Audio walk to reveal the climatic history of British beauty spot

PA 57/13 A new audio walk developed by University of Nottingham researchers is to help walkers at a Cumbrian beauty spot to unlock its rich history and learn about the dramatic climate and weather conditions that shape its landscape. The audio walk, which has been written by a team in the University's School of Geography , will be narrated by legendary weather broadcaster and former Met Office stalwart John Kettley , who will guide visitors on a 10-mile walk up Great Dun Fell, the second highest hill in the English Pennines. An experimental smartphone app to accompany the walk is also being developed by the team. The walk is part of the Royal Geographical Society's (with the Institute of British Geographers) Discovering Britain project aimed at encouraging the public to explore the stories behind Britain's landscapes. The walk resources, freely available to download in both mp3 and printed formats, will reveal to walkers how the region is home to the UK's only 'named' wind, the Helm Wind, and document its links with Gordon Manley FRGS, the celebrated climatologist, who studied this powerful natural phenomenon in the late 1930s. Georgina Endfield, Professor of Environmental History, said: "The British weather is very much a part of our national identity — in fact you could argue that we are obsessed with it. It's an easy topic to begin a conversation.