Those who can, do.

Those who can't like to read about it

1 to 20 of 34 messages
23/06/2002 at 11:39
I haven't seen much evidence of regular walking reports on this site - doesn't anybody walk regularly?

I'm lucky enough to get to the Lake District every weekend and for my own amusement I write an account of the walk and with my new digital camera I take photos where possible.

In order to avoid clogging up this site I am posting my reports on www.fellwalkingclub.co.uk under the name of Andyfellwalker, my photos you will find at http://community.webshots.com/user/andyfellwalker

Let me know if you like them, if not I'll bugger off and not bother you again.

Andy
23/06/2002 at 20:31
Don't think there's a space on the site for it,(yet), I'm sure if you hassle Jon enough he might think of sortin something out, he seems to put most stuff on as articles................................
..........................







sorry if I've landed you in it Jon
23/06/2002 at 21:39
Andy, we don't tell each other stories of our exploits formally, but often trips are discussed in various forums in the multi-faceted OM beast.

Some members publish photos and trip details and links are in the 'Members Travel Websites' thread in the Soapbox.

This weekend Bob and I were in the Lakes (separately), he was in windy, wet and cloudy Wasdale / Sty Head area and I was scrambling in the sunny yet sadly midge-y Coniston area. We both managed to make it to a pub on Saturday though.

:0)

Oh, and by the way, please don't bugger off!
23/06/2002 at 22:02
I won't go away Jeannie. But how can you discuss a trip if you don'r start of with a report and/or photos? You can't exist on banter alone as good as it is.
23/06/2002 at 22:12
Some of us...well mostly it seems to have been Alex, Simon K, Clive and myself...write articles for OM and submit them to Jon and if he's in a good mood (oops! sorry Jon) he publishes them.

For an example, look in the features archive, page 3, for 'One Snowy Day' which is linked to 'My Epic in Easy Gully' - a double-headed literary monster by the Alex/Jeannie collective.
23/06/2002 at 22:48
Andy. Most of us just like to know the best (and worst) bits of individual trips. Some people will insist on making us read their exploits (no offence J et al), but usually we just don't bother to tell every detail about a trip. For example, I know that on a recent walk somewhere (I think Lakes), Mike D started feeling queasy. He started spewing, and he got the runs. Disgusting! But it's the kind of thing which I like to hear. Sure sometimes hearing about an entire weeks walk can be good, but usually there are only three or four bits which stand out as of interest.

See the good writer can emphasise those bits so much, it seems like the entire time was just a laugh a minute. Unfortunately there are few int eh world who are blessed with such a skill, so just hearing the good bits, without waffle (as english teachers looooooooooooooooooooove to call it), is more my cup of tea. If you are a good writer, then by all means submit it, and we will read it. But otherwise, the good bits are what interest me.



No offence taken I hope. I don't know hope this 'sounds' in writing, but it sounds ok in my head.
23/06/2002 at 23:33
Right, I'm not trying to be offensive here ok?

I think that the general ethos of the site is a SEARCH for inspiration and information and not the proffering of it. The forum here is an excellent way of discussing things.

It's more of a question and answer area; someone wants to know about a campsite in Langdale and asks for info about it, or someone wants to know what the terrain up to a particular summit is like then they'll start a thread to ask...and people will answer. Information will be shared directly, and often in a lighthearted way (here we go down the "off-thread" track again).

But more often than not the information will be there, given directly and often with various opinions. The seeker will not have to read through reams of purple prose about the "Day dawning bright and clear..." etc, etc, to get the stuff he needs.

If you want to write something and ask for Jon to publish it then do feel free, but as Andrew says not everyone is interested in a trip up Skiddaw on a Sunday afternoon.

I'd also like to say that Andrew is dead right about good writers emphasising the important bits of the day. I just wish I was a good writer.

I hope I haven't upset you Andy, but just because we don't shout about what we've been upto, it doesn't mean that we don't do anything...
24/06/2002 at 08:33
Me? Upset? Even people living in Wigan can't do that.

I'm happy for you to let me know what the house rules are, when I get some time I should probably look at the whole site and not just the forum threads.

I look forward to seeing some of you in September.
24/06/2002 at 10:31
One of the things I've always wanted on the site is some sort of 'Trip Report' section which would eventually be a useful information resource as well as a source of inspiration / entertainment etc.

I see it as a bit like the user review section, but divided into areas, viz, Lakes, Dales, Peak, E Highlands, abroad etc with fields for accommodation / pubs / route descriptions / narrative and a photo upload facility. The more demand fot a facility like that there is, the easier it'll be for me to get tech to sort it out. What do you all reckon?

