Wyl Menmuir
Know someone?
Andrew Davies
OWPG new members
New Members
© Neal Megaw
Wyl Menmuir
I
’ ve been a novelist, short story and non fiction writer for almost ten years now, and what draws my work together is its focus on landscape and place, from a literary novel set among an isolated fishing community( The Many, nominated for the Man Booker in 2016), to short stories set in the depths of mines beneath the sea(‘ The Knockers’ Ballroom’, Radio 4), to travel writing for the Guardian, to essays and non fiction books about our relationships with the natural world. My most recent work is a trilogy of books exploring the ways we relate to the sea( The Draw of The Sea, winner of the Roger Deakin Award for nature writing), woodlands and trees( The Heart of The Woods) and the one I’ m writing at the moment, The Spirit of Stone, an exploration of the ways we relate to rocks. My research has ranged from learning to freedive in Cornwall and tall ship sailing in the Arctic, through the conservation of Atlantic rainforest in Ireland and explorations of wood culture in Japan, to mine exploration and potholing. When I’ m not writing, I teach creative writing, often leading writing walks or residential courses among the woods or down by the sea. Otherwise, I’ m often out running, sailing, swimming or whittling in the woods closer to home in Cornwall. I can be found on Instagram @ wylmenmuir or on my website wylmenmuir. co. uk
Know someone?
Do you know someone who could benefit from and enjoy membership of the Guild? Why not reach out to them with the‘ new member discount’ offer found on the website under‘ downloads and discounts’.
Andrew Davies
Many would consider swapping the British uplands for the lowlying Netherlands as a downgrade in the outdoors experience, but when I moved to the south-eastern corner of the country over 40 years ago, a whole new world opened up. I grew up in Manchester in the 60s and 70s. The grouse moorlands of Kinder Scout became my playground and later, mountains further afield in North Wales and the Scottish Highlands. I went on to study geography at Newcastle University, but also had a penchant for languages, so moving to the continent in 1984 felt very much like a forward step. My adopted town is Heerlen, close to the Vaalserberg, at 1,058 ft the highest point in the Netherlands. What’ s more, it’ s barely an hour’ s drive to the upland massifs of the Hautes Fagnes in Belgium and the Eifel in Germany. I have spent most of my working life as a full time Dutch to English translator specialising, amongst other things, in sport, tourism, the outdoors and the environment. In 2019 I put together a successful exhibition on mountain cartography, commissioned by the Dutch Mountain Film Festival, likewise based in Heerlen. Six years later my first book on the same theme is due out: Mapping the Mountains traces the development of mountain cartography from Roman times to the present day by way of 20 or so historical essays. I also contributed to the 2021 guide to the Dutch Mountain Trail, a 100-kilometre footpath linking the seven highest summits in the Netherlands and was responsble for the guide’ s English language translation in 2023. Who knows what the next project will be? Looking forward to my time with the OWPG and to meeting you all sometime soon. Instagram: trigpointman LinkedIn: chapterandversetranslations Book: mappingthemountains. eu
Summer 2025 OUTDOOR FOCUS 3