Exploring the UK by bike or on foot just became much easier with Virtual Programming’s release of Anquet Maps Mac and Anquet Maps iPhone applications, which offer the same features as Anquet’s popular mapping software for Windows. Users can easily plan and edit routes, look up points-of-interest along the way, and more. GPS functionality in the iPhone version lets mobile users easily navigate routes while on the go.

Mac screenshot

“Whether you want to hike through a national park, plan a multi-kilometer bike ride, or simply figure out the best path for a daily walk, Anquet Maps Mac and Anquet Maps iPhone are at your disposal,” said Virtual Programming CEO Mark Hinton. “These are far and away the most robust mapping applications we’ve ever seen.”

Both applications let users replace their bulky paper maps with powerful digital versions. Users can carefully create and edit routes in perfect detail, with the ability to see maximum and minimum altitudes along the way, as well as estimated travel time and other information. In addition, they can easily look up locations by National Grid coordinates or longitude and latitude, with the option to add those places as waypoints along a route.

Anquet Maps Mac is free software. Maps are purchased separately, but users only need to buy the coverage they require. Maps are available in definable parcels or as specific popular areas, such as national parks.

Maps and route profiles can be printed out and exported to Anquet Maps iPhone, which is available separately. This handy app offers the same route planning and editing features as Anquet Maps Mac, with added GPS functionality that lets users make sure they’re properly navigating their routes. Anquet Maps iPhone also enables users to track their routes and save average speed, distance traveled, and other data, along with text notes for handy reference.

OS 1:25k mapping on the iPhone

Route information on the iPhone

Tracklog on the iPhone

GPS screen on the iPhone

Anquet Maps iPhone is available now at Apple’s App Store. Pricing is £19.99, and free digital maps are included to help users get started.
Anquet Maps Mac is free to download, although there will also be a box product version available at £29.99, which includes Map credit to the value of the full purchase price.
Additional map prices start at £10.00.

Anquet Maps iPhone requires iPhone OS version 3.0.
Anquet Maps Mac requires Mac OS X version 10.5.8, any Intel processor and 512Mb RAM.

More information, including screenshots and tutorials, is also available at: http://www.vpmaps.com/

Just a bit of an update to the post below.

They've had a lot of use since November, being my first choice for most walks (with snow bringing out the Aspira Trews and shorts for the sun). All i'll say is they're great until you need to do any sort of arse scrambling. You know, when you have to lower yourself off some rocks rather than scramble down more elegantly?

Somewhere, along that ridge, lies the backside of my trouser...

Basically, the rough quartzite of the Grey Corries saw to it that the arse seam has become completely unpicked. They'll be sent to be fixed soon, but it seems to happen to ALL Paramo trousers that I've owned. Two pairs of fuera windproofs have more stitching in along the backside than when purchased, as have the tougher pair of baggy Cascadas. Any damage done to the Aspiras however was entirely my fault, and caused by using the paddedd arse as a sledge...

So long term, i think they're as good as anything else Paramo have produced, a little less durable, but as they are lighter they're useable most of the year which is a compromise i'm willing to take. Paramo take note though, I reckon you need to look at using a stronger fabric as backside, without the central seam. Putting my money where my mouth is, I've just ordered the corresponding jacket and hope it doesn't come to bits under the pack straps! I'm off on a long 2 dayer soon, so I'll test it out then

Ok, it seems that whatever those fine guys at Paramo decide to release, i buy. The trusty old cascada trousers, circa 1967, were now mostly hole and thread and both the pocket zips lost their effacy at around the same time at the Berlin Wall. They were also bulky, designed to be worn and never packed away. Added to this the fact that they did impart a slight air of MC hammer in the mid 90s, it was time for change. So when Paramo brought out the Velez Trousers that were not only lighter, less bulky and a better fit, but also a lot less navy blue and dragged my lower limbs into the twenty first century.

The first thing that strikes you about these trews has to be the lack of bulk. They arrived in a tiny package that, to my surprise, also contained both a Torres Smock and Trouser. Secondly, the fit. They fit. Like a normal pair of trousers. This is partly down to the fact that you can buy them in normal trouser-like waist sizes rather than the previous four sizes fit all with the bizzare choice of about ten different leg lengths. It's also because they're more tailored than some of the earlier offerings and as a result aren't at all baggy. Having lost some weight, with a bit more to go, I was glad to find that their sizing was on the small size with the 36" waist being about right but with plenty of room to grow out of.

