Regatta

Christmas gift ideas for £10 and less

With limited budgets, many Christmas shoppers are keen to find bargains and lower-cost presents this year. So where do you set your gift buying price limit? £30? £20? Well, we reckon that £10 is a good goal. Perhaps you're keen to fill the kids' stockings, or you're looking for the perfect secret Santa gift? An outdoor clothing gift, including hats, tops, t-shirts and walking shoes could be the answer to your gift buying prayers.

Guide to Christmas gifts for £10 or less

Regatta Outlet has a host of great gift ideas, including outdoor clothes and accessories for men, women and children. Here we bring you a few ideas.

Great gift ideas for women

Fun and practical, the cosey beanie is priced at £7. This winter warmer hat comes in five colours and features pretty button detailing. Ideal for mum, gran, auntie or girlfriends.

Funky Wellington socks with a wealth of features, including anti-bacterial treatment, Terry-loop softness and longer length. Priced £10.

Warm and cosy Calm Sea pullover in lots of colours and a soft touch fabric. There is button neck detail and an adjustable hem to ensure the cold never gets in.  All this warmth and softness for just £8.40.

Water repellent and wind resistant. This is a lot of body warmer for only £9 (reduced from £30). Choose this great gift for anyone who likes to spend time pottering in the garden, strolling through the countryside or keeping warm indoors when it's very cold out.

Great outdoor clothing gift ideas for men

High-performance, sweat-wicking baselayer t-shirt for just £3. Impossible? Not when it's discounted from £10. The price doesn't mean that the Regatta Ellis t-shirt compromises on style either. This would suit teenagers, dads, uncles, grand-dads or any work colleague for whom you are buying the dreaded Secret Santa gift!

Supersoft, mid weight Sheldon fleece that is ideal for family walks in the countryside or more adventurous outings into the mountains. All for just £9! 


Pop a double skinned funky design winter hat under the tree for your man. The Blocky hat is perfect for skiing, winter walking or giving the garden a winter tidy up. Priced at £5.60.

Brilliant outdoor clothing gift ideas for kids

Buy a hat, gloves and t-shirt and still have change from a tenner. Just take your pick and add to santa's stocking for lots of colourful surprises on Christmas morning.

Wainwright Junior walking shoes for mini outdoor explorers. These shoes are perfect for mucking about with pals outdoors or taking on a few walking adventures with the grown ups. Priced at £9 they are a prefect stocking filler.

Funky mitts for funky kids. The gloves are great for general outdoors play, snowball fights and skiing holidays. Priced £9.10.

 

 

 

A beautiful walk at Loch Lomond

On our way back from Fort William, we stopped off at Loch Lomond overnight. We stayed in a beautiful cottage with views over the Loch, attached to the very lovely The Royal Oak in Balmaha.

Having not been to Loch Lomond before, and arriving in darkness, I wasn’t sure what to expect. When we woke up, the view over the Loch was amazing, with deer wandering around on the shore. After a very good cooked breakfast in the hotel, we parked our car on the free carpark by the visitor centre. (It was just opposite the hotel.)

I had found a walk the night before on my mobile phone, the link is shown below http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/lochlomond/conic-hill.shtml

The walk was relatively short, but steep, and promised stunning views over Loch Lomond. We headed towards the back of the carpark, and joined a path by an information board, immediately taking the right fork. The path went through the woodlands on a gentle slope, before heading to the left and through the woods, following the Thistle symbols of the West Highland Way.

The path here was pretty slippy and tricky, going over the root systems of trees, before climbing up some steps to a gate out of the forest, with a view of Conic Hill ahead. The path then climbs steeply with steps cut into the hill, leading to the gap between Conic Hill and its closest neighbour.

We continued on the main path, curving around between the two hills, the ground was really wet and boggy here. Again, I was grateful to my Regatta Ghyllbeck boots for keeping my feet dry! This is the point of the walk that you start to get some good views of the Loch behind you. The path is steep and boggy now as it heads around the back of the hill. We could tell that we had a drink the night before, and that we hadn’t been doing as many walks as usual as the final climb up to the summit of the hill really took it out of us!

