Map Addict, by Mike Parker, is a enjoyable, often funny, well written, and well researched tour of all things map related.

A few of the final chapters are a little weak in comparison to the rest of the book, and I think the book could have done with some colour photos to bring them alive (some of the black and white ones aren’t very clear), but nonetheless it is well worth a read!

The book covers the history of British cartography, and especially Ordnance Survey, and how this was driven by our constant feuding with France. It looks at some of the weird map boundaries – between countries, counties and districts; how maps have been used for politics, propaganda, and religion; why maps are assumed to be a male domain; and finally a discussion of the “moronic blandishments of the satnav age”.

Map Addiction

Mike’s map obsession (and it is an obsession), started at the age of 6 when he discovered a relief map of the West Midlands and Wales carved out of plastic hidden in the cellar. I have actually come across one of these at a friend’s parent’s house in Brecon – it is a truly wonderful, with lumps of plastic rising out of the map to mark hills and mountains (the print on the bigger mountains have long since worn away from countless fingers caressing the peaks!).

Despite being obsessed with maps, and especially Ordnance Survey maps, there are, apparently, people even more obsessed than Mike. There are people out there who collect them, like stamps, with the ultimate aim of owning every single edition of every single map Ordnance Survey ever produced.

I do like Ordnance Survey maps, but I am not sure I am obsessed (borderline perhaps?). I remember in Geography lessons as a child being captivated by the OS symbols – this served me well later when I joined the cadets and had to plan routes across Dartmoor and Exmoor. Nowadays I always buy the OS map for any new area I am staying for more than a few days, not just the paper copy but a mobile version for use with Viewranger for walk navigation and associate geek benefits!

Mike used to drag his poor grandparents across the West Midlands to have a look at things that looked interesting on the map – from model villages to farms in the middle of motorways. Researching this book seemed to give him an excuse (if he needed it) of going off and visiting other interesting map features across the British Isles.

The British Empire and France

Mike argues that Britain’s status as world-beaters in cartography comes from our imperial history and military bravado – “we started needing maps in order to go and rough up bits of the rest of the world and declare them to be ours”. This was heightened by the intense neighbourly rivalry between Britain and France.

Ah, la bella France. Our nearest neighbour, archest rival, flirtiest paramour, oldest, bestest friend and bitterest foe, all rolled into one…. We look down on them for their pomposity, their flagrantly over-inflated sense of their own importance, their rudeness, their insularity, their ponderous bureaucracy, their clinging to a long-vanished past, their dodgy new best friends, their fiercely centripetal politics, their all-round unwarranted, swaggering arrogance. They look down on us for precisely the same reasons.
Map Addict

One of my favourite sections of the book is when Mike describes the goings on at the 1884 International Meridian Conference in Washington, where the Greenwich Meridian was eventually chosen as the zero point from which all other latitudes are measured. The conference was basically a battle of words between the British camp (including the Americans, who played bad cop to our good cop) and the French, who wanted the honour for themselves (they were already a bit smug to have got the meter recognised – something the Americans still haven’t taken up!)

Mike’s detailed account of the origins of the Ordnance Survey, through to present day, is an amazing journey of dedication and vision. There is so much I didn’t know about Ordnance Survey – how the covers (before marketing men got their hands on them) were originally plain, how a few years ago the tankard image was modified with one with less beer in, that rights of way information was only added in 1960, and that only 80 of the 204 Landranger don’t make a loss.

Borders

The chapter on borders is fascinating – from Europe’s wonkiest border, between Belgium and Netherlands, to enclaves such as Gaza Strip, Ceuta and Gibraltar.

It is not just these major, political, borders between countries that have a major effect on the population. I grew up in a small village in the northern tip of Buckinghamshire (right on the border with Northamptonshire), I now live in the next door village (in Northamptonshire) – despite being only a few miles apart, there seems to be this massive divide between the two villages, as if they were in different countries!

The saga of Britain’s smallest County, Rutland is enchanting. Rutland, with it’s 36,000 inhabitants, has constantly been fighting against being merged with Leicester. Especially enjoyable is Mike’s tale of his trip to Rutland!

The final few chapters

Towards the end of the book, I couldn’t help feeling that the final few chapters had been tacked on as fillers, as they seem to lack the enjoyable flow of the rest of the book.

The chapter on erotic map features in particular just seemed a little childish and unnecessary. Yes, the Mull of Kintyre looks a bit like a willy, and yes, The Cerne Giant does indeed have an erect member, but does it really need it’s own chapter? There were a few interesting snippits about the streets, in towns throughout the uk, frequented by prostitutes (in the same way “Baker Street” told visitors where to find bakers, “Gropecunt Lane” told you where to find some female company) – all the streets have since, of course, been renamed.

I am, however, completely in agreement with Mike on Satnav (or ‘Pratnav’ as the chapter is called). Satnavs make people stupid, drones to the, often incorrect, female voice (or BA from A-team, or whatever voice you have wasted money buying).

Satnavs are one more gadget to disempower us, to turn us into mindless jelly brains that cannot take any responsibility for ourselves
Map Addict

I like to know not just where to go next, but where I am now and what is around me. I want to be able to make my own choice as to how I am going to get somewhere – which route, based on the map, looks the most interesting and fun to drive. I will hopefully be the last person on Earth to have a Satnav (well except perhaps Mike Parker!).

