General interest & Book Reviews - Autumn 2001
The Way Ahead - Book Reviews - Stars in Dore
The Way Ahead
After the impact on tourism of the foot and mouth outbreak, nobody can be in any doubt how indispensable our footpath network is to tourism and the economy in rural areas. It is quite simply the most valuable recreational asset we have. Foot and bridle paths quite literally trace our history across the land and offer an invaluable gateway for all to the countryside.
Yet if, like many people, you follow only well-publicised routes or rely on signposts, it might surprise you to learn that for every two and a half miles of public footpath in England and Wales there is a problem that could ruin your walk. I some counties problems are even more frequent. A barbed wire fence, a thick wall of crops, a padlocked gate, a missing bridge across a stream - the list is endless. Problems are down on ten years ago, mainly thanks to the Ramblers, but the overall picture is dismal.
As for the foot and mouth crisis, the Ramblers' Association and walkers in general have acted responsibly, with walks cancelled until it became possible to re-open footpaths in line with Government guidance. Nevertheless, isn't it funny that authorities managed to close everything within hours, but seem unable to clear obstructions even though it has been their legal duty for over 100 years, or to signpost paths, a legal requirement for 33 years? All too often, local authorities spend public money on changes to the path network, instead of on clearing obstructions. Yet many of the hundreds of changes made each year are of no benefit to the public.
Unfortunately, the same poor situation with footpaths is likely to have been made much worse by the crisis: they will be even more overgrown or lost under crops; out-of-date closure signs will confuse and deter walkers; and there is evidence that some farmers are taking advantage with more paths blocked off with barbed-wire, crops, padlocks and keep out signs.
Dangerous road crossings are another area of increasing concern. Not just in country areas, but even in the case of Sheffield's Round Walk where it crosses major roads. They affect every walker - each of us has been terrified by vehicles rushing towards us and many walkers have been injured - some very seriously. There is often a simple solution but unfortunately, much time and energy is needed to persuade the authorities.
In addition, thousands of historic routes not shown on official maps could soon be lost forever. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act (CRoW) decrees that the public will lose their rights to walk these paths unless they are recorded by 2026 - not long when you hear that Suffolk alone has a backlog of 2,000 disputed paths, but currently settles only 25 cases each year.
The Ramblers 'Way Ahead' challenge is to get all obstructed and neglected footpaths throughout England and Wales open and in good order and to get thousands of historic paths recorded on official maps. All these issues will be confronted on Footpaths Day, 7th October 2001.
Your support is essential if we are to preserve and enjoy this part of our national heritage. You can contact the Ramblers Association on 020 7339 8500 or at www.ramblers.org.uk Ed. This article draws on material published in leaflets produced by the Ramblers Association.
Book Reviews
As the foot & mouth epidemic restrictions on walking are gradually relaxed, perhaps this is a good time to pick up a recently published book on navigation skills.
How many of us wrestle with maps when we come to that crucial decision on which route to take? Sometimes walls, buildings, river courses, footpaths and even contours may have been changed since the map or guide was published. In the Peak District I often encounter walkers studying the maps, turning them around, pointing and arguing, and I wonder whether they really understand either the maps or the landscape. At worst, these would-be explorers are trying to decipher one of those virtually unintelligible, cheaply produced and poorly illustrated 'walker's guides'.
Personally I like to spend time before setting out, planning the chosen route, identifying the main geographical features and studying the surrounding area in case I change my mind en route. Having been a Patrol Leader (!) of the Peewits, I was convinced I was the bee's knees as far as map reading was concerned - until I picked up this new book by Julian Tippett.
Navigation for Walkers is an excellent pocket-sized book with clear and precise illustrations and diagrams, attractive and informative photographs. Well produced, the clean and easy-to-follow design adds to a logical and helpful text. Julian, who is based in Stoney Middleton, has some fifty years experience of route finding, teaches navigation skills and advises both the Ramblers' Association and the National Navigation Award Scheme. His knowledge and experience comes through as he leads the reader through the basic techniques of map reading, navigation skills, using the compass and route planning. Throughout this publication, careful reference is made to examples from the Ordnance Survey's new Explorer maps, the Outdoor Leisure and Landranger series.
Now is an excellent time to prepare yourself before countryside walking gets back into full stride. Do so by buying Navigation for Walkers by Julian Tippet, published by Cordee ISBN 1871890 54 3, available from outdoor and book shops, price £8.99.
