#5-hammers

What converted me to Nordic Walking is that it improved my walking – I get out and about on two feet a lot – having a dog tends to do that. I’ve always been a fast walker but it transpires that I’ve not been very efficient and my posture tends to make people wince. Adding these poles has straightened my back, and my stride and gait have improved no end and going up hills is now child’s play!

Once you’ve ooh-ed at how nice it feels on, you simply forget that you are wearing it – it is THAT comfortable. Over the past couple of months, this dress has been shoved into backpacks, trudged around Europe’s largest outdoor trade show, up a few of Shropshire’s hills, indulged in some tree pruning and to Tesco’s.

The aluminium-bodied Divide+ is a simple affair with one crucial difference which torch-users all over the world have universally been failing to cry out for since the dawn of time: if you twist the head it disconnects the contacts from the batteries to supposedly save juice.

The Kinesis has been a firm favourite for everything from hiking to hanging out. It’s rarely too warm or too cool to be worn comfortably, and looks as good on men and women, at the shops or on the hill.

In terms of cooking, the griddle is ace. It’s flat on one side and ribbed on the other, and quite easy to clean (although you need a big kitchen sink!). The heat is pretty even, with sausages at the edge browning slightly slower than the middle, but with minimal shifting needed to keep things even.

I really rate these socks. They keep my feet comfortable, dry, safe, protected and rub-spot-free no matter what activity I undertake in them. And I have to say they are my preferred choice every time I look for a pair of socks to wear.

All in all the wanderer boots are a great piece of footwear. They give a little more insurance than a standard pair of walking shoes, and come in at about the low end for a pair of boots pricewise.

These boots are quite simply superb in every possible way. As you take them out of the box and feel, smell and look at them for the first time quality oozes from the beautiful hand stitched nubuk (NBK) leather