Mena Caravan & Camping Park is a lovely, very friendly, spacious and secluded camp site situated on a hill just to the South West of Bodmin, Cornwall.

I was quite lazy when choosing this camp site – I basically did a Google search of camp sites near Bodmin and picked one of the top results – and I was not disappointed!

Best points: friendly, spacious, great for dogs & local meat
Bad points: none (honest, I really can’t think of any!)

Booking

To book, I completed their online booking form. Within a matter of hours I had an email back confirming they had space. Amazingly the email even suggested booking a single larger pitch, rather than two smaller pitches to save money – the sceptic in me thought this was so they could squeeze as many people on as possible, but on arrival there were plenty of spaces, so they were being genuinely helpful!

Both times I rang Mena – firstly to confirm the booking and pay the deposit, and secondly to double check the pitch size (after buying a new tent) – the person on the other end of the phone was very friendly and helpful.

This friendliness continued throughout our stay – the staff/owners were welcoming and always happy to chat whenever we popped into the shop.

In total the cost was £40 for two people, two tents and a dog (in high season).

The Site

The site is situated about 5 minutes from the A30, down a few narrow (but very quiet) lanes. However the position of the site means that you can’t hear any noise from the A30.

The site has 15 acres of open space, with 25 pitches (some with electric hook up). The site is broadly made up of three areas – you have a landscaped and well maintained main camping / caravan area, which is predominately flat, on top of a hill with some nice views (including over to Helman Torr, a Neolithic hill fort site). There is then a larger field slopping down hill – paths have been mowed around and through the field for dog walkers, and it makes for an excellent early morning / late evening stroll. At the bottom of the hill is a fishing pond and wooded area – dogs are allowed to swim in the pond provided no one is fishing (fishing ticket costs £3 per day per rod).

The pitches are a decent size and well spaced – there is a small play area in the middle of the site (with goal posts, basketball hoop etc.), with most of pitches around the edge.

Facilities

There are two toilet and shower blocks – both of which were clean and tidy throughout most of our stay. There was a bit of a queue for showers in the morning, but nothing too irksome, and they were hot, fairly powerful and free! One of the blocks also has laundry facilities (coin operated) and a freezer that is free to use for freezing ice blocks.

There is a small shop on site selling all the essentials – best of all the shop also sold local burgers, bacon and sausages. The sausages were extremely flavoursome and the bacon was the thickest I think I have ever seen. They also sell eggs from rescued battery hens – all the proceeds from the eggs goes on feed and on rescuing more!

Although we didn’t investigate, the site also has a large games barn with pool table and table tennis.

One other thing of note (for us geeks anyway) is that the site, being on a hill, receives excellent T-mobile 3.5g Mobile Broadband signal.

Local Area

The site is nice and close to Bodmin and Bodmin Moor – see my previous posts on walking Bodmin Moor: Minions, Stowe’s Hill (& the Cheesewring) and Kilmar Tor and King Arthur’s Hall, Brown Willy & Rough Tor from Churchtown

As the site is right next to the A30, in the centre of Cornwall, you have easy access to most main tourist destinations – the Eden Project is only 4 miles away, the National Trust’s Lanhydrock House & Gardens are 3 miles away, and the nearest Beach is 8 miles away.

Conclusion

Mena Caravan & Camping Park is a gem of a campsite and is highly recommended for anyone wanting to visit Cornwall.

The walk starts and ends in Churchtown near St Breward – Churchtown meaning, unsurprisingly “that settlement in a parish where the church stands” (what did I expect?).

The description of Bodmin Moor with its granite skies, howling winds and stark isolation are an appropriate background for a story that includes drunkenness, theft, smuggling, wrecking, murder and madness.
From a review of Jamaica Inn

Jamaica Inn is a Gothic horror adventure written by Daphne Du Maurier in 1935, based around Jamaica Inn, a famous base for smugglers, situated in the middle of Bodmin Moor between Bodmin and Launceston.

On a recent Offa’s Dyke 4 MS training weekend, and after quite a lengthy planning process, we did two Jamaica Inn themed walks across the moor.

This post covers the first walk - from the former mining village of Minions, up Stowe’s Hill (and the Cheesewring) before dropping down into a more desolote part of the moor and a climb to the summit of Kilmar Tor, which towers over Tewortha, home to Jem Merlin, the brother of the landlord of Jamaica Inn.

The walk started in Minions, on the south east edge of Bodmin Moor.  Minions is the highest village in Cornwall (according to Wikipedia) and was built as accomodation for the miners for the nearby Phoenix United Mine, which mined tin and copper.

The area’s mining past is very obvious – with a number of engine houses clearly visible. Just to the north of Minions is the recently restored Houseman’s Engine House, which houses a permanent exhibition on the history and nature of the surrounding area. We didn’t actually go in, but the engineer in me couldn’t help have a read through a few websites (like the Cornish Mining World Heritage site) to find out how the engine houses worked.

Just to the west of the village are the Hurlers which, due to a tactic car park blunder (we almost parked in the Hurlers carpark, but decided to move to the car park to the east of the village), we didn’t see. The Hurlers are three bronze age stone circles:

The local legend has it that some of the local men were playing a Cornish game known as hurling on the Sabbath and were turned into stone as punishment.
Source: Cornwall Online

From either car park there are paths leading northwards towards Stowe’s Hill – avoiding the mine shafts and quarries (most are fenced off). From the east carpark, you can easily follow the route of what was presumably formerly the train track for the mine.

