UKC

I've been out of the loop for sometime, reading some old copies I have at home - is this still published?

In reply to Dai Horribly:

it disappeared about the same time as Troll Jesters

In reply to Dai Horribly:

No Jesters!!!!!!!!!!

In reply to Dai Horribly:

There were rumours that they were going to come back a couple of years ago. I was gutted when they failed to show.

In reply to Dai Horribly:

This man may know
https://www.ukclimbing.com/user/profile.php?id=94311

In reply to Dai Horribly:

It might yet, in some shape/form, but don't hold your breath. Too much life got in the way for both Warbeck and me a few years ago and once the momentum was lost it was too hard to regain. Officially, however, TAC is "resting, like the actors".

I'm not the most e-literate/techie of people and all the social media malarkey has left me standing (can just about cope with threads on forums such as this); Warbeck's much more up to speed with that kind of stuff but if TAC did restart I'd prefer it still to be in printed magazine form, as I seem to be getting more oldfashioned the older I get. The walking/bagging world sure as hell needs some kind of satirical-ish, poke-with-a-stick publication - a lot of people in that area have been taking themselves way too seriously in recent years.

So: perhaps some day, maybe. Thanks for the kind words, anyway. (Murdo Munro has switched from Troll Jesters to Ronhills, btw, two or even three pairs at once in winter.)

In reply to Dave Hewitt: Fingers crossed you can one day find the time Dave, it's very sorely missed.

In reply to Dave Hewitt:

>The walking/bagging world sure as hell needs some kind of satirical-ish, poke-with-a-stick publication - a lot of people in that area have been taking themselves way too seriously in recent years.<

Absolutely - I think you can include the climbing world in that as well. One of the reasons I really liked Andy Pollitt's book was its irreverant humour.
Please bring back TAC.

In reply to Dave Hewitt:

In spite of your reservations about t'internet do you know if any versions of the mag are online?

In reply to Dave Hewitt:

There is a definite need for TAC so crack on!!!

In reply to Dave Hewitt:

Perhaps Murdo could have a new bagging partner, Callum Mckaminikers?

In reply to Dave Hewitt:

Second the comments above. Would love to see it back if you get the time.

In reply to Dave Hewitt:


There's definitely still a place for print media, just look at Private Eye. It had its highest ever circulation on 2016.

In reply to pasbury:


This seems to still be viable for the first 73 issues, although not all the actual links might work:
http://web.archive.org/web/20120908215543/http://bubl.ac.uk/org/tacit/tac/

There was another archive which worked until recently and which had all 78 issues - that was the one I tended to use if needing to look up something - but it's now kaput for some reason. Will investigate further.

More generally, there were lots of factors in play that led to TAC petering out, one being that I seemed to lose the energy needed to fight all the battles behind the scenes that are inevitable if trying to produce an independent magazine. There are loads of brilliant and encouraging people out there in the hill world but also a few thin-skinned / humourless ones who can become quite difficult if fun is poked or if their work is being reviewed in a (hopefully) fair and honest but less than glowing way. Over the course of 20-odd years, and with no formal backup, that kind of thing can prove a bit of a drag. Still, perhaps somehow, some day, as I say - it's encouraging to hear that people still miss it.

Oh, and I don't know about bagging partners for Murdo but as for his occasional girlfriends (bag-sharing partners?) I see that one, Hillary Step (or was she called Hillary Steppe?) came to grief recently. Others are happily still around however, eg there was Anna Purna and also Fiona Sgurr.

In reply to Dave Hewitt:

What about a nice Welsh girl for Murdo, I think Penny Fan is still looking to get out onto the hills?

In reply to Dai Horribly:


Is that what she told you?

I've found her on top of Lord Hereford's Knob.

In reply to Dai Horribly:


She sounds nice. Murdo doesn't often stray south of the Scottish border, and he's a shy and rather preoccupied chap, but he might be tempted. He's heard she does a good Fan Dance, and of course he's long had SAS-type connections via his adventures with John Ridgway.

Ridgway is good value - I've never met him but used to send him freebies of TAC because of his walk-on part in Murdo, and he would occasionally send back entertaining letters and even once a Christmas card!

(I've a feeling that Lord Hereford's Knob featured in TAC a good many years ago, and once is enough.)

In reply to llechwedd:

were they in the hay, buff?

In reply to Dave Hewitt:




I'm on the naughty step, now, as I type....

In reply to llechwedd:

I think the whole thing with Lord Hereford was just scurrilous rumour mongering put about by his then girlfriend Marilyn who felt intimidated by Penny's more ample proportions.

In reply to Dai Horribly:

There may be a few tech-savvy Munro Pineapplers residing on the plains of Albian willing to lend a hand?