Walking gear, travel accessories, travel tips, walking tips, info and advice.

Bungee Rope Snaps at Zambezi Bungee Jump.

2012-01-09T21:21:00.001Z

Bungee Jumping when you are travelling around the world.

I've just seen the aweful video of an Australian tourist plunge into the icy, crocodile infested waters of the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. Luckily she survived the 25 meter plunge - after she had already dropped the best part of 100 meters - to tell the story. The video link shows the footage of the jump and an interview with the lucky tourist.

I wonder what safety precautions are taken when people jump in countries that are still developing? I wonder if the bungee was replaced at after the requisite number of jumps? It looks like it broke in an area that was covered up - so a visual inspection would not have worked.

What are the rules and regulations of bungee jumping? I'm guessing that in places such as New Zealand it is very seriously looked at. A J Hackett - the father and inventor of the commercial jump must surely have this under control?

My foray into the world of the bungee was never meant to happen and was the worse 15 minutes and 2 seconds of my life. I will never do it again, but I'm happy to say that I have. Try everything once, if you regret it, then so be it - just don't regret not doing it.

Why was it the worse 15 minutes and 2 seconds of my life? I just plain hated it. I have, perhaps, a slight fear of heights. Especially when I am standing on a tiny ledge, strapped to my girlfriend, 43 meters above a river in New Zealand.

We were standing there for 15 minutes while I contemplated the stupidity of it all. Then POW my girlfriend jumped taking me with her - she was still fuelled up by the Nevis Bungy she did in the morning. As I was dragged off the bridge in an embrace I remember thinking in those two seconds "Fxxxx.....what am I doing, this is awful and my eyes are going to pop out of my head" then it was over.

Thankfully I was OK save for a slightly dented ego as I screamed like a stuffed pig on the way down and a bit of a headache from being upside down while the rescue boat came and got us.

Thankfully I was attached to a bungee that didn't break. I really feel for the tourist that jumped from the Bridge over the Zambezi - she must have been terrified. I am so pleased that it didn't end in her death. No comment from the bungee company apparently. But they have replaced the bungee. Pleased to hear it.

Good luck to all the bungee jumpers around the world - do enjoy the adrenaline rush - I'm sure they are all safe really and a snapped bungy doesn't happen that often. I for one, however, won't be repeating my last performance - ever.

How to prevent blisters when out hiking.

2011-11-10T20:37:00.001Z

I'm not sure what is wrong with me - but whenever I go out hiking I always used to get blisters. I am still traumised by a few of the hikes that I have done. Back when I was 14 I did the Seven Sisters Marathon. I had what I thought was a good pair of walking boots on. I had the two pairs of socks on, so why shoudl I get blisters? I remember hobbling across the finshing line after a very painful few last miles. My team mates had dropped me long ago. The trauma continues bvack into the village hall when I took off my boots and socks to find blood blisters on each heel a good 3 cms by 2 cms. Ouch I thought to myself.

Another time I was out doing my Queen Scout Expedition so, I am now about 5 years older amd more experienced with this hiking lark. I'm trekking across the Swiss Alps with what I thought was, once agian, a well fitted pair of boots. I think that they were Zamberlan boots. But alas I spent most of the week long trek with blisters on my feet. Ouch. Got some great photos of them - but this was pre digital and I can't find it now to scan in. If I do I will put the picture up on here. It was a mess. A painful mess.

I now feel that I have learnt something about blister prevention. I've had a few Eureka Moments. And here I will share those blister prevention method Eureka Moments and a few others that I have known about.

1 - Wear two pairs of sock - this is perhaps a little bit of an old wives tale, I never found that this worked merely on it's own. The technical theory behind this is that the inner / liner sock moves with your foot and the outer hiking socks move with the boot. The friction is then created between the two layers. The other benefit to this method is that the inner / liner sock wicks away moisture from your foot keeping it dryer and thus stopping your skin getting soft and wrinkly and prone to blisters.

2 - Wear your hiking boots in. Kind of obvious huh? But really how many people do this? Give them a good walking around so they get used to how your foot works and where it need to bend with your foot. It will also soften up the leather and fabric a little. Don't go out on a long hike to break them in, but wear them about for short walks, around the house, that sort of thing. This one really can make a difference.

3 - Get your hiking boots properly fitted. Go to a shop that knows about the bio mechanics of the foot and leg and how it all works. Make sure that they measure your foot for both width and length. You'll be amazed by how often people don't really know the size of their feet. Your expert walking boot fitter will then be able to best match your foot to a type of boot that is suitable for you. Give the walking boots a good walk in the shop. Have they got a slope for you to try them on to see if your foot slips? They should have. Always make sure you have room to wiggle toes and that they are not up against the end of the boot nor are they too far away fro the end of the boot. There should be no heel slippage. I found this worked wonders for me. Eureka Moment!

4 - Tape up your heels. I now have a pair of boots that weren't fitted for me and get blisters. Being a little bit of a tight ass I haven't gone and bought a new pair. Instead I invested in two roles of wide zinc oxide tape and now put a layer of this across my heel. I guess moleskin would work just as well, but last time I tried this, it rubbed off in my socks. This is also a blister prevention method that works very well for me and I now always do it. Eureka Moment!

5 - Get some Blister Prevention Patches. These go on the inside of your hiking boot heels and they them seem to prevent blisters. I'm not entirely sure how or why - to me it just seems like a slipper piece of extremly sticky back plastic. But they do work. Apparantly they also work on other types of footware. So girls when you are out and about hobbling along in your shiny new heels you can try the blister prevention patches on them too.

Well, there is my five tops tips for blister prevention.

Have you got any ideas for blister prevention? Would be great to hear your tales of woe, remedies or even send me a picture your rather nasty blisters from hiking! I could set up a blister gallery! Eitehr comment on the blog or email them over to me gareth@walkandtravel.com.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Travel Food Inspiration

2011-11-03T04:00:00.003Z

Goulash Zuppen - the delightful stew I had after 5 days of trekking in the Polish Mountains and today I was reminded of that trip. It is amazing what makes you think about the food from your travels. Here is a short account of something that gave me a flashback.

This morning I made an incredibly delicious 'Beef Stew' in the slow cooker. Here is the recipe:

450g stewing steak in cubes
3 large parsnips
3 large carrots
3 stick of celery
3 cloves of garlic
3 potatoes
Handful of green beans
200g of mushroom quartered.
Few bay leaves
Couple of bouquet garni
Salt
Pepper
Quite a bit of paprika
Quite a squirt of tomato puree
400ml of beef stock
350ml of red wine

Chuck the steak into a plastic bag with a couple of spoons of plain flour and give it a good shake. when it is all coated tip it out into a frying pan and fry off to make it brown all over. (You need to slightly caramelise it - helps with the flavours). Once fried tip it into the bowl on your slow cooker and scrape in the stuck bits from the bottom of the plan (I'm sure I got this from Nigel Slater).

Chop up the veg into bite size pieces and chuck it all into the bowl with the herbs, wine and stock.

Crank the Slow Cooker up to high and tuck in to it about 8 hours later.

In the infamous words of those clever meerkats 'Simples'.

So why did this remind me of my travels? I think it was the paprika and tomato puree.

Here's the story. I had been out trekking in the Tatras Mountains of Poland for 5 days. Carrying everything on my back and trekking from hut to hut. The food in the mountain huts was truly amazing. Something that I now realise is the generally accepted norm in mountain huts the world over. You need good food when you are trekking in the mountains.

The last day of the trek we came back out of the forests into Zakopane, the beautiful Polish 'Apline' resort. About a 15 minute walk up the road was a rather inviting restaurant, all made from logs and looking well, rather comfortable. So in we went. And ordered up the food. My choice, amongst a few other things such as pirogi was Goulash Zuppen. One of the best meals I had in Poland. IT was a meaty, tomatoey delight that went down very well with a couple of large beers.

Today, eating my beef stew I had wonderful flash backs to that restaurant and to that trip. I was out trekking in the Tatras Mountains again, I was enjoying a beer in a mountain hut over looking the peaceful mountain ridges, I was back in that restaurant tucking into my Goulash Zuppen.

What reminds you of your travels? What food has reminded you of a moment when you are abroad?

Is the YHA dying?

2011-10-31T10:20:00.000Z

The YHA in the UK has been through some changes over the years and also struggled with it's revenue streams.

Over the recent years it appears that they are addressing this and you don't hear about it in the media any more. They have closed the non profitable ones down and upgraded plenty of other locations.

I was first taken to a Youth Hostel when I was 13 or 14 and my music teacher took us on cycling trips to places such as Holmbury St Mary, Blackboys and Firth Youth Hostels. I really enjoyed these experiences, I had my panniers loaded up and I was away for the weekend, exploring the countryside.

Back then a youth hostel felt warm and cosy, I remember virtually climbing up a ladder into a loft hatch in one hostel to get to our dorm. The following morning we all had our chores to do and often we would be sweeping out the hostel. I can't for the life of me remember the food - did they cook for me?

I don't remember how much a Youth Hostel cost. But having been on subsequent visits I thought that they were rather cheap. Until recently.

Well, some 20-25 years later things have changed a little. Youth Hostels are no longer the bastion of cheapness and shores. You pay your money, you can get a good hearty breakfast before you head out and you can get dinner and a packed lunch. This does of all come at a cost. The food is reasonably priced and it is good to eat with fellow walkers, cyclists and the like. But the accommodation costs? Hmm.

Maybe I am just getting old and grumpy and haven't really appreciated the increased cost of things. What prompted this blog post was that I was staying at Pen Y Pass YHA. You have to admit if you want to tackle Snowdon from the Llanberis Pass then this is the absolute ideal place to stay. Majestically placed on the edge of the road with the most stunning views of the Snowdonia Massive. Some of my fondest mountain memories are from this hostel. Hanging out in the car park with a beer on a chilly crystal clear night. The stars were simply amazing. (You can now drink in the hostel at the bar - another slight change as they progress and modernise).

The thing that got me really, was the price of staying there. We went into Llanberis for dinner at a local hotel. The cost of staying in the hotel wasn't too much more expensive (literally a couple of pounds) then bed and breakfast at the hostel. OK - were in the off season of November, but to have your own en-suite room really does make a difference.

I like the changes I think that the YHA had to change to accommodate more people and to be sustainable. They offer a wonderful place to sit and relax (you don't often get that in a B&B nor do you get a drying room). You also get the chance to meet like minded people. The only thing I didn't like was the snoring drunk (honestly at Pen y Pass?) which meant I didn't get any sleep in the dorm. However you do get an option to take twin rooms. However, out of season in Snowdonia, for the same price you could get a hotel room in Llanberis.

I don't think the YHA is dying - but they do have a very very hard job to do. Apart from the snoring drunk and the cost of a twin room, a YHA really is a wonderful place to stay. Where else will you get those views?

Top tips for winter walking.

2011-10-30T18:29:00.000Z

Winter Walking.

Winter Walking - top of the mountains

It is a time of the year when you really feel that you are outside. You can be walking into a bracing wind, battling against the elements and more often than not you are the only one out there braving those elements. On the flip side, the sun is out and it is a crisp frosty morning and the fresh air that fills your nose and lungs is truly invigorating.

Either way, one of the best things about winter walking is getting back indoors. Whether it is a pub with a roaring, cracking log fire and a delicious roast beef lunch, or back at home for a steaming mug of tea and a large slice of homemade fruit cake.

Below are some top tips to ensure you have a wonderful day out in the hills, mountains or just across Ashdown Forest.

What speed do you walk at?
Think carefully about where you are going and how long it will take you to do the walk. The shortest day is mid winter - 21^st December and it can be dark by 4pm. Unless you are into night hiking (which is great fun!) you must plan your day. Consider how long you are walking for and how long it will take you. For walks on the flat, plan for 2 mph. If you are in the hills or mountains plan for around 1mph – which includes all your stopping time. There are more technical ways of working out how much time to allow for your route and we can go through that in another article.

What are you wearing? Make sure your walking boots are still waterproof – even if it isn’t raining it will still be wet underfoot. Wet grass can soak through your walking boots and make your feet wet surprisingly quickly. Check the weather forecast and make sure you are taking the right clothing. If it is going to be very cold, pack a spare fleece. It is better to wear more layers of clothing than one thick layer. Wear a hat and gloves. You can lose a huge amount of heat from your head, try not to. Waterproofs, top and bottom are essential. Even if it isn’t raining when you set out.

Food. Take plenty. I always eat a lot on a walk and more so when it cold. Your body needs more calories to keep you warm. I always like to take some hot squash in a small vacuum flask. There is nothing more comforting than drinking hot blackcurrant part way around a walk. I it is even better than tea and the sugar content gives you a boost as well.

Tell someone where you are going.
May sound like the thing you had to do as a kid – but if you are out walking on your own and take a slip on frozen ground, people need to know where you are. Especially if you do not get back when planned.

Discarded Apple Cores.

2011-10-23T21:17:00.000+01:00

Discarded Apples Cores.

Apple trees. I have fond memories of scrumping for apples at the local orchard. I never knew who owned the orchard - when when you were a kid you didn't really care. It wasn't like we had to climb over fences or anything to get the them. The orchard was just at the bottom of the field. No one seemed to look after it or collect the apples, so we thought we would help ourselves. They were turned into delicious apple pie, apple juice and various other apply dishes.

That's a little background on my memories of apples from my childhood. Scroll forward a few years and I start thinking about apple trees again. This time from my car. What got me thinking was the fact that I throw apples cores out of my car and into the hedgerow. Food for the hedgehogs I call it. I'm not a litter bug. Far from it. I actually pick up litter when I am walking out in the hills. I figure that the odd apple core will be fine.

So then I started thinking, what happens to all those apple cores as thy get eaten or rot down into the hedgerow? There must be literally thousands every day tossed out the car windows of sales reps and commuters. Do they grow into new apple trees? I was thinking this in the summer. By autumn I was pleasantly surprised so see a fair number of apple trees at junctions and along the road. You have to wait until autumn because that is when you notice the apples.

I wonder if kids nowadays will hunt down these apple trees and steal the apples? I think probably not but as I drive by, I do think about stopping and filling up a bag of apples again, to take home and make those delicious apple treats.

Moving this onto the next logical stage in my thinking. As I said I go out walking in the hills a fair amount. I still toss apples cores away - but ensure that they are tossed out of site. Can you imagine the mess there would be on the Pyg Track in Snowdonia if every apple core was just dropped on the track. It is important to take hide away this rubbish or take it home with you. Apple cores rot down and as they rot down the seeds go into the ground.

As they go into the ground why don't they grow into new trees. Again there must be dozens of opportunities for the apples trees to sprout up. I'm guessing that on the Pyg Track there isn't the right type of conditions for an apple tree to grow. But on the South Downs and other such places there is great conditions for it. So I want to know - have you seen a random apple tree growing anywhere? One that is likely to be from an apple core discarded by a hungry walker?

If you have seen one - send me a picture of it! It would be great to see and I will give you a £10 voucher to spend on www.walkandtravel.com. As long as I deem it to have grown from a discarded apple core!

In the mean time I will try and get some photos of the apple trees on the roadside and share them with you.

Long may the apple tree live!

Gadget Show - Daypack reviews

2011-09-02T22:40:00.000+01:00

Daypack Reviews.

Daypack reviews

There I was tucking into a not so healthy dinner of bacon, eggs, chips and mushrooms (which were sauteed in garlic and mixed herbs...yum) and having a flick through the TV. As ever, on a Friday night I was feeling rather uninspired by the usual selection of over dramatic soaps, until I hit channel 5.

The Gadget Show - feeling now inspired, as I had just purchased a new lap top, I stayed tuned. I can do gadgets with the best of them. And I certainly can. Especially when it comes to outdoor gear. The Gadget Show was reviewing small rucksacks, or more commonly known as daypacks.

Off the BBC headed to the Atlas Mountains for a jolly to test out the day packs. Whatever is wrong with testing them out in the UK? There is some pretty good places for this, such as the Lake District and Wales. Of which I am sure would have been a lot cheaper than a trip to Morocco. I'm only grumbling because I want his job. Or at least the camera mans.

Here they were with a test group of day packs. My initial thoughts were that there is a mixed bag there (no pun intended). The bags ranged in price from what I could see from £20 ish (was that a Vango Trail 25 I saw in there?) to £70ish. How can this be a fair test I ask?

We I guess it wasn't. It was done in a good natured, joking kind of way and they didn't really slag off any of the small rucksacks. Some failed though to make it to the test out. Why did they fail? Because they didn't have a rain cover or they leaked when they were watered with a hose. Is this really a good test for waterproofness? How many daysack manufacturers claim their bags to be waterproof?

The nest test was to drag them behind a camel (was it?) to see how strong they were. Hmm....

Then finally the presenter wore then on a walk/assault course/zip wire.

He chose the best - a Berghaus Freeflow 25. Surprise. Well maybe it was the best for a trip to Morocco, to be squirted with a hose, dragged behind a camel and sent on a zip wire ride. But, you must remember that all tests are generally subjective. That is the subject doing the tests forms and informs his opinions. The sames goes for all gear tests unless they are done in a test lab. You may get a better review from a professional such as Cameroon McNeish - but it is still subjective.

I knew someone who reviewed some climbing gear for a magazine and he hadn't even used it!

My message here is simple: Come on the Gadget Show - I know it is fun, but add a little science or professionalism in please. And for anyone looking for Outdoor Gear reviews - remember it is subjective. Go look at the gear try it on, try it out if you can and find out what is best for you.

What outdoor gear review has swung you into buying something?

Everest ER - BBC TV.

2011-06-25T06:30:00.000+01:00

Ever thought about climbing Everest?

This is a blog post from a long time ago - one that I never published. For some reason. Time now to publish.

Everest - it conjures up the most amazing images in my head, dreams re-awakened of climbing to it's summit, but most of all it's the beauty of the area, the Himalaya, the awe inspiring roof of the world. The one place that won't go away, that won't change in thousands of years - captured in books that line my book shelf. These images, this scene, THAT mountain - Everest.

I've probably climbed it a number of times, beating Kenton Cool in his 4 summit bids, (at time of pubblishing this blog post in June 2011 he has been on the summit of Everest 9 times. Phew!) but, sadly it is always from an armchair - and no doubt once or twice from my sleep. Not quite the same but infinatley safer.

Everest is not a place to be messed with and this was well reflected in the documentary on BBC1 this evening. Everest ER. It was great to see Kenton Cool in it, great to hear about Mountain Madness. The the most amazing thing was the Base Camp hospital - what the programme is all about. There are a number of illnesses that you can get on the mountain and it looks like the Doctors who give up their time to staff this hospital see everything from frost nip to cerebal oedema.

The filming on this documentary is great, the stories of joy, the stories of dissapointment, the sheer bloody mindedness you need to conquer a mountain such as this.

Thinking about what you need to go through to get to the top. The challenges, the misery, the hope, the physical and mental preparedness. I take my hat off to everyone who climbs to the roof of the world and to anyone who climbs their own personal 'Everest'. One day I will, no doubt, be climbing my own.

Beginners Guide to Navigation

2011-06-15T22:13:00.010+01:00

Beginners Guide to Navigation.

5 Top Tips to Help with Navigation When Walking.

"Get lost!" I hear you say, or rather help me not to get lost.

To be honest you don’t really ‘get lost’ when you are out walking. I like to think of it as merely losing my place on the map. Rather like putting your book down, not marking where you are and ‘losing your place’. However, the ramifications of ‘losing your place’ on a map can be quite high.

Here are my five top tips to help with navigation.

Top tip 1: Read the instructions that came with your compass.

Silva, one of the most common makes of compass always put a small instruction manual in with their Silva compasses. They tell you how to use it, following the Silva 1-2-3 system. If you have bought your compass from a retailer ask them for a quick demo on how to use it.

Top Tip 2: Read your map.

A map is full of symbols and if you are a Dan Brown fanatic like me, then you will love reading maps. Symbology at its best. The symbols are translated in the key on the side of the map. Learn as many as you can, especially the ones around the walk you are planning to do. Look out for footpaths, cliffs and anything else that will make your walk interesting, dangerous and show you landmarks.

Top tip 3: Find a place you know and have a practice.

Try setting your map to North. Look for a landmark in the distance and see if you can find it on the map. Set a compass bearing to the landmark using the Silva 1-2-3 system. Work out the route to get there. For example; ‘follow the foot path on such and such a bearing for x km’s. Turn right at the footbridge’. So on and so forth. This is how guide books are often written, but it’s much more fun doing your own.

Top tip 4: Don’t over estimate how quickly you will walk.

How quickly do you walk? Walk a set route that you know the distance of and time it. If you are doing this on the local streets you will walk quicker than in the countryside. In the countryside you will be stopping to admire the view, to check the map, have a drink or snack. Uphill and uneven ground can add time to your walk. Take it easy and enjoy the walk.

Top tip 5: Reward yourself.

Think about what you have just done. You learnt to use a map and compass. You planned a walking route, you walked the route. What do you deserve more than tea and cake in a local cafe or a wonderful roast and a pint in the pub?

Navigation is a vast subject with books dedicated to it. For most simple walks in the local area, knowing the basics is important. If you are doing something more adventurous, learn and practice your navigation before you go.

Time for you to join in!

What are your top navigation tips?
What are your thoughts on Navigation?
Do you use a Garmin GPS or another make? Will it ever replace a compass...

