News Archive

A brave man who was treated for a rare form of stomach cancer is to fly to Tanzania this week to climb Kilimanjaro despite having had his stomach removed and losing 30kg of his body weight.Robert Bray, who was formerly a corporal in the Royal Signal Corps, will take on the challenge to climb the 1,9340ft mountain to raise money for the Help for Heroes charity.Mr Bray had his stomach, spleen and part of his pancreas removed after being diagnosed with the disease back in 2007 shortly after he had ....

Kensington and Chelsea Council is supporting a group of young mothers as they try to raise funds to complete the expedition phase of their gold Duke of Edinburgh award.The group of seven mothers want to be the first to take their children with them on the expedition by cycling around Holland with their kids in trailers.They need £15,000 in order to do the trip and say that the bronze and silver awards have already had a positive impact on their lives.By setting an example to other young mo....

Four rescue teams were needed to rescue a mountain biker from the Afan Forest trails during extreme weather conditions last Thursday.Teams from the Western Beacons, Central Beacons and Brecon Mountain Rescue were joined by the Rescue Dog Association Wales in the rescue which took three hours.The cyclist had injured his arm when he lost control of his bike and crashed.The rider was carried by stretcher out of the forest, to a waiting ambulance before being conveyed to the Princess of Wales hospit....

Those who go out on the hills are reminded of the importance of warm and waterproof trousers, jackets and kit, as well as protective clothing by three incidents attended by the Edale Mountain Rescue Team this weekend.The first man to be injured had taken a fall while leading a team on Curbar Edge in the Peak District – his protection had initially held out, but eventually gave way and he suffered from back injuries.He was treated for back pain, and then assisted to the top of the crag wher....

A book about a cancer patient's self imposed challenge to climb 39 mountains and walk 220 miles for charity has sold out before it has even been printed.David Collinson from Kendal wrote the book, Have Brain Tumour, Will Travel: The 71 Lakes and Meres Challenge after raising £7,500 while doing the challenge this summer.The money he raised along with the proceeds from the sale of the book will go to Sheffield Hallam hospital, where he has been treated.All 275 copies which are to be prin....

James Delittle, who has Parkinson's, will join 11 of his former colleagues from the Queen’s Own Yeomanry in climbing Ben Nevis this weekend.The group hope to raise £4,000 in climbing the 4,408 ft to the top of Britain’s highest mountain in aid of Parkinson’s UK which conducts research into finding a cure for the degenerative disease.There are approximately 12,000 people with Parkinson’s disease in the UK, which is caused by the loss of nerve cells in the brain.M....

This Saturday sees the start of the South Pennines Walk and Ride Festival with the opportunity to get involved in the 130 guided walks, cycle tours and horse-riding events.The festival is designed to promote healthy and active living, sustainable tourism, enjoyment of the great outdoors and use of public transport in the area.Events including family orientated walks with Roman soldiers and storytelling hikes will take place up until 25th September.Councillor Christine Iredale, deputy mayor or Ki....

The number of Munros could be decreased from 283 to 282 after measuring by the Munro Society using GPS technology found a mountain to be two feet below the prescribed 3,000ft threshold.Beinn a’Chlaidheimh near Ullapool came in slightly under measurement compared to the 3,005ft the Ordnance Survey had previously measured it at.The situation is still to be resolved however as there are a number of different measurement uncertainties which need to be determined before a final decision can be ....

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland have elected Brian Linington as their new president to replace Chris Townsend who has completed his term of office.The organisation is designed to represent, support and promote mountaineering in Scotland and has 11,000 members encompassing climbers, hikers, hill walkers and scramblers.Mr Linington, who is from Plockton in Wester Ross, announced his aim for his term is to have better engagement with members in representing their interests.He also spoke of t....

Allen Banks in Northumberland has a whole host of walks and trails of differing lengths and difficulties, but here’s a nice easy one, which should take about three hours.Leave the car park at Allen Banks and follow the west bank of the river underneath the trees and pass a suspension bridge, which you will cross at the end of your walk, but not now.Continue along the path underneath Raven Crag until you get to a deep pool popular with grey wagtails then ramble down to where the footpath op....

