This fantastic photo was taken by the expedition photographer, James Walker.

Thanks, James, for permission to use it here. Do check out James’ website, there are some stunning images, but only after you’ve had a go at answering the questions below.

Which way are we looking in this picture?

Bonus: roughly what latitude was the photo taken at?

Good luck! I’ll post the answer here in a few days.

Photography tip from a pro: The tomb in the picture was not illuminated and James achieved this effect by keeping the shutter open whilst he climbed up to the tomb. Whilst there, he used a flash to illuminate the tomb, making sure that his body was always between the flash and the camera, to avoid any of the light from flash spilling directly into the lens.

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On a different subject, the first review of The Natural Explorer has come in:

“The Natural Explorer is an essential part of any outdoor/nature writing library and it works in several ways. It’s a cogent paean to the glories of nature, a subtle manifesto, a call to arms to get out and appreciate the wonders of the natural world. It’s also full of wonderful examples of how to better read, understand and connect with the landscape.”

Damian Hall, Country Walking magazine

This morning I enjoyed a view of Orion, Sirius, Leo, which has just marched ahead of the dawn sun now, and a few other players. I took this photo of Orion’s Sword hanging down to the left (eastern) side of a large beech tree and dangling down towards the south, as it does. The ‘smudge’ in the middle is the Great Nebula in Orion, also known less romantically as ‘M42′. It is a ‘stellar nursery’ where new stars are born. Would a more appropriate term not be a ‘stellar maternity ward’?

On a different subject, my best wishes and good luck to Kevin Shannon who is attempting a zero-emissions circumnavigation of the globe. He asked me for my thoughts, and here they are (co-posted on his blog too):

“Emerging Expeditions

I met Kevin at the Outdoors Show in Birmingham in March and remember our encounter well, which, considering that I met at least two thousand people in three days, must say something about Kevin and his unusual project. I am lucky in that my work allows me to cross paths with a wonderfully varied crowd. Some of the paths are on the ridges of windswept mountains and others run through the Birmingham NEC, but even with the variety that comes from walking through wildernesses and urban jungles, there was something about Kevin’s expedition that resonated, something that kept it in my mind.

Modern expeditions tend to strive for a ‘noteworthy audaciousness’: the fastest, the youngest, the first all-female team to reach… This is often driven by a need for sponsorship, but also, if we are honest it is because nobody likes to risk their life, or livelihood or even just their time and effort for something that may go entirely unnoticed. We all like to leave a mark of some sort. From the boldest adventurers to timid individuals, everyone lives in fear of their short time on this planet going completely unnoticed. Increasing numbers are choosing to battle this fear by throwing fear at it and there is vast range in the methods people are choosing. From racing to the North Pole to queuing at X-Factor auditions.

What I like about Kevin’s expedition is that its noteworthiness comes from stripping something away. In his case emissions have been stripped away, but I think this may prove to be part of a significant trend and I am not referring to the climate here. The expeditions of the future may strive for noteworthiness by embracing minimalism, not by adding bells and whistles. In time I think the minimalism may come to include the scale of the expedition itself, but it is not quite time for that yet. This is something that a man who has set out to circumnavigate the globe will be most aware of.

Good Luck Kevin!”

There was a great group for the course from very diverse backgrounds, from the art world to the military. Some of us were busy chatting over a cup of tea, about the room and the sort of figures from history that would have shared the same space, Shackleton and Co, when Sir Ranulph Fiennes passed us in the corridor.

It was one of those serendipitous moments that does no harm to the romantic mystique of the place.