Survey will quiz Dales Way walkers

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Secretive tycoon's firm takes control of outdoor retailer

Controversial retailer Sports Direct has paid £5m for a 60 per cent stake in outdoor company Field & Trek.The acquisitive group, which last week launched a £67m deal for boxing brand Everlast, already owns 29 per cent of troubled outdoor retailer Blacks Leisure.

Snowdonia goat killings rouse opposition

Campaigners have called for a halt to the slaughter of goats in Snowdonia.Several hundred names have been added to a petition calling on the National Trust to stop killing the goats which, the trust says, cause a nuisance in the Llanberis area.The National Trust (NT) says a ‘limited cull’ of the goats is necessary because they cause a hazard on roads in the area and are eating farm crops.

Thousands hit the hill in penance on Sunday

Walkers seeking peace and solitude on one of Ireland’s best known mountains this weekend should forget the idea.Around 20,000 people will make their way this Sunday to the summit of the 764m (2,510ft) Croagh Patrick, the shapely cone of quartzite-covered rock near Westport in County Mayo.

More woes for outdoor retail firm as shares plummet

Troubled retail company Sports Direct International saw its value drop by 23 per cent yesterday after it issued a profits warning.The Sports World parent firm, which has a 29 per cent stake in the Blacks Group of outdoor shops and which recently bought 60 per cent of Field & Trek, saw its shares crash from 190p to 147p.

Quadruple amputee attempts charity triathlon

A man who lost his hands and feet after a climbing accident is to tackle a triathlon to raise money for charity.Jamie Andrew, who suffered severe frostbite while awaiting rescue in a storm on the 4,000m Les Droites near Chamonix, hopes to raise £50,000 by completing the event.

Six plucked by helicopter from Snowdon crag

Six climbers were rescued from a north Wales crag after one of their party fell and injured himself.The night-time rescue was carried out by an RAF Sea King helicopter after emergency services were alerted by a mobile phone call.

Sharon goes head over heels after mountain proposal

The course of true love never did run smooth, but one adventurous woman found her forthcoming marriage on the rocks within seconds of accepting her boyfriend’s proposal.Sharon Perry had just accepted romantic Andy Laurence’s mountain-top offer of marriage when she fell head over heels – literally – in a tumble down the north Wales hillside where Andy had popped the question.Sharon fell two metres, gashing her forehead and injuring her knee as she went to help her seven-year-old daughter Olivia Jones on a scree slope on Moel Siabod, near Capel Curig.

It's time for South Downs national park, says Castaway star

Television presenter Ben Fogle has thrown his weight behind a campaign to conclude the long-running saga of the South Downs National Park.Ben, who took over the post of president of the Council for National Parks earlier this month, has added his voice to those calling for a decision on the boundaries of the park.