Turner Hall Farm, Duddon Valley

Wolf Mountain, Wolverhampton

Natural Games 2010 will take place in Millau for three days.

Which on-line walking route planners are the best? In the second part of our guide we are reviewing five websites that include walks in particular regions of the UK. In this particular review we are going walking in the city with Walkit.com.

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.

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.

Despite having to choose a city, you can actually create a route between anywhere in the country by entering postcodes. This is quite useful if you wish to create a route along minor roads, however there are currently no rural footpaths in the walkit.com database. Using postcodes, starting at the Old Dungeon Ghyll and ending at the Wasdale Head Inn, walkit.com suggests going via the Hardknott Pass and Eskdale, rather than hiking over the Lake District peaks. Perhaps rural footpaths will be included in the future.

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.

Review walkit.com

Have you used www.walkit.com? 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…

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12:00, Climb Newcastle

Frogsmouth Quarry, Runcorn. Bolting workshop in the day, meeting in local pub in the evening

5pm onwards at Harrogate Climbing Centre

7.00pm - Norwich

9.30am Strathspey hostel, Newtonmore

When hiking, camping and climbing it is always great to see some wildlife. Birds can often be heard or seen out in the countryside. Keeping an eye out for birds can add another dimension to your outdoor experience. If you are going to do some birdwatching there is some additional equipment that you could take with you. The gear that you will need will depend upon the nature of your trip:

• What time of year will you be going?
• What are anticipated weather conditions?
• What is duration of trip?
• Where will you sleep overnight?
• Will you be visiting a bird sanctuary?
• Will you be using in a hide?

It will also depend upon how seriously you take ornithology and the bird watching element of your trip. Will you be on the look out for birds in a general sense, or perhaps you will be hoping to spot a specific species or individual even if it means waiting in the same spot for several hours.

The equipment that you need can be broken down into two categories. Gear that is specific to birdwatching and gear that is not specific to birdwatching.

Gear Specific to Bird Watching

Choosing Bird Watching Binoculars

There is a vast array of binoculars available, but which are the best for bird watching?

Magnification for Birdwatching Binoculars

Binoculars are usually specified by two numbers, for example 8×40.
The first number denotes the magnification of the binoculars. The higher the magnification the more detail that can be seen. For general birdwatching low magnification (low power) binoculars are usually preferred, since they are easier to hold steady. Typically the magnification should be 7x, 8x or 10x, with a higher magnification recommended for use in hides or for viewing at estuaries and reservoirs. The combination of a telescope and a pair of lower magnification binoculars is often a good combination.

Objective for Birding Binoculars

The second of the two numbers used to specify binoculars is the objective, which gives an indication of image quality and image brightness. The objective is the diameter of the large lens. Birdwatchers recommend an objective of between 30 to 40 as being the best for birdwatching.

Birdwatching Binoculars Field of View

Another important feature of binoculars is the field of view. Binoculars with a wide field of view are especially suitable for scanning large areas. It is often easy to locate the bird in the sky with your eyes only, however once you start looking through the binoculars it can be difficult to find the right patch of sky. Also, when a bird is flying across the sky it can be difficult to follow its flight path. Binoculars with a wide field of view make locating the bird easier. However, having a wide field of view is not as important a feature in birding binoculars as good image quality.

Other Important Features for Choosing Binoculars for Birdwatching

Binoculars with a large exit pupil deliver more light to your eye. If you will be birdwatching when the visibility is quite low, for example at dawn or dusk a large exit pupil can make all the difference. The same is true if you are observing a bird that is perched in the shadows.

The weight is also quite important. If the binoculars are heavy you will not be able to hold them steady. And remember, you will probably need to carry them out to the hide or on your walk.

The ability to focus quickly using a centre focus is advantageous when tracking a bird in flight

Your birding binoculars should have multi-coated lenses. These lens coatings can increase light transmission and therefore make the image brighter.

Since you never know what the weather might do, your binoculars should be waterproof and fogproof.

Popular binocular manufacturers include Leica, Nikon, Olympus, Opticron, Swarovski and Viking.

Birdwatching Telescope / Spotting Scope

A combination of low power binoculars and a spotting scope will enable you to observe birds across a wider range of distances and habitats than having a single pair of high power binoculars.