Once we reached the summit, we were really glad that we had persisted as the views over the Loch, taking in the islands on it were stunning. Conic Hill is on the Highland Boundary fault, and the variety in the landscape is fantastic. You can see Ben Lomond and the Arrochar Alps in the distance.

We headed back down to the carpark, following the path we took on the way up.

We will definitely head back to Loch Lomond in the future, as there are so many walks available to do from there. Again, it is true that we could do so much more if we were able to read maps. Last year’s New Year’s Resolution was to exercise more and to do a lot of walking. I have been successful in that. Next year, I want to learn to read maps.

Women = men in the Scottish mountains

A weekend in November, walking in only a baselayer, a waterproof jacket, walking trousers and occasionally popping on a hat and gloves, seemed quite unbelievable. Added to the unseasonably "warm" weather, I was also amazed to see so many more women walking the Scottish hills. Keeping a tally over a total of four Munros and two days of walking I counted an even number of men and women. This has never happened before!

My partner and I are keen Munro baggers. My other half has recently completed his first round of 283 Munros – Scottish mountains with a summit of more than 3000ft or 914m – taking some three years to do so and now he is intent on helping me to do the same. So we have walked a great deal in Scotland over the last few years and seen a lot of other walkers. On an average day of walking we might pass an average of around five or six other walkers. Some days the number is a dozen, other days it is zero.

But the number of women is never as high as the men. Until this weekend. On Saturday, while walking Bideannam Bian and Stob Coire Sgreamach, we gave a friendly nod to nine men and nine women. On Sunday walking Buachaille Etive Beag and its two Munro peaks of Stob Dubh and Stob Coire Raineach we nodded and chatted to eight men and eight women. 

Now I can't decide if I am more delighted by the superb weather or the fact that so many women were out walking. Of course, there is no reason why there should be more men walking in Scotland than women. Gender doesn't dictate fitness or the ability to navigate. Some women may prefer not to walk solo but the same is true for many men. It just seems to be the case that fewer women traditionally choose to walk Scotland's mountains.

But over the years I have seen a few changes. Greater numbers of women are signing up to hill skills and navigation sessions. Increasing numbers of women see walking as a great way to get in shape and socialise. And the style and availability of female-fit outdoor clothing has been witnessed in almost every on-line outdoors store and high street shop.

Women are also more likely to share the tasks of childcare at weekends in the 21st century and so, while historically men would have escaped the household duties each weekend for an outdoors adventure with their male friends, today women and men take their turn to stay at home or go away with friends.

It was still surprising, however, to see so many women hiking the mountains this weekend. They ranged from first-time Munro baggers to women walking with a female friend and clearly in command of a map and GPS. They were all wearing stylish outdoors clothing and they were all smiling broadly. That's not to say that the men were in anyway grumpy, it's just that I noticed the women and almost all of them stopped for a friendly chat.

There have been many weekends when my partner and I have passed no other women while walking the Scottish mountains, so you can understand my excitement to find the tally of women equalling men this weekend. 

If you were a woman out walking in the UK this weekend tell us where you went.

Gentle walks in the Scottish Highlands

A couple of weeks ago we headed up to Gretna Green to get married, and then continued up to Fort William in the Highlands for a short honeymoon. We stayed in a village called Corpach on the edge of the Loch.

Fort William is a fantastic stepping stone to the great outdoors, with ample opportunities for walking, climbing, skiing and watersports. Due to the time of year, and it being a combination of relaxation and walking that we were looking for, we didn’t walk every day.

On the first day that we were there, we drove up to Loch Ness, and on to Inverness. The countryside in the Highlands is stunning. We spent a lot of time parked at the side of the road admiring the scenery. We were both thankful for our waterproof jackets as the rain didn’t stop all day!

The following day we were determined to get up and out into the great outdoors regardless of the weather. The plan was to check out Glencoe, have some lunch, and then if we had time, head to Glen Nevis as we don’t have the necessary skills to consider climbing Ben Nevis alone.

