Heathrow Hikers - Outdoor Group for West London

From the Editor
Report - Emergency 1st Aid Course
Update - Heathrow Hikers' Bear
Report - Navigation Course
Internet Humour - Gary's Weather Stone
Report - Winter Photography (Lake District)
Contact / Submit details

January was largely a month about education. It saw members taking 1st aid courses and navigation courses, probably the two most important courses for an outdoor group! Hopefully the navigation course will see more members who are confident and willing to lead walks. If there are any budding walk leaders out there please come and see me, I'm always willing to lend you OS maps so you can practice further. If there is enough interest within the group we may also arrange for another navigation course to take place later in the year.

At the end of the month we visited the Lake District for a weekend of winter photography. With so much photographic potential and so little time, we concentrated on the areas of Keswick and Borrowdale.

Enjoy the rest of the winter!

You always hope that your trips leading groups in the mountains pass by without medical drama. The outdoors can be a dangerous place, the weather is sometimes hostile, the terrain may be physically demanding and you are often miles from help with no mobile phone signal. As walk leaders, Kate and I discussed the issue of 1 st aid, which led to Kate making a booking for two at Plas y Brenin for their emergency first aid course.

Only a month previously I had completed the 1 st Aid at Work course, learning some useful skills in the process. The Plas y Brenin course would involve some repetition but the fact it focused on the outdoor environment appealed to me.The course was residential, Kate and I arriving late on Friday to check into our respective rooms. Plas y Brenin is an interesting place to stay, it has its own indoor climbing wall and an artificial ski slope to the rear of the building.

On Saturday morning after breakfast we met our instructor who asked us all to introduce ourselves before setting out what the weekend would involve. The room contained a pretty diverse bunch of people, including some Mountain Leaders and a few members of The Ramblers. Many had done courses before and were here to renew their qualification to enable them to continue working.

It became clear early on that the weekend was to be a mix of theory in the classroom and pracical experience, the pratical work taking place in the wooded area behind the mountain centre. The instructor was a member of the Mountain Rescue Team and SARDA (Search and Rescue Dogs Association) and was able to introduce real life examples to much of what was being taught.

The course covered a wide range of possible 1 st aid issues one might face on the hills, from diabetes and epilepsy to hypothermia and fractures. I found the role play scenarios that took place outside very useful as the classroom evironment really does not prepare you for the reality of being outdoors. You should try treating two injured persons when the weather is cold as it was on this January weekend!

At the end of the course everyone passed, we said our goodbyes and Kate and I began our long drive back to London .

Article submitted by Gary Box

Nothing to report this month, Heathrow Bear spent the whole month inside Travelbug Travelodge cache. Hopefully he will continue his travels soon!

Article submitted by Gary Box

Kate organised this weekend in the Brecon Beacons for 6 Heathrow Hiker members to learn and improve their navigation skills, under the instruction of Kevin Walker. We all instantly liked Kevin, a friendly chap who was passionate about his subject.

Saturday concentrated on the art of map interpretation. Kevin began by asking us what level we felt we were at currently before moving on to the basics of a map and compass. We were then asked to form three pairs, each pair being given a 1 km square on a Brecon Beacons map to look at in detail. Each pair then had to report back to the entire group, explaining all the information they had managed to glean from the map alone.

Most of the remainder of the day took place outside, each pair being asked to navigate a short section of the route from the map. Sometimes Kevin would point out a prominent feature, like a large tree that would be visible for much of the day. We stopped at a canal bridge for a bite to eat before being tested on our distance estimation. We were asked to look at a summit or two in the distance, one of which was the Sugarloaf. Kevin then asked us to say how far behind one summit was from the other. To the naked eye it almost looked like they could have formed part of the same ridge but it transpired that there was in fact a large distance between them. Later as the sun moved the shadows revealed that there was indeed some distance between the summits.

Paul & Gary stop for lunch - Photo by Larry Zadeng

The walk continued, Kevin pointing out that a map reflects an aerial survey taken at a specific point in time. He explained that maps cannot be 100% accurate, boundaries are sometimes added or removed. As the sun began to set we returned to the classroom for a quick run down of the day and an explanation of what Sunday would involve. It was then time to visit a local pub for food and drink before hitting the sack.

Up bright and early Sunday for what was to be a day concentrating on time and distance estimation as well as compass skills. The day would also introduce us to micro-navigation and show us some basic relocation techniques. Kevin led us to a moorland part of the Brecon Beacons. Again working in pairs we had to take a bearing from the map and then using our compasses, the first member of the pair would walk a set number of paces in the direction of the bearing. The second member of the team who had stayed behind would then signal the other team member to move left or right until they felt they were exactly on the bearing. The second team member would then walk on past the other team member the same number of paces...... and so it continued. Soon each pairing found the little lake we had been navigating towards, one pair was close to the middle of the lake, one a little to the left, the final pair a little to the right. This exercise showed how accurately you can find something, even with low visibility, if you break it up into small sections as well as revealing which of us were right or left leg dominant. Other exercises followed, often finding shakeholes that scattered the landscape. As each exercise passed confidence increased, it was amazing just how accurate some of the techniques were.