At the top of Stowe’s Hill is the Cheesewring (as it looks like a cheesewring – a press-like device that was previously used to make cheese) - an inverse tapered granite pillar 8 metres in height and made up of stone rings one on top of the other. The legend of the Cheesewring is a great example of Christian propaganda:

A local legend about this rock formation is the result of a contest between a man and a giant. When Christianity had just been introduced to the British Islands, the giants who lived at the top of the mountains were not happy about it. The Saints had invaded their land and were declaring their wells as sacred.

One of the larger giants, Uther, was given the task of ridding their land of the Saints. He confronted the frail St Tue, who proposed a rock throwing contest. If the Uther won, the Saints would leave Cornwall. If St. Tue won, then the giants would convert to Christianity.

Uther took his turn first and easily threw a small rock to the top of nearby Stowe’s Hill. St. Tue prayed for assistance, and picking up a huge slab found it was very light. One after the other, they threw their rocks, stacking them up in perfect piles. When the score was 12 stones each, Uther threw a thirteenth stone, but it rolled down the hill. St. Tue picked up this fallen stone, and as he lifted it, an angel appeared to carry it to the top of the pile of rocks. Seeing this, Uther conceded and most of the giants decided to follow Christianity after that.

Source – Wikipedia

During quarrying operations, precaution was taken to protect the Cheesewring by adding a stone support to underpin the main stem – the support doesn’t actually touch the stem, which just go to show how stable this amazing geological feature is considering the quarry is just behind it!

From Stowe’s Hill we worked our way down North West towards Wardbrook Farm. Here we encountered one of those annoyances (yet understandable) problems with open access. There is a footpath leading up to the farm, a tiny area of private track, which then continues back into open access land. We had hoped to be able to sneak down the private track – however we are clearly not the only ones to have thought of this, and a big “No public right of way” sign put us off!

Instead we followed the fence to the south of the farm, on the edge of Witheybrook Marsh.  There is a fairly clear, although occasionally boggy, path. By the time the fenced area had finished, we had Kilmar Tor in our sights. Well not exactly, it had started to drizzle, and visibility has rapidly decreasing – I even had to take out my compass (brushing off the cobwebs, as I don’t think I have ever used it in anger) to take a bearing for us to follow!

“Kilmar Tor reigns like some ancient monarch, its jagged grey summits stabbing into wide skies: a ridge of balancing rocks, Nature’s own marvellous sculpture. Time has hardly touched this terrain.”

Michael Williams (Unknown Cornwall) ~ 1984

Kilmar Tor is wonderfully desolute – the very narrow but long peak is covered in granite blocks (with hindsight, nothing compared to Rough Tor, but still impressive). Rather than taking the perhaps easier route of walking along the edge of the rocks until spotting the trig point, we instead decided to clamber over them – it took forever. The dog was in her element – who knew a rescue dog that had never even been walked had mountain goat ancestors! Finally we reached the trig point – the first trig point I have ever come across which is not at the highest point (it was infact nestled between two granite bolders!).

My photos completely fail to do Kilmar Tor justice – however I came across the PhotoFile Cornwall website, which has some awesome photos – it is definitely worth having a look!

After a brief pause to admire the view across Twelve Men’s Moor and Trewortha (home to Jem Merlin, the brother of the landlord of Jamaica Inn), we took another bearing across to Bearah Tor (I was more than a little excited to get to use the compass for a second time!).

Thanks again to the problems of open access we could either double back on ourselves, or take the direct route. Chosing the direct route made the rest of the walk, in truth, rather dull. From Bearah Tor we took the miners track down towards the local road. We then followed the local road through Henwood until finally making it back to Minions. It was only the pack of nuts and chocoate raisons that got us home!

The second walk is an ascent of Brown Willy, the highest point of Cornwall. The walk also takes in, as well as some interesting landmarks like King Arthurs Hall, Rough Tor – the setting for the dramatic scene at the end of the book.

The second walk is an ascent of Brown Willy, the highest point of Cornwall. The walk also takes in, as well as some interesting landmarks like King Arthurs Hall and Rough Tor – the setting for the dramatic scene at the end of Jamaica Inn. Details to be posted shortly!

After an enjoyable weekend of walking on Bodmin Moor, I thought now would be a good time to share how I go about planning where to walk. You see, when I am off walking (or is it hiking?) in a new place, I have a bit of planning regime. It is a bit sad, but please indulged me.

[This was orginally going to be about the walks themselves, but I got a little distracted - I promised to blog about them tomorrow!]

First – I buy maps. I already had the OS Landranger map for half of the moor but, helped by the combination of the discovery of cheap OS maps on Amazon and Amazon Prime (free next day delivery), it was a mere 24 hours before I had the other OS Landranger, the Bodmin Moor OS Explorer, and several Viewranger map downloads.

I love maps, especially Ordnance Survey maps – something which perhaps harks back to my Geography lessons when I was ten, when I found the map symbols strangly magical. I am not a map geek though – one of my friends takes Ordnance Survey map enjoyment to an extreme, and reading “Map Addict” (review to follow) shows that even he is rather tame in comparison to some map addicts out there. However, whilst not being a map geek, I am rather fond of pouring over maps looking for interesting places to walk.

