But here, historian Sarah Lonsdale puts the record straight, tracing the lives of five women who fought and won the right to explore, work in and help save the Earth’ s wild places. They include Ethel Haythornthwaite of Sheffield CPRE, who with her husband Gerald helped to create Britain’ s first National Park in the Peak District. Lonsdale’ s biography of Ethel is immeasurably better and more comprehensive than the‘ official’ one recently published by CPRE( reviewed in Outdoor Focus, Winter 2024). The others are pioneer rock climber Dorothy Pilley, who shocked society by donning mens’ climbing breeches; Mina Hubbard, who bravely explored northern Labrador in a canoe; Evelyn Cheesman, first keeper of insects at London Zoo, and Wangari Maathai, who was responsible for the planting of millions of trees across sub- Saharan Africa. These are all expert and highly readable biographies by a woman who is a senior lecturer in journalism at the London’ s City University, and they go some way towards filling an important gap in the literature of the exploration and conservation of the ever-shrinking wildernesses of our planet.
Book your OWPG Big Weekend now!
Where and When: Field Studies Council Blencathra, nr Keswick, 3-6 October 2025 The centre is on the slopes of Blencathra( 868m), one of the highest peaks in the Lake District.
The Centre: https:// www. field-studies-council. org / locations / blencathra /
New Members: are particularly welcome. We’ re a friendly bunch and it’ s the best way to meet other members. You can take part in as many or as few activities as you like.
Rates: are inclusive of breakfasts, packed lunches and evening meals and start from £ 79 pppn. Single supplements are available at £ 30 pppn in a double room.
The AGM: takes place on the Saturday evening followed by a drinks reception, threecourse meal and the annual awards ceremony.
Activity options are anticipated to include:
» A photo walk up Blencathra led by Josephine Collingwood » Brush up on navigation with a workshop led by Josephine Collingwood » A cycle trip locally led by Jon Sparks » Explore Keswick’ s museums and take a boat trip on Derwent Water » A writing workshop with Ronald Turnbull » A foraging walk with Andy Hamilton » A trip to Castlerigg Stone Circle with Stan Abbott plus another a mystery destination beyond! » A canyoning / ghyll scrambling trip with Keswick Extreme » A talk on mountaineering history from the Mountain Heritage Trust
There will also be a chance to display examples of your work on the‘ book table’.
How to book: Download the form from the Dropbox link on the Guild’ s website; fill it in; email it to Kevin at kj035 @ outlook. com by WEDNESDAY 9 TH JULY!
A deposit of £ 100 is required at the point of booking. Invoices for the final balance will be issued soon after the weekend.
" Las Cuevas de Matienzo "
An exhibition by OWPG member and photographer, Sam Davis. A Matienzo Caves Project expedition member, his images explore the vast mountain caverns of the Matienzo depression. Where: The Old School, Matienzo, Cantabria, Spain. When: 6th-20th August. 12:00- 14:30; 18:00-20:00. Opening night 7th August- 19:00-21:00 with refreshments.