We headed to the Glencoe visitor centre, in the hopes of getting some advice from the Rangers and perhaps an idiot guide leaflet of a walk, as we still haven’t learned to read maps! We were unlucky on the day and the rangers were out on the mountain dealing with an incident. We had a look at the leaflets available, but there wasn’t much there. There was a lowland woodland walk, which was pretty enough, but presented us with no challenge. There was much discussion between us at this point about the fact that we really need to learn to read maps!

After the short woodland walk, we headed to the visitors centre at Glen Nevis. There was a really helpful lady in there who sold us a leaflet with 8 walks with maps. They were just our level – idiot guides with simple instructions! We were advised that walk number 5, Nevis Gorge and Steall Falls was a lovely and challenging walk.

We had some lunch in a local pub and then headed to what we thought was the start point and parked the car. We then followed what we thought was a path, before realising that the road continued as a dirt track. We followed the dirt track for about 3km, steadily climbing, with the views behind us of the River Nevis and the Lower Falls getting more beautiful with every backward glance. Eventually, we reached the carpark where we were meant to park, and the start of the actual walk.

We were walking through woodland, following the gorge path along the river Nevis. The path is pretty steep at times and narrow, so the leaflet does warn that you need sturdy walking boots. My Regatta Ghyllbeck boots were perfect for the occasion, as at times we were walking through torrents of water coming down the side of the gorge. My feet stayed dry! I would be lying if I said there weren’t times when I was scared following the path. It took all of my courage to pass some points as I am scared of heights and parts of the path were very slippery. The leaflet was clear with its warnings about the strength of the current in the river too, and advised not allowing dogs to go near the edge.

After about 2km of picking our way over the rocky pathway, we reached a wooden walkway, clambered over a few rocks, and were brought out into the very lovely Steall Meadow. Steall Meadow gives you a fantastic view of the impressive waterfall that gives into the river, called An Steall, which featured in a Harry Potter film. At this point, we could have continued on across the meadow, and tried our luck crossing the river on a wire bridge. However, we were concerned about getting back through the gorge and to the carpark before the light faded.

This was a fantastic walk, and upon reading the rest of the walks available on the leaflet, we were sorry that we were not due to stay in Fort William for longer to see some more of the fantastic countryside. We really loved the Highlands, and are glad that we finally made the time to get up there. I have always adored the Lake District, but the Highlands outclass them at every stage.

Where you can walk in the UK is a complex business,

“Where you can walk in the UK is a complex business, with different Footpaths, Bridleways and BOATs!.  Here, Andrew White from the walking website Walks Around Britain, explains all about Public Rights of Way.”

Public Rights of Way is the official term for Public paths in the UK - these give everybody the opportunity to enjoy the Great British Outdoors.

Public Rights of Way are most associated with the countryside, but there can be through towns and cities as well as remote moors and dales.

They can be wide tracks or narrow paths but they all are highways in law – just like normal roads for motor vehicles.

On all types of Public Right of Way you can take a pushchair or wheelchair if the path is suitable, although many are across farmland so may have an uneven surface and may have gates or stiles. You are also allowed to picnic on Public Rights of Way, but remember to take your litter home.

You can also take a dog, but it must be kept under close control, especially when near livestock. Please be a responsible dog owner and clean up after your dog - it is an offence to allow your dog to foul on a Public Right of Way. Also, make sure your dog does not stray off the path or you may be committing trespass against the landowner, and you could be asked to leave.

 

 

There are four different types of Public Rights of Way – and these may be marked along their route with signposts and coloured arrows…

 

Footpaths

(Yellow arrow)

Footpaths are for walkers – including prams, pushchairs and wheelchairs - but remember that some paths, particularly those in the countryside, may not be suitable for them. Dogs are allowed on Public Footpaths although you may have to keep it on a lead or under close control.

There is no right to ride a cycle along a public footpath, although individual landowners may permit cycling on some routes which are public footpaths – and these are usually signed to indicate that cycling is permitted. As it is an offence to cycle on a footpath without the permission of the landowner, is it always wise to check first.