Beginners Guide to Walking Gear

2011-06-03T22:09:00.001+01:00

Beginners Guide to Walking Gear

The 5 Esentials you need to enjoy a day out walking.

Summer is here. Time to wax the walking boots and start looking for interesting new walks. I always like to find or do something new on a walk – it doesn’t happen every time I go out a’wandering, but sometimes the walk is just a real gem.

Last year one of my more exciting walks was finally cracking Crib Goch in Snowdonia. (Links to my account of the walk!). A rather interesting, if somewhat scary ridge walk nestled in the shadows of the mighty Mt Snowdon. On a local level, I discovered an old World War Two bunker near Shipley. I’m looking to see what this summer brings and will share with you accordingly.

Whatever it brings it is important that you have the right outdoor gear to enjoy your walks. I could wax lyrical into perpetuity on outdoor gear, but here are what I think are five essentials for walking in the local area.

Essential 1 – Walking Boots
I am a firm believer in a quality pair of walking boots. Even for a short walk. They provide the most important part of your body, the foot, with support, grip and comfort. They help reduce the chances of twisting your ankle, getting blisters (if fitted correctly) and reduce fatigue. Worth spending the money on. They will last you for years if you look after them.

Essential 2 – Navigation Equipment.

A map will guide you around the walk, giving a wealth of information on what you are looking at and where you are. A Silva compass will keep you on track. Learn how to ‘read’ a map and compass and you should not get lost. (In theory.) Guidebooks are also a handy little addition here and can help reduce reliance on maps and compasses if you are not sure how they work.

Essential 3 – Rucksack.

Rucksacks come in a dizzying array of colours, sizes and shapes. If you are on a short walk then a small one, 15-25 litres capacity is fine. Make sure it colour co-ordinates! Try before you buy, with weight in, to be sure it is comfortable. Wear it for as long as possible in the shop and make sure they fit it to you.

Essential 4 – Waterproof Jacket.

I had to put this in here. We are in the UK after all. The undisputed champion of inclement weather. Unless you are 110% certain that the BBC weather forecast is right, then pack this in your rucksack. You can get very simple lightweight jackets – just in case.

Essential 5 – Packed Lunch.

An absolute essential, unless you are stopping at a pub. I find bagels work well and they don’t get squashed in your bag. After years of squashed sandwiches in plastic bags someone pointed out to me that a lunchbox doesn’t really weigh much. Make sure you have plenty of snacks, try and keep them oat or nut based for the energy. Chocolate is great for a sugar boost and comfort, but not for long term energy.

What are your five essentials for walking in the UK?

A day out in Sussex - What to do?

2011-02-07T22:24:00.000Z

Your dream day. You have 24 hours in your local area & unlimited money to spend, what would you do?
This was a difficult one to write about as there is sooooo much I would see and do.

I’m making the most of my 24 hrs, we’re not going to get much sleep, so best you go to bed early the night before.

We’re up early and heading off to Petworth to join up with the British School of Ballooning. A sunrise balloon ride awaits you whisking you up to 2000ft above the Sussex Weald. The view is tremendous, it couln’t have been a better sunrise. You can see across the whole of Sussex, the South Downs are gently undulating beneath you, rolling into the English Channel. Looking north you can just about make out London waking up from it’s slumber.

We land with a thump and are whisked back to the take off field and the car. We drive down into the charming town of Petworth and find a Little cafe for our belated breakfast, tucking into a traditional English eggs and bacon. Once finished we head off to Petworth House, an important and historic 17th century stately home with grounds sculptured by Capability Brown. Here we have a look around at how the other half lived and how it was captured in Turners paintings for posterity.

As lunch approaches we head off in the direction of another charm filled town, Arundel. On the way we marvel at the beauty of the South Downs and the small hamlets that litter the route, spying out an appropriate pub for our lunch time indulgence. Perhaps this will be the George and Dragon in Houghton Village, where Charles II stopped off once for a bite to eat. Tucking into the delicious food and drinking a pint of ‘Sussex’ Ale from Harvey’s Brewery in Lewes (assuming they have it available...).

We head into Arundel Town marvelling at the Cathedral and Castle jostling with each other for the skyline and our eyes. Time to explore this small town, it’s twittens, said Cathedral and said Castle. The afternoon is fast closing in on us and the evening beckons. Where to now? Time to head to another historical place, the city of Chichester, the old Roman town of Noviomagus Reginorum and just in time to have a quick meal in one of it’s delightful restaurants before heading to the acclaimed Chichester Festival Theatre for a showing a Shakespearean play. The play is done and so are we, let’s head home, but, perhaps, if there is time, stopping at one more little country pub for a last drink.

What a wonderful day out in Sussex. To be repeated many times over with many other towns and villages, historical houses, castles and restaurants means of viewing this wonderful county.

Narrow Fit Walking Boot for Ladies

2011-01-31T23:48:00.000Z

Meindl Walking Boot

It is a tough job getting the perfect fit from a walking boot.
Are you looking for a narrow walking boot for a lady? Then read on...

The lady in question has very narrow feet and wants some walking boots suitable for low level flat paths about 5 miles a day.

Below is the question and what I recommend.

The question:

Hi, I hope you can help?

My partner and I are going on a walking holiday in 2.5 months (about 5 miles a day on flatish paths) and she needs a pair of gore-tex walking shoes/boots (nothing too heavy or ugly!)...the problem is she has long feet (size 9) which are very narrow feet (her middle toe is ¼ inch longer than her big toe!)...can you recommend any makes/models and a retailer somewhere in the west midlands?

My response:

Feet can be a real problem at times, especially when you are trying on outdoor footwear.

My first recommendation is for your partner to get her feet professionally measured by a trained and experienced outdoor footwear fitter. Cotswold are usually good at fitting boots and I believe that they do train their boot fitters. Have a look at their website for your nearest store.

Personally I would always recommend a pair of walking boots over walking shoes as they can provide more lateral support and reduce the chances of twisting an ankle if the ground is uneven. The ankle cuff also stops annoying little stones from working their way into your boot if you are walking on stony tracks. Most of the big boot manufacturers produce walking boots specifically designed for women.

Traditionally some of the Italian brands such as Zamberlan and Scarpa tend to produce a slightly narrow walking boot than, say, the German brands of Meindl and Han Wag. However, this now isn't always the case - have a look at the Scarpa technical pages about the lasts they use. They are specifically designed for the UK market, which may make your hunt for the perfect fit a little harder.

Meindl do a couple of walking boots in a ladies size 9 - the Meindl Jersey Lady and Meindl Kos Lady Walking Boots. They also do the Air Revolution Lady Lite and the Ohio Lady GTX on a specific narrow last in the ladies range, up to a size ten. This is classed a a light walking boot and would be fine for flat paths and short distances as long as you are not carrying a heavy pack. However, this walking boot is in my 2009 catalogue but not on their current website in the narrow width fitting.

I would recommend getting in touch with their GB distributor who will be able to give you up to date info on these two models and will probably be able to advise you of your nearest stockist. Email Bramwell International on info@bramwell-int.com or call 01539 560214 and they should be able to advise you further.

I hope you find this information useful and if there is anything else I can help with please let me know.

It would be great if you can let me know what boots you go for in the end.

But, if I don't hear from you have a great trip!

Have you got a question about outdoor gear, walking boots or gear for travelling? Then email me, gareth@walkandtravel.com and I will be only too pleased to give you free advice on outdoor gear and travel gear.

What is THE ultimate travel accessory?

2011-01-27T22:27:00.000Z

THE ultimate travel accessory?

What do you think is THE ultimate travel accessory?

Dental floss is not just for teeth you know. But is it really the ultimate travel accessory? Girls, listen up, do you take travel hair straighteners with you travelling? How about the humble head torch? A micro fiber travel towel?

These are all travel accessories that you see time and time again in the top 5 travel accessories blog posts. OK, so maybe you don't see head torch that often, but the other three? Rather common place. I was reading a blog post on luxury travel accessories yesterday and they listed a wooden box of Fortnum and Mason tea bags.

Would you take Fortnum and Mason tea bags in wooden chest travelling or would you pop a few PG tips (insert your own favourite brand here) into a plastic bag?

I've just responded to a quick question posed to me about really strong sticky tape called McNett Tenacious Tape. It is said to aggressively stick to any surface. As far as I know it does. it is lightweight, clear, flexible and will fix a huge amount of things. Perhaps this is THE ultimate travel accessory? Especially if you are backpacking around the world or are adventure travelling.

So tell me: What is THE ultimate travel accessory?

Free roll of Tenacious Tape to the person who I think beats me!

Brighton Climbing Centre

2011-01-20T22:32:00.002Z

Should Brighton have an indoor climbing facility?

I have been climbing for a number of years now and it has always amazed me that Brighton does not have an indoor climbing facility for the public to use.

I keep hearing people talking about a wall in Brighton -me included -but no one has managed to do anything about it. Until now that is. Cassie and Sean set up a Facebook Group a while back to garner support for the climbing wall. I'll have to admit I haven't really heard anything until today when I received an email from them.

Finally they have found somewhere to house the Brighton Climbing Centre. With a possible 16m high wall (eat your heart out K2). Enough to make me nervous for sure. At the moment it is going through planning permission and they need support from as many people as possible for this climbing wall. Please go to the Brighton Climbing Centre website and use their messaging system to send an email of support for the Brighton Climbing Centre.

This is a copy of the email that I sent:

Please take this email as support for the planning application for the Brighton Climbing Centre. It is sad thing that Brighton does not have a decent in door public climbing wall. Small towns such as Horley and Midhurst all boast such leisure facilities and Brighton is lagging behind in providing people from the city and its surrounding areas with such a facility.

I was climbing at K2 in Crawley on Monday 17th January and the wall was jam packed. By 7.30pm you had to wait to get on a rope and climb, demonstrating the popularity of this sport. A large number of people at the wall were from Brighton University. People often start their climbing while at University and go on to really appreciate the outdoors through climbing, walking and mountaineering. Having a climbing centre in Brighton will give the students there (as well as the other citizens of the city) the opportunity to experience this fantastic sport along with the camaraderie and health benefits that it brings, both now and in the future.

I implore you to look upon this application with favour.

Gareth Sear

www.walkandtravel.com

I look forward to hearing how it progresses. Congratulations are to be given to those involved to get it this far.

Reading maps and navigating - too much detail or too litte?

2010-11-25T22:13:00.001Z

Silva Expedition 54 Compass

How can you read a map and compass when you're eyesight is failing?

This is a question that a customer recently asked me. He needed some way of magnifying the navigation process as his eyesight was going to deteriorate for a period of time. I'm not sure why he wasn't using glasses but there must be a reason. What would you do? Below are some of my thoughts on maps and navigation.

Some Silva Compasses, such as the Silva Expedition Type 54 and Silva Expedition Type 4 come with a small inbuilt magnifying glass for reading the fine details on a map. I've personally found this useful when out and about and I want to look at something in more detail and my eyesight isn't too bad. Perhaps maps just have too much info on them. Are Ordnance Survey maps too detailed? Do they confuse a walker or do they make navigation better and thus walking in the mountains safer?

Ordnance Survey Maps

I like the detail that goes into an OS Map. I've also used Harvey's maps and a number of other maps around the world and they just do not give the same amount of information. I guess it depends on why you are out on the hills walking. It also depends on what you like. I'm a little bit of a nerd. I like maps. It is something I kind of like collecting. They are like books and tell you a story, especially old maps. One of my prize possessions in a Harmsworth Atlas of the World from 1904. Fascinating to look at. Of course no good for walking! Now onto the subject of a Garmin GPS... I do use one, but will also have a map with me to see the wider picture.

What are your thoughts? Are OS Maps too detailed or do you enjoy 'reading' your map like a good book? Remember, if you can read your map well, it may save your life one day.

Here is the email from the customer and my response:

Subject: Some Help Please

Hi Have been using one of the Silva compasses for a few years now. I am presently having difficulty seeing & my optician has advised me to get a magnifying glass for doing compass work with the map. Can you recommend one that I can use easily on mountain & hill or point me in the direction of where to purchase one? Thanks so much for your help. Kind regards.

Thank you for the email.

Personally I don't think Walk and Travel will be able to supply you with a magnifying glass suitable for map reading and compass work, but on my travels I do remember seeing a range of such things in Stanford's in London. A quick look at their website and I came across this map magnifying glass. The also do a backlit magnifier.

You may also find the Silva type 54 may work for you as you can get it with a light and as it is a sighting compass it does have a magnifier for taking and reading bearings on the ring. However this may not be suitable for using on a map. The Silva Type 54 and the Silva Expedition 4 compasses both have a magnifier in the base plate. Good for reading detail on the map, but not for reading the compass!

If you put Map Magnifier into Google and run a search you can bring up a lot of websites that sell magnifiers. It really is a case of looking at them and seeing what you think is the most suitable.

I hope you find this information useful and if there is anything else I can help with please let me know. If you can let me know how you get one that would be great.

Wemmi Wipes

2010-10-28T21:18:00.002+01:00

Wemmi Wipes

What I hear you say? Wemmi Wipes? What is a Wemmi Wipe? All I can see are two rather large horse pills. Yup, that's right. A Wemmi Wipe looks like a rather large horse pill. A paracetamol for a horse size headache.

I was delighted that to find a small sample card of these wipes stuffed in with my Shewee delivery. No explanation just a sample card with two Wemmi Wipe pill type things attached to it. The slogan on the card - Wet me, Grow Me, Use Me and WOW! They grow before your very eyes, coupled with, Fun, convenient adn really rather good... had some sort of teenage humour to it. These slogans added to the fact the sample came in my Shewee delivery prompted a very humourous comment of; "what are you supposed to do with it? Pee on it and wipe your bum?". Much laughter sounded. (For those not in the know a Shewee is a female urinary device to allow you to pee standing up)

I have just popped one of the pills under a tap. Lo and behold expand it did and yes there was a moment of fun as is expanded into a tightly rolled bandage type thing. After a quick unroll you have a very useful wet cloth to do whatever you like with. Wash dishes, wipe your face and hand and generally use for wipe type things.

I did like this product. It did make me laugh, but for the life of me I can't see a use for it. Why would you want a small dehydrated compressed wipe? Why not just carry a small, scrunched up cloth? They never really take up much space in your bag. It is instantly usable you don't need to find a little water to 'Wet me, Grow me' and well it just does the job.

Fun product, but have to ask myself, Why? Wemmi - if you are are out there listening let me know!

Shewee - fun gift or trekking essential?

2010-10-25T23:30:00.001+01:00

The Ubiquitous Pink Shewee.

Shewee - fun gift or trekking essential?

I've been stocking the Shewee for a number of years now. Always selling a few here and there. I'll have to admit I thought that the Shewee was a kinda novelty gift - you know the sort, a Secret Santa type thing, given out at the work Christmas do amid much snickering. Perhaps given to the hapless gap year employee who can't do anything other than grin inanely and thank their colleagues for such a wonderful and useful gift for their gap year in India.

How wrong could I be. I think it takes a certain type of lady to buy and use a Shewee. I recently had a package containing one Shewee returned to me with the note 'my daughter was horrified when I gave this to her to use on her D of E Expedition and said that under no circumstances would she ever use it'. Much to my amusement, I did give a full refund. So bought to be used, not as a joke - but thwarted by teenage angst.

However, one of my friends Juliette, has started to get into doing adventurous things. Her latest adventure was a trek to the top of Kilimanjaro. I like to have a good chat with my friends about their adventures and I asked Juliette what her top three travel or walking accessories that were must have for trekking up Kilimanjaro. First off and without a moment of hesitation she told me that her Shewee Extreme was THE most important trekking accessory that she took with her.

I nearly choked on my tea. I'll have to admit I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting a head torch so you can go and see where you need to pee or a travel plug adapter. Juliette went on to say how it saved her life, not having to get out her warm clothes in the middle of a freezing cold night. 'There is ice on the top of Kilimanjaro you know' Juliette informed me. 'You don't want to have to be squatting on that!'.

This was the first, first hand account I had of a lady using the Shewee. Yes, Juliette followed the instructions and practiced in the comfort of her own home before the Kili Trek. Not once did it go wrong for her when she was on the mountain. I was duly impressed.

So there you have it - the Shewee is a trekking essential, the perfect travel gift, but I'm sure as Christmas arrives it will also be the gift of choice to embarrass colleagues at the office party.

Survival Kit for Walkers - Solo or otherwise!

2010-10-01T21:26:00.001+01:00

Just heading out for a ramble through the LFTO Forums and came across a post that asked about what survival gear you carry when on a solo trek in the hills. It got me thinking about what I causally throw into my rucksack before heading out. This (apart from the Rab Xenon Jacket) is what I usually take:

Plastic Orange Survival Bag - keeps you warm and dry and you can been seen by rescue teams. Someone told me that you should go in head first as they work better that way. My concern would be suffocation, but I guess the end with your feet poking out is open...

LED Head Torch - on blink something like the Petzl Tikka gives 120 hours of light.

Pen knife, especially if you are climbing. Have you seen the film 127 Hours?

Spare food - not really chocolate or traditional mint cake, you need something that is sustaining.

Water steriliser drops (Chlorine Dioxide is best)

Spare warm clothing - worth considering that a jacket like a Rab Xenon jacket will pack smaller, is lighter and wind proof when compared to a fleece.

Perry whistle - not a pea whistle as the pea may freeze if it is cold and it will not work. Perry whistle also has a lower tone and can be better heard.

Of course your mobile phone and spare charge for it if possible and perhaps a GBP so you can pin point your location if you are using your right to roam?

If you are really into carrying lots of gear then a spare map and compass...

Hmm, think that is about it. So much for travelling light!

Kit for Kilimanjaro

2010-08-26T10:08:00.011+01:00

Kit for Climbing and Trekking up Kilimanjaro

Are you heading up Kilimanjaro in the not too distant future? This wonderful mountain that rises out of the African plans attracts thousand of visitors each year. Some climbing it for charity, some climbing it for their own personal sense of achievement. No matter your reason, it really is an achievement.

Kilimanjaro is 5893 meters high. The best part of 20,000 ft. That is around 6km, vertical upwards. To me that seems pretty high. Though in Africa the cap still has glaciers and snow on it. It can be cold and there are high risks of health problems associated with going to that height on a mountain. Acute mountain sickness is probably the most likely. Usually solved by simply going back down to a lower level. You can try and avoid this by acclimatising yourself as you go up. At the end of the days walk, climb up a few hundred meters more and then come back down again, getting your body slowly used to the thin levels of oxygen available at this altitude.

You also need to get in some training - it's a long hike. Uphill. But perhaps worse (for me at any rate) is the long walk down hill. This kills my knees and I need to really get in the practice and build up my quads and hamstrings before attempting a hike like Kilimanjaro. I simply try to get in as much walking as I can on the hills, which is usually the South Downs for where I live. I top this up with some gym work, walking on the running machine at it's steepest incline at around 6.5 kph for 30-40 minutes 3 times a week, whilst being plugged into my iPod or reading the latest Dan Brown offering. This is closely followed up with weights work for the quads and hamstrings.

Fitness is important as well as having the right gear. There is quite a lot of kit you need for Kilimanjaro and below is a response to an email from a customer who wanted to know about a few things to take with him:

Great to hear from you Mike and great to hear that you are embarking on an expedition to climb the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free standing mountain in the world. Exciting stuff.

Many thanks for looking at Walk and Travel, hopefully I'll be able to help you out with a few things. Can certainly help you out with most of the things that you have put on the list so here goes:

Soft Kit Bag - Something like the Tatonka Barrel Kit Bag should do it. I've used them a lot when I go on trips, they are very tough bags with shoulder straps for lugging about between places.

Small backpack - A selection here, probably look at the Vaude Ultralight 35 or the Vaude Triset 35. They both come with a rain cover.

Sleeping bag. Unless you are going to use this again, I would say hire one out there, but take a silk sleeping bag liner to give extra warmth and comfort. I do sell a range of sleeping bags that would be suitable for you, probably the Snugpak Softie Winter as you are not carrying it. I don't do fleece liners at the moment but can get them, they are around £20.

Water Bottles - small range here as well, but you may also want to consider the hydration systems. I don't have any insulated sleeves for the hydration systems but again, can get you one in. I think they are around £10. The best way to stop it freezing is to keep sipping water from it! The Sigg water bottles are in there as well. If it is going to be really cold I would skip the Sigg bottle as it has a metal top on it which isn't too nice to drink from, you may even get your lips stuck to it. I would recommend a Nalgene bottle made from Lexan or any other bottle made from Lexan (which is an unbreakable plastic).

Sleeping mats - I'm guessing it is going to be cold when you are going (February) with the risk of sleeping on snow or ice. There are inflatable sleeping mats and thin foam ones. If they recommend both, it is to really get some insulation between you and the ground. The ground is the place where you will lose most of your body heat due to conduction. The thin
foam sleeping mat, which will be a 5 season foam mat will really bolster the insulation. These are bulky, but not heavy and perhaps would be best if you hired / bought one out there. I've got an inflating sleeping mat on special offer that would be good, but isn't the lightest. If you want something lighter then try the Multimat Adventure Superlight Inflating Sleeping Mat. Again, if you are not going to use these things again, you may want to consider hiring them.

