Beehives in the Fields

26/01/2012 By

Bees in January?

As you would probably imagine, as someone who has a blog about outdoor pursuits, I spend quite a bit of time out in the countryside, walking and cycling, and have done for quite a few years now. Up until about 2 years ago I had never seen a beehive, however in the last 2 years, or particularly last year, I saw loads. They say honeybees are in decline, but looking at the number of hives which are dotted around the countryside, I find that quite hard to believe.

bees flyingI saw some the other day in the corner of a farmers field. I suppose the hives are usually hidden from view in the summer, as there are a few bushes and long grass around them, but at this time of year, they can be seen quite clearly. So never having seen one up close, I rode over to take a look.

They were strange old things, not the straw skeps which you see in books, but polystyrene hives, they were a kind of green colour, but definitely looked like they were made of polystyrene, or some kind or artificial plastic, in fact when I first got over to them I thought it was just a load of old packing crates, I couldn’t get right up close as there was a fence around them, well, I could have but didn’t want to because as I got close I realised that the bees were coming and going from a couple of the weird looking polystyrene hives, (there were a couple of wooden ones too, but there was no activity from those) I’m pretty sure they are honeybees as they were obviously being looked after and I don’t think any other type of bees make honey, so there is no reason for a beekeeper to home or care for them.

The thing I found strange about that is that why would honeybees be flying around in the winter time? They live on the nectar from flowers, and I don’t know about your neck of the woods, but there are definitely no flowers around here in January, surely they know that! It was a fairly warm day, but I would have expected them to have been in hibernation, or whatever bees do for the winter, as they are really just wasting their time flying around, they certainly won’t find any food.

Now, I do know that bees swarm to slit their colony and create a new one, but swarming is in the summer, I only know that because a friend had a swarm settle in a tree in his garden when I was a kid, we watched the beekeeper cut the branch off and take them away, great fun as a kid, but it was definitely summer as we were in t-shirts and playing in the garden when his dad spotted them.

Anyway, why are there suddenly so many hives about?  I’d love to know if anyone can tell me why this is. I must have seen about 20-30 hives in January so far, although I suppose to be fair, the scrub is all down and I have been out walking and cycling more than usual, due to the particularly nice weather we’ve been having. Perhaps there are more beekeepers around than there used to be too.

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SAS Survival Handbook

31/03/2011 By

Learn how to Survive in the UK with the SAS Survival Handbook

First written by John “Lofty” Wiseman an SAS survival expert, over 20 years ago, this is the new updated version. Since this book was first released many copy type books have also been released, however none as authoritative as this and therefore have not come close to this international bestseller.

Lofty served in the SAS for 26 years and was their chief survival instructor, so if you are going to listen to one persons advice about survival techniques, make it his!

The book covers a wide variety of situations and techniques from the most resilient, resourceful and eco-friendly must have kit, to coping mechanisms and how to react, keep calm and manage hostile environments. The aim is not just to teach you how to survive certain situations, but how to cope with any situation.

This book is complemented by another best selling book Food for Free by Richard Mabey, specific to the UK covering all manner of wild foods which are available through the seasons, includes fungus, shellfish and seaweeds.  I have this book and since buying it am quite likely to add a pinch of hairy bittercress or a few dandelion leaves to a salad these days, and that’s just from what grows in my garden.

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Boundary Soft Shell Jacket

30/03/2011 By

Layer up with the Boundary Softshell Jacket

If you need a softshell you could do a lot worse than the Boundary. Often part of a superb layering system, you could do a lot worse than than choosing this jacket, it’s stylish, wind-proof and water repellent, so there is no need to stop and get your waterproof out of your rucksack at all if it’s just a light shower.

The Softshell Boundary Jacket Softshell Boundary Jacket has a full length front zip, with adjustable hem, cuffs and neck, so you can really keep the wind at bay. It is available right now in the sale for just £26, which is a 60% discount from it’s original price of £65, so you will probably need to act fast as these will undoubtedly be sold very quickly.

This jacket is available in either cedar green or clove.

Click the product image to buy or check availability of colours and sizes.

