Thanks. I just flung the window open and snapped, hoping for the best.
I used to dabble in photography years ago (hence the Nikon, other SLR's and lenses kicking about) I wouldn't even go so far as to call myself amateur.
The one thing it left me with though is needing control over what you're actually committing to film (or to the ccd in this case). So I need a camera that lets me see through the lens, control the focus and maybe exposure (although I can correct that later).
On the walking front the fixed lens size on the A70 also means it's hopeless in poor light conditions and like many compact digital cameras you have no idea if it's in focus or not until it's too late. With a digital SLR I can make sure the focus is correct, exposure is decent and switch lenses. This is especially important when you may never get the opportunity again!
The kinder scout walk was a classic, To show what it's really like I'd have needed a 50mm prime lens (roughly speaking how your eye sees things (i.e. no image shrinkage)), a 28 wide angle for the panaoramas and several telephoto's (or a very good zoom). Now I'm not going to spend that amount of cash on lenses but with a DSLR I can make sensible choices without too much weight.
The fact it'll be a 10 megabpixel resolution is more of a bonus than a choice for me. Good pictures at a decent res are better than crap ones at a high res.
Oh and I am red/green colour blind as well (typical levels, not completely). So I hope I do a good job on the colour corrections!