Category: Outdoor Gear
Mapyx Quo becomes more international
30th October 2009 There was a time when the only way of acquiring digital mapping for Éire was to purchase a Trail Master DVD from the OSi. Earlier this year, that changed with its inclusion in Geolives along with France, Switzerland, Belgium and Holland but it seems that things recently moved on from there again. An email from Mapyx yesterday announced the forthcoming addition of Irish 1:50000 Discovery series data to the current Quo portfolio of U.K. and Slovenian mapping. For me, it would be a very good thing to have British and Irish mapping in the same place and accessible using the same software so it has to be a step forward. After all, it makes Irish mapping data available to British walkers along with its British counterpart so there should be less of an excuse for not planning an excursion over there and I would be very surprised if the Irish tourism industry didn't appreciate the custom.
Saying all of that, Geolives still has one advantage over Mapyx: having a web based platform for carrying out the same tasks that would be done using desktop software means that it isn't tied to Windows like Mapyx and its ilk. This is its Web Editor and it has to be a boon for Mac and Linux users but there's the PC Editor too for those wanting to work offline on a Windows machine. As if all that weren't enough, the former has its place on smartphones (iPhone, anyone?) too.
If I didn't have some mapping information from Geolives already, I'd be waiting patiently for Mapyx to do the promised deed. However, having Geolives data not only means that I am in no hurry but also that, while I'd be seeing how things work in reality, I have no attention of re-purchasing data that I already have in my possession. One part of the world that seems to be missing from all of this is Northern Ireland and, with walking areas like the Mourne Mountains, that has to be an omission that needs addressing but nothing appears to be happening right now.
An option for a backpacking beginner?
30th May 2009 The Met Office's long-term forecast for the next few months looks drier, hotter and sunnier than the summers of last year and the year before. While hot sunny days may not be the most suitable for all day walking and that point is uppermost in my mind with the weather that we are getting now (previous wanderings on such days have left me feeling well rough), such conditions might be just the thing for becoming more independent regarding overnight accommodation. After all, stormy weather probably doesn't make starting out camping any easier.
When thoughts turn to shelter experimentation, the backpacker's stalwarts that are the Hilleberg Akto or Terra Nova Laser Competition come to mind. While you are getting value for money as many believe, the cost of their acquisition can appear to be overkill for someone starting out backpacking, especially in these times when the need for frugality has been brought home very firmly to us. It is for that reason that the Coleman Kraz X1 caught my eye when I saw its test review on OUTDOORSmagic.com. For one thing, a price of just under £60 would be an attention magnet enough, though various web emporia that I have explored are charging in the region of £70-90. The weight does not seem so excessive either at around 1.6 kg and the review itself was positive in tone too. Not wanting to spend too much of my cash at one sitting, I'll keep the Coleman in mind should my independent backpacking ambitions ever become reality. After that, who knows where it might lead?
Following Derbyshire’s River Derwent
10th May 2009 Every so often, the idea of Sunday passage through the Chatsworth Estate would rear its head, only for it not to happen on the day. It had occurred to me that I hadn't been over that way for a while, so a return was in order. The longer evenings now mean that a later departure still leaves a chance for a few hours of walking so long as you are not venturing too far away. Thus, an early afternoon getaway did the needful, so there was no need for a manic morning, never a bad thing.
Speaking of the morning, that could not have been more delightful but clouds and the unfulfilled threat of an afternoon shower began to pervade by the time that I left Macclesfield. Going east recaptured blue skies before the clouds caught up with me again. Saying that, the day retained its mild and springy feel throughout with the sun not getting locked away all the time.
There was an ulterior motive for going with a gentler option. I managed to acquire a pair of Meindl Burmas in the January sales at a well reduced price and I want to start making regular use of them in place of my rather voluminous Scarpas. They fit me better and don't seem to be having any untoward effects on my feet or ankles. There was a little soreness in the soles of my feet on reaching Matlock, but a spot of rest allowed that to dissipate very quickly. This was their first big outing and it was over solid surfaces too so I will not be hypercritical at this stage. In truth, I probably didn't need boots for this walk at all, but level and easier terrain makes more sense to me when it comes to breaking in new footwear.
Roads were busy around the Derbyshire Dales when I reached Baslow for the start of my hike and they were no quieter around Rowsley. Chatsworth was busy too, so this was not going to be one of those quieter hikes. You could attribute some of this bustle to the proximity to places like Sheffield and Derby on a pleasant day, but another attraction presented itself too. Once I got away from the road, things were quieter with some folk about. Things started looking busier again as I came closer and closer to the big house. Cricket was being played, and many cars were parked on the lawns by the Derwent and in front of the house. There was a hint of something else afoot too: the burbling of a TVR V8 engine. Chatsworth was playing host to its annual TVR Car Club meet and I never saw so may of those cars together in all my life. Occasional sunshine was the weather's offering as I passed the way, not getting too caught up in the throngs. The main estate road was as busy as a major road during rush hour traffic so it took me a while to get across it. If I had wanted quietness, I picked the wrong day and it wasn't until I passed Calton Lees and its car park that I emerged into quieter environs. Saying that, I did veer off the right of way proper to avoid the constant passage of people going to and from that car park.
