I think that we were all starting to go a bit stir-crazy with all the rain we’ve been having lately. But Saturday finally brought bright sunshine and warm weather, so we threw one of the boats on the roof of the car and headed for the Thames at South Stoke. Both the girls love canoeing and it’s a great way of getting the whole family out together.

The Thames was flowing pretty strongly, so we set off upstream in order to see what progress could be made against the current. Keeping close to the bank allowed us some shelter from the main flow and after 20 minutes or so Brunel’s amazing skew bridge came into view.

Something that we’d not seen before was the hatching and first flight of the local Mayfly population. Every 20 yards or so another Mayfly would be drying it’s wings on the surface of the water and preparing to take off (often  unsuccessfully…). Luckily for them the murky water of the Thames sheltered them from the local fish population!

After plenty of paddling against the current we reached our turnaround point and headed back downstream. The journey back flew by, taking us probably only 15 minutes to cover what had taken us 40+ in the other direction. Back at the slipway, we got the M-Kettle on the go, using some twigs and bits of wood to brew up hot chocolate for us and the kids.

So all in all, a proper little adventure on a sunny Saturday afternoon!

Here at Little Adventure HQ it is absolutely chucking it down, we can hardly hear ourselves in the warehouse with rain pinging off the roof.

We had a few days off over the Easter hols and were caught in several downpours but looking on the bright side this gave us the oppourtunity to test out some of the Sprayway kids waterproofs. The most memorable moment was went we went out from West Bay in Dorest on an hour long mackerel fishing trip. We left the harbour straight into grey skies and lots and lots of rain.

Thank goodness I had remembered to pack the waterproofs as there was no where to hide (plus in this line of business it is highly embarassing if you get caught out without the correct kit!). So our children were straight on with the Sprayway Hawk jackets and then the rain pants. The zips on the rain pants were handy as both girls were wearing wellies so they could easliy slide on over their boots.

It continued to bucket down for the whole trip. I think it would be fair to say that our girls did not find their sea legs, “Mummy when can we go home I feel sick”. However, they were dry as a bone underneath the waterproofs, unlike some of the other children on the boat who were drenched.

All in all it was an “interesting” trip, waterproofs were a godsend and we did catch one tasty fish!

We have just taken delivery of an exciting new product; the Merrell Trail Glove kids shoes.

They are based on the principles of the barefoot running movement which has been rapidly gathering momentum over recent years.

The barefoot running gurus advocate wearing shoes that interfere as little as possible with your natural walking/running gait, i.e. the way your feet move when you are bare foot.

The Kids Trail Gloves are extremely lightweight, flexible, minimalist pair of trainers with a thin but very durable Vibram sole. The interior is soft and smooth allowing the shoes to be worn with our without socks. They provide a refreshing alternative to the chunky trainers most children wear.

We’ll be trying out with our own children over the next few weeks. Personally I think these these shoes are like Marmite, you’ll either love them or hate them…I really like them, they look fabulous, the sole is amazing, plus When they get dirty you can just chuck them in the washing machine, always a bonus!

We would love you to give them a go and let us know what you think, so as an incentive we’re offering 10% off and free shipping on the kids Trail Gloves!

Size range: UK 9 (EU 28) – UK 6 (EU 38)

• No irritating inside seams make socks optional
• Microfiber footbed treated with Aegis ® antimicrobial
• Specially designed outsole has a wider base for increased ground contact providing stability for young feet
• EVA Midsole 1mm forefoot shock adsorption plate maintains forefoot flexibility and protects the foot by distributing pressure
• Zero mm ball to heel drop keeps you connected to your terrain
• Vegan friendly footwear
• Vibram ® Trail Glove Kids Sole / TC-1 Rubber

I have a confession to make, despite running an online shop I actually hate shopping…..my mother has always been very disapointed in me for this most unfemnine of traits!

A while ago I decided to make my life easier and avoid multiple shopping trips for childrens’ birthday parties by stock piling some pressies. My present stash is now dwindling but the kids love their pressies, so what did I give them?

OK well it had to be a bit of kit so I chose the Camelbak water bottles, a good price point, useful and they were unlikely to already have one at home and as an added bonus it didn’t involve giving money to the Hello Kitty or Ben 10 marketing machines. I’ve been amazed by how excited the children have been about the water bottles. Kids love them and they really do drink a lot of water from them. Parents have commented that they can get their children to drink a lot more water from a Camelbak bottle than from any other drinks container they’ve tried, plus they love the fact that they are spill proof.