Head torch - Go for one with an LED bulb, then you won't need to take a replacement bulb (in fact you can't replace the bulb/led). The batteries will last much longer with an LED head torch. Something like the Silva L4 Headtorch would be perfect.

Lightweight, quick drying trvael towel - Pink or Blue? Great to take, but not that great to use. To be honest I take a face flannel to dry myself with and this will dry out on your back back during the day as it is small and therefore quick drying... probably both makes sense, especially if you need to spare your blushes at any point.

As you said I don't do clothing, just the accessories. Plenty of places that can sort you out with clothing, such as Blacks and Millets. Craghoppers is a good quality value for money brand...

OMM Rucksacks and lightweight outdoor gear.

2010-06-14T22:53:00.006+01:00

OMM Rucksacks and Lightweight outdoor gear.

Two months away fro the blog - what is happening? Time does indeed fly quickly - apologies for the missing two months, I hope to pick things up again...

Inspired tonight by Dee Blick from the Marketing Gym who gave a talk to local businesses in Horsham on newsletters and blogging. I'm also inspired by these great new rucksacks I am stocking and thinking about why I didn't stock them before.

The great new products are OMM Rucksacks. OMM stands for Original Mountain Marathon and I think this is why I have shied away from the for I am no mountain marathoner. I have friends who are, but I can't even imagine myself walking a marathon let along running one over mountains. They are a special breed.

But, OMM Rucksacks are amazing, lightweight and tough. They can be made lighter by stripping out everything you don't think you need, the parts that make is comfortable, because, lets face it, if you are tough enough to do a mountain marathon then you don't need to worry too much about comfort.

I've just been playing with an OMM Villain 45 and now desperately want to go out on a weekend trek and try it out. The OMM Villain 45 only weighs around 1100g. I'm going to set myself a challenge and see how light I can make a rucksack fully packed for an overnight expedition. (using my own clothing as I don't sell any yet!).

Check back in a couple of weeks and I'll let you know how I have gotten on. Do you have a piece of lightweight outdoor gear that you recommend?

Trail Magazine Review

2010-04-02T13:23:00.002+01:00

Trail Magazine
I was given a voucher for a magazine subscription for Christmas and I wasn’t sure if I should go for Country Walking or Trail. I have bought both in the past and thoroughly enjoyed reading them. I decided to plump for Trail this time round (don’t worry Country Walking I will still buy you on an ad hoc basis…), the main reason being that I saw myself as an adventurous person and this magazine oozed my type of adventure.

It was great to hear it drop onto the door mat this month and even greater to rip open the plastic and have a leaf through it as I devoured a bowl of Ready Brek and maple syrup to get me set for the day. There are a couple of great articles that resonated with me this month. Walk more mountains – 17 hills you have to explore, three season down sleeping bag group test and hydration bladders group test.

These articles resonated with me as they are all came quite close to what I do. Take the 17 hills you must explore. It was great to be able to tick off 6 of these beautiful places as having been trod on by me, even greater that I still had 11 more to explore!

The downs sleeping bag group test was great to read as the best in test was the Rab Alpine 400, a sleeping bag I stock and I have always used Rab Down Sleeping bags. Rab down sleeping bags are iconic now. It would be hard for another brand of down sleeping bags to come close in brand recognition. Hand filled in the UK and originally set up by Rab Carrington in Sheffield after he learnt how to make sleeping bags in South America, they really are, in my humble opinion, one of the best on the market.

Hydration bladders (I always chuckle at the word bladder – immature?) group test was a jolly read as the Source Widepac came out as best in group test, again another product that I stock at Walk and Travel and sell well. The Source Widepac is always a hydration bladder that I have believed in and used for a number of years. It was a best seller at the outdoor shop I used to work in and despite the efforts of Camelbak a few years ago; the Source Hydration Bladders still had the least amount of returns. The Source Widepac is especially well designed meaning you can easily give it a good clean out and slip in blocks of ice to melt as you walk on a hot day. Delicious.

The rest of the magazine was a great read on my holiday, sadly not to the 11 missing hills, but to a pine lodge resort with the family, but reading about the Pinnacle Club and the women climbers and mountaineers was inspirational and quite entertaining.

My review of Trail Magazine, Spring 2010 – you read it yet? What is your favourite outdoor magazine?

How to look after your leather walking boots.

2010-02-07T22:12:00.005Z

How to look after your leather walking boots.

Question from a customer.

Hi,

My Karrimor conniston boots have started to leak, can they be fixed with reproofing agents? I have only had them for 2 years and there's loads of tread left.Please advise,Thank-you

Thank you for your email.

I see that the Karrimore Coniston walking boot is made from smooth leather with an eVent lining to help keep it waterproof.

If your walking boots are definitely leaking (put them in a bucket of water and see if anything leaks in), and it isn't too much sweat, then it is highly likely that the eVent lining has worn or become damaged in some way. It was always a concern that the amount of flexing in a boot, particularly across the toe box, can cause the waterproof lining to wear out much quicker than when it is used on a jacket. This was definitely a problem with Gore Tex a number of years ago.

Another problem may be that, if you have not nourished the leather at all since you have had the boots, the leather will be wetting out, that is absorbing a lot of water and therefore this will really reduce the amount of water vapor being moved away from your feet by the eVent lining. The result will be wetter feet.

Though you cannot replace the eVent lining in your leaking Karrimore Coniston Walking Boots, you can really help to make them more water repellent, by treating the leather with a wax or cream such as Nikwax Wax. This will nourish the leather as well as really help with the water repellency, therefore allowing the eVent to breathe easier, which may help to make your boots more water repellent.

Leather by it's very nature is a porous material so therefore cannot be classed as 'waterproof', however with regular treatment with a product such as Nikwax Wax or Nikwax Aqueous Wax then this can really help to make the leather very water repellent.

Both these Nikwax products can be applied to the leather when it is either wet or dry, so is great to carry around with you all the time and is easy to apply to the walking boots, either by using your fingers, where you can really rub the wax into the leather (the warmth from your fingers can help melt the wax right into the leather) or with a cloth.

I hope this helps and if you have any more questions please do let me know.

Have you got a question about outdoor gear? I have over 15 years experience working in the outdoor industry and many more of going out walking and travelling. I am more than happy to try and answer any questions you may have on outdoor gear, or recommend what types of gear you need for a travelling, walking, a Gap year or Round the World Trip.

I look forward to your questions!

Win a Leatherman Kick!

2010-02-02T23:08:00.002Z

Win a Leatherman Kick with Walk and Travel!

Email me the answer to the question below before 28th February 2010 to go in a draw for a Leatherman Kick.

How many tools does a Leatherman Kick have?

Look forward to hearing your answer!

Good luck

Rucksack for a D of E (Duke of Edinburgh Award) Expedition

2010-01-26T23:19:00.005Z

Recommendation for a Rucksack for a D of E Expedition - question from a customer.

Subject: rucksack

I ordered a daysac from you back in the autumn and now my son needs an 85 litre for the Duke of Edinburgh Award. Can you recommend one?

Thank you for the email and coming back to Walk and Travel.

An 85 liter rucksack is a very large pack for any back packing expedition, let alone D of E - we generally recommend 65 liter rucksacks for these types of expeditions, and indeed hire them out if you are local to Horsham in West Sussex.

Generally though, it really depends on what your budget is and if the bag is likely to be used again. Is your son doing bronze D of E or is he doing Silver or Gold D of E Expeditions? If he is on Bronze Expedition and likely to carry on then, it would be worth investing in a good quality, comfortable rucksack.

At Walk and Travel we only stock Vaude rucksacks, and for the men this is the Vaude Accept 65, which is just over £100 (with free postage) and the Vaude Triset 60+8, which is a more value for money bag at £76.63, but doesn't have as good a back system as the Vaude Accept Rucksack - therefore on longer expeditions, such as Gold it may not be the best choice.

Though it really does depend on budget and fit, other good brands to look out for are Vango, Lowe Alpine (one of my favorites), Berghuas and North Face. Berghaus and North Face are fairly common brands and you should be able to find them in places such as Blacks and Millets.

It is important that your son gets to try the rucksack on (we offer a full refund if you are not totally happy when you try it on at home), full of kit to a similar weight that he will be carrying. When you are fitting the pack, the hip belt needs to be snug around the hips and the shoulder straps should curve nicely over the shoulders without any gaps. Depending on the type of rucksack you go for, it will sit fairly close to the back as well. Weight distribution should be 70% hips and 30% shoulders.

I hope this helps with you choosing a rucksack for your son, and if you have any questions please let me know.

Iodine Ban by the Eu

2010-01-18T20:09:00.004Z

Water purification and EU legislation.

It isn't often that I am affected by EU Legislation that I see so blatantly in my day to day life, but recently I had someone buy up my whole stock of Iodine Tincture - and wanting more besides!

I duly got in touch with my supplier only to find that you can no longer sell Iodine in the EU. This was a surprise. hard to keep up with changes in law. Especially EU Law. So I duly sold what I had in stock and advised the customer accordingly - who knew about the ban and was buying up as much as he could from people who were still advertising it.

Researching a little further I see that it is classed as biocide and is being banned because of this and also - according to some forums, can be part of a drug making paraphernalia.

A quote taken from a forum shows Lifesystems stance in this:

'As you may know, iodine droplets and tablets will not be able to be sold in Europe for water purification purposes after 26th October 2009. Although proven to be very effective and safe, unfortunately iodine is not being supported under the EU Biocides Directive. For this reason Lifesystems will discontinue supplying iodine products (stock codes 3100/3110) in August of this year. It should be made clear that the product is still perfectly safe to use. Please however be aware that we will not accept any returns on iodine after August, unless due to a quality problem.Lifesystems have been working with various water treatment experts to make sure an improved alternative is available. Chlorine tablets will continue as normal, but we will also be introducing Chlorine Dioxide liquid and tablets to the range from August to replace Iodine. Chlorine Dioxide is considered to be the best way to disinfect water in outdoor environments and will be very effective against most water borne pathogens including Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and does not have any after-taste or long-term effects. '

Which makes interesting reading. Amazing how EU legislation 'filters' (excuse the pun) and affects humble little retailers, who aren't really into 'doing drugs' or major biocide use. So I'm guessing look out for Chlorine Dioxide water purification , in stock at Walk and Travel and has been for years - like to think we are one step ahead of the EU ;-), if you really want to be sure about making your water clean. To be honest, it is what I've used, quite a lot, but not in real anger in Africa or Asia, just in UK and European mountain streams and even with my delicate disposition, have fared well. On the other hand you could invest in a great Katadyn Water Filter, that will clean out most of the nasties that you don't want to drink.

Get your Chlorine Dioxide water purification now, before the EU decide that this too becomes a banned chemical. You may also want to stock up on DEET insect repellent and permethrin insect proof clothing treatment as well, but I think that story is for another time.

Water Filters & Overland Truck Safaris

2010-01-14T19:45:00.009Z

Water filters - which one do I need for an overland truck safari?

I've just had a great conversation with a customer about water filters and deciding what one he needs to take on his adventure. What adventure is he doing? He is getting the bus to Australia. From the UK. Cool. Now this is a trip that one day I'll be doing.

The journey takes 6 months on board a converted Scania lorry, an overland truck safari grande! My customer said that he was travelling with UK to Oz Overland taking in 23 countries in one massive hit. This is the route they are taking. That's as many countries as I have been to in my life time -let alone cramming them into 6 months, and going through Iran. Iran is supposed to be stunning and you need to get there soon in case the Americans decide they want a regime change. I'm jealous, I'll admit it.

Think of all those fantastic passport stamps and visa's that look really rather grand when you get home. Think of all the fantastic photos, places, people. The three P's sounds like a marketing wheeze. But to me it is really what travel is about. Photo's, Places, People.

So that is the amazing adventure that my client is going on. On an overland truck safari they usually provide you with clean water, but this water is kept in storage tanks on the truck and then often cleaning using a chemical process, such as chlorine. Sometimes this may leave the water not tasting brill, so you may just want to put it through a water filter to give it a thorough clean - hopefully making it taste a little better.

We went through his options and he was advised to get a water filter bottle where you can just fill up the bottle and the top is the filter. Now, 6 months on the road is quite a long time and these bottles only do 150-200 litres of water until you need a new filter. You would probably need to be drink 2-3 liters of fluids a day, especially if it is hot and more than 3 liters if it is excessively hot or you sweat profusely. So you may need to think of a new filter on the bottle every 50-60 days. so on this trip you will need to take two/three spare water filters for the bottle. Which can be expensive.

Looking at other options the Katadyn Mini Water Filter looked like an ideal alternative, but you need to pump the water through the filter, from one container to another container, or directly from the source, be it a stream or a sink in your hotel. The Katadyn Mini Filter can filter up to 7000 liters of water before you need to replace the water filter. So this may be the better option.

Before you go on an overland truck safari, talk to the operator and see what they recommend and what would be the easiest for you to use. My customer is going for an Aquamira water filter bottle -because it what was recommended and because it is simple and easy to use.

What are your thoughts? Have you used water filters on an overland truck safari? Got a question on water filters? Post your comments!!

Want to read an overland truck safari review? Rob sent this one in after his trip to India.

Outdoor Technology

2010-01-04T22:12:00.004Z

Outdoor Technology.

What type of technology accompanies you on a walk in the mountains or hills?

I've just started to ask this question as my list of gadgets, or Outdoor Technology increases - as does the weight of my rucksack.

Last week I was in the Lake District, enjoying some very cold and snowy weather and even a couple of mountain tops - one on the Uldale Common the other, Skiddaw, the 4th highest mountain in the Lakes and a beautiful climb at 8am on New Years Day.

These walks, plus a couple of shorter ones with my young family, saw me carrying a mind boggling array of these gadgets:

Canon Digital SLR
Canon Compact Camera
Panasonic Camcorder
Garmin GPS - Oregon 300
Mobile phone

Back at the cottage lay a net book and a Three mobile internet dongle, which proved useless as there was no signal!

Thankfully I wasn't silly enough to take all these things out with me each time. I carefully chose the gadget for the walk. Family walks, camcorder, great views on a crisp cold morning the DSLR, risk of getting a white out and general interest in walking stats (nerdy?) Garmin GPS and the compact camera and camcorder for when we went out on Uldale Common where a blizzard whipped up and we decided to try plastic survival bag sledging.

Now, me being me, I decided to do the sledging with my camcorder and camera in a pouch on my waist belt - where I could get easy access and film the action, makes sense I hear you say. What I didn't reckon on was the spindrift and the general snow from wiping out on the plastic survival bag sledging. Opening my case I found that everything was covered in snow, I had (if it was made from paper) a very white and soggy loooking set of gadgets. Oops I thought. Best get them dried off and hope that they still work. Amazingly, like when I lost my DSLR into a crevasse for a week, I got them home, dried them off and they are working fine. I'm very impressed - but will be more careful next time.

For the the walk up Skiddaw I was more prepared -I put my DSLR into a plastic bag into the camera case. Perfect I thought. I can even shoot through it and not get wet gloves all over the camera. On the saddle between Carl Side and Skiddaw I was foiled by the wind with the plastic bag being whipped away from me as if I wasn't holding it. It was a wild day. But the pictures look great (coming soon). On the summit, spindrift was getting into my case again so I made a mental note to take a dry sack next time and attach it firmly to the daysack. The Garmin GPS fared better, being waterproof and rugged, it performed well at every glance, giving me my altitude, stop time, walking time and average speed and a maximum speed of 19.6kmh (more sledging!).

Technology is amazing and what is available can really add some fun into your walking, especially when you are back in the warmth of your cottage reviewing sledging on the lap top, looking at your amazing pictures, thinking that was awesome whilst checking out your walk stats and wondering what the hell I was doing stopped for an hour on a 5 hour walk? Heck - you could even upload your pics to Facebook if the dongle worked.

Be warned though - take care of your gear and don't let the snow into it nor the rain. And spend some time getting to know it before you go out - I'm sure my Garmin GPS and Panasonic Camcorder can do a lot more than I manged to get them to do. Have fun - Love the Adventure and may technology help you re-live it.

Living in Europe

2009-12-16T09:43:00.006Z

Ever thought about a weekend in Berlin? We did and we went. What an amazing city. I feel very lucky that I live in Europe where you can just hop on a plane and within a couple of hours you can be at any of the wonderful, historical European cities. Read the Walk and Travel Berlin Travel Review.

I do keep thinking how lovely it would be to live in Australia or New Zealand, where there is a lot less people, much more open space, warmer weather, but you just can't hop on a plane and literally within a hour you are experiencing something totally new. A new culture, a new way of life, new, food, new language and at the moment new money!

Some people have their favourite European city, but I find this very hard to decide upon. There are so many of them and they are so beautiful in their own ways. Each one giving you something different at each turn. I managed to see a fair number of them on that age old tradition for young people called Inter Railing, where you get a month long train permit and cram in as much adventure as you possible can - seeing as many of the 30 countries that you can now visit and for only £145.

I can't remember how many we visited, but it was full of fun and adventure, from being robbed and locked up in Morocco to being thrown off a train in Baden Baden (we didn't know it's historical significance back then) to standing up on an overnight train to Amsterdam - and still managing to fall asleep!

Not sure what the next European destination will be - there are so many to choose from and we now have a little baby in tow. Good job we now have a baby backpack. Having just watched Vicky Christina Barcelona, Barcelona is high up on the list, but hey, I'm sure it will be a fantastic trip where ever we go.

Child Carriers and Devils Dyke

2009-12-15T16:44:00.009Z

What a glorious day, the sun was shining and some friends had just moved to Poynings. For those of you who don't know Poynings, it nestles in the lee of the fine hills that forms the South Downs National Park. Putting two and two together we gave them a ring and headed down to look at their new house and get a stroll on the South Downs.

There was another opportunity here as well. Jack, our baby was now just over 6 months old, and ready for his first trip up the hills in his baby backpack. The baby backpack of choice was a Vaude Swing Child Carrier. I'd not used one before, nor had I actually adjusted it, before we went out, to fit me -not to worry though, this can be done on the hoof. Jack is a very patient baby when it comes to his fathers inability to organise things.

Our friends Mark and Liz have a cute little cottage in the middle of the village, about a 2 minute walk from the Royal Oak pub, which suits them well. I would like to say that within a 2 minute walk you are out their front door and up on the South Downs, but I really do think it is quicker than that.

It was time for Jack to saddle up and for us to get our walking boots on. The baby backpack was quick and easy to adjust, a simple tweak of the buckle that holds the seat in place and Jack could get perfect views of the back of my head. A quick tug on the straps of the rucksack back system and the baby backpack was perfectly fitted. Sadly jack wasn't too keen on being put in, hoisted up, hoisted down taken out, and going through this three times. Patient he his but I think I was pushing my luck. On the last attempt all was well and we off we went, Jack as happy as a happy baby can be. It was new and exciting for him, he was 6ft tall and loving it!

We walked round the back of their house and across a very muddy field taking pictures of chickens and old tractors and followed the path up through the chasm that the Devil dug out in his bid to flood the Sussex Weald. Mark was already genning up on his local history and informed me that this used to be a play ground for the Victorians. In all my years of coming to the South Downs and walking in this area I didn't know. It is great the things you find out about your local area when you are doorstep travelling.

Across the chasm the Victorians strung a wire bridge and the ladies that dared to cross would drop stones 80m to the valley floor below. You can still see the brick remains of the pillars that held the bridge up. The baby backpack was comfy and we traipsed up to the Devils Dyke pub. Now if you have been there, you may agree that this is a little bit of a sight for sore eyes -but a welcome stop off point for a hot pudding and a pint of Ale. I'm sure the Victorians would have had something a little better up here.

Fed and watered (well, aled) we headed off for the return walk. The views across the Weald were amazing, you could easily see the Hogs Back and Leith Hill way across in the Surrey Hills. This has to be one of my favourite views - across the Weald and along the steep wavy escarpment that makes up the northern slopes of the South Downs.

On the walk back down we passed the point where the old Victorian Railway climbed up the South Downs reducing the need for walking. Apparently the railway didn't make any money and within 10 years it had been dismantled, which is a shame, it would have been fun having a railway taking people to the top of Devils Dyke.

Back down and Jack out the baby backpack, we had a lovely few hours strolling around the delightful South Downs. The baby backpack was a success, Jack had about 30 minutes sleep in it on the way back (must have been the pudding and Ale in the pub!) and I found it perfectly comfortable for a three hour walk. And the history of Devils Dyke? Well, I only knew the legend of the Devil, it was great to find out some of the history of places on your doorstep.

Scout training at Lodge Hill

2009-11-28T20:10:00.005Z

A cold but sunny morning awaited me when I awoke - far too early for a weekend, even though I was running late (not the best night - baby wasn't really on sleeping form, ignored the alarm clock).

It was a quick drive down to Lodge Hill Outdoor Activity centre in the heart of rural West Sussex, for two days of intense training sessions to become a fully fledged Explorer Scout Leader. The last weekend of training and that is almost it, just need to organise a camp to get my nights away permit and the hallowed wood badge, which, incidentally is now plastic. Or so I've been told. The original wooden beads on the wood badge were carved from a fallen tree at the home of Scouting, Gillwell Park, because of the massive interest that Scouting attracts from Adult Volunteers and the fact that the tree fell a very long time ago the wood is no more. Hence the plastic. Sign of the times?

