I came across Tubular Fells last week on twitter and it seems like such a clever idea - each of the coloured lines represents one of Wainwright's famous mountain guide books:
As a lover of Wainwright, this homage appeals in many ways. My only trouble with it is the way the conjunction of such different things feels like a muddle in my head - to me the tube represents busy busy people, noise, claustrophobic spaces and a smell that is something like soot and rats and the exhaled breath of an entire city. The Lakes represents fresh air, skylarks, the sound of wind and sheep, and big sky. The two don't seem natural bedfellows! That apart, I love the invention of this; there's one of the Scottish Munros too, called MunrOverground, and a Snowdonia version on the way.
They also give some of the profits to worthwhile causes: £1 from every sale of the Tubular Fells map goes to Fix the Fells, a charity working to preserve Lakeland footpaths and combat the erosion caused by the millions of visitors who walk these hills every year. Meanwhile, the sale of MunrOverground maps supports the work of both the John Muir Trust and Scottish Mountain Rescue.
Do you think if I asked nicely they'd print it on mugs too?
Disclaimer: this is not a sponsored post, more's the pity.
Thanks a lot for your blog on Tubular Fells. The meeting of urban and fells was my dad's observation shortly before he passed away. He was an aircraft engineer and used to talk about Harry Beck when I was a small child. Dad liked the Tubular Fells design but thought it wouldn't catch on. I've seen one fellrunner who made your point, like my own dad, but most people seem to love the juxtaposed eccentricity of it.
ReplyDeleteYou might like to know, mugs ARE available at the NT shop in Grasmere and Fred Holdsworths in Ambleside.
Juxtaposed eccentricity sums it up beautifully, and I'm definitely going to treat myself to a mug next time I'm there - thank you :-)
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