A RAMBLING ENGLISH POET

Read about this self styled English 'weather-beaten poet' in todays lift out paper. He's on for a WALK AND TALK along the Pennines.

If you are over that way..here is his schedule


Pennine Way
The Pennine Way – Can You Help?


Hello. In July 2010 I’m walking the Pennine Way and writing a book about it. All the guide books recommend (in fact some insist) that the walk should be done from South to North, to keep the weather at your back and the sun out of your face. Despite which, I’m walking it from top to bottom, starting in Kirk Yetholm and finishing in Edale. It’s because I live close to the southern end of the trail, and I like the idea of walking home. Also, that way it will be downhill, right?



More importantly, I’m doing the walk as a poet, in the style of the old troubadours. Wherever I stop for the night I’m going to give a poetry reading. There will be no charge for the reading, but at the end of the evening I’m going to pass a hat around, and people can give me what they think I’m worth. I want to see if I can pay my way from start to finish on the proceeds of my poetry. So, it’s basically 264 miles of begging.



If you live on or near one of the recognised stopping points on the Pennine Way and would be willing to host or organise a reading for me, be it in a room in a pub, a village hall, a church, a library, a school, a barn, or even in your living room, do get in touch by emailing me at: simonpennineway@aol.com



If you can throw in B&B and a packed lunch, point me in the right direction next day, sherpa my gear along to the next stop, or even want to walk that leg of the journey with me, so much the better. I’m pretty well house-trained and know at least three moderately funny anecdotes.



Here’s the schedule, outlining where I’ll be and when, blisters permitting:

WHAT?

Something to add to a blog when you have nothing to add

VALE FESS PARKER

I was sorry to hear about the recent death of Fess Parker. This dates me a bit but if you are of my generation you grew up singing Davey Crockett and playing Davy Crockett games which re enacted the backwood adventures of this early American hero.

Then came his action in the TV series Daniel Boone.
Another clean cut, good living, good guy hero of the pre War of Independence days.

I saw this tribute on utube. Don't go there if you have an aversion to all those old re run shows on Foxtel.



OK so then there was Daniel Boone and again if you are not with it, leave it.

The nostalgia I think is that both these film/tv characters are able to bring back not just memories of the shows but where you were and who you were with...family.

Daniel Boone was a man, was a BIG MAN....



I have read that Fess Parker went on to build a successful wine business with champion vineyards in California.
Well he was always my champion ( aw shucks)

Vale Fess Parker
Happy trails

HIKING- IN YOUR DREAMS

Hiking takes on a completely different look at Mount Hua, which has been called "the world's most dangerous hike" This is the perfect hiking spot for those who have dreamed of hiking on old wood chained to the side of a mountain thousands of feet in the air. The clip gets really nerve-racking at about the 2-minute mark (not surprisingly, that's where the occasional expletive slips out...).

CAMINO DEL REY

History
In 1901 it became obvious that workers at the hydroelectric power plants at Chorro Falls and Gaitanejo Falls needed a walkway to cross between the falls, to provide for transport of materials, and for the inspection and maintenance of the channel. Construction of the walkway took four years and it was finished in 1905.

In 1921 King Alfonso XIII crossed the walkway for the inauguration of the dam Conde del Guadalhorce and it became known by its present name.


In some places the walkway has collapsedThe walkway has now gone many years without maintenance, and is in a highly deteriorated and dangerous state. It is one meter (3 feet and 3 inches) in width, and is over 100 meters (350 feet) above the river. Nearly all of the path has no handrail. Some parts of the concrete walkway have completely collapsed and all that is remaining is the steel beam originally in place to hold it up. One can latch onto a modern steel safety-wire to keep from falling, though it can't hold much weight. Several people have lost their lives on the walkway in recent years; after four people died in two accidents in 1999 and 2000[1], the local government closed the entrances. To this day it remains illegal to cross. However policing is extremely minimal and many adventurous tourists still find their way onto the walkway to explore it.

Some travelers choose to begin by walking through the train tunnel to the dam, and then walking back towards El Chorro. Most climb across a series of dilapidated stanchions and then up a well-protected chimney on the cliff face to reach the Caminito del Rey. A cable runs the length of the path, giving people a method of securing themselves throughout the duration of the path. However, the stability of the cable is unknown. It would be wise to have space (more than 10 meters) between travelers. That way, if a section breaks, the cable will only be holding the weight of one person.

The regional government of Andalusia budgeted in 2006 for a restoration plan[2] estimated at € 7 million.

A HIGH HIKE El Caminito del Rey

This is a bit of the camino that I would be walking away from

A hike through Spain's El Caminito del Rey ("The King's Little Pathway") is not for the faint of heart. In fact, the narrow pathways, incredible height, and sharp rocks below are the stuff of nightmares. I don't know how the person filmed and walked at the same time.