Sony Walkmans were massive! Source: Flickr by daryl_mitchell
Having your music with you when you are walking, running or climbing is great for motivation and can keep you going when pain and/or boredom sets in. Maybe you dance along to the beat or at least run in time to it!
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:Earlier this year the coalition government proposed conversational plans to sell off much of England’s forestry and other woodland. After a public outcry the government stood down from it’s position offering to create a panel to report back and suggest the future of the forests.
The independent panel of 12 members, chaired by Right Rev James Jones – Bishop of Liverpool – has now been established and following two meetings is now inviting the views of the people of this country. The task it has been set is not an easy one, over the next 10 months, until April 2012, the panel must discuss and report on the future of Forestry and Woodland in England.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:You may not think it, but bats are a great friend to hikers and campers. To find out exactly why, you will have to read on! Now, whilst bats may have a bad name on account of Count Dracula, the truth is, like most other mammals, bats are furry and very cute. If you need proof, just look at some of the bat photos on this page! So, by now you must be wondering to yourself “Where do bats live and is it possible to observe them in the wild?”
A Natterers Bat. Isn't she cute! Photocredit Chris Scott.
This week, April 11-17th, is Tick Bite Prevention Week. It sounds like it should have a lot more attention than it does, but maybe that’s due to the upcoming royal wedding taking the shine off it, or maybe its just people don’t like to think about being bitten by Ticks.
A Hiker found this Tick - from andylangager Flikr
Despite the lack of attention it’s getting from elsewhere, both ourselves and CampingNinja care enough about our readers/users to give this some real attention, just as we have previously on this blog talking about Prevention of Midge Bites.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:Despite the technological advances in comfortable sports foot wear over the past decade or so, there has been a recent shift towards barefoot running. For those who don’t want their feet to get too dirty, Vibram have even brought out the Five Fingers range of footwear. But its not just the world of running that has seen a shift away from high specification footwear. The world of hiking is also seeing a shift back to basics. More and more hikers are abandoning their hiking boots and have begun wearing Dutch Clogs when they’re out on the hills.
Dutch clogs are the new hiking boots. Source: Wikimedia Commons by Ra Boe.
Have you ever bought a rucksack thinking “oh, I can fit this this and that into this rucksack” and then found that you could not fit as much in as you thought? Well, you wouldn’t be alone, I myself do it at least once a year … I usually find I am disappointed that something I thought would fit actually doesn’t. So, in this post I will be taking a look at 4 sizes of bag 65+L (Large), 45L (medium), 35L (medium) and 25L (small) to see what items actually fit into the rucksacks. The idea is simply to give you a feel of the amount of room in each bag, meaning you can make an informed decision next time you need to buy a rucksack for your great outdoor adventures.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice: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
A while back the UK coalition government announced the creation of the Big Society. It has been hailed as a way to give power to local communities and criticised as a way of introducing spending cuts. One potential drawback is that it could give more power to people who are intent on pushing their own financial agendas. But, what about us outdoor enthusiasts? Are there likely to be any positive or negative outcomes for hikers, climbers and mountaineers? There are certainly people out there who are not sympathetic towards walkers and climbers, and who may try to use it to hinder our activities. All is not bleak however, enter the BMC. The British Mountaineering Council (BMC) has recently published an article about how it intends to embrace the Big Society for the benefit of its members and the natural environment.
This weekend news headlines read “man falls 1000ft from mountain”, the mountain in question was Sgurr Choinnich Mor, around 5 miles east of Ben Nevis. The climber in question was Adam Potter, an experienced climber from Glasgow.
Sgurr Choinnich Mor, The Aonachs and Bealach Coire Easain - Source Flickr by pamilne
At 2.30pm on Saturday, just moments after reaching the summit Adam began to fall. As his friends looked on in horror Adam tumbled down the mountain 1000ft, approx 300m and 1/3 of the mountain’s height, glancing off 3 craggy outcrops. As he tumbled off each outcrop Adam must have felt almost like he was flying as he plummeted.
Related camping and outdoor news, reviews and advice:
CheapTents Now Stocking Snugpak Product Ranges
Based in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, Snugpak have been part of the outdoors industry for over 30 years. Designing, Manufacturing and Supplying sleeping bags and insulated clothing across the globe, to personal, professional and military sectors.
Today we are proud to announce that CheapTents is stocking even more of the Snugpak product range. The expert team at CheapTents are well placed to be able to give great advice and technical information about the Snugpak range.
Snugpak's Scorpion 3 Dome Ten
