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By Melanie, 3, October, 2012 8:00 am

Some of our team attended a great conference over the weekend called ‘Exercise Anywhere 12′, organised by Nordic Walking UK.

The conference was focused around looking at the massive opportunity that walking provides to encourage the nation to be more active – as Britain’s national mapping agency we thought this would be a great way to showcase our latest leisure products -  OS getamap and OS Explorer Map – custom made and OS Landranger Map – custom made as the planning tools of choice!

There were a variety of different key note speakers, Dr John Searle OBE discussing “Exercise and the Management of Obesity”. Bob Laventure from the British Hearth Foundation presenting “The longest journey begins with a single step” and Mike Rollason from Nordic Walking explaining that a third of adults in the UK would rather perform their exercise in the outdoors, and that 70% of those cited walking as their preferred option.

Continue reading 'Exercise anywhere…but use a map!'»

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By Melanie, 22, August, 2012 8:00 am

Guest blog by our work experience student Ian Pierce

Distance: (Depending on your choices) up to 3.5 miles

Image courtesy of BazzaDaRambler on Flickr

You probably don’t need a map for this one, but we’d recommend OS Explorer Map (1:25 000) Purbeck and South Dorset, Sheet OL15, for this park and the wider area.

If you are holidaying in Dorset with your family or just looking for a nice evening stroll, then look no further than Poole Park opened by the Prince of Wales in 1890. However, don’t be fooled by the fact it’s Victorian as there are plenty of activities for children all around the park. There are three entrances into the park by car and we would suggest taking the one nearest the Dolphin Swimming Centre. There is lots of parking situated around Poole Park but as you enter from our specified entrance, a little further down will be a glorious water fountain and on the right, the entrance to a car park. Next to the fountain is the first of the family-friendly activities as there are a few holes of miniature golf if that ever takes your fancy.

Continue reading 'The Poole Park stroll'»

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By Gemma, 5, March, 2012 8:00 am

I recently discovered that 5 March is St Piran’s Day, the national day for Cornwall. St Piran is also the patron saint for Cornwall – and for tin miners. Today, the Cornish celebrate their day at a number of events and retell St Piran’s story on the sand dunes in Perranporth.

According to legend, St Piran is of Irish descent and crossed the sea from Ireland, landing at Perranporth sometime in the Sixth Century. He built a chapel in the ‘towans’ (sand dunes) and began to spread the word of Christianity. The Cornish people flocked to see him as news of his teachings spread.

It is said that St Piran accidentally discovered tin when a black stone on his fireplace became so hot that a white liquid leaked out – the first tin smelting. This earned him his title of patron saint for tinners – tin mining later became an enormously important industry in Cornwall.

The black and white Cornish flag was formed on the basis of this legend and is still used as a symbol of Cornish identity today.

Continue reading 'Happy St Piran’s Day!'»

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By Gemma, 20, February, 2012 8:00 am

I happened across a gorgeous display of snowdrops while out walking last weekend and it prompted me to do a little research. Snowdrops are a sign that winter is on its way out, as they usually flower from early February onwards.

These pretty, little white flowers become spectacular when you see them en masse and I’ve discovered a host of places holding snowdrop festivals where visitors can admire their displays – whilst also enjoying a country walk or visit to a stately home’s gardens. I’ve picked my five favourites from around the country – and be sure to call ahead before your visit to make sure the flowers are in bloom:

1. Scotland holds a Snowdrop Festival each year with over 50 gardens taking part between 4 February and 18 March. You can see more than 300 snowdrop varieties in bloom and even see snowdrops by starlight at Cambo Woodland Gardens in Fife. There are also some lovely coastal walks where you can see snowdrops. Their useful website allows you to search by region and gives great advice on regional variations for blooms.

Continue reading 'Your last chance for the snowdrop season…'»

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By Gemma, 23, January, 2012 8:00 am

Getting started on that new year fitness regime can seem a bit daunting sometimes. Or even if you do kick-start your fitness, things can tail off quite quickly. One of the best ways to keep fit is to make your activity a part of your daily routine – and there’s no better way to do this than with your favourite furry friend.

If you’ve got a dog, a daily walk will benefit you both – a brisk walk can burn over 100 calories per mile for you and with estimates that 50% of UK dogs are overweight, it could benefit your pet too.

Even in urban areas, it’s easy to get out and walk with your dog. There are a wealth of sites with walking information or to help you find a local route. You could try http://walkit.com/.

On the weekend, or if you’ve got the time for a longer walk, I came across this site for the Top 21 Dog Walks in the UK.  The walks range from 30 minutes to over two hours, so can suit all levels of fitness – for you and your pooch. Locations include rural and urban walks, from Thieves Wood in Nottinghamshire to Portsmouth seafront in Hampshire.

Of course, if you’re out and about walking with your dog, you do need to be a responsible dog owner and the Top 21 Dog Walks site also has a good section on top tips to follow and links to the Countryside Code.

Where are your favourite spots to walk your pets – rural or urban? Let us know on the blog.

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By Gemma, 9, January, 2012 8:00 am

If you’re looking for inspiration to try something new in the great outdoors it could be worth you visiting The Outdoors Show at Excel London from 12–15 January.