The recommended specification for a general observation birding telescope is a compact 60mm spotting scope which has a wide-angled eyepiece with 20x or 22x magnification.

Many modern telescopes have interchangeable eyepieces allowing for a greater range of magnification from a single scope. For general observation wide-angled eyepieces of 20x to 30x are ideal, whilst 40x magnification enables you to make longer distance observations.

Other Gear for Birding

For most birders taking a snapshot of bird in action is an essential, but by no means easy task. With the ability to rapidly take many shots, a digital camera increases the chance of getting that perfect shot, when compared to using the old-fashioned film camera. Of course, patience and luck have a lot to do with it too! A detailed discussion about digital cameras is outside the scope of this article. However, it is worth mentioning that the quality of the lens, pixels and processor should be considered when choosing a digital camera. The number of pixels is commonly used to assess the quality of a camera and whilst this does matter, having a high number of pixels merely indicates that you can print out your photograph on a large sheet of paper.

A particularly useful bit of gear for birdwatching is a Digiscope or Digital Camera Adaptor (DCA). The purpose of this device is to connect a digital camera to a telescope, enabling you to take close up shots over a long distance.

A tripod, monopod or hide clamp can be used to keep your telescope steady and save your arms from aching! If you are planning to take photographs via your scope the use of a support will help ensure that your photograph does not come out blurred.

Most birds limit their flying activities to the day time, however some birds do fly at night, for example, owls and geese. For bird watching after dark you can use night vision goggles.

With all the optical equipment needed for birding, an organiser bag
will keep your gear organised and help prevent it from becoming accidentally damaged. A mircofibre lens cleaning cloth should be used to clean any dust or smears from the lenses of your binoculars, spotting scope or camera.

A Birding Vest, Gillet or Jacket with lots of pockets is an asset when bird watching. The pockets are ideal for keeping safe your lens covers and having quick access to your essential bird identification book and bird log.

The annual BirdFair at Rutland water provides an excellent opportunity for purchasing bird watching equipment. Many specialist birding retailers exhibit at BirdFair so all the latest and classic gear will be on sale.

Outdoor Gear Not Specific to Birdwatching

Whether you are going bird watching for a couple of hours or for a couple of days or weeks, you will want to stay warm, dry and comfortable. If you are blessed with good weather you will want to stay cool and may even need to protect yourself from sunburn.

Outdoor Clothing for Birding

You are likely to be motionless for long periods of time whilst birdwatching and so you could easily become cold. Therefore clothing with a high degree of thermal insulation will be vital if you are to keep warm.

To provide warmth and flexibility of controlling your body temperature wear several layers made up from a base layer, mid layer, outer layer and waterproof layer.

The most suitable mid- and outer-layers are fleeces. Tops and jackets made from fleece material provide thermal insulation and will keep you warm. For when the weather is really cold, a down jacket or synthetic insulated jacket will ensure that you stay warm whilst you are bird watching. Even during the summer it can be surprisingly cold at night, especially on hot days when there are no clouds. If you have had to hike a long way to your chosen bird watching site you are also likely to become cold after burning up all your energy.

A lot of your warmth can be retained by wearing a hat and a scarf.

Fast drying, moisture wicking walking trousers such as Craghopper’s Kiwi Trousers are comfortable and are highly recommended for hiking, birding and general use.

Waterproof Jacket and Trousers

If you get wet, your bird watching trip is likely to be a cold and miserable one, even if you do spot a rare species. If the weather looks good when you set out, it could still rain later. Therefore it is always worth taking a waterproof jacket and over trousers. The most comfortable waterproofs are made from fabric that allows you to breathe, such as Gore-Tex, eVent and Gelanots. Manufacturers that use these fabrics include The North Face, Berghaus and Sprayway. If you go walking and birding during the summer, lightweight waterproofs are best. For all year round birding, 3 layer waterproofs are worth considering since they are more durable.

Most waterproof jackets have a hood, which obviously helps to keep your head dry and prevents water dripping down the back of your neck. However these hoods do not tend to have any insulation, so it is worth taking a warm hat too. Also hoods can restrict your vision, so they are not always suitable when bird watching.

As mentioned above, a jacket with lots of pockets can help keep you organised and prevent you from losing small items such as lens covers.

If you do decide to buy breathable waterproofs, their life can be prolonged by following good fabric care advice.