 

Bridleway

(Blue arrow)

Bridleways are for walkers, horse riders and cyclists. You can also lead a horse along a bridleway. Cyclists must give way to walkers and horses. You should be aware that some bridleways are not physically suitable for cycles.

 

Restricted Byway

(Plum arrow)

Restricted byways are for walkers, cyclists, horse-riders and horse-drawn vehicles. Mechanically propelled vehicles are not allowed on restricted byways.

Byway open to all traffic

 

(Red arrow)

Byways open to all traffic (or BOATs for short) are for walkers, cyclists, horse-riders, horse-drawn vehicles and motor vehicles.

 

Highways authorities are legally required to put up and maintain a signpost at every point where a footpath, bridleway or byway leaves a road – and the sign must state what type of Right of way it is. Often these are the familiar thin white text on a green background ones, but on a right of way, waymarkers might be posted at certain intervals to show you a route. These are coloured arrows usually in a circle and they are standard colours across the country.

There are several ways of finding out about Rights of Way and Ordnance Survey (OS) maps are the easiest way. The most useful OS maps are Explorer series (1:25,000 scale) – these show all public rights of way and permissive paths in green. The Landranger series (1:50,000 scale) show public rights of way in red but doesn’t show as much detail. You can buy OS maps online here or if you just want to look at an area, Bing Maps have both 1:25,000 and 1:50,000 scale OS maps on their website.

If you have a problem using a right of way because of an obstruction, poor maintenance or a misleading sign, you could help others using the path after you by reporting it to:

the National Park Authority if it’s in a national park

the local highway authority for land outside national parks – you can contact them through your local council

the Forestry Commission in woodland

Local authorities, landowners and land occupiers all have a duty to keep public rights of way open and useable.

In Scotland, things are done a little differently than in England and Wales. A Right of Way in Scotland is any route over which the public has been able to pass for at least 20 years and must link two public places, for example, a village, church or road.

Unlike England and Wales, Scottish local authorities don’t have to signpost or mark a right of way and also Ordnance Survey maps for Scotland don’t show Rights of Way.

There’s more information about walking in Britain along with walking routes and walking videos on the Walks Around Britain website (walksaroundbritain.co.uk)

 

Katie - Ecologist and tree officer

My name's Katie and I work as an ecologist and tree officer for a local authority in the south Wales valleys. I started working in the environment sector pretty much straight from finishing a degree in Biology at Cardiff uni. It's a competitive sector and I was one of the lucky ones who managed to find a job relatively quickly, undertaking only six months of conservation volunteering (which is nothing in this industry!) before landing a job in the world of environmental consultancy. This first job involved undertaking surveys on development sites to look for protected species , like badgers, bats and newts, and recording what plants or trees were growing on the site before coming up with a plan of action  to mitigate for their loss . It was a great way to start out in the industry and I learnt a lot in those first few years. 

Now I work in the countryside team of a small south Wales local authority ,  spending part of the week working as an ecologist undertaking projects related   to our local nature reserves and the remainder of the week  helping  the tree officer in the running of our tree survey programme. This means that an average working week can be hugely varied involving lots of working outdoors. South Wales may be a very beautiful part of the world  but  it isn't renowned for it's sunny climate, so good outdoor and wet weather gear is essential!

There is no such thing as an average week but I'll give you a flavour of the type of work I do; this week started with a study day in the great oak hall at Westonbirt Arboretum, where I'm training for my Level 4 certificate in Arboriculture. I love these fortnightly college days as I get to talk to all kinds  of tree professionals and learn vast amounts that really help with my tree officer job. This is a particularly new and exciting area of work for me and the level of knowledge that my peers have can sometimes seem daunting , will I ever know that much...?!  

Then back into the office on Tuesday and a quick cup of tea before heading straight out for the weekly round of tree surveys. Again another favourite as I get to see parts of the borough that I never normally see and discover new and exciting trees that I didn't realise we had. On the surveying days a lot of time is spent driving from site to site so the shoes (Lady Formation X_LT) proved perfect as they are robust enough to wear on our urban sites but also soft enough for driving around town, which saves time and the hassle of changing my footwear constantly.