Secondly – I rumage through my walk compendiums. I have two – the most recent are the walk (ride, cycle, drive, and train) routes that Countryfile magazine dishes out each week (sorted neatly into piles for each area of the country). My older collection is “Out & About” – one of those collectable magazines (are they officially called partworks?) where issue one is 99p, and each subsequent one is significantly more pricey.

As a child, I was allowed one subscription at any one time. Some subscriptions were better than others and, although this one was actually quite good, I can’t actually remember ever actually walking any of the routes with my family. The collection had collected dust in my cupboard until only last year when I rediscovered them whilst my parents were moving house. The routes are nice (albeit quite short) walks, with accomponying OS maps and a summary of the history and wildlife around you.

Thirdly – I dive on the internet  to find useful websites with walk ideas, tips and reviews of the area, especially on sites like go4awalk.co.uk which has an excellent selection of printable walks. I also have a browse through the avaliable Viewranger downloadable walks to see what there is on offer.

There weren’t actually many sites with walks on Bodmin Moor – go4awalk had one, but other than generic descriptions of walking on the moor, there wasn’t much to go on elsewhere.  My “Out & About” collection had a short walk from Minions, and the Countryfile cards also had a couple of short walks. Short walks are ok, but if I have any hope of getting fit enough to tackle Offa’s Dyke next year, I need something more challenging (and when camping, it is handy to tire the dog out too!)

It was the “Bodmin Moor” Countryfile walk card which caught my eye, not for the walk itself, but for the mention of Jamaica Inn.

“Step into the landscape that inspired Daphne Du Maurier to write her tale of murder, deceit and smugglers on Bodmin Moor”

It sounded intriguing, and I was pleased to discover the unabridged audiobook from Audible. At last some inspiration and something to get myself into a suitable mood for Bodmin Moor. It was a thoroughly enjoyable story, and it seemed appropriate to plan walks which relate to areas mentioned in the book. Suddenly everything clicked into place.

Not too far North of Minions is Kilmar Tor, ‘his slope a venomous grey,’ which towers over Tewortha, home to Jem Merlin, the brother of the landlord of Jamaica Inn. Suddenly the short walk from Minons, exploring the old quarrys and the Cheesewring, can be combined with some compass navigation across the moor to Kilmar Tor – an exciting walk!

The second walk chosen was a variation of the go4awalk.co.uk one – which is a fairly strenious 11 mile hike over Brown Willy, the highest point of Cornwall. The walk also takes in, as well as some interesting landmarks like King Arthurs Hall, Rough Tor – the setting for the dramatic scene at the end of the book. The route needed a little adapting, as after looking at the OS maps, I wasn’t completely happy with the start, but it takes in some great parts of the moor.

Planning  good long walks is not easy – most walk guidebooks seem to only included shorter ones, which leaves the dog with far too much energy! But all it takes is a map and some inspiration, and you can easily create some wonderful walks! Both these walks had a nice combination of adventure, enjoyment and exertion , and I look forward to blogging about them tomorrow!

In “Map Addict” (which I hope to review when I finish it!), Mike Parker explains how he used to make visitors place a pin in a map where they felt they most belonged (not lived, but belonged). Without barely a thought, I would place my pin in Snowdonia near Rhyd Ddu (just west of Snowdon)

I love Snowdonia. Being surrounded by such amazing scenery has a powerful effect on me – the rugged mountains, the dense forests, the remote moorlands, and the rivers, steams and waterfalls surging down the slopes. Snowdonia makes me feel alive and at peace with myself.

A few months ago I made, what is starting to become a regular occurance, a pilgramage to Rhyd Ddu with a group of friends. We were staying in the self-catered farmhouse managed, and presumably owned, by The Cwellyn Arms.

I first discovered The Cwellyn Arms in August last year – I was staying in a campsite on the Llyn Peninsula, and had decided to make my first attempt to climb a mountain – The Nantlle Ridge. Unfortunately I was forced back by the weather (I finally defeated it on this trip) and instead headed into Rhyd Ddu following the “PH” symbol on the map.

The Cwellyn Arms was nothing short of magical – there were several log fires burning, real ales on tap, and friendly staff who were happy for me to wander in with my muddy boots and even muddier dog. The dog curled up in front of the fire, and as I supped on my ale (the name has long been forgotten!), I watched a young couple (just back from a walk) playing chess in the corner. This is my kind of pub!

I returned the next day, after having climbed Moel Hebog, to try the food – the quality was outstanding! The prices aren’t cheap, but are certainly worth it (they are listed in the “Which Good Food Guide”). I spotted a flyer for their self-catered cottage, farmhouse, bunk house and campsite – and vowed to return.

I returned at the start of December with a group of friends. We had booked the farmhouse, which has two bedrooms (one with a double and a single, and one with two doubles and a single), a lounge with log fire (wood provided), a full stocked kitchen (including huge fridge and freezer, flasks, and all the pots, pans and utensils you can think of!) and a conservatory (with a double sofa bed and large windows looking out over snowdon).

The views are what really get to me – you are almost completely surrounded by moutains. To the one side you have Snowdon, and the peaks of Moel Cynghorion, Foel Goch, and Foel Gron. To another side Mynydd Mawr. There is a lake, Llyn Cwellyn, a few hundred yards from the farmhouse (the campsite is between the farmhouse and the lake). The farmhouse is about fifteen minutes walk from Rhyd Ddu – so you feel really isolated. The walk from the pub at night is an experience, the dark mountains tower around you against the slightly lighter sky (although annoingly on the last visit some idiot left the Snowdon cafe lights on, which sort of spoilt the effect!)

