P01 OFF YOUR ED:Layout 1
15/6/08
16:41
Page 3
OFF YOUR ED
Hello All, Well, if I’m not much mistaken, the great mythical British Summertime seems to have arrived at last. Let’s keep those fingers crossed. It never ceases to amaze me how we British are so entrenched in the belief that every damp, dreary, chilly, overcast, rainy, stormy (the list goes on) summer we have is somehow an aberration. The norm of course, and what we are committed to believing will happen each year, is an idyllic image of sitting in the back garden, surrounded by blooming roses (no greenfly) and the drone of pollen laden happy bees, in glorious sunshine, sipping Pimms, eating plump ripe strawberries and discussing Wimbledon. The reality is that the bees have all buzzed off God knows where, we’re sat indoors watching Wimbledon wearing a fleece because the weather is so bad, eating Dutch poly tunnel strawberries and the Pimms bottle will just sit and quietly gather dust for another year while we have a nice cup of tea. So, we can either make the most of the few sunny days we’re having now, and get out and do something active in one of the more exciting parts of the UK, or we can cut our losses and just go straight for an overseas extravaganza, where at least the weather usually starts as it means to go on. Whatever your preference, we’ve some ideas in this issue that should fire up some enthusiasm for avoiding televised sport and the steady slide into obesity. Alex Stewart goes for the real long haul, with hiking on the Great Wall of China, while Steve Thomas tops out on Mt Kinabalu in Borneo in time for breakfast. Some people will do anything for the thrill of a good descent, but pushing your bike most of the way up a 4000m+ Central American volcano might seem a little excessive. Not for Jacob Thompson, though, and judging by the photos, he sure had one hell of a ride. There’s more two wheeled action in the Swiss Jura, a monster Austrian via ferrata that will have your biceps pumping as hard as your heart and hiking and scrambling in Romania. Backpacking in the Lake District, low budget coastal walking in Jersey and rock climbing courses in Wales feature too, and Alun Davies starts planning an epic motorbike odyssey to rival any TV assisted adventure. On the subject of TV assistance, Susannah Shute gets up close and personal with action man Bear Grylls, to see what the man behind the myth is really made of. Judging by what he eats on film, we’re not sure we want to know. We also show you the gear you’ll want to be hanging out in throughout this long hot summer we’re expecting. Whatever you do, don’t forget to pop in on the website www.atmagazine.co.uk and check out the latest news, views and gear reviews, as well as competitions, free stuff and our unique ever expanding directory of via ferratas.
Chin, chin! Bye for now Lara