On the Ramsay Round, getting started with tarps, questions for technology, and owning your media | The Pinnacle
This week's links
This week I’d planned to schedule another ‘feature’ story on The Pinnacle, rather than a link digest, but to be honest I’m on a bit of a writing treadmill at the moment and I came up with nothing of interest or relevance to write here. Rather than waffling about something nobody wants to read, I thought I’d gather up some interesting links instead…
New to outdoor adventure in Britain? Here’s how to keep yourself safe – this is an excellent piece by Ash Routen, emphasising self-reliance in the hills.
On the Ramsay Round with the Black Trail Runners – ‘There is much more ethnic diversity in road running than in trail running, and more in trail running than in hill running. Why is this the case; how can we change it; and should we be trying?’
The joy of wild swimming and wild camping in the Lake District – ‘Dragonflies danced across the water, Bow Fell looked down on us from the head of the valley, and a nearby ledge acted as a natural diving board. There are nameless gems like this all across the Lake District: make the effort to get off the beaten track, even just a little, and they can be yours alone for a precious hour or two.’
Techniques: How to get started with backpacking tarps – a good tarp primer here, packed with useful information for the tarp-curious. The TrailStar and Cricket are some of the best tarps you can buy for mountain use in the UK – I’ve used and enjoyed both.
The Glen Spean Nine: peak bagging and bet hedging in Central Scotland – Mark and Edita head to Glen Spean for some Munros, including a cracking sunny day out on Creag Meagaidh.
Questions for technology – Austin Kleon on the importance of being intentional regarding tech choices, rather than just going with the flow. This is a subject I ponder in my latest book. ‘We shape our tools and then our tools shape us.’
Sell This Book! – some of us have been watching this trend with mounting unease for years. ‘You don’t actually own these things—you can only rent them. But the titanic amount of cultural information available at any given moment makes it very easy to let that detail slide. We just move on to the next thing, and the next, without realizing that we don’t—and, increasingly, can’t—own our media for keeps.’
Burr – a poem by Jack Thacker, marking 15 years since the death of renowned nature writer Roger Deakin.
Why English names of species should ALWAYS be capitalised – a very interesting piece, and well argued. My personal view is that there are usually good reasons why things are (or aren’t) capitalised or italicised – and there is a general trend towards less of both. However, it’s good to question accepted norms. This blog post certainly prompted plenty of debate on Twitter.
An extract from The Farthest Shore – you can read an extract from my new book The Farthest Shore, here on Walkhighlands. I’m told that it’s selling well; apparently there’s only one box of signed copies left now (and I signed several hundred copies as recently as Tuesday). Don’t forget, tickets are now on sale for the launch event in Fort William.
Until next time,
Alex
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