That's what it will be eventually. For now, I'm very happy to publish articles based on trips with pics as features and we do occasionally do that.

OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com 

24/06/2002 at 12:10
I write up all my stories on my web page which is soon to be up.
24/06/2002 at 13:09
Jon, you said previously that the techies could create a facility for us to recommend campsites etc. Any news on that? All the recommendations could be oncorporated in a searchable database. A lot of the ones that I can buy or search have paid-for self-written entries which are hardly impartial.
24/06/2002 at 13:42
I'm with Andrew and Alex on this one. I'd rather have the edited highlights on a request-only basis than an unexpurgated trudge o'er the mighty peaks. The current features section is a pleasing triumph of quality over quantity and personally I'd rather keep it that way.
24/06/2002 at 14:56
Jeannie - the whole review system is being overhauled at the moment and the addition of a campsite / hostel / pub review category should be part of the update.

What information would people want other than the personal opinions. I'm not sure how much we'd be able to incorporate, but I want:
• price per night
• location with clickable link to Multimap or similar or at least an OS Grid Reference
• link to a web site if the place has one
• type of site (viz camping and caravan or whatever can go in the description easily enough)
• dog friendly or not
• facilities (in description I guess)

Joan - I reckon we need a sort of halfway house between the forum and site articles, so that it's more permanent and easier to search than the forum. It'd be linked from a side pod or box a bit like the review system. I suppose the alternative might be to add a 'Mountain' category to the review system, which sounds half baked, but might work. I shall consult the luvverly helpful tech team.

OutdoorsMagic Editor | jon@outdoorsmagic.com 

24/06/2002 at 16:42
At the risk of going slightly off the thread here (nothing new for this site I know… but I’ll try not to!), I’m currently putting together a Web-site of information on different mountains throughout the world covering such things as route descriptions, maps, travelling to them, etc.

I decided to do this after planning a trip which saw me spending many nights searching through site after site that contained nothing more than… “Johnny and I climbed this, it was a lovely sunny day and this is a photo of me & Johnny on the summit… the view was breathtaking”. What I wanted was useful information… how much is it going to cost me? Where can I stay? Is there somewhere to leave spare kit? Etc.

As Andrew and Alex have said, writing about ones trip and making it interesting to others is an art in itself and most people just want the juicy bits or the info, which will help them if they decide they want to do it. I think an area on the site which has useful information on a particular area/ mountain/ trail, campsite, etc then has a link to a page containing logs on that area submitted by members who have been there would be a good idea.
24/06/2002 at 17:54
I'm not sure that I'd use campsite/pub/hostel reviews much. Once you've decided where you want to go, there's plenty of basic information already available on the web - just type 'Capel Curig campsite' or whatever into Google. And choosing a pub for your evening pint isn't quite like picking a £200 sleeping bag - if it's a bit dull or expensive, that's no great loss. If you do go ahead with it, I'd rather see the sort of information that's not so easy to find on other sites, such as crowdedness, staff 'tude, susceptibility to thieving and so on. These things tend to colour an experience far more than whether it cost £7 or £8 a night.

A list of practical information would in any case only be useful IF it was accurate and up-to-date. Looking at what's been submitted for gear reviews, I think it might take a lot of editorial intervention to ensure this. The more tick boxes provided, the less chance you have of getting the 'Great product! Recommended!'-type reviews.

I like the idea of adding a mountain category to the review system, though, with the sort of info on routes and practicalities that David has already suggested.
24/06/2002 at 19:05
I think that a campsite review would be great actually...How many times have you been disappointed by the facilities and/or lack of value for money of a campsite?

Although I do Google searches for camp sites, the results are often the owners of the sites propaganda, otherwise you have to wade through lots of pages to build up a picture.

I also like the sound of a "Mountain" catagory on the review...especially if you could put in a hyperlink to a members web-site which describes a walk up it..."a sort of read more if you want to" thingy
24/06/2002 at 19:47
I think the campsite database thing would be good, written by impartial users rather than by the owners/proprietors, so possibly a bit more realistic
24/06/2002 at 22:24
With the really important info like if the shower block is clean, is the toilet paper always filled up and are the showers free or do I stay smelly because I don't have a 37 pfennig piece with knobs on.
24/06/2002 at 22:27
Yes...this is the stuff I am talking about.

The important stuff.
24/06/2002 at 22:56
The hairdryers at Castlerigg are very nice but bl**ding useless unless you have a 20p piece, wish I'd known that B4 my first visit....

etc etc
1 to 20 of 34 messages
Forum Jump  
Sign up to our weekly newsletter
Sign up to our twitter feed

Promotions