Links Page
Please note that UWS Hiking is not responsible for the content of external sites. If you would like to see your link on this page email hiking{at}swansea-union.co.uk
Index of weblinks
General Information
& Safety
Regions we walk in
Swansea University
- Swansea University - University website.
- Swansea University Students Union - The Students Unions website.
- Swansea University Mountaineering Club - Swansea University Mountaineering Club
- FACEBOOK page for Swansea University Hiking Club
Maps
- Ordnance Survey - The British Government's mapping agency. Their maps cover the whole of the UK and are the most commonly used.
- Street Map - Street maps for the UK found by postcodes.
- Harvey Maps - They produce maps of popular areas of the UK which tend to be more designed for walkers.
- US Geological Survey - The US national mapping agency.
- Infoterra Global - Produces maps and data from satellite and arial photography for a variety of uses.
- Terraserver - A collection of satellite views of the earth.
- Multimap UK - Street maps for the UK found by postcodes.
- Google Maps - Directions, Street maps and satellite images for the UK.
- Google Earth - Google Earth lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth
- Nasa World Wind - World Wind lets you zoom from satellite altitude into any place on Earth
Travel information
Great Britain
- National Rail - Search the UK train timetable.
- British Travel Resource - Major amounts of travel information.
- The Trainline - A site owned by Virgin which allows you to find train times and buy tickets.
- Public Transport Links - UK public transport Information.
- Travel Line - Plan your jouney by public transport.
- London Underground - Plan your journey on London Transport.
- Eurostar
- RAC - The Royal Automobile Club's road travel information.
- Scot Rail
- AA - The Automobile Association road travel information
- National Express - The main national coach company.
- Scottish CityLink
- Ryan Air - Budget airline.
- UK Travel Guide - A quick guide around the UK.
- Easyjet - Budget airline.
International
- Wiki Travel - Wikitravel is a project to create a free, complete, up-to-date and reliable world-wide travel guide.
- Currency Converter
- Expedia
- Lonely Planet - Travel guides from around the world.
- Himalayan Kingdoms
- Rough Guides
- World Expeditions
- Highplaces
- UK Foreign Office
- Rough Tracks
- Interrail
- Sherpa
- The Ecuadorian Alpine Institute - Offering you the chance to climb Ecuadorian mountains!!
- Camp Fire
- Trek America
- Exodus
- Nepal Travel
- KE Adventure
- Tourism Concern
- Adventures Abroad
Accommodation
- YHA - The Youth Hostel Association of England and Wales.
- Scotlands top Hostels Hostels
- Scottish YHA - The Scottish Youth Hostel Association.
- Independant Hostel Guide - Backpackers accomodation in Scotland
- Irish YHA - The Irish Youth Hostel Association.
- Highland Hostels
- Hostelling International - Rent A Hostel
- Cornwall Connect - Accommodation and travel information.
- Backpacker Hostels - World wide hostel database.
- Mountain Bothies Association
- Hostels Europe
- stayinapub.com - Pub and Accommodation Directory.
- Cardiff Backpacker - The Welsh capital's only central tourist hotel.
- Hostelz.com - Cool website with reviews, photos and booking info from hostels around the world.
Equipment Shops & Reviews
For equipment shops in Swansea click here
Cheap online equipment shops:
- Castle, Mountain and Moor
- Gear Zone - great prices and good reviews
- Outdoor Garage
- Outdoor Kit
- The Outdoor Shop
Other good online equipment shops in the UK:
- Adventure Centre - especially good for cheap tents
- Blacks - High Street Swansea
- Complete Outdoors
- Cotswold - Nearest store in Cardiff
- Craigdon Mountain Sports
- Element Outdoors - A comprehensive range of performance gear for hikers, bikers, climbers travellers and everyone in between! 28 Castle Street Swansea
- Ellis Brigham
- Field and Trek
- Hike, Bike and Ride
- Leisure Quest - The web site of one of the best outdoor shops in Swansea. Just opposite Argos on the cross roads at the end of the Kingsway
- Outdoor Gear
- Snow and Rock
- Mountain Warehouse
Gear Manufacturers
- Animal - Clothing for the streetwise Hiker
- Asolo - Italian boot manufacturer.
- Berghaus - General all round quality outdoor clothing company.
- Bloc Sunglasses - A quality alternative to Oakleys.
- Bridgedale - Manufacturers of world renown hiking socks.
- Casio - Watches.
- Charlet Moser - Makers of sleeping bags.
- Coleman - Best known for there gas stoves.
- Craghoppers - Best known for their trousers, but they also do travel clothing and waterproofs.
- DMM - Great climbing gear and general all round quality outdoor clothing. Manufactured in Wales.
- eVent - The site to learn all about eVent fabrics.
- Extremities - Owned by Terra Nova and maker of quality hats and gloves.
- Garmin - Makers of GPS receivers.
- Gelert - Outdoor clothing.
- Gore Tex - Gore-Tex fabrics used in many major brands of clothing and boots.
