o u t d o o r
FOCUS
Contents
3 OWPG News
4 DEFRA, land management, and... beavers
From the editor... 8 Our associate members
T 9 Wordsmith
autumn 2019
David Taylor
here must have been something
in the water in 1969. Think
of all the 50th anniversary
celebrations there have been this
year: The Apollo 11 moon landing,
Woodstock, the maiden flights of
both the Boeing 747 and Concorde,
and the first showing of an odd
new TV comedy called Monty
Python’s Flying Circus.
The outdoor community also
has cause to acknowledge a few
half centuries this year too.
Cicerone of course celebrated its
50th anniversary earlier this year
(see the previous edition of OF).
In this issue of Outdoor Focus,
we commemorate 50 years of
Descent, Britain’s only national
magazine devoted to caving -
edited and designed by OWPG
member Chris Howes. Happy
Birthday to all of the above, each
an inspiration in its own way.
The latest news from the OWPG and its members,
including a profi le of new member Ali Rowsell
Rob Yorke talks to Ben Goldsmith, a non-executive director
at DEFRA, about rural issues in the UK
An introduction to the companies and organisations that
share our aims and values. In this issue: Pathfi nder Guides
After meeting a stranger on the downs, Kev Reynolds gets
into a conversation about didgeridoos
10 Book Reviews
12 A circuit of Mount Elbrus
15 The joy of primes
16 Fifty Years Underground
Roly Smith reviews the latest books by OWPG members,
including The Big Rounds and Walking the Galloway Hills
Roger Butler looks back on a memorable backpacking trip
in the Caucasus
Photographer David Taylor extols the virtues of the fi xed
focal length prime lens
Descent, published by OWPG’s Chris Howes and Judith
Calford, turned 50 this year. OF fi nds out more
4
12
15
Moon phases
First Quarter
6 September Full
14 September Third Quarter
22 September
New
28 September First Quarter
5 October Full
13 October
Third Quarter
21 October New
28 October First Quarter
4 November
Full
12 November
Third Quarter
19 November
New
26 November
1 Sunrise time 06.12
Sunrise direction 75° SEP Sunset time 19.47
Sunset direction 284° 1 Sunrise time 07.00
Sunrise direction 94°
OCT Sunset time 18.39
Sunset direction 266°
15 Sunrise time 06.34
Sunrise direction 84° 15 Sunrise time 07.23
Sunrise direction 103°
SEP
Sunset time 19.15
Sunset direction 276°
Sunset time 18.07
Sunset direction 257°
Keith Fergus
Looking across Loch Lomond to Loch Arklet and Loch
Katrine from the summit of Beinn Ime, Loch Lomond
and The Trossachs National Park
Sunset time 16.34
Sunset direction 247°
15 Sunrise time 07.17
Sunrise direction 119°
NOV
Sunset time 16.11
Sunset direction 241°
If you’d like to contribute to the next
edition of Outdoor Focus please send
an email with your article idea to
me at [email protected]. The
deadline for copy is the 15 November.
The Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild is the only UK-based association of media professionals
working largely or entirely on outdoor subjects. Our members cover every fi eld of activity and all
corners of the globe. They include writers, journalists, fi lm makers, photographers, publishers and
editors, all with a passionate interest in the outdoors. For more information visit www.owpg.org.uk.
All images and text copyright the authors. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material
without express and written permission is strictly prohibited.
2 Outdoor focus | autumn 2019
NOV
Sunset/Sunrise times and direction correct for London. Times in BST (GMT from 1 Nov)
Cover star
www.scottishhorizons.co.uk
OCT
1 Sunrise time 06.53
Sunrise direction 113°
Editing/design: David Taylor
[email protected]
ISSN 2043-8591 (print)
ISSN 2043-8605 (online)