Tag: running

How to Start Orienteering and Learn to Love It

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Female orienteer running from control

I’ve written before on why I believe orienteering is the best sport ever. But I will admit that it’s not necessarily the easiest sport to get into, particularly as an adult. It takes a bit of perseverance and a willingness to get lost (a lot). But as someone who has spent a good hundred or so hours of her life wandering lost around forests, moorlands and country parks, let me tell you this: it is worth it. So for those of you who are keen to try this awesome sport (and who wouldn’t be?), here are some practical tips on how to start orienteering and learn to love it.

Ditch Your Ego and Start Small

If you start orienteering as an adult, you’re likely to already be a runner. (You don’t have to be a runner, but most orienteers are.) Which means that orienteering can be frustrating because the best thing you can do to improve when you’re starting out is NOT RUN.

I know, it’s counter-intuitive, right? Orienteering is a race, which means you want to get around as fast as possible. My (now) husband made this mistake on one of his first events and ran 1 km past his control before he realized his error.

Think of it as an apprenticeship. If you take it slowly and learn some basic skills, your running ability will help you quickly improve. If you’re determined to run every step of the way, you’ll quickly get frustrated and probably quit.

Orienteering courses are typically colour-coded. If you’re a total beginner, I’d recommend starting with an orange course. Yes, you may be the only adult surrounded by kids, but swallow your pride, this is just your first small step into the world of orienteering. If you’re already confident with a map and compass then you may be fine starting with a light green course, particularly if it’s an ‘easy’ area (such as parkland or urban woods).

Try Urban Orienteering

Urban, or street, orienteering events are a great way to start orienteering. In fact, they’re becoming so popular that many orienteers are choosing to run at urban orienteering events instead of ‘proper’ events. Personally, one of the things I love about orienteering is the opportunity to get out of towns and cities and run on different terrains, but each to their own!

For newbies to orienteering, urban events are ideal because the navigation is straightforward and the map is usually simpler to understand. Although there won’t be any road names, roads and buildings are clearly marked, along with other distinctive features such as trees, hedges and walls. Street orienteering events used to be purely local training events run during winter evenings, but they’ve become so popular that there are urban events every weekend around the country. You can find a list of upcoming UK events on the British Orienteering Federation (BOF) website. (If you don’t live in the UK, check your own orienteering federation’s website.)

Get Free Training

I’ll let you in on a secret. Orienteers LOVE introducing other people to the sport. Which means there are tons of opportunities to get help with the basics, learn new skills and get tips from more experienced competitors.

One of the best ways to start is to go to a local event. Sometimes a club will put on an event specifically for people who are new to the sport and there will usually be someone around to show you the ropes. If you’re not sure whether an event is suitable for you, contact your local club in advance. You can also search for events near to you that are suitable for beginners using the BOF events search. (Tip: click the smiley-face icon to filter for events that are suitable for newcomers.)

If you join your local club, you may have access to more free training opportunities. Many clubs offer local coaching sessions or an annual club weekend away to test out your navigation on technical terrain.

Make Some Orienteering Friends

Orienteering is a deceptively social sport. Although you run around your course on your own, there is nothing a bunch of orienteers love more than analysing and comparing their experiences on the course, whether they were good or bad.

Joining your local club is the best way to make orienteering friends. Many clubs hold post-training socials (usually in a pub) where you can rehydrate (ahem) and get five different views on the optimum route choice to number eight. At the big events, each club has its own club tent where you can gather before or after your run, cheer on your fellow competitors and moan about the bramble patch you got caught in.

Another great way to make friends is to volunteer to help out. Orienteering events are all run by volunteers – you don’t need to be an experienced orienteer to help. Some jobs are more menial than others (I’ve done my fair share of marshalling in the rain and pushing cars out of muddy fields), but all are vital to delivering a successful event. It will also earn you a lot of brownie points (which you can trade in by asking for tips to improve your navigation) and often free entry to events.

Go to some of the bigger events

Once you’ve honed your skills and are reasonably confident about navigating in different types of terrain, it’s time to hit the big time. Unlike many sports, anyone of any ability can compete at regional and national events, including the British Championships. (Although for some of them you will need to join BOF – it costs a bargainous £10 a year and you can normally sign up when you join your local club.)