When i first fondled these in the shop, I decided I didn't like the fabric one bit. What at first appears to be pertex, is their Analogy Light fabric. It felt even flimsier on the Velez Adventure Light and Quito jackets. On further reflection, I came to the conclusion that the original fabric was bombproof and that the lightweight stuff has to be as durable as your common or garden membrane waterproofs, so took the plunge. While I can't vouch for durability until I've used them for a good few months, preferably after a few week-enders and a week long trip to the wilds. To be fair though, there's different types of fabric on different parts of the garment depending on where you're going to need it most. If this means the weight and bulk is reduced, then i welcome it.

Another advantage of these trousers that's going to be difficult to evaluate till the spring is that they should be OK for all year round use. I can imagine using these on Yr Wyddfa on a wet summer's day, especially on the last three summers. I'm hoping to try them out for some trail running over the winter and see how they fare.

Summary.
What's good - Light (around 400g), well fitting Paramo waterproofs that don't show a hint of navy. Practical to carry on multiple day trips, which is a first for Paramo.
What's bad - Expensive (£137) and possibly not as durable as you'd expect from Paramo.
Proper Pics to Follow......

While the blog and the site has been about the more sedate activity of walking up to now, there will definitely be a second strand from now on. Part of the reason, I suppose, that the site has been so quiet over the last year is that I've been struggling with this running malarkey.

I think, during the last 18 months, if there's an injury to be picked up, I've managed it. From shin splints, runners knee and a permanent crepitus in the knee (must be the same etymology as decrepit). Finally, i think, i'm getting to the point where I can manage a decent distance every week and hopefully I can build up the ascent. For if I've learnt two things, they're:

1 - Running is an activity undertaken between injuries.
2 - Fell Running is incredibly hard (especially so if you're runnning with more extra weight than the average runner weighs in total)
You could add a third - that it's difficult to find some images to represent 'running', so here's a token image.

Ideal terrain for a bit of a trail run near Nant Gwynant.

A few routes on Walk Eryri lend themselves to running:
Around Llyn Padarn - classic run.
Lon Gwyrfai, with a diversion over an old track (hopefully it won't get tarmacked)
Llynnoedd Crafnant and Geirionnydd - a challenging, but classic trail run!

I was thinking about this on a run the other night. I'd decided to take a slight detour to take in, possibly 400m of forest trail. Decent trails like this are an absolute rarity around Caernarfon, where you've either got roads/tarmac cycletracks or the usual farmland ROWs that are either impassible, muddy or require a suicidal dash along a narrow main road with no path to get to. So I arrive, and to my horror the beautiful, mushy surface has been covered in slate waste! Are people that afraid of walking on a bit of leaf litter and get their boots dirty? Are these the same people who've sent the 20000 signature petition to ask Nintendo to produce the Wii Fit: Snowdon Edition? I've no woodland trail anymore!

The same has happened to a great little stretch of path between Caernarfon and Waunfawr, being put over to a harder surface, not to mention the entire cycle track changing from a hard packed gravel to continuous, knee-jarring tarmac. Thankfully, another ancient trackway remains gloriously muddy and rough, and remains as the nearest stretch of decent trail I can reach in a direct run from town.

This is what it looked like in 2006. This track has now been covered over and is much wider, resulting in less hedgerow plants and the loss of the ancient surface. In the name of progress.

Look the other way, and this has gone as well...

Now this was timely, as the National Park Authority is going to tarmac the Miner's Track to Llyn Llydaw. I'm all for access, but taking this to it's natural conclusion, are we going to end up going all American with ROADS up to the summits? I don't expect the park to actually allow cars up there, but I see the day where the Llanberis path is tarmac all the way, with a couple of wide zig-zags below Clogwyn as being a natural conclusion to this. After all, there's railway, why not go the whole hog? Lets even put a cafe half way as well as on the top while we're at it!

Enabling more people to get on the hill would ruin the peace and quiet one experiences on reaching the summit...

This project as a discrete entity, if they manage to solve that eternal question of life, the universe and a tarmac that doesn't look like tarmac, doesn't really bother me. In fact, I think it's a pretty decent idea as it's damn near a motorway anyway so improving the surface slightly so a few more people can get there doesn't bother me. One argument is that it's going to increase the number of people getting into trouble on the mountain. Now I can't see the numbers involved being that great and that even if you assume that statistically the same proportion get into trouble as for those who can already access the area, i'd imagine it's going to come to a statistically insignificant amount. I'd imagine the greatest hazard is returning downhill. If you want a footpath of sorts, you do the PYG - jaywalking's kept strictly to the Miners'. What needs to be clear is what the park, which sets draconian planning regulations for most, will do and explicitly WON'T DO to our mountains.

