We only get one crack at this life so the opportunities for great experiences need to be nurtured. Life’s richest experiences are created by increasing these opportunities and making the most of them when they arise. Saying “yes” to stuff won’t come easy as fears, finances and frustrations often get in the way. But so often literally “taking-the-plunge”, as my family and I recently did, creates a gem of a memory for all.
In recent posts and adventures I’ve been extolling the virtues of self-guiding. Natural for a SplashMap maker eh? Self-guidance puts you in the driver’s seat and helps you find the things that make your experience unique. That’s why it was great to hear from Mrs Jeong-ae Ahn and Alan who recently bought our 2 seried Chilean Lake District Map for a self guide cycle adventure.
Jeong-ae said “Splash maps of the Lake District in Chile were extremely useful i.e. sunshade, waterproof groundsheet, head-dress, carrier bag, not to mention a secure guidance on the region. We’ve enjoyed daily usage for many occasions in England since our trip to Chile. I can’t thank you enough.”
And this is echoed by recent comments from expedition leaders around the world.
But my view may be changing. Is the map a replacement for a guide, or is it an important accessory to improve a guided adventure?
This week I said yes to a long-standing invitation from Andrew Marshall, the founder of Above and Below Training. They are experts in mountaineering, caving and fell walking, regularly taking teams to distant lands, but gaining most of their training in the Dales and the Peaks of the UK. They’re regular users of SplashMaps for the Peak District and Yorkshire Dales at our 2 most popular scales. Andrew invited my family (Mrs SplashMaps and me plus our 15 year old daughter and 12 year old son) for 3 days of caving and walking activities in the Yorkshire Dales.
On the way my daughter complained to me, “Why can’t we just do this ourselves? Why do we need to live and walk with strangers?”. We spent the remainder of the 3 days finding out why.
We joined the team at the bunk-house at Hellwith Bridge in the Yorkshire Dales, our home beneath the snowy and sphynx-like Pen-y-Ghent mountain for our time in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
Look out for our next installment when we’re well out of our comfort zone in a freezing and fast flowing cave. Find out how we get on in our Yorkshire adventures!
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