At larger competitions, courses are based on age classes. If you’re an adult, you’ll be competing at the highest technical difficulty possible in the terrain. If you’re not that confident about your abilities, then you may want to enter a colour-coded course instead. If your orienteering experience to date has been urban and local parks, then I’d suggest you may want to go for the light green rather than the green course as these events will be more technical than what you’re used to. You want to enjoy the experience after all!

There are two reasons why I love big orienteering events: the areas and the atmosphere. You get to run on some of the best orienteering areas in the country – places that you’d never normally be able to go. And the atmosphere of a big event, particularly where the finish is located in the main assembly area, is brilliant. Even when it rains.

Are you convinced? If you’re in the UK and are keen to find out more, the British Orienteering website has everything you need to know including a list of local clubs and events. If you live elsewhere, it’s likely your country will have its own orienteering federation with information on how you can get involved. And if you liked this post, don’t forget to share it with your friends and check out my article on 10 Reasons Why Orienteering is the Best Sport Ever.

10 Tips For Your First Mountain Marathon

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Mountain marathon

I had originally planned for this week’s post to be my lessons learned from trying to plan a sustainable wedding. And that will be coming up, but it’s going to be a big post and I’ve been struggling with RSI in my wrists and forearms this week, so it was really a no-go.

As the rain lashed across my window this morning it struck me that we’re really into autumn now. And I always associate autumn and winter with mountain marathon season. That’s not to say all mountain marathons take place in the winter – there are many summer events, which I would definitely recommend to mountain marathon newbies. But I seem to be a glutton for punishment, so have always chosen events which, based on the time of year, are almost guaranteed to bring you the worst of British weather.

The ‘big one’ is the OMM. Now in its 50th year, it’s always held the weekend the clocks go back, ostensibly because it gives you an extra hour of daylight on the Sunday, but really because it always rains. Always. (At least, every time I did it.) If this year’s OMM is your first foray into mountain marathons, congratulations! You’ve jumped in with both feet to the waist-deep bog. But to make your experience a little more pleasant, here are a few tips from the wise…

Tip 1: Prepare for the worst

This is both a general comment and a weather-specific one. Lightweight is all and good but the number one priority is survival. If this is your first mountain marathon and you haven’t yet tested your comfort vs safety limits when it comes to warmth, then don’t strip your pack right back. Besides, you want to enjoy this right? And there’s nothing like a dry change of clothes and a hot chocolate at the overnight camp to instantly make you feel a hundred times better.

Tip 2: Bubble wrap does not a good night’s sleep make

You may hear it said that you can skip carrying a heavy blow-up mat by shoving a square of bubble wrap into your pack and sleeping on that. After all, nowhere on the mandatory OMM kit list does it say ‘sleeping mat’. Now you could do this, and you would probably survive the night (presuming you have a decent sleeping bag), but you’re not going to get any sleep.

Do yourself and your tent mate a favour. If you can’t afford a super-light blow-up mat then at least get a length of lightweight roll mat or a balloon bed. Of course, these come with their own set of problems …

Tip 3: Don’t leave your balloon bed pump behind

“What’s a balloon bed?” I hear you ask. Well, it’s very simple. It’s a bed made from balloons. Not the big round ones you blow up for your kid’s birthday party, but the strong, long, thin ones magicians use to make giraffes and dogs. The ‘bed’ is a thin piece of fabric with sewn ‘tubes’ down which you stuff your blow-up balloons to make an airbed.

If you think this all sounds like a big faff, then you would be right. But do you really have anything better to do with your sixteen-odd hours at the overnight camp? And packed down, the balloon bed is about the size of your fist and weighs 100g. Perfect for mountain marathons.

There is one potential downside. You have to be one of those people who can tie balloon ends. I have never mastered this feat, but fortunately, my past tent mates have all been experts. You may be tempted to save five grams and leave behind the little pump that comes with the balloon bed. Many people have been stupid cunning enough to do this in the past and only realised too late that the balloons are impossible bloomin’ tough to blow up without it. Oh, and take a couple of spares in case of popping (and to make giraffes).

Tip 4: Take plastic bags to put your feet in

You can spot the mountain marathon newbies at the overnight camp as they’re the only ones walking around without plastic bags sticking out of the top of their shoes. This tip is tried and tested.