I am looking forward to experiencing the owners hospitality again soon – in fact I am already planning a return visit next month!

Last weekend (July 2009) I stayed at Smugglers Haven / Trevelgue Holiday Park for a friend’s stag do.

As I approached the site, it occured to me that I have stayed here before – about 10 years ago with a group of friends. I can’t remember much about it – other than cooking breakfast from my tent doorway, and watching some sport event (a grand prix?) in the first pub we came to! It is safe to say that things have changed!

The first thing that surprised me was the reception – it is massive! It is a reception that Newquay airport would be envious of! Despite the huge desk, there were only two reception staff, but after a bit of wait we soon had our tent tags and a map.

Trevelgue is mainly made up of static caravans, with a bit of camping. Smugglers Haven, where I was staying, has a static caravan area and then three levels of grass for camping.

The next thing that surprised me was how crowded the camping area was – it was absolutely rammed. There was very little unused grass, and in the area where we camped, which I would consider the size of a single pitch, there were about 11 tents! Talking to one of the security guards, he told me that in very busy times, they even use all the fields (on slopes) you can see around the site.

I won’t bother doing a full review of the site – as there are plenty of reviews out there: for example on Ciao, on Review Centre and on Independent Campsite Reviews. But here are a few of my observations:

• Rubbish – everywhere! To be fair to the site, they have a lot of litter pickers, but the challenge they face is immense. Groups make no effort to remove litter – the site is strewn with beer cans, broken tents, used disposable BBQs, food wrappers etc. This of course attracts an umbelievable number of fat sea gulls and wasps!
• Toilet / shower facilities – Considering the number of people on site, there are only five showers, and these are disgusting. The toilets are beyond disgusting – simply foul! But again to be fair to the site, the toilets and showers are cleaned daily, but it doesn’t take anytime at all before they become horrible again.
• Noise – during the day there is a multitude of drum and bass and chart music pumping for cars across the site. At night, the music is replaced by screams, shouting and other drunken antics. Bear in mind the last site bus returns from Newquay around 3am! Unless you are a) drunk, b) on drugs or c) a heavy sleeper – you will not get much sleep (for the record, I was a bit of option a). If the drunks don’t wake you up, the seagulls will!
• Age – Smugglers might be “Newquay’s premier 18-30 site”, but the small print states:  ”We are able to accept groups under the age of 18, but over the age of 16, provided each group member has written consent from their parent/guardian”. Read that as – “the site is full of under age binge drinkers with nieve parents”.

A tale of two holiday parks

Despite having seperate names and seperate websites (although the similarities are obvious) – Smugglers Haven and Trevelgue Holiday Park are the same site. Sure there are two entrances, a security gate between the two (which is locked at 10pm, and manned by security during the day for pedestrian access only), and seperate toilet/shower blocks, but the vast majority of the facilities are on the Trevelgue side – the reception, shop, surf shop, swimming pool, cafe and arcade.

What I really don’t undetstand though is why any family would ever consider staying at Trevelgue? Ok, maybe during the week, or during term time, it might be ok (some of the reviews of Smugglers suggest it becomes a ghost town during the week) – but over the Summer or at a weekend?

As most of the facilities are on the family side, the site is crawling with under thirties – bear in mind the group next to us were washing down their breakfast with cans of Strongbow, you can imagine the state of some of them by the afternoon!

And the noise – unless the static caravans are soundproofed, the noise coming over from the Smugglers fence must be truely awful! During the day you have the blend of a variety of thumping music, and during the night all the drunken revelling.

Also, according to some of the reviews, the state and queues of the Smugglers toilet/shower block means that some people use the Trevelgue ones, which quickly begin to get into the same state of uncleanliness.

There is a certain type of person who would enjoy staying at this site. I am sure it is brilliant if you are into clubbing and drinking to excess and beyond with your mates, but otherwise stay well clear! Personally I hope to never stay there again (unless of course another of my friends has a stag do there!).

Newquay

Newquay has a bit of a reputation as the “ultimate” party destination in England.

“Newquay is no longer a boring seaside resort it offers so much now since this location has been put on the map! It has transformed into a place that offers extreme water sports, sunshine, great night life and girls in the skimpiest bikinis!!! Need we say more?”
Source – stagweekends.co.uk

No you don’t – and I am sure the locals just love that description.

The streets and bars at the weekend are heaving – there are a lot of underage kids out and about (although to be fair much less so in the actual venues) and a lot of very drunk people (you know – the sort that can barely eat the kebab clutched in their hands). There is a police presence, but a fraction of what can be seen on Broadstreet in Birmingham. The atmosphere is also very moody – not threatening, just moody. As we walked past one of the town’s strip clubs, I watched as someone was ejected, thrown against a wall by a bouncer, who then had to be pulled back by a colleague before he went further.

Newquay is a hugely popular for post-exam / end of term parties and it is not surprising that there are calls for Newquay to revamp it’s image – made after the tragic deaths of two teenages. A spokesperson for the Devon and Cornwall Police stated:

“Newquay is a safe place as long as you come here with a degree of common sense and a degree of responsibility.”
Source – BBC website

There are enough adults without the necessary common sense and responsibility, let alone teenagers high on the euphoria of completing exams chucked into a environment of partying and drinking to excess without any adult supervision.

