There was a good turn out for part one of the navigation course; 10 adults and children. We could see that it was sunny outside but as this session was going to cover the absolute basics of navigation the classroom was the best place for us. Here are a few of the things we covered; …
Portland presents a forbidding aspect in the rain; sky and sea merge into battleship grey uniformity. For the first two days we walked sunken lanes through boot devouring mud. On the second day we managed a couple of desultory climbs between downpours. And then day three explodes with a burst of springtime sound and colour …
‘Keep Portland weird’, the bumper sticker says it all really. It had only been a couple of weeks since the successful Craggers family trip to the Isle and here I was again, this time camping in the grounds of the YHA. When you are invited to an AGM your first reaction is probably not to …
When we were approached by the Hailsham Trust to run some foraging days for their clients we were delighted. It seemed like a great way to both promote Craggers and to help get families outdoors. Our only worry was would we be able to find enough wild food to make it interesting for everyone. Becci …
Between Tunbridge Wells and Maidstone there is an unprepossessing patch of deciduous woodland sandwiched between a stream on the southern edge, the River Medway to the north, fields to the west and an industrial estate to the east. Along the perimeters the rusting detritus of agribusiness is being subsumed into the landscape. I can just …
In the days preceding my trip I had watched, with mounting trepidation, the weather forecast for Snowdonia. Jolly orange triangles took on sinister significance because they were the symbols for severe weather warnings, backed up by the words ‘heavy rain’ and ‘thunder storms’. Tired from the nine hour journey by public transport I was grateful …
As the train pulled out of Chester station the rain began to fall in earnest; heavy drops raced across the window in parallel diagonals leaving silver wakes which fragmented into sparkly droplets. I was heading to Wales again and again the weather forecast was dreadful. The final part of the nine hour journey was a …
I was looking forward to the first walk of the New Year and was pleasantly surprised that other people had turned out into the ‘interesting’ weather as well. We were three adults and a very plucky four year old. In Rottingdean the wind jostled us and made the fabric of our waterproofs crack like the …
“What is navigation?” This may seem like a strange question for me to ask at the start of a navigation workshop but the variety of answers convinced me that it was relevant. There is also frequently confusion between navigation and navigating. When we move around our house we are navigating but it has become a …
February is easing into March and the certainty of winter is becoming the possibility of spring. Outside the Hostel, around the bird table, life thrives. A male pheasant practices its regal strut, all clashing colours; its feathered train, iridescent in the morning sun, touches the ground. A mallard duck and her drake waddle up like …
By the time I reached the outskirts of the town I was really cold and wet. It was all my own fault, of course; yet another triumph of hope over experience; I had not expected the gentle drizzle to turn into a freezing deluge and had not put on my waterproof trousers. The map I …
Part 1, 19/1/14 I was feeling fidgety. There was a low angled but really bright sun shining from a clear blue sky; and we were doing a classroom session. I was itching to get outside but skimping on the basics, particularly for novices going on a winter Scotland trip for the first time would not …
IOL lecture on Crisis and Risk management for clubs and organisations report. 11 February 2014. Overview of the day • Accidents and crises • Legal Perspective • Planning • Effective Crisis communication • Crisis communication plan • Braking bad news • Simulations • Q & A Who is affected in a crisis? • Staff • …
One very cold snowy Wednesday morning (perfect for practicing!) four of us who are going on the Scotland expedition met up bright & early at Brighton station to go on a nav &rope adventure. We caught the train to hassocks and navigated immediately to a cafe. The cafe had a big table that we were able to spread our maps out on. Tony set …
This is something I wrote for the Annual Report; a look back at 2013 and as we can’t afford to print a copy for every member, here it is. Walking south, the low winter sun was bright enough for me to regret not bringing sunglasses. In the festival hinterland nestled between Christmas and New …