However much you try and bog-hop, by the time you get to the overnight camp your feet will be sopping wet. And it’s not great for your feet to sit stewing all night in wet socks. So, once you’ve got your tent up, get changed into your spare layers and put on your nice dry socks (you have got dry socks, haven’t you?).

Presuming you’re rehydrating like a pro, at some point you’re going to need to visit the portaloos. (Guys, just opening the tent flap and pissing out is really not on.) That’s where you have the wet shoe dilemma. And where the plastic bags come in. One for each foot. Just don’t bring cheap supermarket ones with holes in, as they’re kind of pointless.

Tip 5: You don’t need a toothbrush

Really. It’s ONE night. Your teeth will survive. Acceptable alternatives are a piece of chewing gum (mmmm, minty) or those little chewable toothbrush things you get in capsules in service stations (which do no good but may make you feel better).

Tip 6:… Or a hairbrush

All you people out there with no hair, SHUT IT. Have you ever tried to get a brush through a tangled head of long hair? No? My point exactly. It’s hell. Worse than tangled climbing ropes. Anyway, despite all this, there is still no need to take a hairbrush on your mountain marathons. If you have long hair, plaits/braids are the way forward. And buy a Tangle Teezer – you’ll never look back.

Tip 7: Tie your compass to your wrist

Loose compasses are another newbie error. You do not want to lose your compass. Particularly if you have ten-metre visibility on a mountain plateau surrounded by big cliffs. A simple piece of string and a wrist loop mean you never have to worry about losing your compass to a man-eating bog or forgetting to pick it up when you stop to tie your shoelace.

Incidentally the same goes for your dibber. Especially when it comes to man-eating bogs. (I nearly lost my husband to one, but that’s another story. He survived. The dibber didn’t.)

Tip 8: Look at the map before you set off

This is perhaps more pertinent to those competing in the score classes than the linear classes. When it comes to score events, tactics are key and spending five minutes planning your route is time well spent.

And make sure you look very carefully at the final section up to the finish. That way you won’t miss the four miles of dead running between the last control and the finish. And you won’t forget to take that into account in your timing assessment. Which means you’ll get in on time and won’t lose out on a prize as a result of misinterpreting a load of red squiggles. (I’m still bitter, alright?!)

Tip 9: Look after your partner

There are solo mountain marathon events, but for most classes, you’ll be in a team. Which means you need to look after you buddy as much as yourself, particularly if it’s their first time and they’re starting to wonder exactly what you talked them into after five pints in the pub that night.

Use each other’s strengths. If your partner ends up doing most of the navigating, why not offer to take the lion’s share of the tent? Or blow up their balloon bed. But remember this, there are times to be kind and sympathetic and times when you have to be tough. And you will each have your ups and downs.

The last OMM I did, I ran with my sister. On the first day, she was striding out ahead of me and I struggled to keep up. But nearing the end of day two, just after we’d spotted those soddin’ red squiggles mentioned above, she was starting to feel it. At one point she tripped over a tussock and refused to get up. Fortunately, by that point, the quickest way back was to follow the rest of the (over-long) trudge to the finish. So I gave her a hug and told her that she’d forget the pain in a couple of years. Tough love is sometimes necessary.

Tip 10: If it’s windy, stash one of the maps

What’s worse than losing a map? Losing BOTH your maps. Without them, you’re screwed (unless you have exceptional map memory skills). It can get pretty windy in the hills, and it’s surprisingly easy for a map to be whisked out of your hand and blown over a cliff. When the winds pick up, have one person stash their map safely in a jacket pocket or rucksack and navigate using the other one.

If the wind takes both of them? Well, that’s just careless …

And, there you go! I have many more tips whizzing around my head, so perhaps they’ll be a follow-up, ‘Part 2’ post. Feel free to share your best mountain marathon tips in the comments below! And best of luck to everyone competing in the OMM or other mountain marathons this winter. May the (navigational) force be with you.

10 Things to Do With Your Extra Hour of Daylight

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Extra-hour-daylight

British Summer Time is here! With promises of long, warm summer nights, sunny evenings at the crag and weekends packed with adventure from dawn to dusk. Admittedly, we’re still in March, which means for every day of sun you get one of rain with the additional bonus of the occasional hard frost, but hey, that’s what living in the UK is all about.