I digress, but a little history of Scouting here and there doesn't hurt. One of today's modules was programmes, balanced and wholesome. We were even given a programme checker to make sure they were indeed balanced and wholesome. I wonder if Microsoft have a programme checker? The session was facilitated by the affable Tim, offering his words of wisdom from years of experience on what a balanced Scout programme should be. The Scout Association help with this, by giving you a list of zones to work to and also methods of delivery, such as talks, technology, outdoor adventure & visits.

Our small group decided to build a programme with the aim of going on a lightweight expedition. Starting with this at the centre of a spider diagram, we spidered our way out spinning the web and covering areas such as gear talks (if you want one contact Walk and Travel - Sussex and South Surrey only!), food tasting, a visit to the gym to get a fitness programme planned, first aid training, night hikes, practice backpacking weekends and using technology in the outdoors, Garmin GPS, digital mapping and laptops - after a session on traditional navigating, so compare and look at the routes we were going to hiking along.

Then more detailed planning followed and night based on food tasting was arranged. Here is our programme for a Scout evening:

8pm Flag break and inspection
8.10pm Talk on nutrition, calories need for hiking (2500 for sustenance and 2500 for the hike - though I wasn't too sure on the numbers, more research may be needed) and an interactive looking up of calories in food on the Internet.
8.30 Game
8.45 Food for backpacking laid out on a table, to include dehydrated backpacking food, wet backpacking food, supermarket food for backpacking and supermarket food unsuitable for backpacking. Scouts to put together a 24hr menu choosing the right food stuff for the expedition.
9.00 Preparation of the food and a tasting session and food evaluated on a score chart
9.30 Clear up
9.45 Feedback on what types of food were the most yummy and gave enough calories for the expedition.
10.00 Flag down.

I found this to be one of the better Scout training sessions as a balanced programme really is key to retaining the young people, developing them as people and really just plain old enjoying themselves. Think I will be using this one with my Explorer Scouts.

Take your mum travelling!

2009-11-08T19:37:00.004Z

Interesting turn of events! I had heard that more and ore older people were taking Gap Year - well, I think if you are taking time out from your job or career, it is called a sabbatical. But going with you kids. . . honestly, what is the worked coming to.

Perhaps you like the idea of your Mum and Dad joining you at a full moon party on the beaches of Thailand? Perhaps they could share your dorm room in a hostel and come and get totally inebriated at some down at heel backpackers bar where you can get lots of rather strange local liqueurs or beer at rock bottom prices. . .

It would be interesting. There you are sidling over to a rather attractive fellow backpacker and she retorts, 'Is that your Mum over there?'

There are some plus points - Mum can do your ironing and cook your dinner, Dad can deal the dosh for some posh nosh. Hmm, it could work.

Fair enough, cynical look at it over. I think it can be a great idea, though, in my humble opinion, travelling is a right of passage, time to lose the apron strings and let fly your mind, body and soul, meet fantastic people, see amazing places and absorb yourself in something like never before and likely never to be again.

Some friends of mine when they they went travelling, had their parents out for a holiday, which is a great way of involving them. They get an excuse for an exotic holiday and you get some respite from a shoddy dorm and pasta again. Let's face it, if they haven't seen you for 6 months, the chances are they'll spoil you.

I'm not sure how well it will work travelling with them, but by all means have them over for a holiday, everyone's a winner.

Are you going traveling on your own? Check out Walk and Travel's top tips for keeping safe when travelling solo.

Walk and Travel: Who is Dan Mazur?

2009-10-26T23:01:00.000Z

Walk and Travel: Who is Dan Mazur?

Who is Dan Mazur?

2009-10-26T22:37:00.004Z

I came across Dan Mazur a number of years ago when two intrepid explorers, Rob Gauntlet and James Gauntlet were hatching their plans to scale the mightiest peak of all - Everest.

At the time, Rob and James were pupils at Christs Hospital School in the leafy depths of West Sussex. They invited Dan Mazur to a fund raising presentation evening and there he was - one of America's foremost Himalayan Mountaineers and as he said, more akin to an accountant than a mountaineer. However, I am are when you planning an expedition accountancy skills are important.

Dan was up on stage, dressed, as far as I can remember in brogues, cords, shirt and tank top - topped off with glasses. When I go to lectures by mountaineers they are usually in something at least 'outdoorsy', but with Dan it was a different image.

However this didn't detract from an wonderful evening of him talking about his exploits in the Himalaya and other greater ranges, the tales of mind over matter, body against nature to achieve his dreams and to help other achieve theirs, through work for a number of charities and taking commercial clients to the mountains.

Dan Mazur runs a commercial climbing company called Summit Climb and even has a fairly good entry in Wikipedia, something that one day, someone will do for me!

I' like to think I'm not obsessed with the man, but he does shine out - I am kept up to date with his and Summit Climb's adventures through his amazing and itchy feet inducing (and sometimes vertigo inducing) pictures on his facebook pages.

One day I'd like to think I'll be out there climbing with Dan or Summit Climb, being in the pictures, rather than just watching them from the comfort of my little office in Horsham.

What is travelling?

2009-10-10T10:21:00.001+01:00

What is travelling?

I often wonder this. Putting a your first tentative steps together when you are a year old, going on summer camp when you are a cub, going on your Queen Scout Expedition when you an Explorer Scout, heading off on your gap year, rucksack slung over your back. Taking a year out to work abroad when you are on a career break?

Could it be something as simple as taking a drive to your local coast? Could it be a road trip around the UK? Could it be your work, taking you to different corners of the county, allowing you to drive along some incredibly beautiful road, through chocolate box villages in Sussex and allowing you to meet interesting people where ever you go?

All the national papers have a section called ‘Travel’ or at the very least offering something that could be deemed as travel. The red tops are tempting you out to the resort destinations, beaches to top up your tan, to have a drink and socialise with friends and locals. The broadsheets are offering voyages, safaris and other independent trips, asking you to consider the culture, the local people and their cuisine whilst admiring the breathtaking beauty of the desert or mountain or fjord.

I’m at a stage in life where exotic independent adventure travel is now slightly limited by babies, mortgages and a restriction on annual leave. But I still like to think I travel. I drive for my job – that’s travelling. Literally. I also have the opportunity to go to different places around the UK. Today, I’m in Alum Bay on the Isle of Wight, for a week last month I was in the Peak District, the month before delighting in the craggy, rocky environment of North Wales.

It is all travelling. To me travel is about different place, different experiences, different cultures they can be local they can be far flung. The important thing is to travel. If only on your doorstep. Become a doorstep traveller. Explore what is on your doorstep, what is in your county and what ever else your local area has to offer. You are still travelling. I’m still a traveller, even with a baby, a mortgage, 4 weeks off a year not really any money – from my first few tentative steps 36 years ago, I am still a traveller. Pack you rucksack or travel bag and always Love the Adventure.

What bag to take travelling?

2009-09-29T22:47:00.010+01:00

Question from a customer on Travel Bags:

I've been researching backpacks for travelling around Australia and S.E. Asia, and have seen the one above (Vaude Module 40 liter) which i think may be ok?

But i need advice on this product as im not sure 40L is big enough? Do you recommend this backpack for comfort? I'm 5ft so i'm not sure if 60L would look too big, I don't want to be a walking target for muggers!

I am after one with wheels so I dont have to carry it around everywhere, but want the option of shoulder and waist straps if I go trekking. (Is this the general consensus of most people going backpacking?) I'm in two minds about this! Any advice or info you can give me on this product would be much appreciated.

Answer:

Thank you for your email and for looking at www.walkandtravel.com.

It is always difficult deciding what type of travel bag you need to take travelling - I often think the smaller the better, meaning you take less and it is lighter to carry!

Choosing the right type of travel bag is important and you need to consider carefully what you may need it for before you buy. You have said that you are travelling around South East Asia and Australia but also said that you may go trekking. If there is a chance you are going trekking and need to take a large pack with you (and all your stuff) then you need to get a proper rucksack, with a proper back system, that is padded and flexible enough to be fitted to you or you may risk damaging your back or at the very least have a an uncomfortable trek.

The Vaude Module 40 is really a wheeled travel bag and I have sold quite a number of them to people who are going travelling but won't need to take that bag trekking, usually they have a day bag that is 'hand luggage' though the module 40 should fit as hand luggage as well. The Vaude Module 40 has a very basic back system that would be fine to carry on short distances when you can't use the wheels. It is surprising how many people go travelling and you can easily use a wheeled travel bag, because you are generally in towns and cities and going from the bus or train to the hostel, usually along footpaths.

The 40 liter bag may be a little small unless you are planning on travelling very light, I would recommend a 60 liter bag as you said, but not any bigger, as you will fill it up and it will be too heavy to carry! Don't worry about looking like a target for muggers, mugging is very rare is SE Asia, it is more scamming that happens, violent crime is very minimal. And besides, you will look like a tourist no matter what bag you take! You just need to think sensibly about your security.

My summary would be:

-Think carefully about what you are likely to do - if you go trekking you will leave most gear at a hostel or base and only take a small day pack
-Think about how much stuff you want to take (you can always post souvenirs home or buy a bigger holdall if you are near the end of your trip)
-Don't worry about looking like a target - unless you are really off the beaten track, there will be plenty of other people looking like targets as well!

Of course I would say buy the bag from me, but consider the above and if you do want one with wheels, the Vaude in my opinion is one of the best. Excellent quality and stylish, I've had great feed back from other girls travelling with it telling me how jealous other people were with a rucksack or travel bag on their back!

If you do buy a bag from me it comes with a 'Be Delighted' guarantee, if you are not delighted with the bag, return it in the same condition you received it for a full refund of your purchase costs.

I really hope that helps, if you have anymore questions please let me know - I love chatting about people's travels and advising them on travel gear - running the business online doesn't generate enough questions!

Walking boot review

2009-09-21T21:12:00.006+01:00

An interesting article (is that the right word for a feature on a TV show?) Feature, sounds better...

An interesting feature on the Gadget Show on channel 5 this evening (21 September 2009), comparing 3 pairs of walking boots.

The gruelling test comprised of a pair of Meindl Vakuum GTX, Hi Tec V-Lite Altitude Ultra WPI, along a footpath on Chobham Common - my none other than Brian Blessed. Booted up, Brian and the presenter, mooched along the footpath discussing how good the fit was etc of the boots, whilst discussing the molecular build of the leather to stop water ingression. They even went so far as to explain how the memory foam works in the Meindl Boot.

This interesting test of walking boots was topped off with a squirt of water from a water pistol thing, quite a drenching I'm sure, but really a good way to test a walking boot?

I know the Gadget Show is probably some harmless fun, but they really do need to think about how they test things, especially boots that are, in reality, in different classes of use and build quality - easily reflected by their price point.

The Salamon boot came out on top, followed by the Hi Tec, followed by the slated Meindl Boot. I hope that Bramwell International, the importers of Meindl boots will follow this up... and to be honest I'm surprised they went in for this kind of test!

May trade my Meindl walking boots in for some Hi Tecs...

Cycle touring tent

2009-09-20T22:37:00.004+01:00

Choosing a tent for cycle touring.

Email question from a potential customer wanting some advice on choosing a tent for cycle touring:

I’m looking for two tents:

1)Something very lightweight for emergencies, one up from a bivi bag perhaps
2) Something lightweight (ideally under 2 kilos) for two people to use cycle touring spring/summer/autumn- at base camp level

My issues are as follows:

a) I’m six foot two so length and good headroom are important to me. I don’t want a tent that slopes down above my head
b) Ease of pitching is important
c) I’m looking for something that will last me a while, so quality is more important than a low price.

Can you recommend anything?

Many thanks for the email and for looking at www.walkandtravel.com.

For point 1:
Something very lightweight for emergencies, one up from a bivi bag perhaps.

It may be worth considering a bothy or group mountain shelter if there is more than one of you. These are lightweight basic nylon covers that you sit under, on a pack and your body makes the poles part, keeping the nylon shelter erect. These types of shelter are often carried by group leaders for emergencies or lunch breaks when it is cold and raining and shelter is needed.

For your point 2 regarding tents:
Something lightweight (ideally under 2 kilos) for two people to use cycle touring spring/summer/autumn- at base camp level.

I would consider looking at the Vaude Hogan Ultralight or the Vaude Taurus Ultralight.

The Hogan Ultralight weighs just under the 2kg mark at 1.8kg and the internal tent length is 220cm. The width at the front of the tent is 120cm narrowing to 100cm at the footend. Head height at the entrance is 105cm. The vestibule is 70cm long.

The Taurus Ultralight has a slightly different footprint, the inner tent is still 220cm long but 130cm wide at the head end, and 100cm wide at the foot end. This tent weighs 1.9kg, so still just under your 2kg maximum. Head height at the entrance is 100cm. The vestibule is 90cm long on the Taurus, so giving you extra room for storage, which may be important when there is two of you using the tent.

Both these tents slope off towards the foot end. They are both very easy to put up involving a minimum of fuss and two pole sets. One of the real main differences is that the Hogan pitches inner first and the fly goes over the top of this and the Taurus can pitch all in one go, so could be quicker to pitch and potentially dryer to pitch if it is raining.

The Vaude Hogan Ultralight and Vaude Taurus Ultralight tents are both very well made and I have sold a number of them to people that do cycle and motorcycle touring.

I hope you have found the info useful, there are other makes of tents that may be suitable, but I only sell Vaude so can't give a good opinion on other makes.

Rab Down Sleeping Bags - 2010 Range

2009-08-16T22:14:00.002+01:00

Rab down sleeping bags – 2010 range

OK, so it is a little way off yet before these bags are available, but I just felt I needed to share with you how incredible they are.

Rab have been on a journey, just like most of their sleeping bags probably have been. Notching up thousands if not millions of miles around the world. From their Rab Explorer travel sleeping bags, through their Rab Neutrino sleeping bags to their range of ultimate top end bags, the Rab Expedition series. Designed to keep you alive when the temperature around you is as low as –67c, at the extreme.

Rab were taken over by Equip outdoor technology about 5 years ago and it appears that a lot of investment has been in their clothing range. Making the brand more robust, but still one of the best technical, outdoor clothing brands, never losing sight that they are probably the best designer and maker of down clothing and equipment.

The down sleeping bags speak for themselves. I’ve been using them for over 15 years now – a Rab Ladakh 600 and a Rab Premium 200. Both of which have morphed over the years. The sleeping bags have been holding their own over the years and now Rab have invested their time and money into the range.

Has anyone really worked out the ultimate angle a trapezoidal baffle should be? Rab have. With the help of Leeds University. The result? The new range of Rab Down Sleeping bags – coming to you next year. The ultimate angle means you get the ultimate loft from the down, getting the ultimate loft, means using the optimum amount of down. Not too much, not too little. Keeping the weight down and keeping the warmth up. They have even researched down migration within the construction of the bag. The result of this? Vertical baffles across the chest on some of the range to stop the weight of the down pulling it to the sides – reducing the potential for cold spots.

Not only have they optimised the construction and the fill they have added in some great features too. I think the best of these is the draw cord neck baffle, simple but ingenious. (A little like those compare the meerkat folk). The cord is placed behind the down, so tug on the cord grips and you end up with a cosy, snugly down collar. Why hasn’t this be done before? So simple…

Finally they have added a small pocket, just inside for keys, money or whatever else you deem small and valuable and can’t sleep without. Perhaps ear plugs if you have a noisy tent partner?

All this design, all these little new features, great new colours – red and orange, very mountain if I do say so and bright blue for travel bags means you need to look out for these when they arrive in the shops. Save your pennies and treat yourself to one of these long lasting beauties, keeping you warm, snug and feeling secure, whether you are on an 8000’er in Nepal or an overly air conditioned bus in Asia.

Choosing a down sleeping bag.

2009-08-05T22:51:00.005+01:00

Choosing a down sleeping bag.

I've been looking to replace my down sleeping bag as my current Karrimor one has never kept me particularly warm. I camp in the north of England anytime from mid March to early November. Last year November was frosty at night so it can be fairly cold.

Having talked to a salesman in the lake district he advised that sleeping bag ratings are based on an average man, and don't necessarily apply to women. For women it is better to add on a few degrees. I have gone round and round in circles looking at different sleeping bags, but I seem to have settled on RAB - particularly because they are made in the UK!

I know that sleeping bags efficiency are based on body size - I am 5'7" and weigh abut 10stone, so I am not a big build and I do feel the cold. Would the RAB Atlas 750 Women's sleeping bag be suitable for the type of use I would make of it? I have also been looking at the Quantum 600, but I think this is probably over specced for what I need? Or would you suggest anything else. Any help would be gratefully received!

Many thanks, Sue

Dear Sue

Thank you for looking at www.walkandtravel.com and for your email.

It can be hard choosing a sleeping bag there is an element of confusion out there as to what warmth you should go for. From my experience Rab tend to be more accurate than others when they measure the rating of their sleeping bag. But you are right, they are based on an average male wearing a t shirt and shorts.

Women usually fell the cold more and if you have a high metabolism this can make you feel the cold a little more as well as many other factors such as how fatigued you are are, how much you had to eat, your size (if you are very petite there can be a lot of space in a sleeping bag for you to warm up!) and of course what you are wearing.

If you are buying the bag to use mainly in the summer and there is an odd chance that you will use it when it is colder you can always wear more clothes or add a silk sleeping bag liner. Silk sleeping bag liners can add warmth to the bag because of their thermal properties, but silk is also good at wicking away moisture from the body again reducing any potential cold spots that this may cause. A cotton liner on the other hand will adsorb moisture, but hold it next to your body which can create cold spots and draw the heat away from you.

The other really important aspect when choosing a sleeping bag, is thinking about the sleeping mat you are using. You can lose a lot of heat through the ground, more so that you lose though the air, through conduction. A good highly rated sleeping mat can also help with the efficiency of your sleeping bag.

One last consideration is the number of people in a tent! If you are in a three man tent on your own there is again, a lot more cold air sloshing around. If there are three of you in the same tent the air temperature will warm up considerably.

I think your choice of sleeping bag, the Rab Atlas 750 would be ideal, based on the info you have given, Rab class it as 3+ season with a comfortable temp rating of down to -12C.

If you are feeling chilly at the end of March or start of November you can always add an extra layer to sleep in. I would recommend the silk liner anyway as it will help keep your sleeping bag cleaner and you should only need to air it.

The Rab Quantum 600 is slightly warmer, going to -17c due to the better quality down that they use which also really helps to keep the weight down, weighing 1050g compared to 1500g for the Rab Atlas 750 Women's. The Quantum also uses Pertex Quantum fabric, which is much lighter. If you want a lightweight bag for back packing I then recommend the Rab Quantum 600, but for more general purpose use the Rab Quantum 750 would be better.

I hope this helps and if you have any further questions please let me know.

Sleeping Bag for the OMM Original Mountain Marathon

I am looking for a bag for omm in October , I was thinking Rab 250 endurance whats the view on need for this water resistant protection?
Also I am 5'6 tall so would I be better off with a shorter bag?

Regards, Jon

Dear Jon

Firstly sincere apologies for the late reply of the email, for some reason I missed it.

The Rab Quantum 250 Endurance is designed with mountain marathons in mind, along with the Rab AR (adventure racing) top bag.

The Endurance coating on the fabric does add another 50g to the weight of the Rab Quantum 250, taking it from 650g to 700g so if weight needs to be kept to an absolute minimum, then you may want to consider this. The Endurance coating makes the fabric waterproof, but the bag is not as they do not tape any of the seams. It make the bag ideal for things such as the OMM where there may be two of you squeezed into a very small tent such as a Terra Nova Laser Lite, where you can get condensation on your bag, making it heavier to carry the next day - then you have to make sure it gets dried out properly after the event.

The Rab Quantum series of sleeping bags is smaller all round than, for example, the Summit or the Atlas series, at 210 by 75cm, compared to 220 by 85cm. Sadly they don't do a shorter length in the Q250.

I hope this helps, if there is anything else you need to know, please feel free to ask.

The Rab Quantum 250 Endurance is now back in stock if you are still interested. It will be dispatched to you the next day after you order by Royal Mail Special Delivery, so it will be with you before 1pm the following working day.

Natures Playground

2009-08-05T10:52:00.000+01:00

I've just had a great conversation with one of my customers about natures playground. Why do you need to take your kids to the 'offical' playgrounds with swings and slides?

Get out there, and have a little adventure that they will love.

Just go over to the woods and see what you can see. The woods are full of the weird and wonderful. Do some reading up on what flowers are out, show them some toadstalls (but remember to point out that they mustn't eat them!!), lift some rotting wood and show them the insects that are running around.

And as they get older and bolder there is so much more fun and games to be had. My customer that I spoke to had just taken her 7 and 9 year olds to Cornwall and took them walking up on the moors - they grumbled a little about the walk, but what was at the end of it? A stone outcrop - and so begins two hours of scrambling and climbing over the rocks... allowing Mum and Dad to get them thinking about re-igniting their passion for rock climbing.

I've just had my little baby and already I'm thinking about the little adventures we are going have in natures playground.

Making business worthwhile!

2009-07-13T22:19:00.002+01:00

This is what makes it all so worthwhile...

Hi Gareth just thought I would email to say we purchased from your site because of your "about us" page. I went to the last UK World Jamboree and am just about to go to Malawi with my Explorer Unit on 25/7/09. This is my last trip with the Unit as I will be 19 and off to Uni soon. I have had some great times with them - even if my dad is the leader. Your information made a really nice personal touch to online shopping and I would probably have purchased locally had it not been for that!!
Laura

Many thanks Laura and enjoy your trip to Malawi.