Obviously being on a stag do, I didn’t get to see much of Newquay other than the town centre. On Twitter, @ignashus enjoyed Newquay on the same weekend, although they sensibly avoided the town centre. Just looking at the photos of Newquay on wikipedia, it seems like it has more to offer than just a party destination – I think I agree with Chief Superintendent Elaine Marshall:

“Newquay has enormous potential, with its great beaches and holiday facilities, especially in the current economic climate. Unfortunately its image has been tarnished and we need to work quickly to re-market it as a safe place to visit.”
Source – BBC website

Good luck Newquay!

It’s distinctive shape from the south-west has earned The Cnicht the title of ‘The Welsh Matterhorn’.

It is an interesting steep ascent, with some scrambling at the end, followed by a gentle walk along the more wilder ridge beyond to the disused Rhosydd and Croesor slate quarries before descending back into Croesor.

It was a beautiful sunny day, the day after climing the Nantlle Ridge, that a group of friends and I arrived in Croesor, ready to climb The Cnicht.

On the route from Beddgelert (Croesor is about 15 minutes drive), you don’t really get to see much of the Cnicht. Not until the final approach to Croesor on the tiny single track road, off the A4085, do you get a glimpse of it’s profile.

The mountain gets its name from the old English word ‘knight’, the silent ‘k’ being pronounced at that time. It is said that the shape of the mountain bears a similarity with a knight’s helmet.
Source – Wikipedia

I have to admit having just spent a happy hour or so flicking through ‘The History of Chivalry and Armor’ (translated from the original 19th century French edition) – looking at the gorgeous colourful illustrations, trying to find a picture of a helmet in the shape of The Cnicht. I presume it is named after some kind of conical Anglo-Saxon helmet?

So, armed with a downloadable Viewranger guided walk, we set off. The free carpark was full, but there we managed to find some on road parking nearby. The climb is progressively steady, only becoming very strenous towards the peak. The views as you ascend quickly become fantastic, especially across to Porthmadog and Tremadog Bay.

There is a sheltered plateau, just below the peak, which makes a lovely resting point before tackling the final ascent, which requires some enjoyable hands on scrabbling. The views from the summit are spectacular – rather than my slightly inferior photos, I have found this wonderful 360 degree panorama on the BBC website.

From the summit, there is a gentle, easy to follow, route along the ridge to a pair of lakes – Llynnau Diffwys. From here, the route we were following continues to the disused Rhosydd and Croesor slates quarries. However at this point the troops were restless, and the pub was calling (well it was a hot day!) So rather than exploring the quarries, we took the more direct footpath past the resevoir and down to what was presumably originally the quarry supply road.

It was a shame not to have had the time to explore the quarries – slate mining has played such an important part in the history and geography of this part of Britain. I did intend to write about both quarries, but it just doesn’t seem right without having at least looked around them (well the parts that are accessible anyway)! So I guess that I will have to come back, not just to visit the quarries, but to also tackle the neighouring peaks of Moelwyn Mamw and Moelwyn Back. I am already looking forward to it!

Often described as a classic ridge walk, The Nantlle Ridge has a fairly strenous climb, some great views (especially across to Snowdon), some exciting scrabling (Grade 1 apparantly), and a ridge with some dramatic sheer drops.

The Nantlle Ridge, well at least the part including the peaks of Y Garn, Drws-y-Coed and Trum y Ddysgl, has been my nemisis. The walk isn’t too difficult (I think it is classed as “Moderate”), but the last two attempts I have made I have been forced back by the weather.

This part of the Nantlle Ridge is accessible from Rhyd-Ddu, off the A4085 (just North of Beddgelert). The route map and guide are available from go4awalk.com, or is available to download as a guided walk direct to your phone with Viewranger. I also stumbled across a free walk description on the Walking Britain website.

The first time I attempted this climb was in August 2008. It was a rainy week of camping on the Lleyn Pennisular, and in my infinite wisdom, I decided to undertake my first mountain climb by attempting the Nantlle Ridge. By the time I had got to the first peak of Y Garn, I could barely see my hand in front of my face. Fortunately a friendly fellow walker on his way down from Drws-y-Coed, recommended that as a novice it would not be sensible to attempt to go further, so I abandoned the climb and headed back to the pub in Rhyd-Ddu. With hindsight, after seeing some of the drops and the scrabling, this was a very sensible decision!

The second attempt at The Nantlle Ridge was in December 2008. It was a surprisingly nice day for December – sunny, clear skys, and not too cold once you got started. I was with a group of friends – we made it to Y Garn with no problems, but as we started the scrable up to Drws-y-Coed, the moss on the rocks higher up became icy and slippy. This was causing problems to both the dog and a friend with no grip on her walking boots, so we decided to turn back rather than having any mishaps – with hindsight we had actually reached the final boulder with an easier path to follow behind, but better to be safe than sorry.

So on a hot May afternoon, Alex and I decided to tackle the ridge from the other side. Rather than taking the direct steep ascent upto Y Garn, we continued to follow the path from Rhyd Ddu into Beddgelert Forest.

I have to admit that I am not very fond of Beddgelert Forest, a Forestry Commission forest mainly planted with conifers and broadleaves – my experience of it has been either trudging along wide and dull roads, or, after a decent from Moel Lefn, following a footpath that was more swamp than path (and associated biting insects).

