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Slackliners' contest will be climax of Fort William festival
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Public asked to look out for missing walker
Lake District police have asked for walkers’ help in the search for a keen fellwalker who has not been seen for more than a week.Missing fellwalker Christopher DalgleishOfficers in Cumbria say they are deeply concerned for the safety of the 66-year-old man who, they fear, may have got into difficulties on the region’s fells.
Land battles loom for campaigners
The Open Spaces Society is backing two campaigns to protect land for walkers.The first is an application to have 23 hectares of Yorkshire countryside declared a green.
Elk join boars on controversial Alladale estate
Two elk have been flown in to bolster the population of wild animals on Paul Lister’s Alladale estate in Sutherland.The young animals were airlifted in from Sweden to Inverness, from where they were transported by road.
Canoeists lead the battle for Wales access
Paddlers in Wales are leading the fight for open access.Canoeists and kayakers want the same rights enjoyed by water users in Scotland – and their campaign could have a knock-on effect for walkers and cyclists.The Welsh Canoeing Association (WCA) is pressing the Welsh Assembly Government to introduce a bill on the same lines as the Land Reform (Scotland) Act.
Jon's heading for the top in his dream job
It’s been described as a dream job, but others would view it as a nightmare.The post involves strapping on a 15kg rucksack every day and clambering up one of the Lake District’s highest mountains in snow, wind and rain – and its latest recruit is delighted.Weatherline's Jon Bennett: dream job on the fell tops Former hotel manager Jon Bennett has joined the two-man team that produces the Lake District National Park’s daily Weatherline fell-top reports.
Dales experts appeal for help to solve gruesome mystery
Experts want your help to try to solve a macabre mystery in the Yorkshire Dales.Archaeologists working in the south of the national park have found gruesome remains in the ruins of old limekilns – and they are baffled by the discoveries.Ingleborough Archaeology Group chairman David Johnson with some of the bones John Asher Horses’ bones were found at Feizor and Newby Cote, near Clapham.
Neath gorge walker rescued after fall
Members of three Welsh mountain rescue teams were involved in the rescue of a man injured while gorge walking.The 22-year-old was airlifted by helicopter after injuring himself in a fall in the Neath Valley.
Sign up for GPS jamming alerts
Picture the scene: you’re in a white-out with precipitous crags either side and you desperately need to know how far it is to the safe route off your peak.You’re not sure just where you are on the map, so out comes your trusty GPS receiver.
Rescuers appeal to fellwalkers: 'Get some balls'
Mountain rescuers risk becoming an unpaid guide service, according to a team in the Lake District.Scafell Pike, the right-hand peak, with its neighbour ScafellEmergency teams say too many fellwalkers are unable to find their way on the mountains, and simply ring 999 when they are lost.
Park publishes new North York Moors guide
Authorities in the North York Moors have published a new guide to the national park.Written by Robert Osborne, the book has information on walking, cycling and riding in the area.
Skye warning signs will be toned down
Over-the-top warning signs on Skye are to be replaced, after complaints they were putting off walkers.A report to Highland Council says that people passing along the path leading to the Old Man of Storr were confronted with a notice saying: You are strongly advised not to enter.The path to the Old Man of Storr Photo: Jörn Albring The access officer says a number of complaints have been received from the public that the sign, erected by a Scottish Executive department, would deter people walking to the area.
North York Moors face job losses as money crisis looms
The North York Moors National Park faces job cuts if expected Government grant-aid is frozen.Carlton Bank, North York Moors National Park The authority could be more than £¾m in the red in four years’ time unless it makes cuts in its services.
Beavers to make an appearance in Brecon?
After plans for introducing wolves into our isles, there’s a cuddlier alternative on offer.400 years after they became extinct in Wales, beavers could make a comeback if conservationists have their way.Speaking at the annual Welsh Conservation Management Conference in Brecon, wildlife ecologist Derek Gow described the furry rodents as ‘nature’s architect’.He said there was merit in bringing the creatures back to Wales: “They are incredible at creating huge, vigorous wetland landscapes that are tremendously important for a whole range of smaller species, for example water voles.”They are also tremendously useful in the introduction of double entendre in post-walk jokes in pubs, along the lines of: “I saw a beautiful sleek beaver when I was skinny dipping in the river, Dafydd.” Derek didn’t actually say that, but grough thought it was high time to inject some smut before anyone else did.Paul Sinnadurai, senior ecologist with the Brecon Beacons National Park, said the conference had looked at many conservation issues.He said: “A lot of conservationists themselves are very ambivalent about the idea of the beaver.” Stop tittering at the back.
Griff fakery furore is over the top
The national newspapers are getting all hot under their collars at another piece of television fakery – this time involving Griff Rhys Jones’s Mountain.Griff Rhys Jones: peak performance questioned Dave Hewitt and Magnus Linklater yesterday wrote in The Times that Jones never got to the summit of Ben Nevis, as he claimed in an episode of Mountain, produced by RDF, the company at the centre of the Queen documentary storm.Jones admitted his mistake a day later in the Daily Mirror.
Rescuers warn walkers away from Lakes blackspot
A Lakeland rescue team is warning walkers to beware after their third rescue in a year in a notorious blackspot.Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) was on the fells for seven hours rescuing a man and a woman from Piers Gill on the flank of Scafell Pike.
Cairn marks rescue team's tragic beginnings
Volunteers and farming families today joined in a service to commemorate a tragedy that led to the setting up of a mountain rescue service.A cairn has been built to mark the loss of two farmers whose deaths resulted in the establishment of the Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team.
Peer's son loses Sussex footpath battle
Walkers in Sussex are celebrating after an inspector turned down demands to divert public paths at a stately home.The Hon Charles Pearson, owner of the Pitshill House, and half brother of Lord Cowdray, had wanted to move a public bridleway away from the dilapidated Georgian mansion.