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THE CONISTON FELLS and THE SETTLE - CARLISLE RAILWAY North West Evening Mail

The North West Evening Mail made "The Coniston Fells" and "The Settle - Carlisle Railway" the central feature of their "Country Mail" section AND printed our rather nice picture of Hilary Robertson near Tarn Hows. Fortunately they didn't print any pictures of the male contributors, and, as a result, we had lots of interest! The North West Evening Mail is the premier newspaper covering the West of Cumbria. For more information call 01229 821835.
 

CAPTURING THE SCENE: Two CDs depicting the Coniston Fells and the Settle to Carlisle Railway have been released by NVM Digitalal.com, and are the result of exhaustive research by the three makers and compilers. Hilary Robertson, 46, also a keen walker and rock climber from Kendal, wrote the wild flower section of the CD-ROMS available for £14.95, including p&p from NVM Digital, P.O.Box 1,Bentham,Lancaster, LA2 7GA Work is a labour of love The timeless beauty, splendour and grace of the Lake District and parts of Cumbria has been captured on two new CDROMS.  The two CDs depicting the Coniston Fells and the Settle to Carlisle Railway have been released by NVMdigital.com, and are the result of exhaustive research by the three makers and compilers; Dave Mulligan, 55, a keen walker originally from Kendal, Jim Redfern, 54, a keen walker, geologist and railway enthusiast from north Yorkshire and Hilary Robertson, 46, also a keen walker and rock climber from Kendal.  The two men have known each other for nearly 30 years and Mr Mulligan met Mrs Robertson through the Kendal Fell Walkers.  Mr Mulligan got the inspiration to develop the CDs after sitting in his studio looking across to Ingleborough.  He said: "I'd always wanted to write a book about fell walking and it dawned on me in 1999 that I could write CD-ROMS about fell walking, with lots of information and pictures because, on CDROMS the colour is free, unlike books.  "I've been a walker all my life and I love the Lake District, so I thought that I may as well combine my passion for walking and my desire to write a book."  The Ingleborough Triangle was the first CD released by Mr Mulligan, and took the best part of a year to make. Half of that time was taken up mastering CDROM writing techniques and it came out in 2000.  Mr Mulligan said: "The CD sells rather well locally, and it doesn't just go to locals and walkers. We've sent a number overseas to ex-pats, and to people who are now, for one reason or another, only able to do armchair walking."  The three joined forces and decided to do a series on the Lake District. Mrs Robertson had worked with the Forest Enterprise in the Grizedale Forest and brought with her a considerable knowledge of natural history and an intimate knowledge of the area.  Research for the Coniston Fells, carried out throughout 2000, included 40 walking visits to the area and covered as many as 1,000 miles and 2,000 photos taken. Despite the enormous workload, the three were not deterred and Mr Mulligan said they were merely doing what they would normally be doing.  He said: "Most of it was a lot of fun. We would have been out there anyway, though possibly not in the same place as much." All three contributed to the legwork involved in the project but used their intimate knowledge and familiarity with certain areas when required. Mr Mulligan, said: "Jim Redfern wrote the excellent section on the Old Railway to Coniston, and another on the Coppermines. Another friend, Dave Glover, from Kendal, had for some years been preparing a book on the quarries of Lakeland, and allowed us to use parts of his draft book covering the Coniston Fells area.  "Hilary wrote the wild flower section, and I wrote a section on the prehistory and history of the area, plus features on towns and villages."  The three had already started to research their next project, The Langdale Valley, when foot-and-mouth hit Cunbria. Mr Mulligan, said: "The Lake District was closed to walkers and we decided against releasing the Coniston CD and instead to work on the Settle to Carlisle Railway project.  "We wanted the world to get back to normal before we released the CD."   The backbone of the CD is a trip from Settle to Carlisle with massive amounts of written and photographic detail of every section of the line. As with the Coniston CD, the Settle to Carlisle CD is crammed with history, information and minute detail.  Mr Mulligan, said: "There has certainly been a lot of interest over the last few weeks, and, of course, it all helps to promote the area.  "We've only just released the Settle to Carlisle Railway, but initial reaction has been very good."