The Derwent Valley Heritage Way on which I had been travelling since Baslow was still well travelled, but numbers were by now in single figures. The well trodden turf simplified navigation as I progressed from field to field before briefly entering woodland to emerge onto a defined track. Before too long, I was in Rowsley. It's a pretty sort of spot but finding the continuation of the DVHW might confound the unaware. The trick is to head for the old railway station and enter the woodland at the end of the car park. After allowing some cyclists pass (they probably shouldn't have been on the narrow path but I don't believe in starting needless arguments while out and about), I was on less frequented terrain. Road noise from the A6 may have shattered the peace a bit, but I was to get away from that too, after the short hop to Northwood, the terminus of the preserved Peak Railway, formerly part of the old Midland Railway to Manchester.
Emerging into Darley Dale took me away from the A6 and through fields to Churchtown and Darley Bridge. Field wandering with some tarmac bashing was the mainstay for the rest of the journey to Matlock. The sun was back in control by this time, but my mind was filling with thoughts of making my way back home so I pressed on rather than dawdling in the evening sunshine. As I neared Matlock, more folk were encountered but they were no encumbrance to me. I could have stayed on the DVWH all the way to Matlock's train station but I decided to leave it to be sure of my bearings and my bus home. Ironically, that left from the train station anyway, but it's always better to be sure than sorry. A good few hours had been spent, even if quietness and wildness was far from being the order of things on the day.
Travel details:
A GMPTE Wayfarer ticket very conveniently covered all my travel costs for the day; just scrape the appropriate panels for the date and you're away. Buses conveyed me to Baslow (Bowers' 58 & TM Travel's 218 with a change at Buxton) and from Matlock to Stockport (Trent Barton's TransPeak & 199, again changing at Buxton) for a train home.
Weaving a way beneath many a height
6th May 2009 The idea of going over the hill from Dolwyddelan to Capel Curig has lain in my mind for a while, with one attempt at doing it being scuppered by railway tardiness. It only takes a few hours, so that makes it a viable option for a short winter's day. With the extra daylight of a spring day, I decided to extend it as far as Llyn Ogwen. That made it a lower level walk around and by a number of hills. First up was Moel Siabod with the Glyderau and Carneddau coming later.
The name Dolwyddelan means the meadow of Saint Gwyddelan; I suppose that Ireland's proximity made for many a Gaelic incursion into Wales, and this Irish saint was yet another of them. It's certainly well located in pretty and tranquil countryside with its castle too. That appears not unlike the one near Llanberis, but I never glimpsed it on this walk but rather on a train journey to Blaenau Ffestiniog instead. After spending a little time organising myself, I made my way from Dolwyddelan's train station to the track that was to carry me to Capel Curig.
The climb from the A470 is a keen one that can easily take your breath away. Initially, I was a little unsure of my navigation, but it soon enough started to fall into place: I was where I thought I was. My progress was set to be through forestry for a while and with enticing views to Moel Siabod in the morning sun too. Others were about, yet it was no throng, just a mixture of gentle strollers from my home country and other more active walkers like myself. Even with a good deal of camera action on my part, I wasn't to be deprived of my personal space for a spot of reverie. A tempter turned up in the form of a sign saying Moel Siabod, but this was left behind me in favour of my planned itinerary.
The forest may not have been overrun, but things were even quieter after I left it for some open hillside. Cloud had bubbled up and was obscuring the sun at times, yet my descent to Capel Curig was far from unpleasant. After some tarmac bashing, I was back on softer turf again with a plan to follow a public footpath all the way to Plas y Brenin before crossing the A4086 to join a bridleway heading towards Llyn Ogwen. In the event, I ended up on the A5, perhaps because of a lack of clarity on the ground. In hindsight, that may have been just as well because it alerted me to the heat of the day, the strength of the sun and my lack of a hat.
On my way to the A4086 junction, I passed one outdoor emporium, a former service station by the looks of things, and was kicking myself for not realising my want. Since there were two at the aforementioned junction, that was no travesty, and a hat was duly acquired. In a departure from my usual habit of using peaked caps, I went for something more substantial with a good wide brim all the way around. Having the extra protection that this sort of thing provides has been in the back of my mind, and it isn't before time that I finally took the plunge. The new acquisition was a Trekmates item and features Gore-Tex for keeping off the rain too, while a chin strap stops the wind from carrying it off on me. Somehow, I have a certain feeling that it will see a good bit of use.
