CheapTents Outdoor Gear Blog

On the 12/13 May the London 2 Brighton Challenge will be taking place. Now in its third year, this 100 km event is extremely popular for charity fund raising. One of the charity partners is The Hunger Project, and they are looking for volunteers to take part in the event. You can choose to walk, jog or run the 100 km route, so why not sign up and take the challenge?

• iRoc Race: Run, Cycle and Orienteer on Durham Downs
• The Extreme Stroll Around Manchester
• UK Everest Challenge – 2 guys, 5 days, 10 peaks

Let’s you and I take a little trip down memory lane. In the last 2 or 3 years we’ve had some of the worst winter weather on records for the UK. It has been so bad that many people have complained to both us and other companies that they didn’t receive an Christmas Gift orders in time for the celebrations, due to delays in delivery by Royal Mail and Parcelforce.

This year, as we did last year, we are advising all of our customers about which dates they should order by. This is to ensure the best chance of receiving the products in time for Christmas.

• Christmas Presents and Special Offers from CheapTents.com!
• Upgrades to CheapTents.com Online Store
• Bob Kinnaird appointed as Head of Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre

Camping is like a great adventure, you can never be quite sure what you’ll find over the next log, river or on the way up a mountain. But for beginners it can be met with trepidation and worry, the not knowing for some gives an adrenaline boost, but for novices to camping it can be like butterflies in the stomach. Usually this comes about through stories which have been told by friends or family, or maybe that they’ve read online.

Today my post gives our Top Ten Camping Tips for Complete Beginners, and it does what it says on the tin.

• The Family Camping Checklist 2010
• Guide to Buying a Tent
• Which is the best tent for you?

Earlier this year the coalition government proposed conversational plans to sell off much of England’s forestry and other woodland. After a public outcry the government stood down from it’s position offering to create a panel to report back and suggest the future of the forests.

The independent panel of 12 members, chaired by Right Rev James Jones – Bishop of Liverpool – has now been established and following two meetings is now inviting the views of the people of this country. The task it has been set is not an easy one, over the next 10 months, until April 2012, the panel must discuss and report on the future of Forestry and Woodland in England.

• The Future of Hiking?
• Dreaming of Mountain Biking in Aberdeenshire
• International Mountain Day 2009

This week, April 11-17th, is Tick Bite Prevention Week. It sounds like it should have a lot more attention than it does, but maybe that’s due to the upcoming royal wedding taking the shine off it, or maybe its just people don’t like to think about being bitten by Ticks.

A Hiker found this Tick - from andylangager Flikr

Despite the lack of attention it’s getting from elsewhere, both ourselves and CampingNinja care enough about our readers/users to give this some real attention, just as we have previously on this blog talking about Prevention of Midge Bites.

• British Waterways’ Wildlife Survey 2010
• How to Avoid Blisters
• Louis-Philippe Loncke Versatile Explorer Interview

On the 17th February, the government announced that it was to perform a
u-turn when it abandoned plans to sell 258,000 hectares of state-owned woodland in England. This would have been a total of 85% on top of the 15% they are already allowed to sell off, when in the public need. This announcement came from Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman in the House of Commons, a speech in which she admitted to being wrong and apologised. A good many walkers and outdoor enthusiasts were then able to breathe a huge sigh of relief! So, are we out of the woods yet?

Mary Creagh MP

• Blog readers help to protect Birds of Prey!
• Cairngorms National Park Enlarged
• Walk4Life Day 2010 – Sunday 26th September

Unless you’ve had your head in the sand over the past few weeks we have all heard about the changes to the Public Bodies Bill which will mean that the government can sell off up to 85% of our forests, without protection for access or biodiversity. This as many of us agree cannot be allowed to happen, these woodlands are part of our national heritage and are loved by the British public.

Cycling in the Forest of Dean - Source: GeoGraph

• UK Government to Microchip Walkers
• RSPB Birds of Prey Campaign Interview
• Walk4Life Day 2010 – Sunday 26th September

Adventure racing is becoming increasingly popular in the UK. The Adidas Terrex Adventure Race will be a 4 day non-stop event held in the Lake District. The race will follow a 400 km linear course across Cumbria, with shortcuts available for novice teams.

Good navigation is essential for the race, and you will be provided with detailed maps to follow. The race will include fell running, mountain biking, kayaking, orienteering and a few surprises taking you to those hidden gems. Attitude is everything, so be prepared for the unexpected!

Since this Adventure Race is being held in the Lake District there could well be some open water swimming.

• A Brief Introduction to Orienteering
• Out There! AS-1 Rucksack Review
• Lowe Alpine Mountain Marathon LAMM 2010

Which walking route planner websites are the best? In the second part of our guide we are reviewing five websites that include walks in specific areas of the UK. We conclude with a review of John Dawson’s Lake District Walks.

• A Guide to Best Walking Route Planners
• Walking Northern Ireland Route Planner Review
• Walking North Wales – Route Planner Review

Which on-line walking route planners are the best? In the second part of our guide we are reviewing five websites that include walks in particular regions of the UK. In this particular review we are going walking in the city with Walkit.com.

• Walking Northern Ireland Route Planner Review
• Green Bridges: Hiking in the Future
• Walking North Wales – Route Planner Review