New Down Sleeping Bags

2009-07-07T21:14:00.005+01:00

Just taken delivery of the awesome Rab Summit 700 Down Sleeping Bag - great for trekking holidays and mountaineering. This fully specced down sleeping bag will keep you warm down to -17c and weighs in at only 1600g. Perfect for trekking the Annapurna Circuit and trips to the alps.

Not only that also now have the incredible Rab Quantum AR Top Bag. Is this the ultimate sleeping bag for adventure racing and mountain marathons? 200g of down on the top half and a Pertex Quantum sleeve on the bottom to slip your sleeping mat in, keeping you warm and keeping your bag very lightweight when you are out running over the fells.

Going to see how well the Rab Summit sells and may start to increase the range of them.

Have you used one? Let me know your thoughts on the Rab Summit Down Sleeping Bags, would be great to get a review of the Rab Summit 700 or any others in the range.

I want one, but have a Rab Ladakh 600 which is still going strong...

Sleeping bag for Kilimanjaro

2009-07-06T22:17:00.001+01:00

Sleeping bag for Kilimanjaro

Hi
I'm due to climb Kilimanjaro in the next few months and need a 3-4 season sleeping bag. Ideally, I'd like one that's light, doesn't take up much space and keeps me nice and warm. I intend to use the bag on my return for camping trips on my bike so again size and weight is important, but i don't want to freeze. Any advice gratefully received.

Thank you very much

Thank you very much for your email and for looking at www.walkandtravel.com.

It sounds like a great trip - some friends of mine went up Kilimanjaro last year and thoroughly enjoyed the walk.

The bag that I would recommend would be the Rab Quantum 600 Womens. This sleeping bag is one of the lightest and because it is down filled, with some of the best down available, it is highly compressible, therefore taking up minimal space. It comes with it's own stuff sack, but the sleeping bag can easily be crammed into a smaller stuff sack when needed. The sleeping bag is made from Pertex Quantum fabric which is one of the lightest available and also very high wicking, taking any sweat you produce in your sleep away from your body, helping to reduce chill from being damp in the sleeping bag.

Rab comfort rate this bag down to -12c which is 3+ season usage. Rab are usually pretty good at rating their bags for an 'average' person, but it is always worth remembering that different people feel warmer or colder in their sleep.

I would recommend getting a silk sleeping bag liner to go with the Rab sleeping bag. This will help to keep it clean as you can wash the liner rather than the bag. I recommend a silk liner as this won't impair the wicking abilities of the lining fabric as silk helps to transport moisture out to the liner fabric, whereas cotton will not and can leave you feeling cold and clammy and may reduce the warmth rating on the sleeping bag. A silk liner may add up to a half season of extra warmth to the sleeping bag.

Another great plus with a down sleeping bag is that they last a lot longer than a synthetic sleeping bag and with occasional use could last up to 20 years before you notice any great reduction in their performance. For a synthetic sleeping bag this can be as low as 7-10 years.

If price is a consideration that I would recommend the synthetic 3 to 4 season sleeping bag, Snugpak Softie Chrysalis Autumn - however it's pack size and weight to warmth ratio is not as good as the down sleeping bag.

Rab Sleeping Bags

2009-06-19T23:57:00.003+01:00

The first tranche of new Rab Sleeping bags now available on line.

Rab Quantum 250 Endurance Lightweight, highly water repellent down sleeping bag

Rab Atlas 750 - excellent 3 season down sleeping bag, in women's version too - check out the lovely lupin colour.

And of course all at the best web prices with free delivery!Rab Summit 700 and Rab Quantum top bag coming soon...

I've been using Rab Down Sleeping bags for nearly 20 years now - still the same ones! I keep wanting to upgrade them to a sexy new Rab Quantum, but can't warrant it, because the ones that I have are still in fantastic condition. That is what I like about down, it lasts and lasts. The down still has it's loft, the fabric is still not worn and most importantly - it keeps me warm!

Many people will argue that Rab make some of the best down sleeping bags in the world - and I would tend to agree. It always makes me happy when I sell one, because I know that the customer will be very happy with their selection.

Here are my top 5 reasons for choosing a down sleeping bag:

1 - Down gives you long lasting warmth.
2 - Down has a better warmth to weight ratio than synthetic fillings.
3 - They can pack smaller.It is an all natural filling, making the bag feel more comfortable.
4 - They wick moisture better than synthetics - which can help keep you warmer in cold 5 - weather, cooler in warm weather and ultimately more comfortable.

Buy down, you won't regret it - and it comes in lupin colour too. You'll look great at the campsite.

The Doorstep Traveller

2009-06-15T22:48:00.011+01:00

The Doorstep Traveller

We're in recession, we shouldn't fly because of our carbon footprint, we shouldn't do this and we shouldn't do that. But one thing you can do and that is become a Doorstep Traveller.

We have all probably been Doorstep Travellers at one point or another, but have you really travelled around what is on your doorstep? Have you got out the local guide book that a tourist would use and really had a good nose about?

Now I am with child this is something I intend to do a lot more. So what are the most common things you go and see when you are travelling? You go to:

Museums
Churches/Places of worship
Galleries
Buildings of Architectural Significance
Parks
Ruins
History
Woodland
Beautiful countryside

My Doorstep has this in abundance - it even has a beach, one of those places to get away from it all and relax. Fair enough the beaches on my doorstep don't inspire the ads for suncream, nor have you racing to get a sunbed before the other tourists, but the pebbly beaches of Worthing and Lancing really can be interesting, if you know how to look at them.

What else if there on your doorstep? What else do you look for when you are travelling? Different cultures? Most cities and give you a great big dollop of different cultures.

So really, ask yourself, do you need to go to some far flung exotic location when you can be a Doorstep Traveller? Well, yes. We just don't get the weather here and lets face it, exploring Worthing isn't quite the same as exploring Rome.

But wait, I haven't mentioned the Churches in Worthing - Worthing Tabernacle Church, the first, 'in the round' church I have been into (Excluding the Font in Brighton which is now a pub). Most churches I have been usually stick to the cross style of layout. And to rival Rome, or the Sistine Chapel to be more precise is the wonderfully painted English Martyrs Church in Goring. A labour of love for artist Gary Bevans, who has reproduced the painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel on the 'aircraft hanger' 1960's roof. A transformation and on my doorstep.

I'm going to draw a circle around Horsham, roughly 25 miles travel and see what else may tickle my fancy for my doorstep travels. There must be a list as long as my arm, so watch out there will be more of my ramblings on what I find. So save money in the recession, save the planet and discover what is on your doorstep. Join me and become a Doorstep Traveller.

What is on your doorstep? What do you recommend? Fellow Doorstep Travellers, tell the world what we should be seeing!

Lightweight walking boots - part 3. The final reckoning.

2009-05-20T10:31:00.003+01:00

Yes, I'm going to keep Meindle Lightweight Walking Boots - they are not destined for eBay!

They were given their full road test the other weekend, or should I say their full bridleway test the other weekend.

A quick yomp across the South Downs from Southwick to Wivelsfield Green following the Sussex Border path broke the boots in well. 15 miles of pure pleasure and I am sure my feet felt that little it lighter going up hill. Only one small complaint was the hotspot on my heel which was soon alleviated with some second skin dressing. To be expected really, they were new and I've got bony heels - prone to blisters from ill fitting boots in formative years.

So, recommended and I know people will say it isn't important - they look good on my feet as well. To me looking good on the hills is still important.

Gareth's five top tips for buying walking boots:

Always go to a reputable (preferably independent) outdoor store.
Get your feet measured - they change shape / size as you get older.
Try on as many pairs of boots in the shop as possible, under the guidance of the qualified and experienced boot fitter.
Always use a test slope to walk up and down in the shop to make sure you don't slip in the boots.
Buy your boots later in the day when your feet are hot and slightly swollen from being used all day.
Take the socks you expect to wear with the boots to ensure optimum fit and comfort.
Get them home and wear them indoors for as long as possible to make sure they really are a good fit. Climb the stairs in them a few times.

Need any more advice or have any more questions about walking boots? Ping me an email.

Happy buying, happy feet - happy walking, love the adventure.

Carry on Camping - a cheaper alternive holiday.

2009-05-10T22:27:00.000+01:00

Carry On Camping

What do I need to go camping?

Camping. It conjures up images of sunny days, green fields, meadows full of flowers. Peace and relaxation. Camping is a wonderful experience, for young and old alike. It is a great experience for children, fresh air, space to run around in and usually lots of friends to be made.

Camping is the green holiday alternative. You’ll be surprised how many great campsites there are within easy driving distance, in beautiful local areas which are well worth exploring. The other great thing about camping is that it doesn’t have to cost the earth. Camping means there is less travel and less use of hotels with all their wastefulness. Once you have bought your kit, it should last you for years. After the initial financial outlay, you will reap the rewards of your purchases for many years, making your holidays cheaper each time you go. You will not only be saving money but will be helping to save the planet too.

Camping can be very simple, you will only need a tent, a sleeping bag and a sleeping mat. There is a huge range of these three simple basics and a huge range of other camping accessories which will make your experience even more comfortable. Let’s talk a little about these three main items of kit you need to go camping:

Tents.

When you are buying a tent there are two main things to consider:

Space – Space is important in your tent if you are living in it for a holiday and equally important if you need a lightweight tent for backpacking. If you are holidaying and living in your tent, think about room to stand up, room to hang out and play cards in if it is raining, especially if you are taking your children, and room in which to store your kit.

Quality – think about what quality tent you want. The better the quality the longer it will last, but the more it will cost. If you are only camping in the summer or locally in the South East of England a basic 2 seasons tent will be fine. If you are going into the mountains or somewhere where you get high winds and heavy rain, you will need a better quality tent, one that is rated at 4 seasons.

Think about what quality and space you require and seek out an expert to help you choose the perfect tent for your holiday. Remember, this will be your home while you are on holiday and it is essential, for your comfort and enjoyment, that you make the right choice.

Sleeping Bags

Choosing a sleeping bag is simpler than choosing the tent. If you are travelling to your campsite by car, then size and weight do not matter. If you are carrying your kit then you need to think about the size and weight. A small, warm, lightweight sleeping bag is more costly, but better to carry. As with tents, the season rating is used with 2,3 and 4 season sleeping bags available.

Sleeping bags will have a temperature rating on them, showing what they will go down to. It is important to remember here, that there is no standard way of measuring this and when a bag states it is comfortable down to -5 degrees, this may be true for a fit and hardy person wearing thermals. The reality for somebody else could be that the bag is only warm down to 10 degrees. Bear this in mind when you are buying your bag and seek an expert opinion.

You can have the choice of a down filled sleeping bag or a synthetic sleeping bag. Down filled bags will last longer and have a much better weight to warmth ratio, but can be costly. A synthetic bag is heavier for the warmth you get, but they are much cheaper and can be carefully washed after use.

Sleeping mats:

These are an essential piece of kit to help keep you warm. Primarily they are designed to stop you getting cold from the ground. If you sleep directly on the ground it will draw the heat from your body quicker than you can go to sleep, leaving you shivering, even in summer. A ground mat can be a simple foam mat, which you can buy for around £5. A self inflating, super comfy, super luxury mat will set you back in the region of £100.

Self inflating mats are regarded as the better option as they will also provide an element of comfort as well as the insulation. They start at around the £25 mark and can be a great investment. A self inflating mat was one of my best buys for camping, many years ago, when I had to spend three months in a tent, pure luxury compared to a standard foam mat.

There you have the three key ingredients for kit to get you out camping. There is a lot more you can learn about camping, but buying the right kit the first time is important. The rest you can learn as you go. Get out there, enjoy the fresh air, sunrises, moon lit nights and have an eco friendly holiday, saving you money and helping save the planet too.

Local Travel

2009-05-05T20:00:00.000+01:00

More on the theme of exploring locally...

Love the adventure, love it locally!

The Great British Seaside

Way back when I was a small child I was taken to Worthing on the Sussex Coast to go shopping with my Grandma. I distinctly remember going for elevenses at BHS and going up the escalators to the café, very stylish, very 1970’s décor. Which considering it was the mid 70’s isn’t surprising. The part of the décor that fascinated me the most was the big glass block wall. I still haven’t managed to get one in my house, even though they are now ‘back in fashion’.

Anyway, I digress, I’m not here to talk about interior design, I’m here to talk about Worthing and the Great British Seaside. I was merely setting the scene. I’ve been to Worthing quite a number of times since those childhood jaunts. I’ve been there clubbing, I’ve been there to sit on the beach and I’ve been there to just look about.

Yesterday I was back in Worthing, working in an exhibition, suited and booted, talked to people about the joys of being self employed or having your own business and how they can access the raft of free government support. The exhibition finished and the sun was shining. I got in my car to go home and made it to Findon, when my phone rang and my girlfriend said that she and a couple of friends were heading south from Horsham for a walk along prom and a fish and chip supper. Great. I parked up, was scooped up and we headed back down to the coast.

In all my visits to Worthing I’ve never had a fish and chip supper. It sounded very English, very seaside and the sort of thing old folk did. We parked up, hopped out the car and braced ourselves again the wind for a stroll along the prom. The strolling was met with remises about coming to the pier in our childhoods and playing the shove tuppence games and as we grew older heading to the seedy salubriousness of Rutherford’s nightclub situated at the end of the pier. Strolling onto the pier, taking in the sea air, seeing the fishermen and listening to the crashing waves I felt rejuvenated, like a child once more on a visit to the seaside. The only thing to top it off was the half hour in the amusements plying the machines with 2p’s in the vain hope they would push some off the shelves down into the slot where I can collect my winnings. Needless to say I lost nearly £2. An expensive trip to the amusements.

The Fish and Chip supper was beckoning, I had only a rough old sandwich all day and the sea air was making me more and more peckish. My friends knew of a couple of chip shops so we sought them out. This was our first ‘gem’ of the evening. We stopped at the Blue Ocean Fish and Chip shop for our supper and was welcomed to a place where old meets new. Wonderfully refurbished, very clean with modern tables and chairs and a fancy ceiling with spot lights in it greeted us. The man behind the fryer also greeted us. WE grabbed a seat and ordered our supper. I went the whole hog and had mushy peas, curry sauce, pickled onion and of course a large cod and chips. The food was delicious. All cooked exactly how I like it, chips spot on and the batter not too greasy. The chip shop curry sauce is a thing of its own. Who came up with such a sublime recipe?

Wandering back to the car we walked past Worthing Dome Cinema another memory of my childhood. But I remember it always looking down at heel, a faded piece of English Seaside resort forever doomed to be like this, just waiting for the developers to move in and make it into luxury flats. AS we strolled passed we saw it was open with the latest releases. The old world charm that the cinema now exuded drew us in, and we were welcomed by an old wooden ticked office and a very polite young man who was very enthusiastic about the old cinema. Quite different to people you get working in Cineword, Crawley. He filled us in a little on the history, saying that it was the second oldest cinema in the UK and that the ticket machine still worked, but they couldn’t get hold of the old fashioned tickets anymore. We bought tickets to see 21 at 7.30pm – from the new computer and fancy printer – and wandered in to a magnificent hall. The hall was like a throw back in time, sumptuous red carpet, wood panelled walls and stained glass windows telling us where we could put our cloaks or find refreshments.

The refreshments beckoned as we had some time to wait before the film so we wandered in to the bar, to be greeted by a lovely aroma of the lilies, sitting there in a vase on the bar top. The room was full of old projectors, comfy sofa’s and film set seats with your position in the crew printed on the back, such as Best Grip, giving us much source of amusement. The film was great too. Finished off the evening perfectly. The Worthing Dome Cinema is another gem.

The Great British Seaside, an institution and one full of wonderful things, little gems that you need to experience. Go down there, wander along the front, stroll out to the pier and play on the amusements. Then get your fish and chip supper at the Blue Ocean and top it off with a trip to the purportedly second oldest cinema in the UK for some wonderful old seaside resort charm.

Who is Simon Calder?

2009-05-01T23:07:00.004+01:00

Who is Simon Calder?

OK OK, so I've got a business that sell travel related items, I've worked in this industry for quite a number of years - I'm sure you are saying 'You should know who Simon Calder is'.

Well, I didn't - until the other day. His name was just popping up all over the place, I think he was on Radio 4 commentating on local travel (Which I think is extremely important - check out earlier blogs). I got home and promptly forgot about him. Then he popped up in his very easy going, engaging way - not sure what he was talking about this time, but the presenter mentioned him as the foremost commentator on travel in the UK.

So I googled him. Sounds painful when you put it like that. 350,000 results - result!

Turns out he is local to me. From Crawley, West Sussex - and now in London. May get him to open my store, if ever I get one!

Have a read of his website, its interesting. I particularly like the pictures - I wish I could say his writing too, as he is now an important journalist, but you need to buy publications to do this - which I don't mind doing, the Independent Travel Section is quite good. I have even advertised in it, relatively successfully. I'm sure if I went through the google search a little more I will be able to find some of his articles for a read.

Got some great travel tips and fave places on his biog page - best of which is 'Smile' couldn't agree more with him - a smile opens lots of doors and goes a million miles.

Smile, Travel and Love the Adventure.

Till next time...

Lightweight Outdoor Gear

2009-04-28T08:56:00.004+01:00

Lightweight or even Ultralight Outdoor Gear.

Am I foolish, traditional or a fantasist?

Foolish because most of my outdoor gear errs on the heavy side? Am I traditional because I want rugged gear, three layer Gore Tex waterproof jackets, leather boots, backpacks with lots of buckles and clips? Or a fantasist because I buy rugged gear so it will last me a season mountaineering in the alps or at the very least a couple of years of walking and scrambling every weekend in Snowdonia or the Lake District National Park?

The reality is, I go walking a few times each month, mostly local, mostly on the South Downs. Now rugged they me be in their own hilly way, it's not quite as demanding as a mountain. I get to the mountains a few times each year, and as for the Alps - perhaps once every two years and likely that is for skiing.

My kit consists of a Berghaus three layer Gare Tex jacket, Han Wag Lima Gore full grain leather walking boots, Vaude Triset 35+8 daypack, Craghopper Kiwi Cargo walking trousers, Source Widepack 3 litre and arious other items of outdoor paraphernalia, almost forgot to mention my nod towards lightweight items, Berghaus Paclite over trousers and my new walking boots - see previous blogs. Pretty much all of this is available in a pared down version. I can get a paclite jacket, a Vaude Triset Ultralight daypack, lightweight walking boots - if I was really going for it, I could get carbon fibre trekking poles.

As I age gracefully on the hills (37 is graceful), I feel my knees aching and I see 70 year olds striding off into the distance, I want to be like them. I need to start getting serious about lightweight gear, just to allow to keep aging gracefully on the hills and not end up retiring to walking around the Lake District Villages and Lakes. It is time to embrace the lightweight way.

The lightweight way has becoming much much stronger over the last ten years or so, quality gear, not too bad prices and even an element of style (though some would argue if this is needed on the hills - traditionalists?). A moment I feel started by Ray Jardin and his company Go Lite. So, more lightweight outdoor gear is a must, Walk and Travel are stocking more and more each season. I'll keep those knees in shape and not load them too much.

What am I then? Fool, Traditionalist or Fantasist? A little bit of all I think. Time to move on. Embrace the new lightweight outdoor gear culture.

New Boots - part two.

2009-04-26T23:25:00.003+01:00

The Meindle Softline GTX so far have proved a success. The toe box became more comfy and there is a good feeling of room around the boot, especially in the heel cup, though not too much. Next week will be the main warm up event for them. I'm walking a section of the Sussex Border Path, from Shoreham to Wivelsfield Green.

We're doing the walk to raise fund for the Scout Group, in order to buy a replace our old rattly LDV minibus. Arguably the most important piece of kit that the Scout Group owns. Without it the Scouting activities that we can offer the young people of Roffey would be severely limited. I hope the boots hold up and give me comfortable, blister free miles on this walk. Will let you know how it goes.

Walking Boots

2009-04-25T08:38:00.005+01:00

Have decided to plump for a pair of lightweight walking boots - well lighter than my old ones anyway, as a nod towards old age and achy knees.

Have gone for the Meindl Softline Goretex Ultra, felt very comfortable straight out the box, perhaps a little narrow on the toe box on the right foot for me, which was a surprise as they are supposed to be a wide - ish fit my feet I always thought were narrow - ish.

Scout training today, (core modules 1 and 3), exciting stuff, but necessary (?). So it is a gentle break in for the boots. No walking them out, but may try and sneak them in for St Georges day parade tomorrow. Will let you know how I get on with them. First thoughts are comfort, lightweight and to be honest, for a walking boot, I think they look pretty good. As if that is important? Yes.

Walking in the Lake District

2009-04-19T19:17:00.004+01:00

Lake District Easter 2009

Why don’t I live closer to this beautiful place? I always have to battle through the M25, M6 (the M40 isn’t usually too bad) event at midnight. It’s ridiculous - we live in a country full of people wanting to go places. Hmmm…. I was one of them. Shouldn’t complain really.

We are staying at Ennerdale YHA Barn, basic, rustic, but lovely. I sometimes wish I could live with such simple pleasures. Why do I need a plasma TV? Paved driveway? Ensuite bathroom and fitted kitchen? Lots of questions, but that it what beautiful places do to you. Get you thinking about life.