The forest path climbs slowly but steadily – but once through the forest, you begin the ascent to Trum y Ddysgl in anger. The final quarter of a mile is a killer walking up an extremely steep grass slope – but once on the ridge, the views are amazing, especially across the ridge to Drws-y-Coed. After a well earned rest, we followed the ridge – trying not to think about the jaw dropping cliff to our left – to Drws-y-Coed and then scrambled down to Y Garn. After enjoying the spectacular 360 degree views, especially across to Snowdon, we dropped steeply down to Rhyd-Ddu and a well earning pint (or two) in the pub!

I am really glad to have finally managed to beat (at least this part) of the Natille Ridge. My inability to successfully complete the walk was really starting to knock my confidence in my, and my dog’s ability, to climb mountains. She incidentally absolutely loved the walk – she is like a mountain goat leaping from stone to stone, and was completely unphased by the sheer drops!

Throughout the walk, Alex (who is joining me on Offa’s Dyke for MS next year) and I discussed how this walk is only half of what is expected in just one day of the forteen day Offa’s Dyke walk. To quote Alex, we are going to have to “man up”!

Due to individual availability, the planned time of year when we plan to embark on our charity Offa’s Dyke challenge is early to mid April. As this is during the lambing season, it has been bothering me what impact we, and especially my dog, will have during this important time of year for sheep farmers.

In this post I will cover a few of the issues relating to sheep worrying (although it also applies to other livestock), what the problem is, what damage can be done, where the law stands, the consequences to farmers, and what can be done by dog walkers to reduce the impact on sheep during lambing season.

My dog is a German Shepherd – generally, unless she feels threatened or thinks I am being threatened, she is an absolute softie. My mother, who is scared of German Shepherds, adores her. To other dogs, again unless she feels threatened, she is playful – overally playful to be honest (perhaps a subject of another blog post).

Whilst out and about in the countryside, she is often off the lead – her recall is brilliant and she doesn’t run through crops or dive in and out of hedgerows. She is quite happy sniffing the path in front – presumably to make sure all is safe for me to proceed. However, if I am in or near a field containing sheep (and other livestock), she goes on her lead immediately. Despite how harmless or obedient I think she is, the bottom line is she has animal instincts.

A dog’s instinct

It is now widely acknowledged that even though our dogs have been domesticated for a long time they have not lost their basic instincts.

Angela Stockdale – Dog Aggression Specialist

Instinctively a dog will want to chase anything running away. It only takes some sudden movement or a scent of an animal, and no matter how well behaved they may be, your dog’s instinct will kick in and off it goes, completely oblivious to any commands to come back.

(I am obviously mainly talking household dogs here – working dogs and other extremely well trained dogs have had their instinct controlled by training)

My dog is no exception – she will chase rabbits, squirrels, even cats given half a chance. Although she is quite calm on the lead whilst walking through a sheep field – I am sure she wouldn’t think twice about chasing them as they run away if she could.

Most dogs are unlikely to actually have the aim of killing sheep – most will simple chase until they catch up and then get bored (although in their excitement they may nip the animal). Only certain dogs have a born or learnt urge to kill, however damage to sheep, especially during the lambing season, may have already occurred by simply disturbing the sheep.

Damage caused by sheep worrying

The most obvious damage caused by sheep worrying, that we are all probably aware of, is serious injury or death to the sheep:

“The worst attack was at Four Marks last April – a ewe which was in lamb with twins had her throat ripped out. The suffering of this sheep was terrible – she was still breathing when she was found, but we had to have her humanely destroyed and the twin lambs died too,” explained Mr Wyeth.

Two of his ewes were then killed in a dog attack two days after Christmas at Blacklands Farm near Basingstoke. An eye witness reported seeing three boys with a small black dog but no one was brought to account for the deaths.

www.nfuonline.com

However it is not just injury or death that can cause problems to sheep:

Movement away from grazing

Good grazing is really important for a sheep leading up and during lambing. Especially when roaming across open land, sheep will drift towards areas with the best grazing. When disturbed by walkers, the sheep will move away a short distance and resume grazing. However, if the sheep are chased, they will be chased much further away from the good grazing, and it will take some time for them to settle and return. If this is repeated, then the sheep may be excluded from the grazing for a long time.

Restriction of grazing on top of constant movement will eventually affect the sheep’s condition which could result in difficult births and underweight, weak lambs.

Northumberland National Park

Disturbance during lambing

As the birth approaches the ewe will move away from the flock to a quiet sheltered place. If the ewe is flushed out by an overexcited dog, then it is possible the ewe may abort. Immediately after the birth, is the ewe is chased away, the lamb’s survival is threatened and the development of maternal bonding vital to the lambs’ survial may be broken.

Lamb seperation from their mothers

When sheep are afraid it is their natual instinct to flock together. However if the lambs are seperated from their mothers they may follow the wrong ewe. When the flock settles, and the ewe realised it is not her lamb, it gets pushed away. If very young, the lamb will soon get cold from hunger and become too frail to suckle even if their mother finds them before they die.

Sheep worrying and the law

Firstly a slight disclaimer – I am not a lawyer. Any information that follows is based on my personal understanding of the law and what I have read elsewhere. I have included links to each of the acts so you can make your own judgement.

