This is a book review with a difference; instead of analysing it and giving you a blow by blow account of what to expect from it, I'm going to show you how much fun we had with it and let you make up your own minds.
The book in question is "The Lost Book of Adventure". It's written by an "Unknown Adventurer", edited by Teddy Keen, published by Quarto Publishing and is absolutely perfect for adventurers of all ages.
The notes were discovered buried deep in the Amazon jungle and they provide all the guidance you need for living a life of adventure. Things like...
How to make an emergency sling for an injured arm using your fleece:
I'm preparing my Oscars acceptance speech.
The best position to adopt if you need an outdoors poo:
(They perhaps had something a little less public in mind!)
How to make a rucksack from a pair of trousers:
How to make an emergency toothbrush from a nearby twig:
As well as being choc-full of brilliant ideas and advice the book is superbly illustrated and is a joy to hold and flick through. (I am a book nerd and I squealed with excitement when I first saw it.) When we were out taking the photos for this blog we got chatting to a couple who, quite rightly, wondered what the hell we were doing and they went away with the title noted down so they could buy it for their grandkids. It's that sort of book - it just delights you from the moment you first see it.
I also think it's incredibly well priced at £20 and has the look and feel of a much more expensive book. You can find more information about it here - and make sure you're following me on social media (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) over the next week or so as I'll be giving one away in a competition. Happy adventuring!
Earth, air, water and fire are the basic elements the ancient Greeks used to explain matter. (Not to be confused with Earth, Wind and Fire, the American R&B band who had a string of hits in the 70's and 80's including their huge hit September. You can thank me for the earworm later.)
As Steve had broken his old rucksack, those lovely folks at Millets sent us a North Faceone to play with to see what we thought of it. Well, when I say "we", Steve got to play with it while I was stuck in exciting places like Wythenshawe, Hindley and Ashford (Kent) - as I braved the rigours of Northern Rail, London rush hour and the high speed train to Kent (that thing is SERIOUSLY fast - 140mph - Northern Rail, you could learn a lot!) Steve did battle with the elements on the Cumbrian hills and I wasn't jealous at all. Nope. Not one bit. I mean, why should I be...?
Honestly, you can feel the cold air nipping at your nose here can't you? Steve tackled Helvellyn and while I was snug and toasty in an office he sent me a text saying "on top of Helvellyn but not hanging around as it's a bit windy". He also sent me the photo above. I gazed out of the window at the car park and supermarket and didin't swear once. Honest I didn't. Thankfully he didn't show me the rest of the photos until later. Apparently the rucksack was doing well and he particularly liked the fleece lined pockets which kept his camera batteries warm so they lasted a lot longer in the freezing cold.
Crucial point - the side pockets are big enough
for a flask of tea.
WATER
Standing behind Ashgill Falls
Cumbria has a reputation for rain and we miss it so much that when it doesn't rain we go and stand behind a waterfall to recreate the experience. Ashgill Falls are well off the beaten track and, to be honest, I was a little disappointed when Steve told me that there wasn't an evil lair or a stash of hidden treasure tucked away behind the falls. Or maybe he just didn't look hard enough... Of course he tried to make me feel better by telling me he was working, He was. He was working hard, but his work looked like this and mine, on that particular day, looked like and office on a trading estate with a view of an air conditioning unit outside the window...
See - I told you the tripod strapped nicely to the outside
Having scaled the heights of Helvellyn and hunted for hidden treasure behind waterfalls, on day 3 he decided to keep his feet firmly on the ground and take a wander along the Langdale Valley. (For the record, I was in another office with a view of another car park, but I was being supplied with an excellent selection of biscuits & cakes). We both love the Langdale Valley - the views are immense and it's such a peaceful place to be, especially at this time of year.
The other good thing about the Langdale Valley is that you can see the weather closing in on you. You could run for cover when you see a snow storm approaching, or you could stay and photograph it like Steve did. Nutter.
FIRE
Whether you've been on top of a windy fell, ducking behind waterfalls, dodging storms in the Langdale valley, working in an office or simply strutting your funky stuff to a disco classic (honestly, Let's Groove was way better than September in my book), there's nothing quite like putting your feet up in front of the fire with a proper Cumbrian pint. Sequins and spandex tights optional.
With thanks again to Millets for the lovely rucksack - which withstood all of the elements Cumbria could throw at it. 😀
Endurance, grit, determination, a drive to push yourself beyond the limits of your comfort zone and a willingness to face fear square in the face are just a few of the qualities you'll need to be a volunteer at Kendal Mountain Festival.
