 Cicerone Press, Britain's leading guidebook publisher, want to do something a bit different at the 2009 Outdoors Show, so they're asking what you want from their programme of seminars and talks. Just have a read of the article linked above, then come back and tell us and Cicerone what you'd like to see. I'll kick things off by suggesting that it might be interesting to find out just how much work goes into producing a typical guidebook from the author's point of view 
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 WE WANT PADDY! WE WANT PADDY! WE WANT PADDY!
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 Paddy Dillon lectures and book signings please Cicerone! And not just the one's listed either! I'd want to hear and greatly enjoy going to a 'Paddy Dillon - My Life In Guidebooks' type lecture too, which I think would be fab as Paddy is very entertaining. In fact he's a star. 
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| Edited: 18/12/08 13:11 |
And a Bivvying lecture too from the excellent Mr Turnbull would be rather fine as well come to think of it!
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And, definitely more instructional stuff from the very excellent new Cicerone outdoors cookbook; with perhaps even a bit where one could, by paying a quid or 50p for recipe ingredients, maybe have a hands on go at learning to cook something yummy there and then.
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| Edited: 18/12/08 13:09 |
Oh, and free prize draws and competitions please!
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trevor, we all want trevor there
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I sadly don't work for Cicerone and haven't written any books for them either though mate.  So unless Paddy wants someone to be his Man Friday type 'runner' for the show, or they want someone to hand out cups of tea, I doubt my potential usefulness there to them in the show somehow.
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 That's easy, Jon... I'd like lots of freebies handed out by stunning young ladies who are as knowledgeable about travel & walking as they are attractive. They'd steal the show... Though if the stunning young ladies are out walking instead, then I'd be delighted to receive said freebies after a talk from Paddy & Mr Turnbull as Trev suggested...
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Not stuck for ideas then Trev?
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 Julie Bradbury on a climbing wall nekkit. And free beer.
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 Paddy being interviewed by the BBC
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 How about something on getting the kids outdoors, on the rock, hiking, biking whatever. Start them early....
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'Julie Bradbury on a climbing wall nekkit. And free beer.' - Wrote Mike. Now why in the heck didn't I think of that!
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| Edited: 19/12/08 02:49 |
Get me Julia Bradbury and I'll bring my own beer What a lovely lady
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 From the Related Article above... But maybe you want to know more? Or different, what's it like being a guide book author for example? How exactly is a guide book put together? Do you have to walk every inch covered? How long does it take? I like the bit about "Do you have to walk every inch covered?" I have very strong views about whether you have to walk every inch when you're supposed to be explaining to other people how to get round a route. I always assume that authors walk every inch, but every so often I come across someone who hasn't. Only recently, I was told about someone who 'researched' a walking route for a guidebook using Google Maps, without ever setting foot on the ground! Am I being too hard on myself by walking every inch?
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 Am I being too hard on myself by walking every inch?
Not all Paddy! Wish all authors did the same!
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One thing that I hear from a lot of walkers is the difficulty they have navigating through towns on long distance walks. Open moorlands and mountains are fine. Fields can be a bit fiddly, while following rivers is a doddle. But time and time again, I get told that getting through towns is often a struggle. In my experience, there are lots of distractions in towns, and even if a route is signposted and waymarked from one end to another, there are a lot more claims on the attention of walkers, including not getting run over by a bus! I've sometimes taken four runs at finding routes through towns, just so that I can record the route properly for anyone who follows me. Sometimes, signposting and waymarking is good, but at other times it is poor. I've come across good waymarking at eye level in one town, only to find markers down on the pavement in another town. It doesn't matter whether it's the 'acorn' symbol used on National Trails, or the red/white flashes used in most European countries, there's just no consistency in their use, so from my point of view, I might have to trek through a town two, three, or four times before I can tell anyone else how to do it!
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