Brian Edwards
Stars in Dore
In late-summer and early-autumn, when the evenings begin to draw in, the splendour of the Milky Way may be enjoyed once again. Spanning the entire night sky from the north-east to the south-west, millions of faint stars of our own galaxy blend to become a gossamer light. At this time of year, Cygnus the Swan, also known as the Northern Cross, is practically overhead not far from the bright star Vega in the constellation of Lyra the Harp. Beneath Vega is Altair, the eye of the eagle, Aquila. Pegasus the Flying Horse, and Andromeda and Perseus, straight out of Greek mythology, spread across the sky from the south-east to the north-west. See if you can find the Andromeda Galaxy. It appears to the naked eye as a faint, slightly fuzzy spot below the 'M' in Andromeda on our chart. This is a neighbour of ours outside our Milky Way system.
The
naming of the stars and the constellations certainly dates back to the
Greeks (Hipparchus and Ptolemy) and the Persians (e.g. Al-Sufi; actually
this astronomer's name was Abd-al-Rahmõn Bin Umar Bin Muhammad
Bin Sahl Abu'l-husa´n al-Sufi al-Razi) which perhaps explains the
stars' somewhat odd-sounding names, at least for the western world. In
fact, astronomers rarely use these old names. They prefer, for example,
the name alpha Lyrae to Vega. This is understandable bearing in mind the
multitude of stars which includes not only those visible to the naked
eye.
The planet Mars may still be glimpsed early in the evening
low in the south-west from many vantage points in Dore. Jupiter, Saturn
and Venus are morning objects. Unlike in our previous star charts, we
show the whole sky visible from Dore ('overhead' is in the centre, and
the horizon is all around). The chart is valid for 11pm on 23rd August,
10pm on 8th September and 9pm on 23rd September.
An exceptionally fine sight may be enjoyed in mid-August when the planet
Venus, nearly at its brightest, rises just before dawn in the constellation
Gemini, closely following both the waning crescent Moon and Jupiter. Actually,
Saturn is just above this array of celestial objects, too, not far from
the red star, Antares, in Taurus the Bull.This alignment should be best
visible in the east between 3.30am and dawn on Wednesday 15th and Thursday
16th August. The Moon is then 232 thousand miles distant (only ten times
around our Earth), whereas Venus and Jupiter are 113 million and 538 million
miles away, respectively. It is well worth peeping out of the window before
dawn if you have a clear view to the east.
One
of the most amazing feats of humankind rests on an ability to comprehend
the Universe beyond our familiar world, admittedly to varying degrees
according to personal scientific aptitudes. It seems a paradox, however,
that the more we know the more we realise how little we know. For example,
astronomers are often asked about the Big Bang. What is the latest news
about the Big Bang? A NASA satellite has just been launched (30th June)
which has passed by the Moon and will soon (end of September) sit in a
geostationary orbit relaying information back to Earth about the so called
'cosmic microwave radiation'. In simple terms, this is the 'after-glow'
from the Big Bang. The satellite (known as MAP) can detect minute temperature
variations (a few millionths of a degree) in this 'after?glow' which itself
is as cold as minus 270.3 degrees Celsius. A technological miracle! Hopefully,
these minute variations, patterns imprinted in the early Universe about
14 billion years ago, will soon tell astronomers more about the Big Bang
and the nature and destiny of the Universe. Humankind's insatiable search
for knowledge, however, will not end there.
It is sometimes asked why we should believe what astronomers
tell us about the Universe. Well, unlike the astronomers and philosophers
of ancient times, today's scientists follow a relatively strict code of
practice laid down during the last three or four centuries. Some might
even argue that since science does not apparently take into account the
spiritual world. Do scientists ignore certain aspects of our life and
our beliefs? By looking backwards in time to the Big Bang and outwards
into space, astronomers discover new glories. Nevertheless, it should
be said that astronomical chaos, rather than celestial order, and explosive
scenarios, rather than glorious tranquillity, is the order of the day.
Other scientists peer deep inside the atom and into the microcosm of the
biological world, and they are still in awe of all its complexity. However,
poppies in a green meadow, the smiles of children, poetry, music and philosophy
do seem to be confined to Earth with its flora, fauna and 'us'. Perhaps,
the search for other worlds, planets like our own, and the search for
extraterrestrial intelligence, is an essential element in humankind's
grand quest. We certainly need astronomers to tell us about that, and
we are still waiting. Meanwhile, the village of Dore is a very pleasant
place in which to wait for that news!
David Andrews
www.wheelers-warehouse.co.uk