Hillwalker News 2001/03
Hillwalker News 2001/03
In this issue:
Wasdale Mountain Rescue Fundraising Auction Update
Lakeland Fells - CD Availability
FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE
I was going to write about the countryside closing down, the West Highland Way's being closed and a general appeal to everyone to stay out of the countryside. I then got this much more eloquent request from Nigel Hawkins of the John Muir Trust. His appeal refers to JMT land and to all other wild land.
Dear JMT Members, Supporters & Friends,
The John Muir Trust is asking climbers and walkers not to go on to wild land including the Trust's land during the current foot and mouth epidemic in order to help prevent the spread of the disease to livestock and wildlife.
The Trust wishes to protect the interests of local communities including crofters and tenants whose livelihoods depend on the health of their sheep and cattle. The Trust also wishes to protect wildlife and especially prevent the spread of the disease into the red deer population where it could cause devastation and be near impossible to control.
The Trust is seeking the full co-operation of everyone in helping to maintain the health and wellbeing of the countryside.
We realise this request to visitors may affect local economic activities such as the provision of accommodation and services for climbers and walkers, and mountaineering courses and guiding provided by outdoor centres and others at a time when winter climbing conditions are at their best but we believe we are taking the right steps in the circumstances.
The Trust is keeping the situation under constant review.
The Trust owns and cares for Britain's highest mountain Ben Nevis, the popular Perthshire peak of Schiehallion, the beautiful coastal scenery of Sandwood Bay in Sutherland, and spectacular mountains on Skye and in Knoydart.
Best Wishes,
Nigel Hawkins
Director, 28 February 2001
EVENTS ABERDEEN / CRIEFF
"Tired of the long winter indoors? Can't wait to get out on the hills again?" Here's an event that should interest IT professionals and hill-walking enthusiasts alike: The Munros and The Corbetts - two CD-ROMs from the Hillwalker Series.
Iain White is the Glasgow manager of software development firm ISYS. His company produce and market, amongst other things, the 'Hillwalker CD' series, which includes the titles The Munros, The Corbetts and Lakeland Fells. Mountains of Wales will follow soon. This package combines photographs, route maps, video clips, audio clips (Gaelic place-name pronunciation), panoramas and flypasts into a CD-based multimedia package.
Iain will begin with an overview of the package, to bring out the combination of sound, video and text, and then go on to describe the technical challenges in designing, engineering and producing such a package, and the issues around pricing, marketing, selling and support. He will also show some of the features still in development and planned for future releases.
6pm for 6.30, Wednesday 28th March, free to BCS members and non-members.
Nexus BPA, 42 Albyn Place, Aberdeen, AB10 1YN (between the Clydesdale and Royal banks at Queens Cross.)
For more information, or to book a place, contact Terry Wood
(Terry.Wood@bcs.org.uk)"
Crieff March 22. I will be presenting the graphics techniques used in the program to the Borland Users Group. This is a technical presentation to Delphi program developers. If you are interested, please contact me.
WASDALE MOUNTAIN RESCUE FUNDRAISING AUCTION UPDATE
Just a quick note to thank you for your help with the Wasdale Mountain Rescue auction which was held last night. We had problems with the weekend as the foot and mouth outbreak stopped people from walking and stopped the treasure hunts. And snow on the night made getting to Wasdale tricky.
BUT we had a great auction and raised a grand total of £3500 for the rescue team which is fantastic.
Without your kind help this would not have been possible. I will contact each company who donated individually in the next few days, but I just wanted to say a big THANKS to all our sponsors now.
We will not be holding the event next year as we do not wish to impinge upon your generosity, but you may hear from me again in 2003!
Thanks again
Guy
Wasdale MRT
Email: Mountaingoat@msn.com
Tel: 019467 27246
LAKELAND FELLS - CD AVAILABILITY
I guess we didn't make February for the Lakes CD. I really do think that supplies will be with us before the end of this month.
We have plenty of mail order Lakeland Fells CDs (ie without a box).
Stocks of Corbetts are good.
Munros are virtually exhausted. Stocks were low last month and February was a very good month for us, but as a result, stocks are virtually depleted. I expect to run out this month and replacements are not due until June.