Today’s walk was wet. It was bound to be it’s the Lake District. Wettest part of the country. Out the barn down the track and up, up, up. So steep, past the lowing black cattle that looked like labradoodles and were subsequently named cowadoodles. Hard work up the steep hill and out onto the ridge along to Haycock. The wind was howling around us as the clouds closed in, bringing the cold and rain in as we followed the undulating ridge across Scoat Fell towards the high point of Pillar at 892m.

Summit was gained and we split into two teams one fitter than the other who went on to tackle Kirk Fell, skirt around the Gables and up to Haystacks. Me being a rather unfit walker who suffers with knee ache decided to drop down with the old folk to the Ennerdale Plantations, past Black Sail Hut for the long slow slog on the metalled track back to the barn for a much needed cup of tea and seaweed crackers. Seaweed crackers? Don’t ask.

The next day saw the sun breaking in through the windows, past the cracks in the towels that were masquerading as curtains. Porridge and tea down us we were ready to head out for a glorious day in the hills. Rucksack packed and off we went, back up the metalled track, only to come back down it again later. Not a great start to the day.

Off to the east of the track and straight up, up , up to the ridge line. Now this was a way to get the lungs working first thing in the morning and stretch out the un-exercised legs after yesterdays six hours. A 600 meter climb to the top of Red Pike. Then a rest. Well deserved and well needed to allow my heart rate to return to normal. The views, as ever, in the Lake District on a sunny day, were tremendous, one way down into Buttermere, (which I think is the most beautiful view in the Lake District), the other way the view was showing us the wet and windy ridge of yesterdays walk.

Our ridge was to the South, towards the towering cliff face of Great Gable, the summit glowing in the sunshine, waiting for us to tread it’s flanks and peak. The route to the summit was up and down much more than we anticipated, across High Stile to High Crag and down to rugged tops of Haystacks, past Innominate Tarn, the final resting place of Alfred Wainwright, perhaps the most famous of the Lake District writers and fell walkers.

With the sun still beaming down on us, we skirted under the peaks of Brandreth and Green Gable and took the path up to Windy Gap on the eastern flank of Great Gable. Another fifteen minutes and we topped out on goal of the walk, as the sun was slowly dipping toward the west. Dropping off the North West flank, back down into the valley, following the streams that lead into the River Liza, we took a very leisurely stroll under the watchful eye of the two ridge lines we just walked. Back past the Black Sail Hut, back down the metalled track, back to the single shower on the barn at Ennerdale, closely followed by a well deserved curry in Cockermouth.

The Lakes in the rain, the Lakes in the sun, the Lakes at Easter. Where is there a more beautiful place in England?

How is a Swiss Army Knife Made?

2009-03-20T20:27:00.005Z

Have just watched an interesting short documentary on Discovery Channel. How to make stuff. This evenings stuff? A Swiss Army Knife.

Wow! This really amazed me. I can't believe how manual the process is for making a Swiss Army Knife.

They have machines to stamp out the blades and other associated tools you get on a knife, 20,000 per hour! But, this is then moved around the factory in metal boxes to the next machine, then poured into a tumbler to polish off the burrs, then carried to the heat treatment machine to harden them off, where they are laid out by hand to go through the furnace, then off to the polisher, again laid out by hand!

They wouldn't show us how they they sharpened the knives, but I'm sure there was a little army of Swiss Children all armed with little ceramic sharpening stones....

Finally the whole thing is assembled, yes, that's right. By hand. This lady is so skilled that she can put together 60+ components in 2 minutes. I'm very impressed.

So when you buy your next Swiss Army Knife, just think how many people have handled it. Almost, almost, hand crafted. But they don't seem expensive.

Have they heard of lean manufacturing?

The Source of the Thames

2009-03-09T22:15:00.005Z

Who knows where the source of the River Thames is? I had no idea until a few moments ago when I looked it up on t'internet. One of my valued regular customers has just sent me an email saying that she found the source of the Thames and is now has another 179 miles to go. The Thames is (according to web research 210 miles long).

I've never really thought about the source of a river. I wonder where the source for the River Arun is that runs through Horsham? Finding the source of a river always sounds like it is going to be a swash bucking adventure. The sort of things that Harrison Ford (in actor mode) of Ranulph Fiennes would do. Fighting your way up river, against all the odds, the boat getting holes and nearly sinking while the crocs watch from the riverbank, waiting for you to go under.

OK, so I was getting a little carried away there, but Ran (as I fondly call him, having met him the once at a book signing and he signed my book to Gary) has actually done this finding the river source thing. He used hovercrafts to get to the source of the Nile. Now that must have been an adventure.

So here is your challenge, and you have a year to complete it in:

Find your local river, then find it's source.

I'm sure with modern technology like GPS and Internet sites you should be able to find it. I'm going to hunt down the source of the River Arun.

Keep it local, beat the credit crunch and reduce carbon emissions.

(But hey, you can't beat a good bit of travelling to somewhere exciting - source of the Amazon anyone?!)

Local Travel

2009-02-13T13:45:00.001Z

There are lots of local places to go and visit right on your doorstep. Beat the credit crunch and get out and exlpore local. What is there around where you live? What is there an hours train journey away?

I took my Scouts out on a walk a month ago, just before the snows, on the Horsham Riverside Walk. The Horsham Riverside Walk is a fantastic 11 mile walk around Horsham in West Sussex, following bridlepaths, foot paths, and believe it or not the rivers of Horsham, the Arun or as some call it Red River.

The walk passes through housing estates, little cut through around the town, pass an old pill box, mott and bailey castle and an old water mill. You can learn quite a bit about the town and it's history as you walk along taking in the country side as well as the houses!

Going camping?

2009-02-08T17:20:00.003Z

I got a great email from someone looking at www.walkandtravel.com today. They want to start taking the family camping! How exciting. I love camping and I think that more people should be doing it. Scroll down to see my reply.

Hi Gareth
I found your contact details on the website and need some advice. We are on a really tight budget this year and have decided to invest in a tent and equipment to take the family camping. There are 2 adults and 4 children (15,13,6 and 1). We will be starting from scratch and need everything from a tent to pots and pans! Can you tell us where to start? We have a Nissan Terrano (7 seater) so need to consider transporting the equipment too!!
Many Thanks

My answer:

Thank you for the email and for looking at www.walkandtravel.com.

How exciting! You will have immense fun camping and the other great things about it are that you only really need to buy the equipment once and you have it for many years of enjoyable holidays providing it is all well looked after. Camping is a great eco-friendly, wallet friendly and family friendly of enjoying holidays and the great outdoors! Even in the rain...!

Have you read the Walk and Travel Beginners Guide to Camping? This will take you through some of the basic things you need to think about, but I can cover some of them here.

The main things you will to get are:

Tent
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping Mats
Stove or Cooker
Lighting

A lot of the other things such as pots, chopping boards, washing up bowls you can just raid from the kitchen cupboard to help keep the costs down.

When you are looking at tents you will need to consider the who will sleep where and who will want to share space with who. You also need to think about how you will pitch the tent, where you are using the tent and what weather.

If you are doing family camping, I am assuming that you will be camping late spring to early autumn when the weather should generally be fine. A lot of family campers go for a tent that has separate sleeping compartments - bedrooms, and it sounds like you will need 3. Look for a tent that has a central area that you can stand up in and hang out in if the weather isn't so great. Most tents with a central lounge will have a ground sheet so you can all drag your sleeping mats out to sit on, or you can invest in lightweight camping chairs. Some of the more well known brands are Khyam, Wynnester, Vango, Gelert and they all do quite a number of different models.

These tents, because of their size can all be quite heavy and quite hard to put up on your own, so a couple of adults will make things easier. However, 13 and 15 year old children will also be very useful for this. Always have a practice pitch in your garden or a local field before you take it away to make sure it all works and you have everything. This also helps to reduce the amount of time it will take to pitch the tent when you arrive at your camp site.

If you can, try and see the tents up before you buy as this will give you a good idea of what you are getting and how it would look when it is pitched correctly. This is not always possible with some shops due to the size so make sure you talk it through well with the shop owner or person that is selling you the tent.

It is imperative that the tent is totally dry before you put it away for storage or you will get mildew and rot, rendering the tent useless next time you want to go camping.

Sleeping bags come in a range of sizes and warmth and cost. As you are camping out of a car you don't need to get the lightest smallest bags, but you may need to consider this if your children are in the Scouts or going to do Duke of Edinburgh Award Expeditions. Brands to look for again are Vango, Wynnester and Gelert and Millets have their own brands such as Eurohike. For summer camping in the UK, you should look for a bag that is at least two season. If you feel the cold then opt for at least a 3 season bag. Some bags come in mummy shapes that taper with the body, other are square shaped. Most of them will have a full length zip for airing, getting in and out of and loosening off if you are warm. Mummy bags will be a little lighter for their amount of warmth because there is less space for you to warm up when you are snuggling down for the night. you may also get the choice of synthetic or down filled. Synthetic will be absolutely fine for you. (it is much cheaper!).

It may also be worth investing in sleeping bag liners, which are like sheets for a sleeping bag, these cost around £10 and will help to keep the sleeping bag clean and are easily washable. You can make your own from some old sheets sewn together to make a sack shape to sleep in.

Sleeping mats or camping mats or really important as this insulates you from the ground and most of your body heat is lost through the ground. A simple foam mat will suffice and these range from a few pounds upwards. Aim for something in the £10-15 bracket as they will last much longer and be warmer under you. Blow up mattresses are comfy, but can sometimes be cold under you as they do not have any insulation. Combine them with foam camping mats if you want to. You can also buy self inflating camping / sleeping mats which fit well between the two, but can be more expensive, heavy and possibly puncture, so make sure you take a repair kit.

For cooking you will need at least a double burner gas stove. Again, lots of people make these and any camping shop will sell them. Brands to look for are Camping Gaz, Coleman and I'm sure Gelert. You will need a hose and regulator to attach the stove to the gas bottle. Make sure it comes with these. The gas bottles are generally by Camping Gaz and can be a called things such as 901 (idea size). There are also larger blue ones with brass attachments on the top which I have completely forgotten their names, but easily available as a lot gas BBQ's run off them. These gas bottles can be expensive to buy so look in your local free ads, or on Yahoo Groups - Freecycle, to see if you can pick one up cheaply second hand. You can get them refilled at garages and garden centres.

You may also find a stove with a small grill under it, great for a slice of toast of bacon. When cooking take a wok and do big stir frys or any other type of dish such as spag bog and chilli where you can lob it all in to cook together, while pasta or rice bubbles away on the other burner. The only problem you may have is the space on the stove to fit the pots as the stoves can be fairly compact.

Invest in some lighting for the tent. This has moved on a lot in recent years and you can now get some great little led camping lanterns to light things up. It may also be worth investing in head torches for the children so they can find the way to the toilet at night if need be or read in their sleeping bags.

When you are camping always try and plan in advance what to do if it rains! It does happen and you will need things to keep you all occupied, possibly in the tent in the evenings.

There are many many more gadgets and things you can get to take camping, above is the basics. Other things include fold up tables, fold up chairs, solar panels, washing lines, radios, fridges and much more besides.

I hope you find the above useful, I don't sell the tents or stoves, but sleeping bags and sleeping mats I can help you with, along with small lanterns.

All of the gear I mentioned above will be available from a range of camping stores. Good luck, enjoy the camping, love the adventure and if there is anything else I can help you with please let me know.

Rab Quantum Endurance 400 Sleeping Bag

2009-02-02T13:46:00.005Z

Rab Quantum 400 Endurance Sleeping Bag

Walk and Travel are pleased to now be able to offer the Rab Quantum 400 Endurance Sleeping Bag.

Rab make some of the best down sleeping bags in the world. Hand filled in the UK for the best polish goose down with a 750 fill power (the best loft to weight ratio you can get), these sleeping bags have a weather resistant outer to help keep the down dry and are warm down to about -5c (depending on a lot of factors!). Ideal for Mountain Marathons, backpacking, trekking and travelling.

Web competitive price, free delivery.

London Value Restuarant

2009-02-02T12:09:00.002Z

More notes from things I have done!

Had a wekend in London between Christmas and the New Year and there are thoughsands of restuarants to choose from. So many that sometimes it is hard to choose. You just have to take the plunge. Dive in from the freezing weather and see what delights (or non-delights) await you.

Luckily the restaurant we dived into was full of delights. We were welcomed in by the waitress (she was outside touting for business - the only one doing it and it as sooooo cold we decided to take a small amount of pity on her and go in). The restaurant was quite busy, no doubt down to the hard work from the waitress outside.

Mimosa Bar and Grill, 54 St James Street W1 5HS. That is the place. We had the lunch special menu which was just right, portions the right size, very tasty food, £6.95 for the set lunch which is great value for money and everything is cooked on an open charcoal bar b q at the back of the restaurant creating these mouth watering smells. So yes, the food was Greek/Turkish and so lovely. Served with a smile.

What more do you want?

Berlin

2009-02-02T11:32:00.000Z

Berlin Accommodation.

Just going through and tidying up, realising that I have shared nothing about my weekend in Berlin. Yet. Watch out for the Berlin Travel Review coming up on the Walk and Travel Travel Reviews in the next couple of months.

Before that though, a Little insight into the wonderful pension that we stayed in. Highly recommended, very clean, very friendly and a fantastic spread of European breakfast. More than enough to keep you going until your first Bratwurst!

Hotel Bregenz is the place, just ten minutes walk from the main shopping streets of Berlin and of course, a lot of the attractions. Comfortable, quiet, clean and welcoming and one last thing, very good value for money. Especially important now you have to think about the weak pound and all that.

Whilst we are on the subject of the week pound - why go abroad? Explore your local area! More info coming up soon....

Love the adventure;

Gareth Sear
Buy travel accessories for your trip.

Going travelling? Travel Security.

2009-01-30T22:17:00.001Z

Travel Safe. Travel Security. Love the Adventure with Walk and Travel.

It's that time of the year when thousands of young people are heading off on their travels or getting close to heading off. If you know someone who is going travelling get them to think about travelling safely. There are many things that can ruin a trip, but a carefully planned trip has less chance of being ruined. Here are some of my tips for a safe and enjoyable trip where you can 'Love the Adventure' and stay safe.

Learn about the country you are going to.
This is now simple with the Internet. Get other peoples reviews and tips, find out about the culture. I think that the more you can learn about a country the more you will enjoy It. If you know about the people and their customs you will be able to interact with them better. Especially in the more exciting places off the beaten track.

Learn some of the language for the country you are going to.
This is an absolute essential. We all know that in most countries the people that you come across will talk a small amount of English, especially in the tourist areas. But, you learn some of their language, simple phrases such as, please; thank you; how are you?; yes; no; and some numbers and you will be breaking down barriers everywhere you go. More importantly you will be having fun!

Always let people know where you are going. If you said you were going to check in with someone at a certain time, really do make sure you do. It just reduces any anxiety they will feel.

Take valuables in a money belt. In fact keep you valuables in a money belt. It can be a belt that goes round your waste, across your shoulder or on your arm. Just keep the valuables out of sight. I was in Bali once and a friend of mine was walking along with her money belt in her hand, a scooter whooshed by and grabbed the money belt. It went with our tickets to Sulawesi, her money, passport and credit cards. Yes, it should have been round her waste.

Think carefully about your accommodation. If you are travelling on a budget and staying in budget hotels and hostels, think about who else is staying there. There may seem like a lot of camaraderie and you will meet some wonderful people in these places, but there will always be a thief looking for and opportunity to nick things. Again, keep your valuable with you at all times. If there are lockers use them, use a travel padlock to lock the zips on your bag to stop opportunists and lock your bag, with a cable lock, to something solid like a bed leg or seat leg on a train, just to help reduce the chance of people walking off with it.

Trust your instinct. If a place feels unsafe or a situation feels wrong then get out the way. A friend was walking around Amsterdam late one night and sensed that something was wrong, so headed off to a brighter area to find a bar, 5 minutes later they heard a gun shot.

If you are heading off to a country for the first time, book onto a tour for when you arrive. This will help you get a feel for the country and learn about it in a safe environment. You will also get instant friends and these could well make great travelling companions for the independent leg of your journey. When I was in India I travelled independently first and then on a tour. I would rather have done it the other way round! A great travel safe tip if you are on your first trip to a developing country or going on your first ever trip on your own.

Have a look at the Foreign Office website and look at the information they have on the travel advice section by country. There is a wealth of information on there about all the countries in the world.

At Walk and Travel we supporters of the Foreign Office Know Before You Go Campaign. Check out their website for more travel safe tips and advice.

And lastly... Don't forget to get travel insurance. It isn't a lot of money when you think what you may get out of it. I had everything I was travelling with stolen in Morocco once. It taught me to travel light, but more importantly it taught me to have good quality travel insurance as I managed to claim back for everything I lost, even without a police report.

This may all seem like a lot to think about, but you may even need it in the UK!

Travel safe and Love the Adventure!

Gareth Sear
Buy Travel Security Products.
Buy Travel First Aid Kits.

Outdoor gifts.

2009-01-07T21:18:00.000Z

What outdoor gear has been selling well in the last month or so?

Christmas always sees a good amount of outdoor gifts bought. From Mini Maglites to Freeplay Eco Windup Torches. Kids outdoor gear was also a good seller, who could resist the cute kids water bottles? Or the kids rucksacks?

What exciting outdoor or travel gear did you get as a Christmas present? I’m looking forward to the new season in March/April time when I should be getting in some new products at Walk and Travel to help you Love the Adventure more.

Freezing on the hills.

2009-01-07T21:16:00.000Z

Freezing on the hills.

Don’t you just love this weather? I do and I really wish I could get out more on the hills and enjoy it.

The South Downs did manage to entice me out for a walk the other day. It was freezing on the hills, but beautifully sunny and fresh. The local was just out of Steyning, up on the Bostal, which is one of my many favourite views across the downs.

On with the Hiking Books, Han Wag Lima (fully recommended for people with feet like me, if you want to know what my feet are like email me). Out with the thermals – now where did I put them? I took them skiing last year, it was plus 12 C so didn’t need them, I took them trekking in Andorra, just in case, didn’t need them, went to get them out and couldn’t find them – great and still can’t, even out on a night hike last night with my Scouts. Time to invest in some new ones. At least I managed to find my daypack.

The day was clear; the views went on and on. You really can’t beat a crisp winter day for clear air and immense absorbing views. The walk wasn’t very far as the wind chill really did make the temperature plummet, so we just headed up and along the South Downs Ways and looped back and round to the car after a few miles. My chin was numb, why did I leave my fleece neck tube at home? But so worth it, just for the views. But must get sorted with my cold weather gear! Get up onto Steyning Bostal any time of the year but get up their now before the cold snap ends to really appreciate the clear wonderful views across the South Downs and the Weald.

What have you been up to? Have you been walking anywhere and enjoying the slightly chilly weather? Let me know where you have been!

Room to Read

2008-11-30T17:52:00.001Z

Room to Read - Books and International Development going hand in hand.

I’m currently reading a book by a chap called John Wood. Room to Read. I was nearly talked out of it by the lady in the bookshop and steered towards something else that would have had a similar thread. I’m so glad I wasn’t.

This is a fascinating read. Full of interesting stories about how one man give up a top end job at Microsoft to set up the charity, Room to Read. The charity was originally set up when John went trekking in Nepal and went to a school, only to find that their library was locked away from the children and only contained a few books. Books that were irrelevant to young Nepalese children to learn from. Room to Read literally does that. Initially it sent books to Nepal and now it builds school, provides scholarships for girls and works in many developing countries around the world.

John mixes in a lot of his wisdom from Microsoft with the tales from getting the charity set up. There is a lot of feel good stories and John mentions that he puts a lot of working hours and effort into the Charity, but he does make it seem like can be easy to raise fund from your network of friends. Thinking through it some more, John is a very well connected person, he knows a lot of people with plenty of spare cash. In his position at Microsoft and no doubt through his education, he would have met a lot of these people that helped him initially to get the funding in for the charity. I thought that I would never have friends who could organise a fund raiser and bring on over £10,000. Perhaps I do them an injustice.

Go and read the book. It is a story of one mans passion that enthuses many others, one that has a huge amount of drive and tenacity and has a very clear head of his goals and a huge amount of business sense. An enlightening read, drawing together a couple of my keen interests, business, the outdoors and helping people.

John may well have been in a well connected position, he may well have made a fair amount of money working at Microsoft, but he put this all to a very important and very selfless use, helping to educate young people from developing counties.

BBC Documentary

2008-11-30T17:45:00.001Z

BBC Documentary.

Nangpa La Shootings

Who saw the documentary on BBC2 on the 10th November? This horrific story highlighted the horrific lengths that Chinese Border Guards go to stop Tibetans leaving Chinese Tibet, that happened in September 2006.

The Tibetans were aged from 14-22 and at least 7 of them were shot whilst coming down from the mountains after buying safe passage out of the country. I was very sad watching the documentary and saddened by what had happened. Perhaps they shouldn’t have been trying to flee their country, but if they felt that their human rights were being abused, if they were being denied the basic right of an education surely they doing the right thing?

