Illustrated Talks
If you would like to book a talk for your club or society, illustrated either with slides or a Powerpoint presentation, you may choose from the following topics.
The Abbey Lands Way (slides)
A journey through history. This talk follows the pack horse routes from Furness Abbey to Grange-in-Borrowdale. The Cistercians founded the Abbey in the twelfth century, and gradually came to own great tracts of the Lake District. Grange was their most northerly outpost, so called from the Latin grangia, meaning a farm. They became rich from wool production, and this walk follows the route of their laden pack horse trains as the crossed the fells to and from the Abbey. The walk was the subject of an article in Cumbria magazine a little while ago.
Copies of the guide to the walk are available for those who would like to follow it for themselves. Price £3.00
Our Stolen Years (powerpoint)
This is the story of how my parents’ wartime diaries and letters were turned into a book. It takes us back to Liverpool during the Blitz, our visit with my father to the landing beaches of Normandy, and the discovery of a box of correspondence and journals covering the period 1939-46. It describes how this type of material – which many people still have in their attics – can be edited and eventually published as a book. It includes some readings from the text.
Copies of the book are available. Price £8.99
Cycling in the Languedoc (powerpoint)
Two different journeys through a historic area of southern France. The first describes a trip along the towpath of the Canal du Midi, one of the great engineering works of the eighteenth century. The second links the castles which the Cathar “heretics” used as refuges during the religious wars of the twelfth century. History, scenery and good cycling blend together to provide ideas for the perfect two-wheeled holiday.
Mules and Mountains - Trekking in Morocco (powerpoint)
This talk is still under construction but will be available soon.
The charge for these talks is normally £30, plus expenses if outside the Furness area
If you would like to book one of these talks, please contact Martin on 01229 889400 0r by email at pathways.walks@btinternet.com , stating the Organisation, Contact Name, address and phone number, title of talk and suggested date.