The weekend ended with a brief summary and drink in the pub. I'd learnt a lot from the course but realised that, like any skill, unless you practice it you will lose it. Now maybe I need to take myself off to Dartmoor and get myself thoroughly lost...... sorry Kevin I mean just temporarily mislocated!

Article submitted by Gary Box

A long, wet drive found us weary of being on the road by the time we got to Lancaster and the decision to stay in the comfort of a hotel a very inviting one. Booking over the phone by the automated system proved surprisingly easy and 'Michelle' assured us of a double non-smoking room at the Travel Inn. Upon arrival, we were met with confused looks by the reception staff, who had no idea about our booking. We had to take a smoking room which smelled like the chill-out room at a hippy festival. the previous guests seem to have had some goooood stuff!

A clear, sunny morning greeted us and the remainder of the drive was lovely, taking in the views of Windermere and other smaller lakes. We arrived in Keswick and started on our list of places to visit. First up was Surprise View, which looks out over Derwentwater, Keswick and the surrounding hills. We'd barely gotten there when a guy spotted Gary's tripod (!) and asked which model it was. This started a very lengthy discussion of cameras, lenses and the like, (which I understood about half of), so I left Gary with his new-found soul-mate and wandered off to enjoy the stunning views and take a few photos.

Surprise View - Photo by Gary Box

Next up was the famous Ashness Bridge which we'd already driven over on the way to Surprise View without realising it was the bridge we wanted to visit. I'd expected it to be a bit bigger, but its single-laned rusticity (built for horse and cart) and uninhabited landscape lent it an old-world feel.

After a bite to eat in town, we drove up to Castlerigg Stone Circle . It is thought to have been built approximately 5000 years ago, making it one of the oldest stone circles in Britain. Set on a fairly level plain, it has a diameter of about 30 metres and is surrounded by hills which had a light dusting of snow. We spent a bit of time taking photos and wandering through the circle. great to be able to do. We left on dusk (about 4.30. well it was the middle of winter!) and checked into Barrow House, a stately 200 year old mansion that's been turned into a hostel.

Castlerigg Stone Circle - Photo by Jenny Harris

After a bit of a doze, we headed into Keswick in search of dinner. The pub we chose had some bizarre-sounding entertainment in the form of a few 'old boys' dressed like morris dancers, but the food was luverly. We had a wander around town and marvelled at the Northern girls' ability to stroll around in freezing weather with barely any clothes on. what the??

Sunday morning was absolutely stunning. clear and very frosty. Coming from a very warm climate, I still get excited by the sight of frost and ice. The view of the lake from the hostel was very tranquil and I enjoyed just standing (in the freezing cold) watching the morning colours changing while the rest of the world slept.

View of Derwentwater from hostel - Photo by Gary Box

Our first stop of the morning was Grange Bridge which is a large double-arched stone bridge built in 1675. The bridge itself was very impressive, but seeing as I'm a 4 year old trapped in an adult's body, I was fascinated by the amazing patterns in the ice in the half-frozen river. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite thick enough to do a 'Look Mum, I can walk on water' shot. trust me, I tried.

Ice Patterns - Photo by Jenny Harris

After a bit of a search for the path to the Bowder Stone, we made our way up a hill to this quirk of geology. One theory is that this huge boulder travelled from Scotland on a glacier and was dumped on its corner, but other sources claim that it is from the Borrowdale Volcanic Group of rocks which are around 452 million years old. Weighing in at approximately 1250 tonnes and standing 30 feet high, it most likely fell from a higher crag during glaciation over 10,000 years ago. The wooden stairs leaning against it detract from its look somewhat, but being able to climb up and stand on top of it was fun.

After taking a few shots of the perfect reflections on icy-edged Derwentwater, we walked to Lodore Falls . I wouldn't have been surprised to see fairies in this idyllic setting. it would be absolutely lovely in spring.

Close up of Lodore Falls - Photo by Jenny Harris

A late breakfast was called for after all this icy exploring and we can thoroughly recommend the Wild Strawberry Café in Keswick. I think it was the best cooked English breakfast I've ever had. We had a wander around the town's many outdoor shops and I bought a few gifts of locally produced jams, pickles and sweets.

Seeing as we had some daylight left, we decided to have a bit of a look around Lancaster on our way back down South. We had a look through the cathedral, then drove up to Ashton Memorial, which was commissioned by Lord Ashton in the early 1900's in memory of his wife. Today it serves as a classical concert venue and the observation platform around the second floor has fantastic views over Lancaster . It has a butterfly house beside it, but unfortunately we arrived too late in the day to walk through it.

Interior of Lancaster Cathedral - Photo by Gary Box

We then embarked on the loooong drive home, thanking Bruce the Weather God for yet another flawlessly blue weekend. If you'd like to have a look through my Lakes Slideshow click here.

Article submitted by Jenny Harris

If you have any articles or images you wish to contribute to the next issue of Compass please email them to Gary.

Please try and submit articles as early as possible but not later than the 3rd week of the month if you wish it to appear in the subsequent issue.

Thanks.