Mountain Walking Newbies: advice, information and inspiration for hill walkers

In this episode Mike talks to Professional Nutritionist Rachel Fletcher about nutrition for health and hill-walking.
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Nigel discusses the importance of being able to navigate, the differences between map reading and navigation, the psychology and science behind how we navigate, an alternative and easier approach to learning to navigate, and titanium avocados!
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After a cracking day out on Curved Ridge (Buchaille Etive Mor, Glen Coe) Mike talks to Rich about The Real 3 Peaks Challenge, a movement he started on Facebook in 2013, with the intention of giving the national 3 peaks mountains an annual 'deep clean'. The first Challenge in 2013, on Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell netted an astonishing 350kg of rubbish in a single day. In 2019, the movement had extended to 6 mountain locations with a weigh-in of 500kg of waste. Rich talks about the issues of rubbish on the hills including the awful levels of human waste affecting the half-way lochan on the Ben and the amazing difference, in terms of regeneration and cleanliness, brought about by the Pandemic lock-down.  Rich hopes, one day, to see the movement transform into a national day where people clean the area immediately outside their house.

Rich gives his experiences of leading groups, particularly 3 Peaks groups, on the Ben and gives his top tip for an safe and enjoyable day out in the Scottish hills - navigation and being aware of timing, rather than distance, when planning a day out in the Scottish Mountains. 

Rich can be contacted at www.richmountainexperiences.co.uk
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In this Episode Mollie, a Project Manager with MFTF, describes the work of the organisation, the importance of their work to the upland environment and their current projects.
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Nigel Vardy tells us about growing up in the Belper, Derbyshire, his early forays into the hills and his explorations and adventures culminating in his fateful trip to Mt McKinley in 1999 where he suffered severe frostbite and nearly lost his life.  Mike and Nigel go on to discuss his adventures since, re-discovering climbing and mountaineering, writing his 2 books and recently being elected as President of Buxton MRT.
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