Walking Boots

When going out bird watching you are likely to be walking at least a short distance. RSPB nature reserves can have several miles of footpaths which you can explore. These footpaths tend to be well maintained so sensible shoes or trainers will be adequate.

If you are planning to walk or hike further off the beaten track then you will need some stout walking boots. These will help keep you feet warm and dry, as well as protecting them from rough uneven surfaces. Hiking boots with ankle support will help to prevent you from twisting your ankle. Choosing a pair that fits well is important, so it is worth reading our walking boot advice page. For maximum comfort and to help prevent blisters, wear both a thin and a thick pair of walking socks.

Tent / Bivi Bag

The early bird catches the worm and the early rising bird watcher sees the bird! Sleeping in a tent or bivi bag makes it much easier to get up at sunrise in order to see birds that are active first thing in the morning. If you go wild camping in remote areas you should be able to see birds that do not venture into villages, towns or cities. The most suitable types of tent for bird watching will depend upon the exact terrain and time of year that you are making your trip. An ultralight tent or bivi bag would be particularly suitable for wild camping.

If you are camping you will need a sleeping bag and camping mat or Therm-A-Rest inflatable mattress.

Other Outdoor Gear and Accessories

If you hiking to a particular location then you will need a map, compass, emergency whistle. You could also take a GPS unit.

Other useful gear includes a sitmat, survival bag, insect repellent, anti-bacterial hand wash, sun glasses, sun lotion, sun hat and waterproof hat. More information about general walking and camping equipment can be found on our camping gear advice page.

If you are hiking remember that anything you take will add weight to your rucksack. Your birdwatching gear will add to the weight too, so it is best not take any unnecessary items!

Birdwatchers’ Code

When you are out birdwatching or twitching, always remember the birdwatchers’ code:

1. Avoid disturbing birds and their habitats – the birds’ interests should always come first
2. Be an ambassador for birdwatching
3. Know the law and the rules for visiting the countryside, and follow them
4. Send your sightings to the County Bird Recorder and the Birdtrack website
5. Think about the interests of wildlife and local people before passing on news of a rare bird, especially during the breeding season

Share Your Bird Watching Log

When out on hiking trips we often see grouse, buzzards, skylarks and lapwings to name a few. If you have sighted any birds whilst out hiking or camping please let us know. Use the comments link below to tell us what you have seen and where! There is an excellent bird identification guide on the RSPB website.

The RSPB are currently campaigning to protect birds of prey, so we would be particularly interested if you have seen any birds of prey.

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The Castle Climbing Centre (Stoke Newington, London) from 12noon til 9pm

Devereux Inn, The Strand, Central London

Which on-line walking route planners are the best? In the second part of our guide we are reviewing five websites that include walks in particular regions of the UK. In this particular review we are going walking in Northern Ireland using the WalkNI route planner.

www.walkni.com

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.

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.

Review walkni.com

Have you used www.walkni.com? 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…

Enjoyed reading about camping and the outdoors? SHARE IT! Learn more about RSS feeds, bookmarking and social media sites.

Which on-line walking route planners are the best? In the second part of our guide we are reviewing five websites that include walks in particular regions of the UK. In this particular review we are going walking in Northern Ireland using the WalkNI route planner.

www.walkni.com

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.

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.

Review walkni.com

Have you used www.walkni.com? 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…

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7pm. The Skiddaw Hotel Main Street KESWICK CA12 5BN

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.

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.

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.

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Dyneley Arms, Otley (on the road between Headingley and Otley, and on the turn off for Almscliffe)

Tremadog (climbing) then Prenteg Village Hall (meeting)

Which on-line walking route planners are the best? In the second part of our guide we are reviewing websites which focus on walks in specific regions. In this review our hiking destination is North Wales and to help us find our way around we have used the Walking North Wales website.

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 walks are categorised as either short, medium, long distance or accommodation inclusive walks. The walks are also graded using between 1 and 5 boot icons from easy to strenuous respectively. Each hike has a summary that includes grade, distance, terrain and grid reference as well as a short summary. Unfortunately these details have not been entered in every case, since there are several walks which have a distance of zero miles!

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.

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!