A dog owner (or person in charge of the dog) has committed an offence under the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 (the act was added to by The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981) if their dog worries livestock on agricultural land.

Worrying livestock means:

• attacking livestock
• chasing livestock where it may be reasonably expected to cause injury or suffering to livestock, in cause abortion, or cause loss or problems with their produce
• being at large (i.e. not on a lead or otherwise under close control) in a field or enclosure in which there are sheep

That last point is particularly interesting – it suggests that legally your dog is worrying sheep just by being in a sheep field not under close control (although I wonder what the legal definition, if any, is for “close control”).

Livestock includes cattle, sheep, goats, swine, horses, asses, mules, poultry (including domestic fowls, turkeys, geese or ducks). It does not seem to cover game birds.

The offence is punishable by a fine of upto £1000.

So what about the legal right for farmers to shoot dogs?

Well, and this could well just be semantics, but the act usually quoted as granting a “legal right” for shooting dogs is the Animals Act 1971. I am not so sure it gives a legal right, but it does give a legal defence – in other words (and remember I am not a lawyer!), the farmer has to prove he acted within the act (whereas a legal right implies proving he didn’t). Here is the relevant part of the act:

9. (1) In any civil proceedings against a person (… referred to as the defendant) for killing or causing injury to a dog it shall be a defence to prove:
(a) that the defendant acted for the protection of any livestock and was a person entitled to act for the protection of that livestock
(b) that within forty-eight hours of the killing or injury notice thereof was given by the defendant to the officer in charge of a police station.
(2) (this clause explains who is entitled to act for the protection of any livestock)
(3) Subject to subsection (4) of this section, a person killing or causing injury to a dog shall be deemed for the purposes of this section to act for the protection of any livestock if, and only if, either:
(a) the dog is worrying or is about to worry the livestock and there are no other reasonable means of ending or preventing the worrying; or
(b) the dog has been worrying livestock, has not left the vicinity and is not under the control of any person and there are no practical means of ascertaining to whom it belongs.

Extract from the Animals Act 1971

Note the words defendant!

Ultimately it doesn’t matter if it is a legal right or a legal defense – the bottom line is that a farmer will not be prosecuted for shooting your dog – provided “there are no other reasonable means of ending or preventing the worrying”.

The same act also states that if your dog causes damage by killing or injuring livestock, the owner (or keeper) is liable for the damage.

Consequences to farmers

NFU Mutual insurers have said that the estimated cost of attacks on sheep was £900,000 a year – this is likely to be higher as some farmers do not have cover for livestock worrying or attacks. Personally I would be surprised if these figures include costs of abortions and lambs dying prematurely indirectly caused by dogs worrying sheep. Lambing is the main harvest for a sheep farmer, and the lambing season influences on average two-thirds of the farm’s annual income.

Dog owners may view their pet chasing sheep as a minor incident – but it has major consequences for animal welfare and farmers’ livelihoods.

www.nfuonline.com

The Southern Daily Echo reported last year that dog attacks cost the industry more than £2m a year (again I doubt this includes indirect losses) and as dog worrying seems to on the increase, things are only going to get worse for farmers unless dog owners take action to prevent it from happening.

So what can dog owners do?

The RSPCA are collaborating with the National Sheep Association and National Farmers’ Union to distribute signs and posters to help educate dog owners to keep their dogs on leads near livestock.

Keeping your dog on a lead will clearly stop your dog from chasing sheep, and is definately a must for any dog owner near livestock, but I am still concerned about the impact of walking through lambing fields (and land) with my dog.

A few people have said to me: “well if the farmers are so worried about sheep worrying during lambing, they shouldn’t put sheep in fields with footpaths”. I have no sympathy for this argument – firstly as a lot of footpaths originated from the routes farm hands walked to work from villages, most farms are a hub of footpaths out to the surrounding villages. It wouldn’t surprise me if there are farms where every single field has at least one footpath in. Secondly this argument is not practical for open grazing spaces like most of our National Parks.

Likewise I don’t think the argument “dog owners should stay clear of lambing fields” is practical either, especially when trying to follow a National Trail, unless you want to let dog walkers wander freely across farmland trying to find an alternative route!

I would like to thank Sally, who has an excellent blog “Rural Diaries – live the country life, love the countryside and learn about rural issues”, who finally put me at ease with the following advice:

Keeping the dog on a short lead is fine but try to also keep it calm, a dog panting, barking and straining at the lead can be stressful for sheep, particularly when they are lambing or have lambs at foot.

Like any animal that has a flight instinct in the presence of danger, if you are walking toward a sheep or lambs slow down and give them time and room to flee.

Be aware of clumps of reeds, small dips in the landscape, beside walls or fence posts, as young lambs will often be left in or near shelter while the mother grazes, so it’s easy to walk through a clump of reeds to suddnly come across two little trembling bodies. Just try to walk around anything that could be hiding lambs.

That is really all you need to do to be a thoughtful dog owner and minimise the impact on livestock.

I followed this advice on my last walk when I went through quite a few sheep fields in Northamptonshire. Although the lambs are a little older, I am pleased to report that, by keeping the dog calm and giving the sheep and lambs a chance to move away, there was very little disturbance to the sheep. In fact in one field, the sheep actually started coming up to us!

If you have any comments about sheep worrying, any corrections of my dodgy legal interpretations, or want to share your experiences, please feel free to comment below.