With an ice cream in my hand and the new hat on my head, I set off along the bridleway to Llyn Ogwen. As I rounded Cefn y Capel, I gazed across the A5 towards those places through which I have wandered on previous walks starting from Capel Curing. One of these took me around by Llyn Cowlyd on a day when the hills conspired to collect clag while all about them was sunny. By the time that I had passed Moel Eilio to reach Coedty reservoir, the weather had improved to produce a fabulous evening that would have been an incredible predication earlier. Even the humps and bumps of the Carneddau that I could see had cleared. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe that I may have ended up in Tyn-y-groes before a combination of buses and trains returned me home. That wasn't the only stroll staring from Capel Curig that landed me in the Conwy Valley with another hike that I think finished in Trefiw after passing Crimpiau, Llyn Crafnant and Llyn Geirionydd. Now that I cast my mind over these past excursions, the haziness of my recollections is in stark contrast with anything that I have shared through this blog. Things that you find on here may be for sharing, but setting something down in writing does mean that you still have it for jogging your memory afterwards.
Looking over a map searching for those past excursions does make me wonder at how contorted some of the routes were. These days, I tend to appreciate the idea of less intensive footpath navigation, with episodes like a recent amble from Congleton to Leek perhaps being the exception. The track that I used to get from Capel Curig to the shores of Llyn Ogwen was very much of the clear and relaxing variety. Traffic from the A5 was surprisingly not so intrusive at all, and I only started to encounter humanity again at and after the campsite at Gwern Gof Isaf. The sky was hazy at times, and clouds often intervened to provide respite from the heat of the sun. Picking out one hill from another, especially on the opposite side of the A5, was a tricky endeavour and I think that I need to get in among them to be really sure. Looking at maps now reveals an intriguing route to the top of Carnedd Llewelyn via Y Braich and Pen Yr Helgi Du, so there's some scope for a spot more exploration around here and much of the countryside is Open Access land too.
There was another campsite to pass before crossing the A5 not far from the craggy buttress of Tryfan; I was very much approaching countryside that I have visited before. The path along the lower slopes of Pen Yr Ole Wen and above Llyn Ogwen had less of the clarity of the track that brought me to Nant y Bedlog. Once past the farmstead of Tal y Llyn Ogwen, conditions underfoot were often boggy and another way of losing any line of any path was over rocky portions. Broadly heading in the right direction was the approach that I adopted, so my remaining on the right of way probably was a hit-and-miss affair. The clambering that was involved on my return to tarmac convinces me that I couldn't have got it right, and that walking it in the opposite direction mightn't be such a bad idea. Even so, any time spent looking across the lake at Tryfan easily compensated for any effort, especially when the sun escaped from behind the copious quantities of clouds that were by now filling the sky.
My walk was completed with time to spare before the next bus to Bangor was due, never a bad thing and much better than being in a major rush. After acquiring some refreshments, I certainly had the time, even with a coach load of young people nearly overwhelming the small shop, to go confirming my suspicions about some of my route finding, but the thought never even entered my head. Instead, I ventured along the path towards Llyn Idwal, another spot familiar to me from previous visits; I have walked from here to Llanberis by way of the Devil's Kitchen path and Yr Aran and in the reverse direction using a different route that omitted the said hill. Time wasn't sufficient for me to get to the cwm but a some more photographic action was allowed before I made sure of catching my bus, the last one of the day going to Bangor in fact. Not reaching a small target that may have come to mind late in the time was no bad end to what had been a good day out and casting an eye over maps since then has added more ideas, including a higher level route around the Glyderau, that can be held over for other opportunities that may come my way.
Travel Arrangements
It might have been an idea to get a rover ticket for this one, but it wasn't such an extortionate journey anyway. A train journey got me to Dolwyddelan, with changes in Manchester and Llandudno Junction. The latter allowed for some photographic activity and the purchase of a hot bacon butty. The S6 Snowdon Sherpa service operated by Silver Star conveyed me to Bangor, from which another train journey got me home, with changes in Crewe and Stockport.
A spot of computing trouble
30th March 2009 Yesterday was gorgeous but I only got a few hours out on my bike so I stayed local. What happened was that mucking around caused by to a rogue DVD writer cost me most of the weekend, a pity really but that's how it goes. However, it seems that I wasn't alone because Mapyx have put out a new version of Quo only for their servers not to take the load when it came to downloading the thing. Like Microsoft with the beta of the forthcoming Windows 7, they had underestimated the amount of interest that would be aroused (which is probably good for them given the times in which we are living). There is no longer a premium version of the Quo software so it looks like all of the goodies might be available now for free. Saying that, I need to admit that I have yet to download a copy and doubts are bubbling up in my mind as to the wisdom of the upgrade. This past weekend's misadventure is but one of the causes but seeing compatibility problems with using recent versions of Anquet's software looms larger in my thinking (technical note: they might need to put out something more self contained rather than having it dependent on what you have on your system). Whatever I choose to do, I'll make sure that I try to clear some space for an excursion should fine weather decide to visit us like it did yesterday. That "quick" piece of computer tinkering might need to wait for afterwards...