Wednesday involved another site visit, this time in particularly bad weather . I was joined by the Rights of Way Officer to survey one of our local nature reserves for access issues. The coat (Alycia 3-in-1 Jacket) came in extremely handy today as the rain was pouring down. The peaked hood proved great at stopping rain dripping on my face making seeing and writing  notes easy, whilst the Velcro wrists prevented water running inside the cuffs and the water proof zippers ensured my mobile phone stayed dry, so a pretty successful morning! The afternoon was spent in  the warmth of the office writing up the mornings survey results and coming up with ideas for  improving  the site, now I just need to find some funding to implement it, any offers anyone?!

Another wet day on Thursday and another meeting on site, this time with officers from two national organisations and a local river restoration expert. The aim - to try and come up with a plan of action for restoring a small section of river on one of our ex-industrial sites, an old colliery turned local nature reserve. The heavens opened just before the meeting and a good drenching ensued. During days like this decent wet weather gear really makes all the difference between a miserable days work (and achieving very little) to actually getting a job done. In the end a successful morning with plan of action agreed and an offer of funding - result!

A quiet (and dry!) end to the week working in the office on Friday, writing up a management plan for one of our candidate local nature reserve, the surveys were completed in the summer and now is the time to complete the plan and agree   it with the relevant organisations. Hopefully this time next year the site will be fully designated, fingers crossed!

 

You're never too old or too young to be a top walker

We're thrilled to hear about two great stories of walking achievements. First is six-year-old Jack Anderson, of Hebden Bridge, who has already walked to the summit of more than 10 mountains, including the highest in Scotland, England and Wales. The other is 97-year-old Ulrich Weigert, of Sheffield, who, despite his age, still walks an hour every day. Both stories highlight a love of walking and the great outdoors of two people with an age difference of more than 90 years.

Young Jack power walks up hills

According to his 50-year-old dad Patrick, Jack powers up hills and often leaves his dad in his wake. It was at the age of just five that Jack decided that he wanted to climb the country’s highest hills. Despite failing in his first attempt at Skiddaw in the Lake District because of severely low temperatures, he was determined to try again and three weeks after the first attempt he was back on Skiddaw, this time wearing thermals. Jack and Patrick reached the summit within three hours.

Patrick recalls that while he suffered with sore legs for several days afterwards, Jack recovered very quickly and was instantly talking about taking on his next hill.

Over the next few months Jack and his father ticked off another nine mountains, including Helvellyn, the highest in England. March this year saw the pair summit Scafell Pike, then came Great Whernside in April, Ingleborough in May and Penyghent in June. Over the summer they ticked off Cross Fell, Knock Fell, Old Man of Coniston and Whernside, which took Jack's tally to 10 mountains.

The Jack decided he wanted to add the highest peaks in Scotland and Wales to his total. In August he climbed Britain’s highest, Ben Nevis, and in October he summitted Snowdon. 

Asked about his love of walking, Jack is reported as saying: "The best bit is that you are out in the fresh air and the views are lovely. And I love the terrain and having a scramble.”

Almost 100, but still walking an hour a day

Ulrich Weigert, who lives with his wife Barbara in Ecclesall, near Sheffield spent his early years living in Germany and walking in the Bavarian Alps – and he's still doing more walking than the average person at the grand age of 97. Ulrich puts his continued good health down to his daily walks of up to an hour each time. He is also the oldest member of Sheffield Health Walk group.

The retired steelworker and grandfather, who spent his early years in Germany, said: “I’ve been walking since childhood. Before I was 10 years old I was climbing mountains that were more than one kilometre high and I have carried on ever since. I still try to walk for around one hour a day although I have slowed down a bit these days.

“My favourite walk is along the Porter Valley where I like to see the wildlife, such as herons and kingfishers.”

Ulrich, who came to Sheffield in 1947 and worked for United Steel Companies, credits his fitness to leading a healthy lifestyle. “My father was a doctor and I come from a non-smoking family and look after myself,” he said.

So, these two stories show, that you're never too old or too young to enjoy walking - and all the benefits that it brings. Do you have any stories of youngsters or oldies who have walked their way to great achievements?