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The Outdoorsy "Sofa".

iona said:
Can someone recommend a decent headtorch please? Something fairly small and lightweight with decent battery life, don't need three different coloured lights that come on in twenty different combinations but a couple brightness settings would be good, must be properly chuckaboutable. Ta :)
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My current main one is an Olight (H2R which is discontinued now, but they do others) which is pretty well made and you can also detach the light to use as a torch too.

I have a couple of Alpkit ones too which are a bit cheaper. Plus their after sales service is great. They send me a free replacement battery pack for one after I managed to break the original one.
 
 
Tbf I've been sleepingbagless for over a year now and it makes me nervous but every time I think about buying a decent one I look at the prices, then check ebay prices for the old army arctic ones I've always had that weigh about 20kg, then decide it can wait a bit longer
 
Bingo said:
Has anyone tried an MSR Elixir tent? Thinking about getting one for hiking etc... 😁
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Not personally, but a few people seem to rate them on a couple of wild camping groups. They're inner pitch first though I think, which sometimes isn't good if the weather is shit.
 
kebabking said:
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Swimming at Leintwardine - not, perhaps, the most daredevil experience, but lots of fun. Shallow paddling for little ones, 6ft deep if you wish. Parking was easy, shop and pub within 2 minutes walk, and a large green next to the river for picnics....

Red Cat
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Lovely :)

We went to Ludlow last week where I swam in the river, it was lovely and just cold enough to be a bit of a thrill but manageable for a non cold water swimmer. Today my youngest and I went to Stratford and swam in the Avon, it was warm, not such a thrill, but we stayed in for ages, all afternoon, it was total bliss. H almost fell asleep in the car in the way back which is unheard of.
 
Oh, all lovely pics! Only done one river swim so far this year, looking forward to another, hopefully this week.

Also very tempted with some packrafting after saw some photos a friend took of his packraft drift down the Wharfe, looked idyllic, and no massive boat like thing to try and sort transport for, just folds up into a bag you can carry easily.
 
I think I love swimming outdoors more than anything but perhaps only when it's warm and sunny and I'm not a strong enough swimmer to go to official open water swimming places, I don't think. There's a lake north of Brum that has sloped sides all around the lake and says all abilities welcome but I still worry that I'll look like an idiot and that all abilities welcome means there's a baseline of being able to swim the 300 m course (it says you can get out easily if you're tired).
 
Red Cat said:
I think I love swimming outdoors more than anything but perhaps only when it's warm and sunny and I'm not a strong enough swimmer to go to official open water swimming places, I don't think. There's a lake north of Brum that has sloped sides all around the lake and says all abilities welcome but I still worry that I'll look like an idiot and that all abilities welcome means there's a baseline of being able to swim the 300 m course (it says you can get out easily if you're tired).
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I see plenty of people in 2 out of the 3 venues I go to who don't swim the courses but just have a pootle near the shore. I've done that myself in the 3rd too. For my winter swims this year I just told the lifeguard I wasn't going to swim the loop, and they suggested where I could pootle.

But tbh in a wetsuit, or with a tow float, it's easy enough to just stop and take a breather/take in the sight of the sunshine dancing on the water surface/have a chat and many people do this.

Venues vary a bit in their clientele. A lake full if triathletes chasing a PB will be quite different from one one full of old ladies swimming breastroke in bobble hats and chatting merrily as they do.

...but all IME have been welcoming, friendly and good with first timers.

You've experience of open water swimming, puts you ahead of many who go.
 
chilango said:
I see plenty of people in 2 out of the 3 venues I go to who don't swim the courses but just have a pootle near the shore. I've done that myself in the 3rd too. For my winter swims this year I just told the lifeguard I wasn't going to swim the loop, and they suggested where I could pootle.

But tbh in a wetsuit, or with a tow float, it's easy enough to just stop and take a breather/take in the sight of the sunshine dancing on the water surface/have a chat and many people do this.

Venues vary a bit in their clientele. A lake full if triathletes chasing a PB will be quite different from one one full of old ladies swimming breastroke in bobble hats and chatting merrily as they do.

...but all IME have been welcoming, friendly and good with first timers.

You've experience of open water swimming, puts you ahead of many who go.
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I don't want to chat :eek:

But the rest sounds great, I'm going to be brave. I suppose I could do with something in between a wetsuit and a bikini though, does it matter in the summer?
 
Red Cat said:
I think I love swimming outdoors more than anything but perhaps only when it's warm and sunny and I'm not a strong enough swimmer to go to official open water swimming places, I don't think. There's a lake north of Brum that has sloped sides all around the lake and says all abilities welcome but I still worry that I'll look like an idiot and that all abilities welcome means there's a baseline of being able to swim the 300 m course (it says you can get out easily if you're tired).
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Cliff lakes? Lots of pootlers in cossies. Really pretty place and fairly shallow round the edge. Dosthill which is nearby is a diving quarry and you get really cold currents there, not been since cliff lakes opened. I've heard good things about Netherton. If you're not sure about lakes, droitwich lido is lovely. Went there for the first time the other week.
 
Red Cat said:
I don't want to chat :eek:

But the rest sounds great, I'm going to be brave. I suppose I could do with something in between a wetsuit and a bikini though, does it matter in the summer?
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It was 22c yesterday morning where I went. I was in a wetsuit, but it certainly wasn't necessary.

...but that's unusually warm. And places are a bit cautious about "skins" swimmers.

Some places will hire you a wetsuit.
 
chilango said:
It was 22c yesterday morning where I went. I was in a wetsuit, but it certainly wasn't necessary.

...but that's unusually warm. And places are a bit cautious about "skins" swimmers.

Some places will hire you a wetsuit.
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Oh.

I don't want to wear a wetsuit when it's warm. I might email the place and get some advice.
 
baldrick said:
Cliff lakes? Lots of pootlers in cossies. Really pretty place and fairly shallow round the edge. Dosthill which is nearby is a diving quarry and you get really cold currents there, not been since cliff lakes opened. I've heard good things about Netherton. If you're not sure about lakes, droitwich lido is lovely. Went there for the first time the other week.
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No it's not cliff lakes, it's another in Tamworth, not the quarry either, can't remember without looking. Netherton isn't far from my work.

I've been to Droitwich, I take the kids there, was there the other week too.
 
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