevis the first thing you need to know is the escape route from the summit. Regardless of the weather in the valley or on the mountain tops when you start your hike, by the time you reach the summit the weather may have closed in, resulting in near zero visibility. This has happened to me.
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The Fusion 2 back system is comfortable and well ventilated.
The Berghaus Arete Tour 40 Extrem rucksack is a high end pack suitable for climbing, scrambling, mountaineering, ski mountaineering and ski touring. It is made from durable fabric, has a solid construction and is packed with features.
It has a Fusion 2 back system, which comprises of non-absorbent thermo-moulded back panels with a large air gap in the middle. It is surprisingly comfortable and the air gap provides ventilation, helping to stop you getting too hot and sweaty.
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A good pair of boots is probably one of the most important pieces of kit you can have, but with so many on offer it can be hard to make the right decision. So we’ve rounded up a selection of some of the best walking boots to make things a little bit easier for you. This post contains information about four specific models of hiking boot from Berghaus, Brasher, Salomon and Trezeta. Our advice page contains general information about walking boots, including choosing which type of walking boot is suitable for the type of walking that you will be doing.
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There are plenty of excellent countryside walking routes in the UK. Source: Flickr by eamoncurry123.
When you fancy going for a hike or walk there are plenty of route planner websites on the internet that can provide help and inspiration. Whether you are going to a particular part of the country for the first time or looking for a hidden gem in your own backyard, there are plenty of on-line walks to chose from. But which is the
best walking route planner to use? The amount of detail,
advice and number of walks in a particular region vary from website to website. Here at CheapTents.com we have been examining the various walking route planner websites to find out which are worthy of being your walking guide and which you would not rely upon to give you directions to the house next door.
There are several criteria by which the walking guide websites have been judged, as follows:
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Ofcom, the Government body that oversees communications in the UK, has agreed to ‘roaming’ for emergency calls. This means that when a caller has no signal from their provider, the mobile phone system will switch them to any other provider’s emergency signal if there is one available.
This move will hopefully lead to increased safety on the mountains as it should increase the chances of being able to dial 112 or 999 from your mobile in an emergency. The move of course does not guarantee that you will get a signal as there are areas which are not covered by any operator.
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We always encourage our readers to get in touch and share their views when they feel strongly about something. Freddy Phillips did just that and got in touch to respond to our article on wild camping. You can read Freddy’s response below.
Wild Camping
On the matter of wild camping, I do this routinely on multi-day walks and now that I have disengaged myself from the restrictions of a working life I have time to tackle the many long distance walks that excite the imagination and itch the footfall.
Freddy Phillips High Street summit - Freddy Phillips ©
With plenty of walking events in September, don't give your boots a rest yet! Source Flickr By Dave Masters
It may seem strange to be writing about Walking Festivals in September, but with a number of events being held nationwide this month, its not quite time for you put your boots away just yet!
Walking Festivals are an excellent way for people to get involved in walking, test equipment, meet fellow walkers and build up life long friendships.
Walking Festivals differ in size and duration and will offer a range of walks and tours for differing levels of walkers, all festivals should offer guided walks or walking tours, so they are ideal for inexperienced walkers and will allow you to practice your navigation skills in the care of experienced group leaders. For the more adventurous some festivals offer unguided walks. Please note different events have different booking procedures, some are turn up on the day others are book in advance so I have included links to organisers.
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In this series about bicycle touring, we have looked at the types of cycle tour and sleeping and shelter issues. In this article the question of clothing is examined.
The Mountain Equipment Mistral like the Salomon Fast Wing Hoodie is versatile, lightweight, windproof and stowable.
Clothing
The order of the day is versatility. Versatile clothes are essential when space and weight are important, Zip-Off Trousers are ideal when travelling light as they can be worn as a pant or shorts. Wicking items can be easily layered, washed and dried.
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