I love this time of year. Finally, the dark days of winter are behind us. There’s no longer the agony of staring out of the office window, knowing that by the time you get to leave work, the sun will have slipped away. And let’s face it, it’s much easier to get motivated to go for a post-work run when it’s still light outside.

If you’re itching to get outside, but lacking in inspiration, here are ten fun things to do outdoors with your extra hour of evening daylight.

Take a Different Route Home From Work

If you cycle, walk or run to work, winter commuting can be a punishing experience. Every day becomes a battle of your will versus the weather. Whether you have your head down, pedalling into a headwind, or you end up fighting with your umbrella as you get soaked by a passing lorry, the shortest route home is usually the preferable one.

The reward for your perseverance, is the warm, dry summer evenings, where commuting becomes a pleasure rather than a chore. So now you have a bit more daylight, why not choose an alternative route home and explore more of your local area? Use the CycleStreets planner to plan a longer route home on quiet back roads and cycle paths or swap your road bike for a mountain bike and go off-road.

Go Bouldering Outside

It may not be quite light enough to justify getting your ropes and trad gear out just yet, but there’s plenty of daylight for a quick bouldering session after work. With roadside venues such as Almsclife (Yorkshire), Bonehill Rocks (Devon), Burbage (Peak District) and Dumbarton Rocks (west of Glasgow), you can be parked up and have your bouldering pad out before most of your work colleagues have driven home.

If you’re new to climbing and have been training indoors over the winter, now is the perfect time to test out your skills on real rock. Just remember that bouldering outdoors can be quite different to indoors; check out these tips from the good folks at UKClimbing.

Get Out in the Garden

If you need some outdoor time, look no further than your own back garden. Gardening is relaxing, creative and can be pretty hard work! The combination of spring sun and rain means that everything is starting to grow, so it’s time to get the lawnmower out, tidy up the garden and start planting out those seedlings you’ve been nurturing in the greenhouse. Follow the RHS’s guide for jobs to do at this time of year.

Go on a Microadventure

Have you spent the winter snuggled up at home reading, planning and dreaming of adventure? Now is the time to get out there and have some! I know, I know, you need to ease yourself into this adventuring malarky. After all, the grey drizzle spreading over the M25 is quite different to the hot, wild African plains. But this is where microadventures come in.

Microadventures are pint-sized adventures. They’re not about taking on some huge daunting challenge that you need to raise thousands of pounds for. And there’s no need to go to your boss and beg for six months off work. Microadventures are simple, local and cheap, but most importantly, fun. Whether it’s cooking dinner over a camp fire, a mid-week overnight bivvy or even camping in your garden, microadventures are exactly what you want to make them. For more ideas and lots of tips check out Alastair Humphreys’ excellent blog.

Try Orienteering

If you’ve never tried orienteering (and if not, why not?), now is a great time to start. Most orienteering clubs put on friendly summer evening events at local parks and woodlands. These are ideal for beginners, and they’ll usually be someone around to show you the ropes. Check out this newcomer’s guide to getting into orienteering, and find an event near you on the British Orienteering website.

Take the Kids on an Adventure

I’m going to be a bit controversial, but hear me out. Spring is here. It’s time to turn the TV off, put the iPad out of reach on the top shelf and limit access to the Playstation. It’s time for a family adventure.

Now the evenings are lighter there are loads of (free) outdoor activities you can take advantage of. Cycle along a canal towpath, go on a treasure hunt or feed the ducks in the park. Go in search of the Gruffalo, roast marshmallows on an open fire or build a den in the woods. Your kids will have a great time and will be so tired, you’ll all get a great night’s sleep.

Get Fit with an Outdoor Bootcamp

Fed up of sweaty gyms? Give yourself plenty of arm-waving space by taking your work out outdoors. There’s also the added bonus of being able to breath fresh, unfiltered air. If you like being shouted at, British Military Fitness run classes at all levels across the country. UK Outdoor Fitness also offer nationwide classes (possibly with less shouting) and there are plenty of local trainers around if you’re looking for some one-to-one training.