DRAFT BILL ON ACCESS
The Scottish Executive have just issued the first draft of the government's new bill. As access to the hills will be limited for months, you will have plenty of time to read, digest and comment on this Draft.
The Draft Bill is available from http://www.Scotland.gov.uk under New Publications. It can be read or downloaded from there.
HILL QUERIES
Last month I asked about a name for the hill 136m north of Coniston at SD 309 981. My thanks to Michael in Edinburgh for the name High Guards. He also suggested that Millrigg Knott was more appropriate than Pool Scar for the hill at NY 464011; so, Millrigg Knott it will be!
Pam from Berkshire tells me that Latterbarrow does not have trig pillar and sent me a photograph of the rather stunning summit cairn to prove the point.
No one had any comment to make about Meall Mòr - a new Graham?
My thanks to Pam and Michael, and others who wrote, for these comments.
CONTACTING ISYS SUPPORT
isys@bun.com is now discontinued. This address was never advertised.
support@hillwalker.org.uk - for support and registration
info@hillwalker.org.uk - for information prior to purchase
sales@hillwalker.org.uk - if you want to order upgrades or new programs or to check on progress of orders
Older advertised e-mail addresses still work, but please use one of the new hillwalker addresses for any contact to Isys.
HINTS AND TIPS
In the top right corner of most windows (or forms these are two words for the same thing) there is the possibility of four icons:
Minimize (an underscore)
Maximize (a square)
Restore (two overlapping squares)
Close (a cross)
The first three show different conditions of the form. The form will be in one of these conditions. The icons for the other two conditions (plus the close cross) are often shown.
If a form is Minimized ('on the task bar'), there is no need to restore it to close it. Right click and select close.
A Maximised form will fit in between the Task Bar (if the Task Bar has the Always on top property set) and any program tool bars (such as Office).
The Hillwalker main form opens as a restored window the size of your screen. This is not a maximized form. There are several implications:
Hillwalker forms appear to ignore all task bars and tool bars from other programs
You can move the main window about immediately without having to restore
A Child Window cannot be moved out of the area of the main form. Many windows in Hillwalker are Child Windows. There is also a tool bar and sometimes a Child Window will get 'stuck' up behind the tool bar. The Caption bar is hidden so it cannot be dragged and the icons are hidden so it cannot be closed or minimized using the icons. The answer is to resize it. The act of resizing will move the window so that it can all be seen. Some Child forms do not allow resizing, but the trick still works. It is the attempt to resize, that re-positions.
Find a hill knowing its name but not where it is? Tools | List hills, right click the mouse to show the HillFinder. Type all or part of the name (not necessarily the first part) and click Search Now. Highlight the hill required and click Select Hill.
To do the search letter by letter, set Realtime Hill Search in Preferences (or program parameters) | Fundamentals. Don't attempt this on a slow computer!
Realtime hill search is particularly valuable if you have lots of hills (Sales plug: The Corbetts offers 2,000 Scottish hills and is a great companion to The Munros).
If you are using Select hills for the Log, you can select the hill using the Hillfinder; you don't have to select it by clicking on a Vector Map.
Use Bearings to find the direction of one hill from another. Use Route Cards to get a series of bearings of many legs between waypoints.
VIRUSES (VIRI?)
The response to this item last month was incredible. Nine persons telephoned of whom 8 had the KAK worm virus (files kak,hta appearing in their system). One institution blocked the Newsletter because their checking system thought that it was virus hoax e-mail. Anyway, I am happy to report that no one has sent me any viruses since the last newsletter.
Visit our Website http://www.hillwalker.org
Don't forget to tell me if you change your e-mail address.
Always include your Serial Number when you contact Support.
Iain R White
Isys, authors of
Serious Hillwalker Software for not so serious hillwalkers
Web site: http://www.hillwalker.org
e-Mail: support@hillwalker.org.uk
Current Products in the Hillwalker Series:
The Munros £39.99 (upgrade from v1 £20)
The Corbetts £39.99 (2,000 Scottish hills)
Lakeland Fells £39.99 (mail order version only)
Post and Packing £3.50 per order