Having visited the festival for many years, this year we decided to get involved so we volunteered to help out a bit and see things from the others side. We had an absolutely brilliant time. Utterly exhausting but brilliant. At one point I was sat in a film session where there was a Q&A with the film-makers who had survived untold challenges canoeing along the Amazon in a dugout boat (which they'd dugout themselves and documented in a film called Dugout).
They talked about how they'd survived the extremes of tiredness and hunger. "That's nothing" I thought "I haven't had a hot dinner for 3 days and all that stands between me and the end of my shift in 8 hours are two Yorkie bars and a bag of mini Cheddars". I should have listened to Jean - a seasoned volunteer who had wisely packed a tuna sandwich and had a rucksack full of enticing snacks.
So what does being a volunteer entail? Well, pretty much anything and everything. The amazing Kendal Mountain Festival (KMF) team are there to ensure everyone has a fantastic time at the festival and our job is to do whatever they need us to do in order to make that happen. In exchange we got a rather lovely T shirt, a Hydroflask and a pass to get in to see films and events when we're not on shift. Me & Steve absolutely LOVE watching the films at the festival so over the course of 4 days we worked 27 hours and also fitted in well over 15 hours of films, which didn't leave a lot of time for food. Or sleep. I knew exactly how the Dugout guys felt - bar the odd swarm of enormous ants and the occasional dog-sized spider. (Of course we could have had more time to eat if we'd watched fewer films, but where would the fun have been in that?) 😀
Between us our duties encompassed:
Putting up bunting
Taking bunting down when an angry lady told us off for putting it in the wrong place
Giving out brochures
Answering questings
Acting as VIP drivers and ferry folks to the station and assorted hotels
Selling festival merchandise
Handing out passes and tickets to VIPs
Not recognising some VIPS and feeling bad about it later*
Picking up litter
Fetching a burger for Tom and trying not to lick it as it smelled so good
Giving out tickets at the opening ceremony
Taking tickets in again at the opening ceremony
Buying batteries
Putting said batteries into tealights
Putting up posters
Helping to pack stuff away again when it all ended
Another famous bloke
* A young guy arrived at the Summit Desk (VIP spot) when I was there alone. I looked at him. "I know I know you" I said "and I know you're a climber, but I'm so sorry, your name completely escapes me just now". It was Pete Whittaker - one of the most talented climbers on the planet and thoroughly nice guy to boot. If you don't know him take a look at this. The man is a legend.
Pretty much everyone we met was utterly delightful, including world famous climbers and the occasional TV star. The tetchiest person we met (apart from the scary bunting lady) was a journalist who shall remain nameless. They wanted a lift from the Brewery Arts Centre to an event at the Leisure Centre (a distance of around a mile for those not familiar with Kendal). Both pool cars were out and it would have been half an hour before we could take them over there. They stared at me. "I'm happy to walk you over there if you're unsure of the directions" I offered. "I know where it is" they replied "but it rained on me one year and I don't want to get wet."
What I wanted to say was "This is a mountain festival so dig deep and brave the drizzle". What I actually said was "Would you like to take a seat and I'll see if I can find you a coffee while you wait?" Sometimes I hate myself.
The entire KMF team were hugely appreciative of our efforts throughout, though special mention should go to Tom for his unending cheerfulness and Festival Manager Paul Scully who stopped to say thank you every time he passed a volunteer. The KMF team were easy to spot as they were all sporting eco-friendly white down jackets from festival sponsors Columbia. The jackets may have many fantastic features including being warm, waterproof and made from 21 recycled water bottles, but every time I saw 4 of them gathered together I started humming E17's Stay Another Day - all they needed were fur trimmed hoods. (The whiteness is another eco-feature which avoids the use of coloured dyes)
Will we be back next year? Absolutely - if they haven't been put off by me insulting world famous climbers and surreptitiously Googling other vaguely familiar faces and names. It is one of the most exhausting, brilliantly fun weekends I've had in a long time. I think I might even film our experience and enter it into the following year's event. You want endurance mate? I'll give you endurance...
(And if you want to buy tickets, see what's on or volunteer next year just click here for more info)
My favourite film of the festival - just 5 minutes and guaranteed to make you smile.
MORE THINGS TO MAKE YOU SMILE - our books are packed with fun facts and fab photos - perfect as a pressie or just to treat yourself! Click HERE to learn more!