Go to an Open Air Cinema

If you’re looking for something a little less active, then take a seat at an open air cinema. You can usually take along a picnic and drinks and they’re hosted in venues from castles and stately homes to rooftop gardens and cobbled streets.

If a spot of theatre is more your thing, then get along to a performance at Regent’s Park in London, Grosvenor Park in Chester or the stunning Minack Theatre in Cornwall.

Enter some evening running events

If your weekends are packed full of family commitments, opportunities to enter running races can be few and far between. The good news is, that as the evenings start getting lighter, there are more opportunities to compete in events after work. There’s a pretty comprehensive list of events here.

If you’re lucky enough to live near the hills, then there’s no excuse not to try out some of the local fell races. The
Fell Runner website has a full list of FRA registered races and you can search by region to find events in your area. Want to have even more fun? GO ORIENTEERING. (I’m not going to tell you again.)

Take a sunset walk

One of the nicest things about this time of year is that the sun sets at a perfect time for evening sunset walks. It’s not so early that you’re stuck at work, and you have plenty of time to get home for a late dinner afterwards. Take a stroll through your local park, woodland or fields. Close your eye and breathe in the sounds and smells of nature. Relax and enjoy the swathes of colour across the sky as the sun dips below the horizon. Be at peace.

What’s your favourite way to use the extra daylight we have in the evenings? Get in touch on Twitter and let me know, or drop a comment in the box below. Happy adventuring!

The 10 Best Tips to Smash Your First 10K Race

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10-tips-first-10k-race

There’s a reason ten kilometres is the most popular race distance. For new runners, it’s achievable but challenging and for more experienced runners, it’s a chance to show off speed and strength.

But if you’ve just completed your first 5K run, then a 10K race may feel like a long way off. You may be thinking that the 5K run felt hard enough; that there’s no way you could have done two loops of that course – it was tough enough just walking back to the car afterwards.

But, let me let you in on a secret. Everyone feels like that at the end of a tough race, whatever the distance. I swore after doing my first half-marathon, that I could never run further than that. And admittedly, I still haven’t got round to running a ‘proper’ marathon, but last year I did run an ultra-marathon. And yes, I was adamant at the end of THAT that I couldn’t run another step. But I know that if that half-marathon had been 15 miles rather than 13.1, or the ultra 45 miles rather than 41, I would still have made it to the finish line.

This is the secret to the mental game of running. Whatever distance you are there to do, you can do. If you’ve done the right preparation, you just need to keep that distance and the finish line in mind, and with a bit of grit and determination, you will get there. So if, as you’re proudly clutch your 5K medal and hug your supporters, there’s a tiny little voice inside of you saying ‘but what if I could run 10k?’, I am here to tell you that you can. However much it feels an impossible challenge at this moment in time.

Mental toughness aside, as with any race, the right preparation is key. I’ve pulled together ten top tips to give you the best chance of achieving the result you deserve on race day.

1. Give yourself enough time to prepare

Doubling your distance doesn’t happen overnight. Leave yourself plenty of time to build up your training gradually before race day. This ten-week training plan may provide a useful guide to the rate at which you may want to increase your training. Remember – you can adapt it to suit your target time.

2. Don’t over train

Aside from doing no training at all, probably the worst thing you can do is over train. If you’re pushing your body hard, it needs recovery time. This is as true if you’re a beginner runner as it is for an Olympic athlete, though your tolerance for training will be quite different.

Make sure you schedule in rest days each week and prioritise rest time as much as you prioritise training. Rest activities may involve going to bed earlier, having a hot, relaxing soak in the bath or spending an evening watching Netflix (yes, you can quote me on that).

3. Include some strength and flexibility training

As you’re pushing up the distance, strength and flexibility training becomes more important to keep yourself supple and avoid injury. This set of basic strength exercises don’t require any special equipment and at least one can be done in front of the telly. 🙂

Evidence shows that increasing your flexibility can improve your running performance without adding extra miles. Incorporate these exercises designed to improve your range of motion, into your running routine and you should soon notice a difference.

4. Add in speed work

You may be thinking this is starting to sound a bit too hard-core, but remember – everything is relative. Your speed work is not going to be the same as Mo Farrah’s speed work. It just means having a session a week where you run or jog faster for shorter periods of time.

