Himalayan tales will help mountain rescuers

Lovers of Himalayan adventure can hear about the ups and downs of a seasoned mountaineer, while helping out mountain rescuers closer to home.Edale Mountain Rescue Team will benefit from sales of the tickets for a talk by Tom Richards, veteran climber and expedition leader.

Scots access law review call as Snowie judgement nears

The omens for Scotland’s fledgling right-to-roam law look bleak as another legal judgement looks set to allow a millionaire to kick walkers off his land.Wild camping: the right is enshrined in Scotland's access lawA sheriff sitting in Sterling said he intended to ‘pick up a pen and draw a line on a map’ to mark out his ruling in a case brought by waste-disposal magnate Euan Snowie.

Walkers join horse riders in Cowley bridleway protest

Walkers and cyclists joined horse riders in a demonstration against the forthcoming closure of an Oxford bridleway.Car giant BMW won the right to close the thoroughfare through its Cowley works at a Magistrates Court hearing last month.

Queen's Speech: Where's the coastal access?

Mention of coastal access legislation was notable by its absence from today’s Queen’s Speech – and campaigners say it must be included in the Government’s programme.A walker on a coastal path near Robin Hood's Bay, North YorkshireThe Ramblers’ Association (RA), while welcoming the proposed Marine Bill which would give conservation protection to England’s marine areas, urged the Labour administration to include a right to walk coastal areas in any legislation brought before Parliament.RA chief executive Tom Franklin said: “We are now urging the Government to include a coastal-access clause in the draft bill, to establish a corridor of access around England’s coastline with provisions for the protection of wildlife biodiversity in the zone.

Tryfan death-fall man used 'misleading' guide book

Mountain rescuers have criticised a guide book used by a walker who fell to his death on a Snowdonia peak.The inquest into the death of 32-year-old Christopher Parratt heard that the book was misleading and contained a map that was virtually impossible to use.

Young explorers needed for Arctic trip

Enthusiastic young explorers are being sought for an Arctic expedition.Volunteers are needed for the British Schools Exploring Society’s 2008 expedition to Spitsbergen, in the Arctic Svalbard archipelago.

Walk, don't walk: experts can't agree on value of exercise

Just a couple of months after academics told us that a little walking would help our health, another report says such advice is misleading and we need to huff and puff a little to stave off an early grave.A gentle walk may not be enough: climbing to Ingleborough's summit plateau will get the lungs going    The study, in Preventive Medicine, says vigorous exercise is the best way to keep healthy, rather than moderate activity such as walking.

Call to promote South Pennines - the 'Andes of England'

They are squeezed by national parks to the North and South; have some of the wildest moorland in northern England and were once described by Daniel Defoe as: ‘The Andes of England’, yet they are on the doorstep of millions of urban dwellers.The South Pennines near HaworthNow the call has gone out to make sure the South Pennines are used to the full by lovers of the great outdoors, by maintaining rights of way and promoting access to the countryside for both residents and visitors.Pennine Prospects – a conglomeration of local authorities, water companies and voluntary bodies – held its first annual conference in Halifax, West Yorkshire, last week.

Map courses for walkers in bid to cut Welsh rescue burden

Snowdonia’s mountains could be a safer thanks to a training scheme for walkers. The national park authority is running a basic navigation course...