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Low down on the high-level route north
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Russian Nevis woman 'lucky to be alive'
Rescuers say a Russian woman was lucky to survive after spending the night in freezing conditions on Ben Nevis.The woman was reported missing late on Thursday evening and Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team started a search, despite her having phoned her boyfriend earlier to say she was off the hill.She was found at 1.30pm near the Allt Coire Eoghainn with a badly broken leg.
Outdoor labels: grough peers between the hangers
Outdoor gear shops are like a Santa’s grotto of expensive goodies, luring us into the multicoloured wonderland of Gore-Tex and Polartec.Right: outdoor clothing: we go under the labelBut unlike Santa’s grotto, nothing’s for free and it’s easy to come away with a bag full of waterproofs and a severely lightened wallet.
Naked ambition: tackling Munros the exposed way
Extreme sports seem to be cropping up all over the place these days. Right: Karla and Stuart admire the view Meall GhlasGone are the days when it was ...
Flat-pack Snowdon cafe takes shape in warehouse
The edifice which will grace the top of Wales’s highest mountain is being assembled in a Deeside warehouse.In true Ikea fashion, the frame of the new Snowdon visitor centre is a flat-pack design, and engineers are going through a dry run in the Corus factory, presumably to make sure there are no missing nuts and bolts or door hinges.If it’s anything like grough’s attempts at flat-pack assembly, there will be a few choice words being uttered on Deeside and a fair bit of scratching of heads as incomprehensible diagrams are studied.Hafod Eryri, as the new café – sorry, visitor centre – will be known, will be galvanised after disassembly and loaded in neat ten-ton chunks on to the Snowdon Mountain Railway for its journey to the summit.
Cumbrian man dies after Blencathra fall
The winter of 2006-2007 is proving a grim one for fatalities on Britain’s mountains.A 63-year-old Cumbrian walker was the latest to die when he tumbled from Hall’s Fell Ridge on Blencathra.
Walkers celebrate Hebden Bridge's welcome
The West Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge today celebrated gaining walker-friendly status with a day of events in and around the Pennine centre.The Calderdale town is the first in Britain to gain the Walkers Are Welcome designation.
Rally means Grizedale path closures
Grizedale’s forests will again reverberate to the sound of high powered engines next month.All footpaths, bridleways and unsurfaced roads between Coniston Water and the Satterthwaite to Hawkshead road will be closed as contestants in the Malcolm Wilson Rally blast through the area.The rally, on 3 March, will take place through Grizedale, Whinlatter and Wythrop Forests.
Natural England says coastline should be open to all
An official body said today it will tell the Government there should be public access to the entire coastline of England.England's coastline: public should have accessNatural England, the quango set up to advise on and manage the environment and recreation in the great outdoors, will recommend that a continuous corridor of access be set up along the whole of the country’s 4,000km of coast.In a phrase more redolent of a soapbox speech than a sentence from an official report, the organisation says: “Free access to its undeveloped coastline should be the birthright of an island race.” grough says: “Hear, hear!” The commitment to look at introducing legislation to allow coastal access was part of the Labour Government’s commitment following the introduction of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act, which gave limited right-to-roam in upland and moorland areas.
Green footprints in run-up to Scots election
Scottish activists will make their mark at the next election with a campaign to stamp a green footprint across the country’s politics.Environmentalists are urging Scots to vote with their feet – by sending their own footprint, in green ink, to candidates in the May elections.The John Muir Trust is among Scottish environment charities bidding to raise the green agenda at election time.
Ribblehead viaduct walk is confirmed
Organisers of a unique walk across the Ribblehead viaduct say the event will definitely go ahead.Left: Ribblehead viaductThe Settle to Carlisle railway will be closed for maintenance work for two weeks in July and the Friends of the Settle-Carlisle Line have negotiated with Network Rail and Northern Trains to allow the public the chance to walk over the viaduct.Cost will be £15 per person and details are on the Friends’ website.
April celebration for Kinder anniversary
April will see the 75th anniversary of one of the most significant events in the long history of the fight for access to England’s wild country.One Sunday in 1932, 400 ramblers gathered in a quarry at Hayfield in Derbyshire and set forth on the path to Kinder Scout.