Review walkingnorthwales.co.uk

Have you used www.walkingnorthwales.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…

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Rock Over Climbing Centre, Manchester, from 0900 onwards

In the future, due to shortages of land and restrictions in transport, food could be grown in skyscrapers. Often referred to as vertical farms, these buildings could become a prominent feature of the urban environment. For many city dwelling people, these vertical farms will offer the opportunity to go hiking. However, skyscrapers are not the only type of structure which can be used for growing vegetation.

Green Bridges

When the A21 Lamberhurst bypass was constructed in Kent a unique green bridge was built to cross the carriageway. The green bridge carries the access road to the National Trust’s Scotney Castle. It was the National Trust which insisted that the bridge must have banks of vegetation right across its span. This might seem to be a strange design feature. The reason behind it was one of conservation. Whilst providing a fast route for traffic, the new A21 Lamberhurst bypass would effectively separate colonies of dormice and many other species of animals. The remaining dormice colonies on either side of the bypass, cut-off from each other and only remaining in small fragments, would quickly become too small and collapse. By creating a wide bridge with embankments planted with low growing trees and shrubs, dormice are able to cross over the Lamberhurst bypass and interact with other colonies. This will hopefully help to ensure survival of the dormice and other animals. So far at the Scotney Castle approach road bridge there has been evidence that foxes, rabbits, wood mice, common shrews, squirrels, badgers and even a mole have used the bridge. According to the People’s Trust for Endangered Species’ Mammals UK magazine, Spring 2010 issue, the vegetation will need to reach a more mature state before dormice would be tempted to use the green bridge.

The bridge was originally constructed to reduce the effect of habitat fragmentation, but it is very beneficial to people as well. It is a much more sensitive way to build new roads instead of just bulldozing swathes through the countryside and the wildlife that lives there. It shows that we can reconcile the need for new roads with the needs of wildlife and some consideration of landscape quality. Mammals UK, Spring 2010.

Hiking and Green Bridges

What does the green bridge have to do with the future of hiking? In the near future the addition of planted verges on bridges could improve the quality of walks where footpaths or roads cross dual carriageways or motorways. Instead of walking over a grotty concrete structure spanning an equally grotty bypass, the trail would take you seamlessly across the main road without spoiling your immersion in the countryside. Perhaps the success of the Lamberhurst green bridge will inspire more green bridges to be built in the UK. The green bridge design would fit in especially well in our National Parks.

In the more distant future perhaps the countryside and the urban environment will become ever more fused together. Vertical gardens have been created as show pieces in various cities. These could be fused together with green bridges, parks and other open spaces to create a swathe of greenery. Linked together with towpaths and disused railways the creation of long distance hiking opportunities within the urban environment would be possible. With a large increase in the amount of greenery on man-made structures the whole city could become a type of countryside environment in its own right!

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7.30pm at Redpoint Climbing Centre, 77 Cecil Street,Birmingham, B19 3SU

Friday 11th June 2.30pm - 10.00pm

Which on-line walking route planners are the best? In the second part of our guide we are reviewing websites that include walks in particular regions. For this review we are walking in Scotland with Walk Highlands…

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.

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!

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…

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In the first part of our guide to the best walking route planners we reviewed five websites which offer hiking routes throughout the UK. The were:

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

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!

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Go head to head in the Great Escape Challenge for Marie Curie Cancer Care. 60 teams from across the UK will battle against each other on this adrenaline charged, team developing, awe inspiring, multi - sport adventure.

We'll take you on an eight to ten hour multi-sport team adventure in the heart of the Brecon Beacons national park.

Along the way you'll face a series of unique team challenges specially designed to test your physical fitness, agility, strategic planning, reactions, memory, lateral thinking and engineering skills.

To succeed you'll need a diverse mix of qualities and, most importantly, the ability to communicate as a team.

And that's all we're telling you - your actual mission and the nature of the challenges won't be rev

7.00pm - Reading

On Wednesday, May 26th there will be a public planning workshop for Chimney Rock State Park. The workshop will take place at the Municipal Meeting Hall in Lake Lure, NC. Open to the public, the meeting will open from 10 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Any climber that can should drop by sometime during those hours to learn about the State Park Master Plan, meet with State Park staff and the plan consultant, and, most importantly, give input on future park development.
The state of North Carolina has commissioned Greenways Inc. to aid in the process. More info is available on their website: http://www.greenways.com/chimneyrock.html

Workshop Details
Date: Wednesday, May 26th
Time: 10 AM to 7 PM (drop-in style)
Location: Lake Lure Municipal Meeting Hall

Oh, and the Municipal Hall is next to the Marina and the Visitor Center, just south of Boys Camp Rd on NC Highway 9.