Speed work gets your body used to running at different speeds. Over time, it will make you faster and fitter – whatever pace you run at. Have a look at this post on speedwork for beginners for some suggested sessions (hint: if you’ve never done any speedwork before, I’d start with the 5K sessions and build up to the 10K).

5. Invest in a foam roller

It may not look like much, but this humble piece of kit can help prevent injury and improve recovery. I’m not going to lie, it’s not always the most comfortable exercise, but stick with it. If you’ve no idea where to start, there’s a good article here with some basic exercises.

6. Get to the race in plenty of time

Last weekend, I turned up at a race with just enough time to nip to the toilet and get ready before heading to the start. I wasn’t anticipating a half-hour queue for the loo. After that, getting ready was a bit of a rush and needless to say, I wasn’t in a very relaxed frame of mind when I got to the start!

Don’t make my mistake: leave yourself plenty of time to get to the race (taking account of traffic) and get ready. There are often long queues for the toilets so take this into account! That way you’ll get to the start physically and mentally prepared for the race ahead.

7. Stay relaxed and positive

Stay relaxed. Easier said than done, right? But remember, you’ve done all the hard work in preparing for the race – all you have to do is keep putting one foot in front of the other until you reach the finish line.

For some people, listening to music helps them relax and focus ahead of a race. (Though be aware that many races now ban headphones during the race itself.) For others, having a friend along to keep them company is a better way to keep their spirits up.

8. Warm up properly

I know, warming up is the number one rule of running without injury. You don’t need me to tell you that. If you’ve got all the way to race day injury-free, then I imagine you’ve been doing a good job of warming up for your training runs. So don’t go and blow it on race day. Yes, it’s hard to warm up when you’re outside the comfort of your own home. And yes, it’s even harder to stay warm when packing into a pen with a hundred of other runners, all impatiently waiting for the start of the race.

But even a short warm up will help prepare your body physically for the race ahead. A gentle jog from the car park (or the train station) to the start of the race will help warm you up. Once you’re in the designated start area, keep your arms and legs moving, even if you have to do a bit of jogging on the spot to stay warm!

9. Set off steadily

If you’re in a big race, you may not get much choice about this! The crowd-shuffle at the beginning can continue well past the official start line. But even so, resist the temptation to start off fast. It’s hard when you’re feeling excited and raring to go, but you’ll feel the benefit of a slow start later on in the race.

Practice this in training. Time yourself for the first half of your run, then reset the clock for the second half. Your aim is to complete the second half in a faster time.

10. Give it your all

By the time you get to the nine-kilometer mark, you’re going to be feeling pretty tired. Your legs are screaming at you to give them a break, and getting oxygen into your body feels much harder than it did eight kilometers ago.

But you’re nearly there! Nothing can stop you now. So if you’ve been going slow and steady up to this point, now is the time to give it your all. Hear the cheers of the crowds lining the approach to the finish? They’re cheering for you. See the banner up ahead with that beautiful six-letter word emblazoned across it? That is your finish line. Run for it with everything you have left. Then congratulate yourself on having smashed your first 10K race.

And as you hang your 10K medal proudly alongside your 5K medal, you may think that was as far as you could possibly go. And for that run, it was. As for the next race? Well, that’s for another day.

Enjoyed this article? You may like my other posts on How to Start Running, Stick With It and Enjoy It and How to Train for Your First Ultramarathon.

16 Christmas Gifts for People Who Love the Outdoors

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Christmas-gift-guide-outdoors

Find the perfect Christmas gift for outdoor-loving people

As we’re well into December now, I thought a bit of Christmas gift inspiration was in order. You may all be more organised than me and have your presents bought, wrapped and under the tree. (Is it wrong to admit I haven’t started shopping yet?). But if you’re stuck about what to buy for friends and family who love the outdoors hopefully this guide will help.

I’ve tried to keep it budget friendly (under £50) and included a few more unusual options, for the person who has everything.

Christmas gifts for runners

I was really jealous of my fiance’s merino buff when we were running in snowy Scotland recently. For warmth without weight (or itchiness), check out this stylish selection of buffs. Plus, 1 percent of the proceeds will be donated to non-profit organisations working for the environment. From £22 at www.buffwear.co.uk.