Visitors to the Lake District will have to stick to more traditional forms of entertainment and go for a walk or a cycle after plans to build the longest zip wire in the northern hemisphere were rejected.The 1,200 metre wire was to be erected from the top of Fleetwith Pike at the Honister slate mine in Barrowdale in an attempt to tempt younger tourists to the area.At its headquarters in Kendal 14 members of the Lake District National Park Authority’s development control committee voted nin....

This weekend sees the launch of the CTC Forestry Challenge with cycling events being held at all 28 Forestry Commission sites.The challenge is a free competition being held for three weeks in order to encourage people to enjoy cycling in the woodland areas of the UK.Those taking part will be able to log their trip online and be entered into a free prize draw after visiting one of the sites during the period.Participants will be able to set themselves goals of the number of miles they wish to cyc....

A group of MPs are to climb Blencathra in the Lake District on an expedition organised by the British Mountaineering Council and led by Everest climber, Chris Bonington.Mountain walking is becoming increasingly popular in the UK and the trek has been organised to highlight what the industry brings to local communities.This is the first event of its kind and has come about after the formation of an all party parliamentary group on mountaineering and MPs including Jamie Reed, Rory Stewart and Dere....

The first walk Alfred Wainwright chronicled was in 1938 and started from Settle in North Yorkshire and took him to Hadrian’s Wall, but to this day it is not a recognised trail.Now campaigners from the Wainwright Society are trying to change all that and get the 210 mile route marked on Ordnance Survey maps and become a popular walk for ramblers everywhere.The original walk took Wainwright 11 days and is generally credited as his first foray into writing, which gave him the confidence to wr....

Walkers are being reminded of the importance of setting out for the hills with the right equipment and navigational devices after a group from Yorkshire were rescued by Coastguard officers 70 miles away from their position.The three walkers had set off from Arncliffe in Littondale and were intending to walk to Buckden, but had got themselves lost on the moors.Their roaming 999 call was picked up by the Humber Coastguard who contacted both North Yorkshire Police and Wharfedale Fell Rescue Associa....

A ten-year-old boy has become the youngest person to complete all 283 Munros in Scotland by climbing Ben More on Mull.Ben Fleetwood from Garnett Bridge near Kendal has climbed all of the mountains in Scotland over 3,000 feet in just over three years.His first Munros were Beinn na Lap, Chno Dearg and Stob Coire Sgriodain in the central Highlands and since then he has continued walking, even conquering the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the Isle of Skye.He placed a stone on top of the cairn on his final....

Lovers of the great outdoors will be pulling on their walking boots to attend the annual Autumn Footprints Amber Valley & Erewash Walking Festival in Derbyshire.Taking place between September 10th and 25th, the festival offers a programme of 32 guided walks of a variety of difficulties, meaning all walkers no matter how experienced will be able to don their country clothing and get involved.The walks will centre around the Amber Valley and Erewash, both known for their stunning natural beaut....

Amblers who strap on their walking boots for a picturesque stroll in the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority (YDNPA) might want to check out an exhibition being held at its offices in Bainbridge. The show, which is titled Crossings, is a collection of landscape shots of the Upper How Stean Gorge produced by the photographer Paul Harris. Mr Harris moved to the area 14 years ago and fell in love with its "immense character and spirit", which he has documented ever since. This part....

People might have to do a double take in the city of Winchester on September 17th as kind-hearted charity fundraisers will be strapping on their Doctor Who outfits as well as their walking boots.Locals will be dressed up as Doctor Who through his many physical incarnations, which fans will know to be 11 in total, to raise money for the charity Epiphany.There will also be someone dressed as the blue Tardis, Doctor Who's trusty police-box time machine which can travel through time and space.Th....

A BBC presenter is doing her bit to encourage people to strap on their walking boots for a charity stroll that is close to her heart. Mary Rhodes, who is a well-known and much loved sports reporter, is helping launch the Memory Walk in Cannon Hill on 25th September to raise awareness of dementia, reported Birmingham Mail. In 2009, Ms Rhodes' mother-in-law Jan was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and it has had a massive impact on all the family. Ms Rhodes told the newspaper that nob....