Rambling with Reason was a collaborative event between Outsiders Store, Patagonia Manchester & Cloudwater Brewery to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the momentous 1932 Kinder Scout mass trespass and help realise its enduring importance and vitality today.
When we were approached by Patagonia asking us to collaborate on their planned commemorative ramble, we took it a step further and produced an enhanced concept including three major elements; A ltd edition commercially available (25k cans) beer brewed by Cloudwater Brew CO, a beautiful zine by local artist Kat Wood, featuring words by Nick Hayes, author of the bestselling "Book of Trespass", and of course, the walk on Kinder Scout with 100+ ramblers storming the moors.
The first element we added was to a keepsake for participants on the ramble. We wanted to create something with meaning and purpose that wasn’t just a wasteful, hollow freebie. Attention turned to the strong message behind the event and a way to expand on it. The best way to do this we thought, was a simple zine featuring the history of the Kinder Trespass, some writing on its relevance today, and a map so you can follow the route again, unguided. The very notion of “zines” has a DIY, punk attitude which gels nicely with the energy of those free-spirited radicals in 1932. For the design, we knew a local artist perfect for the task. Kat Wood is a multidisciplinary artist based in Manchester who comes from a shepherding background, with an active farm in the Peak District close to Kinder itself.
Using newspaper cuttings and photographs found in the archives of the Working-Class Movement Library in Salford, Kat made cyanotypes for the pages of the zine, exposing the prints on Kinder Moor and using water from the Downfall to rinse and wash them.
Once the pages were complete, we gathered the content. The telling of the tale was written by Martin Porter, Grandson of one of the original trespassers whilst the second half was taken care of by Nick Hayes, author of the bestselling, “The Book of Trespass”. Nick wrote about the Kinder Trespasses enduring importance and drew attention to the ongoing Right to Roam campaign in England.
Printed on paper made from spent brewers’ grain in a limited run, you could pick up a copy either on the ramble or in Patagonia & Outsiders Stores.
For a second element, we collaborated with Cloudwater Brewery on a commercially available beer. The can would feature more of Kat Woods cyanotype-based artwork and display a QR code, linking people to information on the Right to Roam campaign. Ramblers on the day would be welcome to a free can upon completion of the route.
We went to the brewery ourselves to lend a hand with the brewing process. We wanted a light, crisp and refreshing ale, perfect after a long walk on a windswept moor.
25,000 cans were made in total, available from bars and bottle shops across the country.
Bringing the whole event together was the ramble itself. An eleven-mile tramp on Kinder Scout that saw 100 plus people snaking along the paths and storming the moors like its 1932. Patagonia offered a coach ride from Manchester City Centre whilst others joined from the car park at the starting point.
Seeing so many engaged people out on the plateau was testament to the success of this project and the hard work of all involved in putting it together.
Photo credit: In-house and @jack_gibb_