There’s a change to try out a zip wire (the longest indoor zip wire in the UK), have a go at rock climbing and even give bike polo a whirl. Whether you’re interested in walking, cycling, climbing, camping or water sports, chances are you’ll find something of interest to you.

There are also guest speakers, including award-winning wildlife photographer Andy Rouse, and exhibitors for you to try and buy new outdoors equipment.

This year it’s been combined with The London Boat Show, The London Bike Show and The Active Travel Show and you can visit all four shows with one ticket.

Continue reading 'The Outdoors Show is on in London this weekend'»

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By Melanie, 14, December, 2011 7:00 am

Some weeks ago, Gemma wrote about one of the walks she remembered from her childhood. So this week, I thought I’d take a trip down memory lane and share one of mine.

© Copyright Raymond Okonski and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Remembered best for various summer trips and Brownie Guide camping trips, Great Cumbrae Island was home to many days out and trips exploring the island when I was a child growing up near Glasgow. It’s fair to say the Island hasn’t changed much and the cafes selling amazing ice cream sundaes (and hot chocolate in the winter) still adorn the high street and other places around the island.

There’s something about getting on a ferry that makes me feel like I’m really getting away from it all and slowing down from the rush of daily life.  Even so, Millport is a fairly easy escape as it’s only ten minutes on the ferry from Largs with the Ferry port only being an hour away from Glasgow. Ferries leave every half hour (bear in mind there’s no ferry service on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day and it’s a Sunday service on Boxing Day  and 2 January).

Using our OS Explorer Map 341 for Greenock, Largs and Millport, it’s fairly easy to identify the route round the island. Although it’s a good walk, I remember happy days cycling round the island and there are several places to hire bikes or you can take your own. In the summer, the roads are much busier with bikes than they are cars and so it feels a fairly safe cycle route round the island and it’s not too onerous if you are reasonably fit.

Continue reading 'A ’round the island’ cycle route'»

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By Abi Mansley, 24, October, 2011 7:50 am

Have you ever wondered how far a mile is on the ground and how long it would take you to walk it?  In my mind I go back to the sports field at school to imagine the 100 metre and 400 metre tracks for shorter distances, then after that at some point I mentally move over from metric to imperial, and think about miles!  I know that one big stride is about a metre.  But how far is a mile on the ground? 

One of the key aims of the Walk4Life website is to help people who don’t normally walk very far to be confident in their ability to walk a mile. The site, which of course uses Ordnance Survey mapping, shows thousands of walks of all length, but also has 2,012 special 1 mile long Walk4Life Miles. These are waymarked on the ground, with distinctive yellow waymarkers, and act as kind of ‘measured mile’ allowing people to learn how far, or indeed how short, a mile is. 

The website doesn’t just have 1 mile long routes. There are walking routes of all lengths, 14,500 of them at the moment, and about 1,000 more are added each month. They are created by members of the public, and by organisations who promote walking or physical activity. We even have one member who is walking around the UK and using the site to plot his walk ! 

There’s more to it than just finding or creating a walk though, the site also allows users to build up a record of their walking activity, and to sign up to groups and challenges. Group members can add their walked miles to the group total and compete to walk the length of the Pennine Way (did you know, if you catch the bus each day you probably walk that far in a year anyway?), or Land’s End to John O’Groats, or whatever challenge takes their fancy. 

This month is Walktober – the walk4life team are celebrating walking in the wonderful autumn weather and are giving away fabulous prizes. There is still just over a week to win a North Face jacket by mapping and completing walking four routes, or win a set of fab HandiHikes maps by creating a virtual group!  HandiHike maps are really brilliant, and of course use Ordnance Survey maps too ! 

So, how long does it take you to walk a mile? And how many miles do you walk in average month ?… log on to www.walk4life.info and find out !

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By Paul, 17, May, 2011 7:47 am

This week is ‘Walk to School Week,’ a national initiative designed to encourage parents to ditch the car and get their kids walking. The campaign is run by Living Streets, the national charity which campaigns for pedestrians. They aim to help create safe, attractive and enjoyable streets, where people want to walk.

Now, I’m sure there are very few people who would object to the idea of getting children to be more active whilst getting some school run vehicles off the road. That’s good news for everyone involved. It saves money, lowers congestion, pollution and is great exercise.

Walking Bus - helping pupils walk to school.

But I can understand why some parents are reluctant to let their children walk to school alone. Roads are dangerous places, particularly early in the morning. And with that in mind I was reminded to something going on in Daventry.

Continue reading 'Want to ditch the school run? Try a walking bus…'»

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By Holly, 16, May, 2011 8:00 am

Regular readers of the blog may recall a post from January this year where we did a quick run through the outdoor events that were taking place throughout the year. Well now that we’re a good way into the year we thought we’d revisit some of the events that we’ve been to and have a look ahead at what is still to come in 2011.

The early months of the year kept the outdoor events indoors. We saw The Outdoors Show (a show that we have been very close to over the years) move to London ExCeL with the London Boat Show and new show, the London Bike Show to make one big super Outdoors Show. Although we didn’t have our own stand at the show – it was great to visit the show to catch up with old friends and make new ones! We also saw the NEC play host to the National Boat and Caravan Show, with the first Outdoor Lesiure Show tagged on to it whilst north of the border there was The Scottish Bike Show in Glasgow and Outdoor Pursuits Scotland in Edinburgh.

Continue reading 'Getting outdoors more'»