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Best Waterproof Jacket for under £20

30/03/2011 By

Terrace Waterproof Jacket

I’ve just found a right bargain from the Regatta Outlet website, it’s a lightweight, waterproof jacket for under £20 which looks good too. They have it for £16.50 at the time of writing this, it was £55 previously, so that’s a discount of 70%.

Waterproof Jacket TerraceTerrace Lightweight Waterproof Jacket

It has an adjustable concealed hood and is made from Isotex coated Taslan fabric, so it’s waterproof yet breathable, an essential combination to keep you dry, as non breathable fabrics will trap any perspiration inside the jacket and with prolonged wear this can make you wet inside the coat.

The taped seams further add to it’s waterproofing ensuring that water does not seep in through the seams, this can be a problem with many cheaper waterproofs and a real problem on wet and windy days.

With plenty of pockets too, I very much doubt that you could find a better jacket in the UK for under £20!

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NosiLife Insect Repellent Hiking Socks

29/03/2011 By

Antibacterial and Insect Repellent Hiking Socks for Men and Women

Have you ever been out hiking for the day and had an insect bite on your ankle or even right inside your boot right at the start of the day, which drives you insane for the rest of the day as it gets more and more irritated and sore? Well those days are gone, with the new Nosi range of clothing from Craghoppers.

What a fantastic idea! A hiking sock which will repel insects and also has an antibacterial treatment to keep feet fresh.

Those clever people at Craghoppers have come up with the perfect hiking sock for the summer, it’s a cooling sock which is extremely breathable, however if you are anything like me, come summer your ankles are eaten alive in certain terrain, well, these socks are impregnated with a powerful insect repellent treatment (which is not removed by washing) along with an antibacterial treatment, so you will have lovely sweet smelling toes when you return to base camp. (OK, that may be stretching it a bit, but they certainly won’t stink!)

Nosi Trek SockNosi Hiking Sock

As you would expect from a high quality sock, they have smooth flat seams with additional cushioning on both the heel and toe areas, for maximum shock absorption and comfort.

The mens are available in sizes 6-8 and 9-12 whilst the ladies are in 3-5 and 6-8. These are going to be incredibly popular so click here for pricing and ordering information before stocks run out.

 

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Insect Repellent Shirts from Bear Grylls!

25/03/2011 By

Long Sleeved Insect Repellent Shirt

Bear Grylls, the outdoor adventurer, TV star and general bug muncher has teamed up with Craghoppers, a leading supplier of outdoor clothing in the UK, to provide a fantastic new range of extra rugged outdoor clothing. Apparently each item was designed to be indestructible, they would send the items to Bear and his team to try out, they would wear it, use and abuse it and eventually destroy it, then send it back saying it’s not strong enough, only once they were unable to destroy it was it sent off for production. (Well, that’s how the story goes anyway) As a result, this shirt comes with a Lifetime Guarantee!

This long sleeved insect repellent shirt is a fantastic example and boasts a huge range of features including:

  • Permanent Insect repellent and antibacterial treatment built into the fabric
  • Stretch Panels for increased flexibility and movement
  • Webbing reinforced buttons
  • Reinforced seams all round
  • Incredibly fast drying Solardry UPF40+ fabric
  • 100% polymide ripstop fabric
  • Only 270 grammes total weight
  • Lifetime Guarantee on this item

 

Bear Grylls Long-Sleeved ShirtBear Grylls Long-Sleeved Shirt

You can be confident that anything which Bear Grylls puts his name to is going to be as rugged, strong and practical as you can buy, it’s all also pretty stylish too, so not only will you look pretty cool half way up that vertical cliff-face, but when you come down and discover the local pub for a pie and a pint, you won’t look out of place there either.

This hard wearing, breathable, insect repellent shirt has plenty of pockets and is available in a range of sizes from XS to XXL, see here for size charts and ordering.

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More Waterproofs… Continued

24/03/2011 By

Yep I’m Still on About these Waterproofs

I had to dash off yesterday mid way through my story about buying my new waterproofs, sorry about that!