Please come out and let your voice be heard. There is a lifetime's worth of quality rock in the park.

Sincerely,
Scott Gilliam
Secretary
Carolina Climbers' Coalition

Join the CCC or renew your membership:

Carolina Climbers' Coalition
P.O. Box 3327
Raleigh, NC 27636-3327

Capel Curig, North Wales

Teams needed to climb each of Scotland’s Munros and peaks over 3000ft in England, Wales and Ireland.

City Bloc Qualifying Round starts at 2 p.m.

Winking Man Pub, near Ramshaw Rocks. 8pm. Climb at Ramshaw first.

Lifelong Learning, Bangor University, Dean Street, Bangor LL57 1UT 9.30 - 4.30

Now in its sixth year 10 Under the Ben is a must do for all mountain bike enthusiasts. 10 Under the Ben is the first of the Three Ten events; this is an opportunity for riders, racers, off road riders and the weekend warriors to get out and get on their bikes.

Participants can compete as a solo or in relay teams of two, three or four. The race is an endurance format with teams and individuals competing to see who can complete the most laps in the 10 hours.

After the huge success of 2009 the No Fuss Team will again host their flagship event at Nevis Range, the home of the 2007 World Championships and the UK's round of the World Cup in 2009. In 2008 and in 2009 we were treated to not only the highest race registration in the country but on one of the most stunning sunsets of the summer. In 2009 over 700 riders made registration at the top station for the pre race meal. We will admit this caught us a wee bit on the back foo

Lifelong Learning, Bangor University, Dean Street, Bangor LL57 1UT 9.30 - 4.30

5pm at Fair Head!

When it comes to finding out about adventures taking place across the globe one of the best places to look is The Adventure Blog. Written by Adventure Blogger Kraig Becker the main focus is on climbing expeditions in the Himalayas and polar expeditions in the Arctic and the Antarctic. However, it does not stop there. If there are any great adventures taking place anywhere in the world Kraig Becker will have it covered, from Ripley Davenport’s attempt to make a solo and unsupported trek across Mongolia to the Plastiki Expedition in which adventurer David de Rothschild is sailing his famous boat, made from more than 12,000 plastic bottles, from San Francisco to Sydney.

Other adventures featured in the Adventure blog include French doctor and explorer Jean-Louis Etienne flying solo over the North Pole in a hot air balloon and the Siberian Express Expedition in which Kevin Vallely and Ray Zahab ran the entire length of the frozen Lake Baikal.

The Adventure Blog includes updates on long duration expeditions, such as Ed Stafford’s 4000 mile trek along the entire length of the Amazon River and Mark Beaumont’s cycling expedition along the Trans-American Highway from Alaska to the tip of South America.

Many adventures include an additional motive to raise awareness and money for particular causes and Kraig always includes this important part of the adventure in his write ups.

Kraig Becker has also written posts about our interviews with polar explorer Dixie Dansercoer and adventure racer Ian Adamson.

Now Kraig himself has been interviewed on the Adayak website. In the interview Kraig tells us how he became the Adventure Blogger, about his favourite adventures, his passion for the outdoors and his recent hike up to Mount Everest Base Camp.

You’ve been blogging for over 4 years on The Adventure Blog… what’s the background on your site and how do you keep it going?

I started the site after having a conversation with a friend who insisted that there were no more great adventures to be had, and that everything had been done. I told him that there were plenty of amazing men and women still doing adventurous things if you looked hard enough. The blog is an extension of me looking hard enough and sharing those stories with others.

The Adventure Blog is definitely a labor of love, but I enjoy writing it. Through the blog I’ve had the good fortune of meeting some amazing people, visiting some amazing places, and witnessing some amazing things. I continue to have a passion for writing, travel, and adventure, and that inspires me to keep going.

The full interview is on the Adayak website whilst Kraig has written a summary on The Adventure Blog.

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7pm The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)

Peak District

The Royal Geographical Society from 7PM - 8.30PM