Lathkill Dale, Derbyshire (Part 1)

Sunday 13th August 2017

My second walk in the Peak District for the year and another route taken from The Walking Englishman.

Two years previously, I’d not been able to do a second walk due to the state of the weather. Yet. here I was, with a very reasonable forecast for this day.

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Osprey Manta AG 28: 16 Months On

In June last year, I went out to Bristol in search of a new backpack for day-hiking and walked away quite impressed with the Osprey Manta AG 28, which I believe is still stocked exclusively by Cotswold Outdoor in the UK.

Over on Olly Writes last summer, I wrote a fairly preliminary review, while still satisfied. But now, almost eighteen-months later, has my opinion of this backpack changed?

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Exploring The Roaches (Part 2)

Saturday 12th August 2017

By the end of Part 1, I’d reached the trig point (505m) beyond Bearstone Rock. From here on, I was officially walking across an area known as The Roaches.

(Apparently, the name derives from the type of gritstone found here and nothing at all to do with the insect-like appearance from afar…).

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Olympus ‘Tough’ TG-4 Camera

A review of the Olympus ‘Tough’ TG-4 digital camera that I bought in early August 2017.

After attending surviving this year’s Port Eliot Festival at the end of July, my second Nikon camera (Nikon S9400) gave up on me and I was left with no choice but to buy something new (the thought of spending another £90 on a second repair in three years seem nonsensical, to me).

I wasn’t keen on the thought of a DSLR, as their bulky (not to mention expensive) and I’d like to use this on my walks, of course. I thought about buying another compact/point-and-shoot/£150 item but, how long would that last, given my track record of breaking them (I’m up to three, now).

So, after reading many reviews and watching the odd video online, I came to the conclusion that the Olympus Tough TG-4 digital camera may be the one for me.

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