The Great Outdoors June 2020

THERE IS A kind of awe in imagining future technology; looking ahead and contemplating the things scientific advancement will someday enable us to do (assuming we survive that long). But sometimes I have the reverse feeling; a wonder at what human beings achieved with the supposedly ‘primitive’ means at their disposal in the past. We all know, for example, that ancient seafarers used the position of the sun to help navigate across the oceans. But what about when it was cloudy? A millennia ago, Vikings sailed and settled for thousands of miles across the expanses of the Arctic and North Atlantic, and reached as far as North America. Their legends mention mysterious ‘solar stones’, or sunstones; objects which enabled them to locate the sun even on overcast days. It is now…

Terry Abraham Up until recently, filmmaker Terry was busy filming Life of a Mountain: Helvellyn–the third in his hit Lake District mountain trilogy. Then the lockdown kicked in. The premiere was set for May and now all screenings at cinemas have been postponed; but it has afforded him the opportunity to hone the documentary whilst enjoying the odd walk up his local fells in the Eden Valley. He has also been busy with other projects, including his debut book Life on the Mountains, which is out now. See our exclusive extract on p38. Alex Roddie Regular contributor Alex has been spending lockdown in the Lincolnshire Wolds, dreaming of the mountains but finding renewed joy in the sights and sounds of local wildlife returning to the landscape. Before COVID-19 hit, he completed a splendid…

“This was my fourth trip in a month to Cressbrook Dale with the goal of photographing the early purple orchids that thrive here. “The orchids favour dry grassland areas and carpet the hillside here between mid May and early June. The domed limestone outcrop in the distance is St Peter’s Stone, a well-known Peak District landmark; its name is rumoured to come from its apparent similarity to the domed shape of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome. “Cressbrook Dale is one of the famous limestone Dales making up the White Peak area of the national park. With its origins in the Carboniferous period, 300 million years ago, its karst landscape is formed by the dissolution of soluble limestone rocks, formed under tropical seas, and is characterised by natural underground drainage systems with sinkholes…

Justine Ritchie WHEN IT COMES to mountain photography, we are often bombarded with details–it can be difficult to determine just where to look or know what, exactly, draws your eye. Justine Ritchie’s alternative abstract approach strips the hills down and reminds us of their essence. “‘Multiple exposure’ images help capture more of an intimidating landscape’s complexity by integrating and reconciling the differing elements like light, colour, contours, tonality, mood and moment,” Justine explains. Bewitched by the Rum Cuillin as seen from the shores of Eigg, Justine aims to embody the spirit of the landscape. “This is a scene of layered light and receding ridge lines, but it is also an illustration of the geology and history that has been folded into those layers. “Focusing on these different outlines and overlaying the shots in…

The weekend before Britain’s lockdown measures were first announced, beauty spots all over the country were swamped by an influx of visitors. With indoor activities either out of limits or deemed too hazardous, people were doing what probably seemed sensible at the time: looking for their recreational kicks in the great outdoors. That was back in March. At the time of writing, the UK government is under pressure to release a lockdown ‘escape plan’ with daily deaths still in triple figures–so how exactly will that work? And how will it work in relation to the outdoors? “It’s going to be really complex,” says Heather Morning, Mountain Safety Advisor at Mountaineering Scotland. “We all started out assuming we were looking at perhaps three weeks of shutdown before we were all back in the…

“Our mountains are free of human presence” What has it been like living in one of the mountainous regions we’re all yearning to get to? Kirstie Smith reports from Arran ARRAN IS A POPULAR tourist destination, with almost half of the island made up of second homes–which, come Easter, are usually all full. Add to that hotels, B&Bs, campsites and extra day-trippers, and normally the island goes from a quiet local population to hosting thousands of extra visitors enjoying our stunning trails, beaches and mountains with local businesses thriving. But this spring, our mountains are free of human presence and the villages and roads are eerily quiet. This year has hit us hard, like it has many other places all over the country; and, although many island businesses have been impacted, people understand the…