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Man dies after fall on Sharp Edge
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Rheged mountain exhibition shuts as numbers dwindle
The National Mountaineering Exhibition at Rheged, Cumbria, will close for good tomorrow, Christmas Eve.The museum’s owners failed to find funding for a cash injection for the exhibition, which has seen visitor numbers dwindle.
Peak teams rescue injured Kinder walker
Two mountain rescue teams came to the aid of a walker who slipped on ice on Kinder Scout in the Peak District.The 52-year-old injured his spine and pelvis in the fall above Jacob’s Ladder, on the Pennine Way on Friday.
Hypothermic walker among trio rescued from Snowdon
Three people were rescued from Snowdon after getting into trouble on the Pyg track.One of the three, who were all medical students from London, was evacuated by stretcher with hypothermia before being taken to the Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor.Twenty members of the Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team were involved in the operation, which took more than four hours.
Blencathra fall victim named
Police today named the man who died after a fall from Sharp Edge on Blencathra.He was Alan Sharples, aged 60, from Lancaster.
Pooh bridge footpath must be cleared, say planners
A developer has vowed to fight moves to make him remove an equestrian sand school blocking a path leading to the famous Pooh Sticks Bridge immortalised by author AA Milne.The local council says equestrian centre owner Ben Van Praagh has breached the terms of the original planning permission, and the sand school must be taken up.Pooh Sticks Bridge, in Ashdown Forest, near Hartfield, East Sussex, is the setting for the game played by Christopher Robin’s fictional animal friends Pooh and Piglet in the classic tale The House at Pooh Corner.
Cairn Gorm poo chute a success, say rangers
Cairn Gorm’s poo chute is helping keep the mountain clean, as the winter season gets underway.Mountaineers, many of whom bivvy in snow holes on the tops, were asked to use the facility, rather than burying human waste, the volumes of which were starting to cause problems in the fragile arctic wilderness of the mountain’s summit plateau.The poo chute was set up in November last year so walkers and climbers could seal their waste in specially designed bags and bottles and dispose of them in the tube, which was set up in the Cairngorm Ski Area car park.
Estate owner's grant cut after poisoning case
A landowner whose gamekeeper was convicted of trying to kill protected birds of prey has had his farm subsidy cut.The Scottish Executive has lopped nearly £8,000 from the European grant due to James McDougal, who employed George Aitken on his Borders estate near the Southern Upland Way.Aitken placed dead pheasants containing poison along with traps holding live pigeons on the moorland at Lauder in Berwickshire.
Campaigners' thumbs-down to Devon windfarms
Conservation campaigners have backed objectors to two windfarm applications in north Devon.Two separate companies are seeking permission to build wind turbines close to the sites of other planned windfarms.
Man dies after collapse on Lakes fell
A 64-year-old walker collapsed and died on a Lakeland fell.The man was walking with his wife when he slumped to the ground on Little Castle How, between Great Langdale and Easedale.
Climbers reject Lakes hostel plan
Climbers have given the thumbs-down to plans to buy a disused youth hostel in the Lake District.The Climbers’ Club committee had wanted to set up a hut on the site of the former hostel at Stannah Cross, at the southern end of St John’s in the Vale, near Thirlmere.
Floods close main road into Lakes
Heavy rain has affected much of the Lake District and police are warning visitors to take care on the region’s roads.Torrential downpours overnight led to the closing of the main route into the Lakes, the A591 northbound at Brettargh Holt, south of Kendal, because it was impassable due to flooding.
Walker dies after Munro fall
A man died after a fall on a Scottish Munro yesterday.He slipped while walking with a group of friends on Beinn Sgritheall, overlooking Loch Hourn and Arnisdale.
Canoeist dies after Cumbia river incident
A canoeist died yesterday after getting into difficulties in fast flowing water in a Cumbrian river.The 50-year-old, believed to be from the Preston, Lancashire, area, was released by emergency crews after becoming trapped underwater in the River Crake, Spark Bridge, north of Ulverston.
No raves promised at newly licensed hostels
Youth hostel owners have dismissed fears that 24-hour alcohol licences will lead to all-night raves.The YHA has applied for round-the-clock licences for all its 118 hostels, and 93 have so far been granted.
Foot skeleton found in mountain area
Police have recovered a grim find in New Zealand’s southern Alps.A plastic climbing boot – complete with the remains of a foot – has been found.
Rescue leader will write team's history
A mountain rescue leader says he will write the history of his team when he retires.Garry Rhodes, who received the MBE in the New Year’s Honours, will record the story of the Bolton Mountain Rescue Team, which he joined in 1974.

Winter weekend walking and climbing prospects
Winter has well and truly taken hold in the Scottish Highlands, with good deposits of fresh snow being reported throughout the week.Winter mountaineering in the Highlands: watch those cornicesThe bad news is that some of the drifts are considerable and will require hard work to make any progress.