Editor’s Wish List: Autumn 2010
WALK a revamped Dartmoor Way
It’s shown on OS maps and is one of the most challenging, beautiful and varied long-distance paths in the South West, but the Dartmoor Way is still not waymarked on the ground and little publicised. Now, a decade after it was first created by local towns and villages, Devon Ramblers has unveiled plans for a £10,000 relaunch of the route that will see its southern sweep extended to Ivybridge, taking its total length to over 100 miles. However, the full extent of the project is still open to public consultation, and Devon Ramblers is appealing for walkers’ views by the 20 September deadline. Fill in the survey at www.ruraldevon.org
FOLLOW a virtual guidebook 
I’m not convinced by the hype about e-books. The idea of peering at the screen of a Kindle or my mobile phone, scrolling through 500 pages of Dickens, just doesn’t appeal. I like to feel the weight of a novel in my hand and physically turn a printed page – it’s part of the story-reading experience. But referring to a guidebook is different. And one that you can download wherever you are, search electronically, and print off individual pages from to lighten the load in your backpack, makes eminent sense. Now Cicerone has digitised most of its back-catalogue and is offering 50% off the e-book version when purchasing a printed title, so you can decide which one works best for you. Visit www.cicerone.co.uk
GO greener with my gear
For a lover of both gear and the environment, it’s a sorry state of affairs. A recent report by Ethical Consumer surveying over 60 outdoor gear manufacturers found that: ‘virtually all… pay little regard to environmental issues, with most having woefully inadequate environmental and ethical reporting policies’. The author concluded that the best way for walkers to minimise their ‘kit footprint’ is to buy less and invest in better-quality, longer-lasting products. Thankfully, the walk Reader Awards favourite, Páramo, scored highly in the report’s ethical tests and was the only company that was eligible for the ‘Best Buy’ awards in both the fleece and waterproof categories. Let’s hope other manufacturers follow Páramo’s example.
See the report at www.ethiscore.org
- This entry was posted on: Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 2:50 pm
- Filed under: Latest News, News, Walk Autumn 2010, from the magazine
- Tags: Dartmoor, Dominic Bates, Environment, guidebooks
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