I've just caught wind of the following tent that'll be available soon (not soon enough!). It's a significant drop in weight since the previous Photon, from a porky 720g down to a svelte 560g maximum weight. Terra Nova quote a minimum weight of an astonishing 495g, which knowing TN will be a minimum usable weight including a quorum of pegs and not a gimmicky, "ah yes, that's without the pegs..." - Update from the guys at TN- they are quoting the weight without pegs - as that's becoming the industry standard for comparison, though they think it's a bit absurd as well - important thins is that the 6 pegs you need will push the weight to 501g, which is as close to 500g as you're ever going to get when you consider that there will be minor variation in weight from tent to tent and within the accuracy of my household scales i'm not going to be able to tell the difference!

While, i'll be honest and say that I don't see going lightweight as the universal panacea for unfit hill walkers who want to go wild camping any more, the idea of a tent that weighs in the region of my bivvy/tarp combination really does appeal. Leaving the inner at home, you can cut weight even further. This is a welcome addition as i've used the original Laser before as an overhead shelter while 'bivvying', but still had the full weight as i could not detach the inner. The main deisgn drawback, and that's common to all the smaller Lasers these days, is the single door. The original opens all the way across so you can lay in your tent and enjoy the full view and is part of why I find that tent so appealing. You've got to ask if the material is durable as well seeing as the heavier photon has been marketed, quite honestly, as being less durable than the heavier tents. They've even got a 50g bivvy bag from the same material!

Here's a few shots of the tent which classifies as being more of a shiny shiny than any other I've seen..

It's going to be available at the start of next year - February, so if you were going to write to Santa, don't bother ;-)

Just some images of a trip this weekend to Llyn Morwynion in the Rhinogydd. Started off in Traws, up to Bwlch Gwilym and then across the "Badlands" to Llyn Morwynion. I've got to say that the more you do this section, the easier it gets. There are a couple of steep and slippy scrambles, but there's a reasonably clear path all the way. Here's some images from the wild camp at Llyn Morwynion - one of the best pitches in the Rhinogydd. We were meant to camp on the Saturday night as well, but the forecast was such that our poor little lightweight tents wouldn't survive.

Camping at Llyn Morwynion

Camping at Llyn Morwynion

Camping at Llyn Morwynion

Water going down a natural plughole.

Tasted better than it looked, honest!

Organised? Moi?

Thanks to Ian for the comment below. The cafe has now re-opened and does sound like it's worth a go. Sounds like it might be another caff to be proud of!

No longer the only safe eating method at the PYP Caff...

Cafe now under new management - a social enterprise buying locally and operating as ethically as they can.
The crockery is real as is the espresso, americano, latte, cappuchino, hot chocolate and all the wonderful homemade cakes that are served with them!
Food is all prepare on site and cooked when it is ordered. Everything I have eaten there has been great and obviously prepared with care. Decent veggie choice too.
Open from 7am till 8pm there is plenty of chance to get in there and its much lighter and warmer than it used to be with a far friendlier welcome!
Would be great if you can publish this as a comment on your blog as i suspect the current comments will put people off visiting the 'new' cafe.

Cheers,
Ian

This fine weather means that it's much more pleasant to wild camp, and especially to bivvy. Went bivvying on the weekend of the summer solstice on the summit of Ysgafell Wen. It wasn't the best pitch, in fact it was far from flat, but the view was just incredible. Here's some images:

Night on Ysgafell Wen

Night on Ysgafell Wen

Night on Ysgafell Wen

Dog Cloud...

Sunset over yr Wyddfa.

Finally got around to updating the website. There's three new full routes, plus holding pages for a couple more.

This weekend's trip into the Rhinogydd is on there as is an alternative route up yr Wyddfa. More routes in the south of the park are being added too, with a route up Arenig Fawr and holding pages for a classic walk up Aran Fawddwy from Llanuwchllyn and an alternative route to the South Rhinogydd.

Some images (as there's no images on the routes just yet - trying to work out a way to speed up the creation of galleries as this lot will take me a week to upload!)

Camping at Llyn Morwynion

Camping at Llyn Morwynion

Camping at Llyn Morwynion

Arenig Fawr

Aran Fawddwy

Aran Fawddwy

Aran Fawddwy