The whole incident was captured by a Romanian cameraman on expedition in the Himalayas and by many other mountaineers looking at climbing Cho Oyu from Nangpa La. Very traumatic for them, but none of them told the outside word immediately it happened. Only when one of them talked to a friend back in the USA did the story start to come out. I hope that none of the mountaineers overlooked the incident, purely concentrating on their goal of climbing a mountain. As Alan Hinkes always said, no mountain is worth a life. And I’ll add whether that is a life of a mountaineer or the life of some young people seeking to better themselves no mountain is worth a life.

No one could have intervened at the incident, the Chinese Government were called to account over the incident and said it was up to them how they protect their borders. I don’t think so. I felt traumatised and very sad that such a thing could happen in such a beautiful place as the Himalayan Mountains.

http://www.walkandtravel.com/

Night hike on the South Downs

2008-11-30T17:40:00.000Z

Walking on the South Downs

Remember Remember the 5th of November, gunpowder treason and plot… It was our intention to head out onto the South Downs on this very evening to look at the fireworks from Lewes and across Brighton.

The start point was Ditchling Beacon car park, with a walk eastwards towards Lewes and their famous bonfire procession. The fireworks are always spectacular and world renown and we were hoping so have a grand view as they lit up the night sky in a myriad of colours, sparks and bangs loud enough to split your ear drums.

We set off and strode across to find a vantage point, we were on a mission to get as far as we could as time was not on our side. We needed to be back at the minibus by 10pm. Slowly the clouds started to wind their ways across the Weald bringing with them the spots of rain that you don’t really want when you have left your waterproof trousers back home.

There is something wonderful about a night hike. I’m not sure what it is. Perhaps the peacefulness of the night, perhaps the companionship of the darkness. We walked with our group of Explorer Scouts along the South Downs Way, most of it unrecognisable from cycling the South Downs Way or from the walks in the daytime. Perhaps that is what makes a night hike wonderful. It is more of an adventure, everything seems different you can’t see the sign posts, but you can see all little pin pricks of house lights and street lights strewn across the landscape, making it look like a different world.

As we hiked with Lewes in our sights, the clouds came in. The few fireworks we could see in the distance all but disappeared. We got as far as we could, time was against us and so was the timing of the Lewes fireworks. We has to turn round. The rain came down and we hadn’t seen a single Lewes firework, then bang, flash and a few fireworks lit up the sky behind us. Then as we crested the next hill, they disappeared from site and the rain, clouds and darkness accompanied us back to the minibus.

It was a very enjoyable 6 miles across along the South Downs Way and back. The cloudy, rainy weather made it feel very desolate, like we were the only people around after some terrible accident. But on the same hand it was very peaceful and you could certainly feel that you were out on the hills. Next year we will get nearer to Lewes so we can see the fireworks properly. Nest year will be full of moon, stars and crisp frost underfoot. Next year, remember the 5th November.

India

2008-11-27T22:07:00.000Z

India

A wonderful land full of wonderful people, smells, colour and vibrancy. It is awful to see the atrocities that have happened in Mumbai over the last 24 hours. It is hard to imagine what the people there are going through. Many of them rely on tourism for their income and indeed survival. From the people at the top who own places such as the Taj Mahal Hotel to the lowly beggars in the street. This will impact across all of them.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has said that only essential travel to Mumbia advisable, but look at the other options for the country after reading through all the information on the FCO website on travel to India.

If you are planning to go, consider your options following the FCO advice, but do try and get there one day. The two months I spent travelling around were two of the most amazing that I spent on my entire round the world trip. You will find something new and interesting at every turn. People will amaze you when you get to chat to them and the busy land and culture will leave you speechless at times. Read an account of the trip to India Rob and I went on.

My thoughts are with the family and friends of all the people affected by the attacks in Mumbai especially those who have so needlessly lost their lives.

It saddens me that some of the greatest tourist areas in the world are being attacked and upsets me that I have been to three of them; The World Trade Centres, The Sari Club in Bali and the Taj Mahal Hotel and Leopolds Restaurant in Mumbai. I've been to these places and met the people that are there and I am sure along with countless thousands know who would have been in these places at the times of attack.

Call it terrorism, freedom fighting, jihad or whatever, but I really hope that the governments of these countries, with support from other governments in the world can find a way of creating peace and unity across the globe.

Repair your old outdoor gear!

2008-11-22T17:28:00.000Z

Repair - don't replace!

This time of credit crunch / recession is seeing a surge in the sales of Walk and Travel repair products for outdoor gear.

McNett are leading the way in products that you can use to repair your old outdoor gear, rather than replacing it. McNett make Gore Tex Repair Patches, ideal for covering up small holes and tears where the water may be getting in, which you don't want for a UK winter walking season. McNett also make the wonderful Seamgrip. Seamgrip is a rubberised solution that you can squeeze out of the tube to hold together tears, replace worn out seam seal tape and fill small holes in everything from outdoor clothing to tents to rucksacks. Always keep a handy tube of Seamgrip with your outdoor gear... just in case.

The last product the Walk and Travel sell from McNett is Freesole, a flexible, water resistant repair adhesive, ideal for sticking the rand or sole back onto your walking boots, trainers or walking shoes.

So, save money during the credit crunch and repair your outdoor gear with Walk and Travels outdoor gear repair products and keep warm and dry out walking this winter. (Saving a few extra pounds for the pub at the end of the walking trail - lovely!)

Mosquito Repellent

2008-11-22T01:35:00.000Z

I've just seen an article on the One Show - on BBC1 - that relates to insect repellent, where they stated that DEET insect repellent is the best you can get. Developed in the 50's by the US Army, it really does work, much better than all the other 'natural' types.

They also mentioned that mosquitoes are attracted to sweat (nice - unlike people I think!) and it is the female mosquitoes at that. However some people don't get bitten as much as they have a natural repellent in their sweat. There is a clever bod in a university who is trying to separate this natural insect repellent so that it can be used as a commercial insect repellent, that doesn't have the disadvantages of DEET.

Interesting eh? So we may soon be rubbing extract of sweat into ourselves instead of DEET.

Watch this space....!

www.walkandtravel.com

Fontainebleau Bouldering

2008-07-01T18:45:00.000+01:00

Fontainebleau Bouldering – Take two.

This was my second attempt at bouldering in Font. Two hours sleep, because, as always I leave my packing until the last thing at night and can never find everything, and then it was time to hit the road.

Why do my friends always insist on a 6am ferry? To go for a climb in the afternoon of course. Unless you get lost in Paris first. It is a 5 hour drive from Dunkerque to Font, but if you take a wrong turn off the main road and then a couple more wrong turns you are in the middle of Paris, seeing the sights, which is all well and good, but I did that on a Paris weekend break earlier in the year.

We finally made it to the municipal campsite in near Font right alongside the Seine, with the massive barges ploughing up and down the river, making any chance of an après climb swim too dangerous. Luckily there was a bar there next to the campsite, so après climb beers it would have to be.

As we arrived at the campsite too late to go for a climb we went for a beer or two. This bar is situated on near the edge of the Seine, with an open sided drinking area and run by a very chatty chap who seems to know exactly what is happening with the weather. Apparently the forecast was for English Sunshine, which roughly translates into rain. Great.

Bright and early the next day dawned on us. Heavy of head from the previous evening we tucked into tea and cake, very English, but in the early hours of the morning, very French. The sun was shining and the rocks were beckoning. The more experienced members of the group worked out where we were going to climb. I’ve no idea where we went, just off to play in the woods, like last time. This is one of the things I love about coming to Font. The rocks are always in the woods or to be more precise the forest. The area is huge and beautiful lush green. You can hear the birds chattering, the wind rustling the leaves as you wind your way along the forest tracks looking for the paint marks, telling you where you start the circuit.

I was advised that the highest climb in Font was 16 meters, which doesn’t sound too bad if you are climbing. It does sound bad if you are bouldering. For those of you that are not in the know, bouldering is like pure climbing, no ropes or harnesses to hinder your way. As the name suggests you climb on boulders which shouldn’t be very high so when you slip, fall or jump off you can just about land in a semi-controlled manner, hopefully without twisting your ankle.

After much apprehension we arrived at the rocks and I was advised that we weren’t at the place with the 16m high climb. Thankfully they said the highest bouldering problem was 8m. With no ropes, even at 8m you still have a great incentive to hold on and finish the climb as your arms are pumping out, fingers sore and feet starting to slip. This happened to me twice. 7.5m up. One problem to get over and I would be at the top safely catching my breath before the often scary descent. Luckily on these two climbs I made it. Plenty of others to fall off that weren’t quite so high.

The day ploughed on with Ed completing the hardest problem of all, no one else could manage it. A feat of strength and skill, balance and poise? No, he was just the skinniest and managed to squeeze through the hole in the rock, with a helpful heave from the rest of us. I’m glad he made it through as I’ve no idea what we would have done if he was stuck. This challenge was part of the ‘white route’ easy little things that kids can play on while their parents are trying out the climbs. Fontainebleau comes across as very child friendly. There are always families there, parents climbing, children playing, babies sleeping until the grand French lunch when the massive picnics come out, rugs piled high with bread cheese, wine, salad and beers. Delightful. As they day drew to and end we completed the full circuit of 42 climbs, exhausted as it started to spit with rain.

The following morning was overcast, it rained heavy at night and we didn’t think that the rocks would be suitable for climbing. We had come a long way for the climb, so consulting our Jingo Wobbly Guide we headed out to an area where the rocks dry quickly. Slightly slimy and pockets of rain on some of the climbs made them a lot harder and a little scarier. Still looking overcast we beat around 10 climbs into submission before the rains started again, this time never to stop. It rained all afternoon and evening, on into the night. The following morning it didn’t stop and the forecast was rain for the next two days. The executive decision was taken to call the trip off and head back home. We played on our neighbours slack line, slung between two trees on the edge of the river, for a couple of hours, something you can just about do in the rain and promising ourselves one when we get back England. Then we headed home, defeated by the ‘English Sunshine’ we brought with us. Still, there is always next time.

Petworth

2008-06-22T22:37:00.000+01:00

I've been meaning to mention.. I went to Petworth House the other week, when it was their spring fair. Just in case there was a plant or something that I wanted to buy. Alas, no such luck with plants or Spring Fair type crafts, but what a wonderful place to go and have a look around. The house is so intersting, with the rooms left exactly how they would heva been hundreds of years ago and some as they would have been when the house was donated to the National Trust. They even had fitted carpets, albeit made from rushes. Under the rushes they would lay lavender to take away the general bad smell you would have had in medieval times.

The Capability Brown parklands are home to a thousand deer, no doubt to provide the food for house - I wonder if they still tuck into them now? I'm guessing the herd must be managed? Anyway, apart from the house, I wandered into the delightful, if nothing too much there of interest, town of Petworth, through the door that leads you straight into the centre of town and discovered...

The most wonderful little tea house. I think I'm sounding old at this comment even though I am only 36. Tucked away in a little back road at 1 Leppards, High Street is Tiffins of Petworth, run by the very jolly Niki Jones and Jackie Crew. Just wondering around the town thinking a cup of tea would be grand, when out of the corner of my eye, I spotted this place, immediatly I was drown to the cacophony of chairs and tables all painted in cheery pastel colours, it looked great. In I went and I wasn't dissapointed with the service. The tea (served in a quant old bone china tea cup and saucer) and the scone were delicious and soon dissapeared into oblivion.

I personally don't think that there is too much of interst in Petworth apart from the Great House and antique shops, but I would certainly recommend going to Tiffins of Petworth, for a cuppa and next time I'm passing I'd like to think I will drop by again.

Gareth Sear
Walk and Travel

New outdoor and travel accessories at Walk and Travel

2008-06-20T22:01:00.000+01:00

It's all go go go at Walk and Travel. I've got lots of new products coming in and this month Walk and Travel has gone Green. Yes I know the logo is partly green, but I'm talking green green, eco green.

Freeplay are one of the leading manufacturers of Wind Up Torches, Wind Up Radios and Wind Up chargers. These eco friendly outdoor products are now available at www.walkandtravel.com, we are selling the Freeplay Mini Companion Wind Up Radio with built in torch and mobile charger - this nifty little outdoor gadget even has a solar panel to charge it during the day if you can't be bothered to wind it up! The Freeplay Sherpa Xray Wind Up Torch is a fab see through design with the award winning winding technology on display so you can see how it works. It will never run out of batteries and using a LED to light your way, you will never need to replace the bulb.

Finally, in our line up of self sustaining, eco friendly camping and travel gadgets is the Freeplay Indigo Eco Lantern, just great for those weekends away camping, evenings in the garden with the chimanea or just taking with you on your travels in case of power cuts and you still want to see when you are playing cards. And of course - they are all at web competative prices!

Weekends Away

2008-06-20T21:14:00.000+01:00

Life moves on at a hectic pace, there are careers to think about, there is the mortgage to pay, the allotment to keep on top of and the grass to be kept trimmed neatly - oh and the small amount of work it takes to run a business from home on top of it all. Some people ask me how I fit it all in. Sometimes I ask that of myself. But, and I'm not sure how, I squeeze it all in along with weekends away.

I like my breaks, the getting away from it all feeling, exploring a new place, getting out into the mountains or hills. It's all about loving the adventure. Because of the pressures of life, no longer are there long lazy travels around the world, you have to snatch a break when you can and this tends to be a weekend away.

This year I've been lucky enough to have a weekend break in Hull, don't laugh - it has a very interesting William Wilberforce Museum and quite a large bridge. I like bridges something really interesting in the way that they are just hanging on in there. Like towers. They just stand there, not caring, a sentinal in a city or a town offering the weekend break adventure seeker a birds eye view of their surroundings. Paris. Is it the best tower to go up in Europe? I think it's fab - apart from the queues. Let me know what the best tower in Europe is.

Well, what got me ranting about weekends away and towers? Oh yes, I've just got back from Dorset, a fab weekend in Burton Bradstock saying in the gorgeous Berwick Manor, just hanging out with my friends and their families. No stress, no computer, just good company, frisbees, small children, beer, wine and great food.

It is amazing how many weekends away you can squeeze in in just six months. Skiing, North Wales, Peak District, all mountian activity trips to balance out the city or town breaks. You need to have a good balance in life.

How are you balancing your life? Tell me about your weekends away and remember to Love the Adventure - it's what life is all about.

New Outdoor Products

2007-12-26T21:50:00.001Z

Well, Christmas has been, the goose got fat and ended up in my tummy.

At Walk and Travel we are expanding our range, slowly but surely. Today saw the addition of the infamous Mini Maglite AA in four colours:

Blue Mini Maglite AA
Red Mini Maglite AA
Silver Mini Maglite AA - my favourite - it's shiny - I like shiny things.
Black Mini Maglite AA

Mini Maglite are a fantastic torch, designed to easily slip into a pocket or handbag and are great travel accessories as they are bright and light and the tail cap contains a spare bulb. If you take off the head of the Mini Maglite you can stand it up in it and, hey presto, you have a small candle lantern, great for playing cards with your travel companions. If you know someone who is going to leave work and head off travelling, or they have finished college and going on a gap year, then this makes one of those great gifts for travellers.

Got quite a few other little things to add on to the website. So make sure you keep popping back to the website and seeing what other little travel gifts you can find or other useful travel accessories.

Weekend Break in Edinburgh

2007-12-17T21:34:00.000Z

It's cold, very cold, it's December and Christmas is just around the corner. What better time to take a weekend break to Edinburgh?

I've been to this fine Scottish City once before, on a day trip from St Andrews with some University friends. And it rained. Apparently it rains a lot in Scotland. However, I wasn't deter ed and thank fully the BBC predicted dry, but very cold weather. Just how I like it. Some snow would have been good, but you can't have everything.

The flights were booked, the hotel arranged, my travel bag loaded (hand luggage size) and off we went on a jet plane. An hour or so later we touched down in the land of the Scots. It was surprisingly easy to get a bus into the Edinburgh City from the airport, you literally go out the front door and there, in a well heated porta cabin is a lovely smiley lady happy to sell you the bargain £5 bus return to Waverly Station, right in the heart of the City. The bus wasn't busy, there was no queue, but then, this is the depth of winter.

A 20 minute brisk walk to our Hotel (Terrace Hotel, Royal Terrace) warmed us through and gave the opportunity to see some of the finest Friday night sights of Edinburgh. Beautiful neo-gothic buildings gloriously lit up and a heaving city square as they have their winter market out, fun fair and ice skating. There was some of the other wonderful sights that cities have to offer, and in my view, more so in Edinburgh; The Teenage Drunk. They were everywhere, loads and loads of under 18, and perhaps more under 16, loitering around shouting, drinking, being sick and generally making the place feel a little salubrious. I guess it was because the fair was in town. I hope so.

The hotel was located at the end of the Royal Terrace, a beautiful row of Victorian terrace houses, that were grand and opulent, though most now converted to hotels and flats. I wondered, as I walked past and peeked in windows what it would have been like to have lived in a whole house in this terrace? Welcomed into the Hotel, which was really a Bed and Breakfast, we were told our room was on the second floor, which was a slight error. We were actually on the third floor, which must have been the servants quarters. A simple room, but immaculately clean with delightful views across to the Firth of Forth. Well worth the hike up 3 floors. I was thinking that these stairs could be hard work if you get quite drunk...Mental note to self, don't spend too much time in the pub.

Saturday started with a beautiful room full of sunshine, and it was time to head down for the dreaded B and B fry up. The B and B fry up. You always take your chances with these, sometimes they are great, other times they are a coronary waiting on a plate. Thankfully the Terrace Hotel offered poached eggs (done perfectly - slightly moist in the middle and ideal for spreading on your toast), grilled bacon, tomato and sausage, washed down with a lovely cup of tea from an amazing leak proof tea pot. A rarity in B and B's and most tea shops.

After a quick walk around this beautiful city admiring the architecture, lusting after the expensive shops, we had lunch a lovely long lunch in a smart hotel followed by Ice Skating in Princes Gardens. Similar thing to Somerset House, but not quite as fancy, no chilled champagne and fancy food, this was more coffee and burgers and coke, but you couldn't fault the surroundings and Christmas atmosphere. Luckily I had my warm, comfortable walking socks so the chill air, ice and boots didn't make the skating too painful on my feet.

An hour or so on the ice, more mooching about the shops and it was time to go to dinner at the George Hotel on George Street for wonderful cacophony of delicious food, Christmas lights and mad Scottish bag pipers running in accompanied by a couple of drummers, made for a great meal... and of course he wine helped it along as well.

The weekend was fast coming to an end, our last night in the B and B, luckily I didn't need to use the AA Maglite Torch I always carry with me. (I think the electricity is fine in Edinburgh) followed by the tasty grease free fry up. We took a slow walk up to the Castle, winding our way through the maze of tiny streets, walkways, up and down steps past many little shops selling lots of wool and whisky products. The Castle is just perched there on the rocks, with a fine view across to Arthur's Seat, something to do next time I'm up here. I can imagine that the view from Arthur's Seat, across the City must be something quite impressive to see. The day continued with shopping, visiting Holyrood Palace and looking at the rather delayed and over budget, different looking Parliament building.

Go to Edinburgh enjoy the history, the architecture, shopping and wonderful food. Stay at the Terrace Hotel because it is so clean, you get a lot of towels and the breakfast isn't greasy. While you are there explore the city and remember to Love the Adventure.

What other things did I take with me?
My Travel Bag - not the Tatonka Holdall for a change (we wanted to go with hand luggage)
Bridgedale Walking Socks - great for Ice Skating
Mini Maglite AA - Travel essential, just in case...
Travel Towel - not needed at the Terrace Hotel, plenty provided.

Ice Skaing at Somerset House

2007-11-25T16:19:00.000Z

Went ice skating at Somerset House yesterday. What an amazing place. Go. They have installed a large ice rink in the middle of the square in front of the beautiful Somerset House. This 18th century neoclassical palace is the the most wonderful setting to go ice skating in the winter. The buildings add such elegance, making you feel like you are skating in one of the 'colder' European Capitals in one of those lovely opulent squares in mid winter. Around the rink they have coloured lighting effects all adding to the ambiance and beauty and not making it too light, thus hiding my poor skating ability. The poor skating ability nearly saw me off to the bar/cafe that they have also installed serving chilled champagne... or more me, hot chocolate.

They restrict the number of people that go on the ice, so it isn't too busy, but beware - there are plenty of children, fearless children, who are throwing themselves all over the place, on their fronts, on their bums and laughing their rosy red cheeks off. It is such a great place to spend an hour or two, before heading up to Covent Garden for drinks and dinner. Go, enjoy and marvel at skating in such a beautiful place, but don't forget to take warm walking socks, hats and gloves. All helps to make it nice and comfortable. And if you are taking kids that like to throw themselves along the ice, take waterproof trousers.

Cyprus Travel Review

2007-11-20T19:21:00.000Z

Package Holiday Hell?

Cyprus Travel Review

Another short break and brief travel review, this time on a package holiday to Cyprus.
Have you ever been on a package holiday? I’ve always felt I was an indepedant traveller, I would never succumb to they types of holidays that the masses go on. I never thought I would trawl the internet into the wee hours of the morning trying to find the cheapest deal on the internet, only to be told the following morning that that holiday had gone… or to be told ‘I’ve no idea how a holiday at that price ended up on the internet for those dates… now let me have a look at what else we can find you”. And so it went on, package holiday hell.