At this time of year, most runners are having to train in the dark. To get away from the roads and have a real run, a headtorch is a must. Alpkit’s Prism 630 is reasonable priced, water resistant and kicks out an impressive 630 lumens. Perfect to make sure your runner gets out and home again in time for dinner. £43 from www.alpkit.com.

If your running friend really doesn’t need any more socks, trainers or running mementos, why not consider a subscription to a magazine? Trail Running is the only UK magazine dedicated to off-road running and packed full of inspiration. From £24 with a free baselayer top from www.greatmagazines.co.uk.

Christmas gifts for cyclists

Every cyclist likes a tick-list and this is one of the best. Great British Bike Rides covers 40 of the best road rides across England, Scotland and Wales. The book gives a detailed breakdown of each route with downloadable GPX files. £25 from www.v-publishing.co.uk.

Combining a tyre lever, spanner, screw drivers and a host of other tools, the Nutter Cycle Multi Tool is a neat, lightweight tool that should fix problems a cyclist may come across. It even has a bottle opener (though no drinking and cycling please!). £39.99 from www.fullwindsor.cc.

If you’re looking for an off-the-bike gift, this recycled punctured inner tube belt may fit the bill. Or these bike chain earrings made from upcycled bicycle chains. Belt, £34 and earrings, £8 from www.cyclegeezer.com.

Christmas gifts for climbers

I have been a religious fan of Climb On! bar for years. It’s about the only thing that sorts my dry skin out after a day of climbing – and gets it ready for the next day. £9.99 from www.urbanrock.com.

3RD ROCK is a family run clothing business based in the Peak District with an environmental ethos. I’m a huge fan of their clothes for climbing in: if you’re looking for presents for the climber in your life check out the Orbit Vest (£22) and Luna Recycled Bra Top (£33).

Keep your climber injury-free with Dave Macleod’s excellent book, Make or Break: Don’t Let Climbing Injuries Dictate Your Success. Drawing on his own experiences and existing research, Dave covers both prevention and treatment of different injuries with advice and techniques specific to climbing. £29 from www.davemacleod.com.

Christmas gifts for hikers

A set of Contoured Coasters from Alp & Ash would be a great present for anyone who loves the British Hills. Handmade, you can pic ‘n’ mix across the range of English, Welsh and Scottish hills to create a bespoke collection. From £8.

I was lucky enough to get a Sigg Hot & Cold ONE bottle for my birthday and so far it’s shaping up to be the best thermos flask I’ve owned. It has a handy one-hand opening system and it guaranteed to keep your drinks hot for hours. (Though be warned – I actually burnt my mouth forgetting how hot the liquid could be!) £22.99 from www.uk.sigg.com.

A map is a great gift for any hiker. But what about a whole set of them? A 12-month premium subscription to OS Maps gives unlimited access to Standard, Aerial, OS Explorer and OS Landranger maps, plus over 400,000 suggested routes for the bargain price of £23.

Alternative Christmas gifts

Still struggling for ideas? If your intended recipient doesn’t want ‘things’, how about these alternative presents:

  • If your cyclist has one too many bikes, how about donating one in their name? World Bicycle Relief donates sturdy bikes to students, healthcare workers and entrepreneurs across Africa, South America and Southeast Asia. Looking closer to home? The Bike Project is a London-based project that takes second-hand bikes, fixes them up and donates them to refugees.
  • One gift that will go down a treat for any active person is a sports massage. Whatever sport they’re into, a massage is a great way to loosen up aching muscles after a hard training session.
  • Treat your explorer to a bushcraft course to learn the basics of surviving in the wild. Various companies run weekends and longer courses across the UK. For a lower cost (and lower commitment) alternative, TheCanoeMan runs taster sessions from £30.
  • The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour87 brings the magic and adventure of the Banff Festival to cities across the UK. The films cover a wide range of sports and adventures, so there’s something to inspire everyone. Tickets are £14 (or £12 if you go to both shows).

These gifts can also make great birthday presents at any time of year. If you’ve got a suggestion for a great gift, add it to the comments below! I should also say that none of the links are affiliate links and I get no compensation from any of the companies listed for promoting their products – I just think they look great!