- Grivel - Manufacturers of climbing equipment.
- Helly Hansen - Best known for making waterproofs and base layers.
- Karrimor - General all round quality outdoor clothing company.
- Leatherman - Makes of those handy tools.
- Lowe Alpine - General all round quality outdoor clothing company. Great rucksacks as modelled by many of the committee.
- Macpac - Manufacturers of high quality rucksacks, among other things.
- Magellan - Maker of GPS receivers.
- Maglite - The diddy (but quality) torch people.
- Marmot clothing - a reputation for high quality warm clothing
- Meindl - Boot manufacturer - great boots for wider feet, as modelled by the webmaster.
- Mountain Equipment - Manufacturers of a variety of quality equipment.
- Mountain HardWear - Outdoor Equipment.
- MSR - Makers of cookers mainly.
- The North Face (TNF) - Makes of serious outdoor gear.
- Nikwax - The water proofing used on most hiking boots.
- Oakley - The sun glasses company.
- Ortlieb - Makers of waterproof map cases and bags.
- ParamoManufacturers of waterproofs using Nikwax Analogy.
- Patagonia - Makers of travel clothing.
- Peak - Climbing holds and walls constructed
- Petzl - Maker of the first and best head torches.
- Rab - British company specializing in down clothing and sleeping bags.
- Raichle - Manufacturers of quality walking boots.
- Regatta - Produce mainly budget outdoor clothing.
- Rohan - Manufacturer of quality travel clothing.
- Salomon - Boot manufacturer, especially good on those serious winter boots.
- Scarpa - Manufacturers of quality walking boots for the narrower feet.
- Sigg - The water bottle company - virtually unbreakable.
- Silva - The home of some of the most accurate and most used compasses.
- Snugpak - Makers of light weight synthetic sleeping bags. Still manufacturing in the UK!
- Sprayway - General all round quality outdoor clothing company.
- Terra Nova - Makes of some of the best tents in the world.
- Trangia - Probably the most easy to use camping stove ever made.
- Vango - General clothing and equipment manufacturer.
- Victorinox - Home of the Swiss Army Knife.
- Vibram - The people who make the sole on all the best walking boots in the world.
- Wild Country - Owned by Terra Nova and also make a wide variety of tents.
- Wynnster - Good affordable clothing for all-round walking
- Zamberlan - Italian boot manufacture.
- Zippo - Home of the Zippo lighter.
Mountain Rescue Teams
- Mountain Rescue Council
- Lomond Mountain Rescue Team
- National Search and Rescue Dog Association
- Longtown Mountain Rescue Team
- Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team
- Moffat Mountain Rescue Team
- Buxton Mountain Rescue Team
- North West Mountain Rescue Team
- Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team
- Ochils Mountain Rescue Team
- Central Brecons Mountain Rescue Team
- Ogwen Valley Mountain Rescue Organisation
- Cockermouth Rescue Team
- Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team
- Penrith Mountain Rescue Team
- Dartmoor Mountain Rescue Team
- RAF Mountain Rescue
- Dublin Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team
- Rossendale Search and Rescue Team
- Furness Mountain Rescue Team
- Scarborough and District Search and Rescue Team
- Galloway Rescue Team
- Severn Area Rescue Group
- Keswich Mountain Rescue Team
- South East Berkshire Emergency Volunteers
- Kinder Mountain Rescue Team
- Swaledale Fell Rescue Team
- Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association
- Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team
- Langdale and Ambleside Mountain Rescue Team
Web Cams
- Earthcam - Web Cams from around the world.
- Cam Vista
- Lake District Web Cam
- Snowdon Web Cam - Live pictures of Snowdon from the Snowdonia Weather Station Project.
Weather
Note most of these services unless otherwise stated will be reporting weather at sea level.
- Met Office - The weather from the UK Met Office.
- BBC Weather Centre
- Online Weather
- NWS - Buoys - US National Weather Service site mainly aimed at yachtsmen but gives wind speeds and other useful weather information around the coast updated hourly.
- Metcheck.com - Site providing detailed weather reports from around Europe. Also provides a WAP service.
- European Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting
- Cairngorm Weather Station
- Snowdon Weather Station
- Wind-chill
- Scottish Avalanche Information
Long Distance Footpaths
- Long Distance Walker Association
- Long Distance Walks
- Lands End to John a Groats
- South West Coast Path - The longest footpath in the UK.
- Offa's Dyke - A path that runs along the ancient boundary between England and Wales.
- Pembrokeshire Coast Path
- Pennine Way - The path runs 280 miles north south along the backbone of Britain.
Conservation Organisations
- John Muir Trust - A relatively new organisation that is now a major conservation landowner in Scotland.