Council decision saves green from builders
A city council has confirmed that an open space should be protected from development.Leeds City Council ruled today that Yeadon Banks should be registered as a town green, in line with a recommendation from inspector Alun Aylesbury earlier this week.The decision means the area cannot be built upon.Local campaign group Keep Yeadon Banks Green Group (Keybag) and its leader Doug Jones were congratulated by national group the Open Spaces Society(OSS), which had supported the fight for the green. OSS general secretary Kate Ashbrook said: “This decision means that Yeadon Banks is now saved from development. “The owner of part of the land, Leeds Group PLC, objected to the registration, along with David Wilson Homes, who wanted to buy the land for development. Now that it is confirmed as a green, any development there will be illegal.“We congratulate Keybag and its leader Doug Jones, and Pudsey MP Paul Truswell for their excellent work. We are delighted that Yeadon Banks has been saved for the community.”Locals had to prove the land had been used for lawful sport and pastimes for at least 20 years.
Poles apart as Welsh over 50s go Nordic
Wales will resound to the click-click of walking poles if a charity has its way.Age Concern Cymru wants to get the over 50s outdoors and pounding the Welsh miles Nordic fashion.It wants ten volunteers to train as Nordic walking instructors who have passed their half-century so they can pass on the benefits to their fellow grey hikers.
Watch the birdies: climbing curbs now in place
Climbing restrictions are now in place on some crags in England and more restrictions will come into place as the bird-nesting season progresses.BMC climbing restriction sign (right) at Buckbarrow Crag, Longsleddale, CumbriaThe British Mountaineering Council (BMC) is urging all climbers to check its regional access database before setting out on to rock.
Walkers' Day launches town's new status
The Pennine town of Hebden Bridge celebrates its Walkers Are Welcome status this Sunday.Ramblers’ Association chairman Kate Ashbrook will be helping the town celebrate and urging others to follow its lead.She will join Natural England board member Pam Warhurst who will open the event in the West Yorkshire town at 10.30am.
Ramblers' vice-president will face no race charges
Police say a Ramblers’ Association vice-president arrested after she was accused of racially abusing a woman will face no charges.Janet Street-Porter was arrested last month after attending a north London police station.
Beat a path to your Valentine's heart
The Ramblers’ Association is urging lovers of all ages to take to the great outdoors to breathe new life into their romance.Find a secluded spot in the great outdoors for those special moments with your loved oneThe association, better known for battling for access rights and keeping footpaths clear, is recommending ten routes to set the heart pounding and the knees trembling.Ruth Wembridge of the Ramblers’ Association (RA), said: “You don’t have to go to a tropical island or spend a fortune on flowers and expensive dinners to spend quality time together.“Simply go for a walk in the countryside and let fresh air, beautiful views and peace and quiet breathe new life into your relationship.
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2 Rescuers plea to check weather after Highlands camper caught in storm
3 Patterdale rescuers in 100th callout as busy year continues
4 Cragfast scrambler rescued from Striding Edge in seven-hour operation
5 Pennine Way charity walker's challenge ends with ankle injury on the Cheviots
6 On test: Zamberlan Salathé Trek GTX boots reviewed
7 Phone satellite feature helps lost Kinder Scout walkers summon rescuers
8 Longtown team's anniversary plea for past members and casualties to get in touch
9 On test: Danner Mountain 600 Leaf GTX boots reviewed
2 The Pennine Way: my route at 66 (2)
3 More than 40 involved in rescue of injured walker who spent 24 hours on Scafell Pike (2)
4 Helvellyn walker dies after falling 300ft from Striding Edge (1)
5 £1,000 prizes up for grabs if you can find 'mystery' OS trig points (1)
6 Summer holidays' start prompts Lakeland rescuers' plea to reduce 'avoidable' callouts (1)
7 Phone satellite feature helps lost Kinder Scout walkers summon rescuers (1)
8 Pennine Way charity walker's challenge ends with ankle injury on the Cheviots (1)
9 Rescuers searching for missing walker Ruth Betts find body on An Garbhanach (1)
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