So I was explaining the walking boot dilemma, well, not really such a dilemma really, I know I already have sufficient footwear for walking in any kind of weather, to be honest I could be climbing a mountain, trekking across the Nairobi Dessert, or just walking the dog round the park and I already have options for each eventuality, so I guess the honest answer is no I don’t need to buy another pair of boots, Damn! lol

So as I continued around the shop several other things caught my eye, a rather nifty flask which would sit nicely in that Rucksack I bought last year, in fact, while I’m here why not have a quick look at the Rucksacks too, or really just a daysack, they are more akin to what I need and use, after all if I go camping I take the car, pitch my nice spacious tent and take days out from there (UK weather permitting of course).

Eventually I even ended up looking at some nice clasp things which were in the rock climbing section! Something I did a very long time ago, always fancied trying again but never quite managed to get back in to, so no, probably best I don’t buy those.

But then I remembered the reason I was here, waterproofs, that jacket was still hanging there on it’s hanger with my name on it, but what about trousers, I’d not even looked at those yet and it was actually these which had spurred me to make a trip out to the shop in the first place (as if I need an excuse).

The problem is that my old ones were very cheap, incredibly cheap in fact, not particularly good quality and bought in a sale, as a result they have not really been looked after as well as they could have been and have always been a bit leaky if it’s really tipping down, you know, those days when it’s running down your coat, onto your trousers and down to the ground.  I eventually found them, considering the range they had of everything else I was a little disappointed by the range of trousers, about 5 options, really cheap ones like I had before, they don’t breathe or fit very well, so not an option this time around, then a couple of mid range and 2 which were pretty expensive for what they were.  I get the feeling the latter 2 were a bit of a case of paying for the brand name.

Then I realised that one of the mid priced pairs was actually in the sale, £35 down to £20, excellent, if they fit that’s the decision made, I like a bargain!

2 Minutes later I’m off to the tills with my new bargain waterproofs in hand, I even managed to not buy the jacket as it wasn’t in the sale, and it’s a new model, so will certainly be available for a while anyway.

The result, nice dry legs on every walk since I bought them, why? I would love to say it’s because they are so efficient that the wind and rain just bounces off of them, but I can’t, if the truth be told, it’s been so dry here since I got them it’s been almost impossible to go out when it’s wet! Typical! not that I’m complaining of course!

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New Waterproofs and then the Weather Improves

23/03/2011 By

Which Ones to Buy?

I just bought some new gear for walking the dogs and then we get a mini heat wave in the UK. Something I suppose which was bound to happen I know, but I’ve managed all winter with the coat I’ve been wearing for three years now, it was getting rather grubby around the inside of the collar and cuffs, not to mention a rather unsightly stain around the pocket I always keep their treats in (sometimes they get cheese cubes, the bag splits and I end up with bits of cheese loose in my pocket).

Anyway, so I decided to get myself down to our local outdoor shop, which is more of a supermarket, and try a new coat on in the sales, there was a lovely Berghaus coat, but at £170 it seemed rather excessive for something which would probably either only be worn for an hour a day, plus I had to consider the thickness of it, if (god forbid) our winters lasted longer, perhaps I could have somehow justified that kind of spend, but when a waterproof with that much insulation would only get four months use each year, I just couldn’t do it. So I had a look at the shell style coats, specifically the ones which have an attached inner fleece, ideal for most weather, even those summer downpours which are becoming more frequent.

I couldn’t quite believe how much you can spend on a good waterproof outer shell, the one I really liked was £270 but that wasn’t an option, Rab do a nice range too, but again they are quite pricey for the ones I liked (it’s always the way!), so I started looking at the ones by Sprayway, tried it on, and it’s a nice fit, I’ll remember that, have a look round and come back to it before I leave if I don’t find something I prefer.

Walking Boots! In the Sale! How could I not have a look? It would be rude not to, first what style do I want, the canvass ones, or all leather? The canvass ones will be better in the summer, lighter and will let the air circulate a bit better, but the leather ones will last longer and be warmer in the winter. I suppose it depends why I want them really, is it for all year? really? Do I really need another pair which I can wear in the summer? No, I have three at home already and only ever wear one of those, in fact, I suspect that if I really dig through the depths of that spare room I could find another three pairs which I’ve not worn for years! OK leather it is. Oh hang on a minute though, I do already have leather ones and a pair of rather nice MuckBoots for when it’s really raining hard or muddy.

Oh no I didn’t realise the time! I’m going to have to continue this another time, need to get the dinner on!

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