- The National Trust
- The National Trust for Scotland
- The British Trust for Conservation Volunteers
National Park Authorities
- Association of National Park Authorities
- Council of National Parks
- Beacon Beacons
- The Broads
- Dartmoor
- Exmoor
- Lake District
- New Forest
- Northumberland
- North York Moors
- Peak District
- Pembrokeshire Coast
- Snowdonia
- Yorkshire Dales
Other Government Bodies
- The Countryside Agency
- The Countryside Council for Wales
- The Environment Agency
- The Forestry Commission
- Long Distance Trails in England and Wales
National Parks
Breacon Beacons
Dartmoor
Lake District
- Lake District National Park Authority
- John Dawson's Lake District Walks
- LakesNet
- Virtual Walker - Walking in the Lake District
Peak District
- Peak District National Park Authority
- The Official Peak District Tourism Site
- Peak District
- Edale Valley
- Peak District Photos
- Peakwalking
- Walks in the Peak District
- HighPeak
- Peak District Public Transport
- A site about the Peaks
Snowdonia
- Snowdonia National Park Authority
- Snowdonia Hill
- High Trek Snowdonia
- Petes Eats - The best place to eat in Snowdonia.
- Walking In Snowdonia
Gower
Shropshire
Scotland
The Isle of Skye
Tours of the Highlands
- Mac Backpackers tours of Scotland - A great touring company based in Edinburgh.
- Wild in Scotland
Hiking and Mountaineering Organisations
- BMC - The British Mountain Council, the organisation represents Mountaineers and Mountain Walkers alike.
- SMC - Scottish Mountain Council.
- The Mountaineering Council of Ireland
- Mountain Leader Training Board (MLTB) - Lays down the standards for the Mountain Leadership and Single Pitch Awards.
- The Ramblers Association - The association that representation walkers in the UK.
- Plas-y-Brenin - One of the best outdoor training centres in the world based in North Wales.
- Glenmore Lodge - The sport-Scotland outdoor training centre just out side Aviemore in Scotland.
- Outward Bound
- Talisman Activities Scotland
- The Alpine Club
- The Scout Association
- Scout Base
- The Guide Association
- Duke of Edinburgh's Award
- British Mountain Guides
General Hiking Sites
- Safety in the Mountains Guidelines. - A site full of safety tip that although conceived for the Beacon Beacons is useful for all areas.
- Compass Companion - A very helpful site full of advice and information.
- Mountain Database - Find the mountain you want to climb.
- Mountain Classifications
- The Mountaineering and Recreation Information Pages
- How to use a compass
- Nuttalls - Mountain List
- Walking Britain - British walking online Magazine.
- Mad about Mountains
- Mountain Ramblings
- Paul Endecott's Web Empire
- Wilderness Wales
- Trail Walk - A good forum to pose a question about hiking.
- Walking and Hiking.co.uk - Useful advice, tips and features about all levels of walking in the UK
Other University Hiking Clubs
Wales
- Aberystwyth University Walking Club
- Aberystwyth University Expedition Society
- Bangor University Mountain Walking Club
- Cardiff University Rambling Club
Rest of the UK
Other Non-University Hiking Clubs
- Cardiff Outdoor Group
- Lancaster Rambling and Fellwalking Club
- The CHAmois Mountaineering Club
- Cardiff Ramblers
- UK Backpacking Club
- Fell and Rock Climbing Club of the English Lake District
- Johannesburg Hiking Club - Homepage of the Johannesburg Hiking Club
Other Hiking Club Links Pages
- FACEBOOK page for Swansea University Hiking Club
- UK University hiking clubs links page - A page of all the UK university Hiking and Climbing web sites hosted by Lancaster University Hiking Club.
- Hiking and Mountaineering club around the World - Links to Hiking and Mountaineering Site around the world hosted by The CHAmois Mountaineering Club.
- Hiking Links - Probably the biggest hiking related links site in the world.
- Active Map of the British Isles - Links from around the British Isles.
Expeditions and Events
Miscellaneous
- Right to Roam - Information on the Countryside Act 2000.
- Kendal Mintcake
- Alan Hinkes - Find out how Alan Hinkes climbed all the 8000m mountains in the world, completed in 2005.
- America's Roof - Find out about America's highest peaks.
- Posing Production - Run by Alastair Lee this site promotes his alternative adventure film and slideshows. Other outdoor themed mechandise also available
- View the Northern Lights - Aurora borealis - Monitor the activity of the famous Northern Lights (Hosted by the Physics Department at the University of York).
- Ray Mears - The survival man off the TV.
- World Phone Book - Find Phone Numbers anywhere in the World.
- The Angry Corrie The Scottish Hillwalking magazine for lovers of this area
- Outdoor Safety Management
- Improve your digitised photos
- Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) For lovers of Real Ale everywhere
Email News Groups
Email newsgroups exist for discussion on relevant topics.
Subscribe to these newsgroups by clicking the links below
- Subscribe to news:uk.rec.walking - The main UK walking news discussion group or view the latest postings
- Subscribe to news:uk.rec.climbing - The main climbing newsgroup or view the latest postings
- Subscribe to news:rec.climbing - Mainly US climbing input.
- Subscribe to news:uk.rec.youth-hostel
