On Mon, 10 Apr 2017 13:43:28 -0700 (PDT)
Graham Easterling wrote:

I was in the Malverns on a school geography field trip. WE were in a
godforsaken Youth Hostel called 'Wilderhope Manor'

"Wilderhope" rang a bell -- I think I stayed there with the Scouts once.
But even more looking on the map I remembered every village, ridge and
valley. I still have boxes of maps of the Welsh Marches carefully
marked up with which tracks were rough but passable, the driest side of
all the fords, which junctions were "not as map" from my years
navigating on car rallies.


To be honest, the coldest I can remember feeling on a field trip was
on a Geology field trip to Sheringham in early June. I don't think I
can remember the sea feeling so cold here in January.

It's the air temperature that gets you. That and having a minute of
furious activity to work up a sweat then having to sit still with legs
over the side for the next 20 minutes while the sweat cools inside and
the sea-water soaks the outside. On my own part-owned boat I did the
fore-deck sail changing but at least I didn't have to sit still after
-- no, I had to go below and bag up whatever sail we no longer were
using. Used to take quite a while for the spinnakers. Good job the
rallying had given me a cast-iron stomach.


Mike