So why did I decide to go on a package holiday? Half term week, latish booking. expensive flights. I was determined to find something cheap through a travel agent, I’d never bought a holiday before from a travel agent – I thought it would be fun. Wrong. In the end my girlfriend rang Olypic Holidays as she was getting frustrated with my constant moaning. Hey presto, after a bit of haggling we had the cheapest holiday we could find in Cyprus during half term week. £439 each, bed and breakfast in the Hylatio Tourist Village in Pissouri Bay. (We had to avoid Aiya Napa – that was one of the conditions of booking a package holiday).

Counting down the days to the off, I was concerned that I didn’t have a wheelie suitcase to put everything in. I was also concerned that I didn’t have enough clothes to take to fill a large wheelie suitcase. I plumped for the trusted Tatonka Barrel Holdall to see my luggage safely to the resort, stuffed full of the usual things that I take on my travels, Victorinox Penknife, Headtorch, First Aid Kit, Travel Towel, Travel Plug Adapter (actually I didn’t need one of these – Cyprus uses the same plug socket as the UK) to be honest there wasn’t a lot of things that I did need. It was one of those holidays where all I needed was shorts, beach mat and a book. I think I might like this package holiday.

Off to Gatwick and onto a Monarch Airbus A300 along with 300 other passengers, including a lot of children. I was concerned that the 4 hours of flying was going to be interspersed with the sweet melodies of children screaming and crying – but I was pleasantly surprised, no crying, no screaming. Perhaps that is one of the bonuses of getting an afternoon flight, that and the delicious Cottage Pie and carrots we had served up. I love airline food and I love the creative way that they pack everything into a neat little package that even contains a delightfully printed table cloth, or should I say table piece of card. It’s great. Am I the only one though? Everyone seems to moan about it. Sometimes I feel sad when using budget airlines as I don’t get to experience this wonderful little bit of airline hospitality.

Into Cyprus and we are carefully directed to a minibus to take us to the hotel. None of this finding out where the busses go from or haggling over the price of a taxi, it’s all done for you. And onto the hotel. We stayed at the Hylatio Tourist Village in Pissouri Bay sounds interesting, almost like a Butlins in the sun, but luckily in reality is a lovely little complex of apartments and houses, a pool, tennis court, bar, restaurant and shop where you can buy yesterday’s Sun. Hylatio Tourist Village is owned and run by Vlad, not that we knew this when he greeted us in the reception all smiley and speaking his best Greek to us. Oh dear. I failed in one of my rules of going to a foreign country, one of my Travel Top Tips. Learn some basics of their language. Make sure you do. I thought that going on a package holiday to a place like Cyprus everyone would talk English. As it turned out, they did. This was Vlad’s humour creeping in right at the start of the holiday. Relieved that he spoke impeccable English we were taken to out rooms and advised that we could get dinner up till 11pm in the restaurant. Time to brush up on my Greek. I felt like a fool not knowing any.

At dinner, we were greeted by out waiter and prime host for most of the holiday, Michael. Determined to make up for my ignorance when I arrived at reception, I asked how he was in Greek and this was followed up with him explaining in English, that he was from Romania working here for the season, so English would be best. Thwarted again. I didn’t bring my Romanian phrase book to impress him with.

Cyprus was glorious. She was in full sun and full heat for us – for the whole week. We couldn’t have asked for better weather. Waking up to the sun coming through the chink in our curtains, slightly dappled by the trailing bourgenvilia of reds and whites that adorned our little veranda. Hylatio was blessed with having a tennis court, and sadly I was never blessed with being allowed a lie as we wanted to have a knock around and the best time for this is before breakfast while it is still cool.

Breakfast was followed by that thing that has always fascinated me. Sitting by the pool. Why would I want to sit by the pool when there was a perfectly good beach ten minutes down the road? Well, I had to try it out and it was a good job we were at the tail end of the season. Already, much to my amusement, there were towels on the sunbeds and no one to be seen. I thought this was just jovial urban (or holiday) myth, but no. People really did get up and put their towels on their favourite sun loungers then disappear off to do other things, like have a lie in. This was a great source of amusement for us, a couple of mornings where we had to get up quite early we would dutifully see people spreading out their towels staking a claim on the poolside loungers, much like an explorer raising his flag on a foreign land claiming it for the crown. I guess the British just can’t escape the old feeling of wanting to expand the Empire. I wonder what would have happened if we sat on one of those loungers saying that we thought they had gone and left their towels out over night? An experiment for next time.

Cyprus is a wonderful country with so much to see and do. On our list was a trip to the Troodos mouontains to go for a walk, Pafos to see the Roman mosaics, Kourion to look at the ancient ruins, a trip into Lymissol to see the old town stopping, by the Flamingos at the salt lake on the way, followed by a trip to Ancient Amathos and one day a drive out to Nicosea to see the last divided city in the world and to cross the green line into North Cyprus, just to have a look. We were here for a week. Plenty of time to fit it all in. But no.

In England it is grey, cold and overcast. In Cyprus it is hot and sunny this is where it goes wrong. After lounging by the pool a trip to the beach is always needed as I love to swim in the sea. The beaches are lovely and clean, European Blue Flag standard and in October hardly busy at all. We rolled out our reed beach mats, towels underhead, stripped off to beach wear, slapped on the sun cream and read. And read. And swam. And read. Then we had a late lunch and realised that the day was totally slipping away as we relaxed into a life on the beach. This happened for two days, total wind down and total absorption into our books.

The rest of week went something like this. Get up, play tennis, have breakfast and be terrorised by the cats (they drew blood from me one day), sit by the pool on the spare loungers without towels no them, head to the beach, lounge around and swim and relish in the nourishment of the sun. Late lunch and then rush off to do something in the afternoon. Make sure you do. As I said earlier there is so much to see and do in Cyprus you need to make time to do, or you can just get so absorbed in doing nothing. It’s easy.

We made it to the Troodos mountains and had an excellent walk on theArtemis Trail, looking at the views and taking careful note of all the natural wonders pointed out by the guide, such as the Black Pine Tree Stump that was still alive despite being cut down many years ago. We also got to the ruins at Pafos, this was a little disappointing as the House of Dionysus was closed and this is supposed to be one of the more interesting houses to see mosaics. However, the other mosaics are indeed wonderful to see and amazing works of art. The rest of the site still needs a lot of work doing to it and I felt slightly disappointed, though the main reason people come here is to see the mosaics. The town of Pafos wasn’t particulary nice, which was probably heightened by the restaurant we ate in with a rather unpleasant meal of badly cooked meat and chips.

Kourion on the other other hand I found really interesting, the amphitheatre, the more complete buildings, more mosaics, it had much more that interested me and it is easy to lose several hours wandering around and thinking about how the site would have been like 1800 years ago. The plan was to head off to Limassol, but, due to the beach we never quite made it and headed back to Pissouri Village for dinner. The other intriguing thing to this holiday was the staff that worked in the bars and the restaurants. We needn’t have bothered learning any Greek. We were hardly served by any Cypriots and Fiona and I started to play the game of guess where the staff are from. By the end of the week we meet staff from, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, India, Bulgaria, England and just about, Cyprus. And people complain about the foreign workers in the UK? I found it interesting meeting all these different people from different places.

Cyprus offers up sun, autumn heat, great food and drink, perfect clean beaches and seas wonderful people and incredible sights to go and visit. For my first package holiday, this was great, apart from the nine hour delay on the flight home, but that could happen anywhere. Definalty not package holiday hell. Go to Cyprus, relax and enjoy.

Top travel tips for Cyprus:

Do learn a little Greek before you go.
Don’t try and plan to do too much. It’ll all be there for anther time.
Hire a car – the busses don’t go to all the beaches.
Think about where you want to stay. Pissouri is very different to Pafos.
Don’t take too many clothes – you really don’t need them.
Try as many different dishes as you can. The calamari and fish are superb. As is Keo Beer.
Play the where’s your waiter/waitress from game. It’s fun and you can get them to teach you some of their language.
They use the Euro from January 2008.
The plug sockets are the same as England so you don’t need a travel plug adapter.
Go to the Troodos Mountains for respite from the heat of the lowlands and see the wonderful views and take in the fresh mountain air.
Go to Kourian, the ruins are very evocative.

Walking in the Peak District

2007-11-20T18:50:00.000Z

Have just had a great weekend in Sheffield (kind of excluding the funeral I went to in Doncaster on Friday) - It's a great city - and so close to the Peak District (should I move up there)I love going out walking on the peaks, my favourite route is up from Edale and over Kinder Scout to Kinder Downs Falls and then back along the Penine Way via Jacobs ladder to the pub, best way to end a fantastic, blustery walk across desolate peat bogs with hardly anyone around.... Get up there! Want to know more about the route - send me an email and I'll ping back all the details.

Make sure you wear your comfortable walking socks, pack your water bottle and outdoor safety gear for walking and of course don't forget your waterproof jacket!

The last month at Walk and Travel

2007-06-22T10:06:00.000+01:00

Life has been pretty hectic over the last month at Walk and Travel . I've got a great new range of products, to include Pacsafe travel security products, Bridgedale Walking Socks, Spenco Blister kits and Foot First Aid and some other little bit and bobs such as Sigg Bottle Cleaners and Sigg Spare Washers for the lids of their water bottles.

When you go through to my site, www.walkandtravel.com you may not find these products straight away as it does take time to load them up! Hopefully over the next two weeks they will all start to appear.

We have also been to the South of England Show, to sell our wares. This was great fun, it is great to be interacting with customers again rather than just selling through the website. What also made it great was the weather, the constant risk of pouring rain and howling winds as we only had a cheap Homebase part marquee, carefully lashed down (we are Scouts after all!), copious amounts of Market Stall clips and a little bit of sellotape to give it that sort of broken glasses look! In the future we will look out for another better quality type tent that means you can sleep at night and not worry about the stock getting wet or blown away!

We did the South of England Show with our friends at www.girlstravelclub.com, so if you want some good girly travel products and advice, then check them out.

The plans for the Poland expedition are coming along well, though slightly changed from not being able to stay at the mountain hut at Morskie Oko, we are now staying at Schronisko Roztoka, about another hour and a half down the valley, this will make our summit bid on Mount Rysy a massively long day. The preparation will need to be stepped up a bit to ensure that we have the stamina for this. The climb alone is likely to be around 1000m. However, we are all sorted and I can't wait to go trekking in the Polish Tatra Mountains. I'm even trying to learn some Polish - not the easiest language to get your tongue around I can assure you. But as I say in the Travel Tips section of www.walkandtravel.com, it is always good to learn some of the niceties of the local language as it goes a long way.

So what has been selling well on Walk and Travel? Currently our best sellers are the Nomad Sahara Raider Bag, the Nomad Sahara Travel Bag, at a bargain 20% discount, Snugpak Sleeping Bags are selling well into the camping season and as ever DEET insect repellent is the must have insect repellent for going abroad. It DEET insect repellent has been proven time and time again to be the most effective insect repellent again biting insects that can spread disease.

Well, that's it from me for now. Happy Walking and Travelling.

Gareth

New Outdoor Gear Reviews and Info

2007-05-17T22:10:00.000+01:00

Well, it was time to update the good ol' site a little bit more. I've now added in some of the great outdoor gear reviews that my customers have sent in. I've also added a few more outdoor gear questions and answers.

Further to this I've also added in some outdoor gear technical information on as well - been worked quite hard.

The outdoor gear reviews are a great place to let me know what you think about gear you buy from Walk and Travel. The reviews added recently are for: Rab Down Sleeping Bags, Snugpak Sleeping Bags, Tatonka Barrel Holdalls and Vaude Tents and Vaude Rucksacks. There's loads more there as well. So go have a look.

Want to know what travel plug adapter to use for the country you are heading off to? I've put in a neat table that show's exactly what travel adapter you need for the country you are heading to.

Ever wondered what you need to repair outdoor gear? McNett make some great products, such as Seamgrip for fixing most things, Freesole for the repair of walking boots and all kinds of outdoor footware, Gore Tex patches for repairing your torn waterproof breathable outdoor clothing and McNett Tenacious Tape for in the field repairs to your outdoor gear. It's all great stuff. The people at McNett are geniuses. Our technical guide tell you exactly how you use these products to repair your outdoor gear and clothing.

Walk and Travel isn't just about selling products, it's about the information that we have on there as well. Got a question about walking boots? Look at our walking question and answer section. Got a question about travel? Look at our travel question and answer section.

A weekend on the Jurassic Coast

2007-05-14T20:29:00.000+01:00

The trusty Tatonka Barrel was again loaded up. In went the Snugpak Sleeping Bag, poi, Frisbee, kite and a change of clothes. Obviously there was a few other things in there as well, such as the Victorinox Penknife (this goes everywhere, knife blade, corkscrew, bottle opener - essential tools when you are off on a trip!).

This is the annual weekend away with my mates. Things have changed recently. Well I say recently, but over the last 3 - 4 years there has been a massive change in my group of friends - Kids. Scary to your average unmarried man who wants to go out and about enjoying himself. Don't get me wrong, I like kids and can they be great at helping you enjoy your day, it's just that I've not been away with 6 kids under 3 years old before. Thankfully all parents were present and I only had to carryout the Godfather duties of entertaining and reign holding. They've stopped the threats of changing nappies. Thankfully Abigail (My goddaughter, is about to be potty trained).

The house we were renting for the long weekend (it was long in terms of time not in terms of having 6 kids there with us) was in Burton Bradstock, a picturesque village on the World Heritage Coast Line of South Dorset. More commonly known as the Jurassic Coast. I'm not entirely sure why I packed my Snugpak Sleeping Bag, because as I pulled up at the house, I buzzed the buzzer, was checked on the cctv for suitability of being allowed in (I think that normally I wouldn't have been, it's just that this time my friends were controlling it) and the huge wrought iron gates slowly creaked open. I'm sure you can now understand why the Snugpak Sleeping Bag wasn't needed - it was a beautiful large country house and of course all linen was provided.

The Tatonka Barrel was grabbed out the boot of my car, along with my guitar, which has made my fingers sore from trying to play it all weekend, a beer thrust into my hand and my spag bog lobbed into the microwave. The evening was then spent catching up, drinking beer and telling tales about what kid had done what on the way down to the house. I think 'The Wheels on the Bus' was the song of choice for most of the young (and not so young) passengers.

A few beers later and a few yarns later I crashed out in my lovely white sheets on my soft bed and slept, looking forward to the lie in. The lie in...It just doesn't happen any more. Why can I no longer go back to sleep when I wake at 7.30 in the morning? I was all ready to blame the kids for making too much noise, but there wasn't any. The biological clock has totally kicked in and makes me get up 8.30 at the latest. I think my clubbing days are over.

The South Dorset Coast is stunning and has several large towns providing an idyllic sea side setting. With these coastal towns there is usually plenty of tourist attractions and we decided on the Sea Life Centre, for the kids, honest. I was excited, I'd never been to one before, the nearest I got was the Dolphinarium in Brighton about 30 years ago. There was plenty to see and we managed to get to just about every feeding event that was going. Black tip reef shark and turtle abound the glass tunnels were amazing ( remember I've not been to one of these before) you get close ups of a sharks belly, turtles nose and some broccoli. Broccoli? What was that doing there? Someone not like their lunch? Ah, of course it was feeding time. And so it went on, feeding penguins, ticking giant crabs, feeding seals, feeding otters and being mesmerised by the cute sea horses, gently fanning their fins to slowly move around the tank. They are so beautiful. So were the rays. The massive ray tank was full of them and about 3 ft high, open topped, strangely easy to drop things in. Oops, was that Gorden's sunglasses at the bottom? Off he went to get them 'fished' out (excuse the pun) only to be told that they were to be put into hazardous biological waste. I didn't know Gordon was so contaminated. Actually he isn't. There is a risk of blindness from a risk of Fish TB, don't ask I've no idea, but Gordon didn't get his sunnies back.

Sunday, wet Sunday. Cabin Fever. The rain was drenching everything. Finally it cleared, the sun came out and so did we. A walk to the beach. On with the trusty Waterproof Jacket and Lightweight Vaude Daypack, loaded up with the kite and off to the beach. The first time I came to Dorset was last year ago for a climbing trip to Swanage. It amazes me why I've never been here before, this coastline is amazing and in full need of exploring fully one day. I feel like I'm in a different country. They say that one of the best drives in the world is the Great Ocean Drive in Australia. Having done that, I feel that this is up to the same standard of coastline. Different, but still awe inspiring. Kite flying, ice creams and covering each other in stones over, we headed back to the majestic country house and settled in for an evening of curry and beer in Richards honour, it was his birthday.

The weekend drew to a close, I headed off to explore some more of this amazing coast line and went down to Charmouth to the beach that I was assured will give me plenty of enjoyment, fossil hunting. The cliffs towered above me, each layer telling a different story of how this planet develop over the last 185 million years or so. In each of those layers are millions of fossils, making for a great couple of hours of scavenging along the coast. The cliffs suffer from massive erosion, due to their soft mud and make up of the various different layers, huge landslips slide down onto the beach deposited tons of rock and mud opening up it's belly for all to see. I found some small ammonites, belemnites and a relief of a shell. Call me sad, but it was very exciting finding these things, yes even at 35 years old. They are so interesting, just seeing them there preserved in the mud and stone in my hand.

I think that my summer holiday could well be spent exploring these beaches and cliffs more. There must be some spectacular walking around here to break up the fossil hunting days and there is some real picturesque English villages and towns. It was a great weekend and I relish the day when I can go back and lose myself in this stunning scenery again.

Nomad Sahara Raiders and Trangia Cookers.

2007-05-11T10:17:00.000+01:00

Hey y'all.

I find the internet an interesting place, and it amazes me how things sell off my website. SEO is a dark art - but I love the challenges of it!

I recently ordered in quite a number of Nomad Sahara Raider Shoulder Bags and these are flying out! I have to admit the manufacturer and supplier have got it quite right. They are a very cool bag, mine is looking great now it is worn in a bit and a little grubby. They are just the right size for everything - sadly mine get used mostly for carrying a laptop in and going to the office. The odd trip is does make is now mostly in the UK, but it handles this well! Let's face it, the bag has travelled a lot any way, it was made in china. The good old (looking - it's retro) Nomad Sahara Raider. I love it.

Another great product I've got and is selling well is the Trangia Cooker. This is something of a childhood memory. I used these a lot in the Scouts. They were heavy then, not the ultralight version that is available now. We used them on backpacking expeditions, trips to Scandinavia and the Alps. Awesome trips. We also used them as fondues in our evening programmes. I don't know if you are aware, but a Trangia Cooker runs of meths. A great fuel, only burns a vapour, you drop a match into it and the bottle won't explode as petrol would. One of the things about meths is that the flame is virtually clear. The golden rule of using a Trangia Stove is to make sure that the flame is fully out before refilling the burner. I didn't. I will always double check in the future. As I poured it into the burner which was still alight I spilt some and this caught fire, resultant mess on the wooden table. As with all types of stoves, gas, petrol, meths, you need to be very, very careful when you use them. Having said that, a huge amount of youth groups, such as Scouts and Duke of Edinburgh Award use the trusty Trangia Cooker as it is a safe, stable, compact group cooker that comes complete with windshields, pots and pans. What more could you ask for?

Got a question about outdoor gear? Try me out!

New to blogging

2007-05-09T20:20:00.000+01:00

I'm new to all of this blogging lark and I was wondering how I can get people to look at my blog? I'll need to do some research. I thought there would be a search facility on the front/home page or something, but I can't really find anything. How do I search out other peoples blogs?

Well, I've not booked the flight and some accommodation for the trip to Poland for walking in the Polish Tatras. Flying with Ryan Air - from Stansted flight at 6.10am. Leave Horsham at 1am - great! Booked the flight direct on the Ryan Air website -coming in at about £71, only to have to add on another tenner as I wanted to take luggage! Honestly! Why didn't they mention that in the price to start with, cheap airline? Watch out! British Airways were only £30 more expensive and that was from Gatwick - crap flight times though. The accommodation we booked through www.hostelbookers.com and chose the cheap, but well rated Seventh Heaven Hostel in Krakow. will let you know what it is like when I am back.

It's useful having your own outdoor gear website, as I've been reading that you need to take a lightweight sleeping bag, I'm taking a Rab Quantum 250, lucky me, and a karrimat to sleep on in the mountain huts if there are no beds. I get the pick of the outdoor gear. That'll do me. I like Rab Sleeping bags, they are the best, well made and lovely to sleep in. (I think it is a fabric thing, goes well with the silk liner).

Mountain Leader Training

2007-05-06T11:04:00.000+01:00

Has anyone out there done their UK mountain leader training? I was wondering how beneficial you found it. I'm thinking of doing mine and trying to squeeze it in before I take my Scouts to Poland trekking in the Tatras Mountains. Main reason for this is because I was on an Expedition Medicine Weekend (run by Forest Knights in the sunny West Sussex countryside) and the guy who was running it asked me if I had a lost person policy and plan, i.e. what I would do if I lost one of my Scouts when I am out. In the mountains I imagine this could be quite important. So you learn how to deal with this on a Mountain Leader Training Course? Group management - I hope so. I think I'll do some reading up on it.

I'm also thinking about what kit I'll take and there will have to be a confidence rope in my day pack as well as the usual suspects of an Expedition First Aid Kit, survival bag and a group mountain shelter.