In Search Of Inspiration

It’s now the middle of June, and so far this year summer has been a bit tardy in putting in an appearance. Recent forecasts have been pretty horrible, with many areas battered by strong winds and heavy rain. And that’s on top of the deluge to which many areas have already been subjected.

Seeing as we had nothing in particular planned for the weekend, we took a trundle to our nearest town for a bit of shopping and a paper, and I thought I’d have a browse through the outdoor mags for a bit of inspiration. You know, a bit of window-shopping for new gear, tales of derring-do to whet the appetite, and articles on far-flung, exotic places that you never knew you had to visit – until now!

Well, what a disappointment.

Trail, Country Walking, even TGO: all rather limp and insipid, with so little difference between them you could seemingly swap the covers and hardly anyone would notice. Here we are on the verge of a Northern hemisphere summer, with holiday time approaching for many, and all there is to offer are the same old destinations cropping up again and again.

Don’t get me wrong: Snowdonia, The Lakes and Scotland all have much to commend them, it’s just that, situated as we are on the fringe of Europe with some of the world’s finest outdoor playgrounds on our doorstep, it was disappointing to see such a narrow scope. Oh, except for Tenerife. And no, it wouldn’t be top of my list of overseas destinations, either. At least Trek and Mountain have an article on the GR20 coming in their next issue.

Anyway, feeling the need for a bit of a lift, I dug through some old photos of previous trips away. 2012 has been a tougher year than some, but by September we should be pretty much back up to speed again. So we felt like treating ourselves for our main walking break of the year, and have booked to go here …..

Inspiration required? ‘Nuff said!