So if you’re stuck for pressie ideas try the Camelbak bottles, all the new season styles are now in and this year Camelbak have started offering spare bite valves (the bit you drink through) and straws.

School holidays are on the horizon again. It’s all good news if you are heading off to the Alps this half term. After a slow start to the season conditions are now great and more snow is due this week.

To help you get your kids kitted out for their skiing, we’re starting our “half-term” countdown. Each week between now and half term we’re offering great deals on essential ski kit. This week were starting with the basics. We strongly believe that if you’re investing in taking your children to the mountains in winter don’t skimp on the quality of their clothing. Top of this list of must haves are; quality snow boots, gloves and thermals. So to help you we are offering great deals on the following products this week:

Columbia Powder Bug Snow Boots for only £24.50 and free shipping. These boots start from a tiny UK 3.5 to an adults 6.5. Super warm sole with a full length removable felt liner. These are great quality boots at a brilliant price.

Hesta C-Zone Kids Ski Gloves for £22.50 and free shipping. Fabulous waterproof, breathable and well insulated gloves from Hestra in Norway. You want to make sure your child doesn’t lose these gloves which is why they come with their own “hestra Handcuffs” so they are always attached to their wrists.

Odlo thermal set, top and pants for £24.50. Warm, breathable and oh so snuggly. Having tested these on our own children we can confidently say that they don’t itch and double up as warm PJs.

Finally the Nippergrip kids ski harness, this is one for the grown ups’ benefit. Save your back when you are hauling your child up off the slopes or onto a chairlift and help prevent child induced anxiety by controlling their speed with the reins!

Reading Andy Kirkpatrick’s Cold Wars’ last Autumn spurred me on to sharpen up my ice axes and crampons and head to the mountains. The chance to go climbing with John from Lion equipment and a bunch of other folk was too good to miss, so we jumped on a plane to head for one of Europe’s most reliable areas for winter climbing – Rjukan in Norway. Not only is the ice climbing fantastic, but it has an amazing World War 2 story to tell too.

Conditions were pretty good, with ice forming well on most of the routes. We encountered a fair amount of water on some of the routes (particularly the chimney pitch of Sabotorfossen..) but on the whole, the ice was good and the climbing excellent. We were out in Rjukan from Sat 14th Jan to Weds 19th Jan.

I managed to capture some footage of the climbing on camera, so I hope you enjoy it!

Simon.

…

Our mid season sale is now on and ends on Sunday 15th January. There are some great bargains to be had on Columbia kids Skiwear, Sorel Snow boots and more.

This winter our Odlo kids thermals have been having rave reviews and they are now 20% off. The Hestra kids C-Zone Ski Glove is one of our favourites and they are also 20% off. Kids snow boots range from size 3.5 (very cute) to big kids 6.5 and we have some great offers on the Columbia and Sorel ranges. Finally hats, hats, hats, beanies, mountain caps, slouchers and bobbles and more at 50% off.

The Christmas build up is well underway at home now. Our girls are getting super excited. We held out for a tree until last weekend when we went to our very muddy local wood yard/ “Christmas Tree World”. We came home with a 5ft tree which is a beauty, it needed to be as inflation on Christmas trees seems to be extortionate this year. The children set to the decorating with great gusto. Once they had gone to bed we then rearranged the tree so not all the decorations were only 2ft off the ground!

On Sunday we visted Gran and Grandad who told they girls they were going to help them pick their own Christmas tree. “But we’ve already done that” was the reply. “No, we really are going to PYO your own tree, follow me”. So we all dressed up warm and stomped a mile or so across the Surrey heathland until we saw a Forestry Commission Land Rover surrounded by trees. The ranger was all kitted out with his Kelly Kettle and a dozen bow saws. “so here we are” said Grandad picking up a saw, “now we’ve to cut down the tree we want”. Squeals of delight followed and they raced off across the heathland picking random trees.

Waverly Borough Council run the Scots Pine clearance weekend to help keep the pine down across the heathland. This contributes to conservation of the natural habitat of heather and gorse. You need to call and book a place, but the idea is you come and chop down as many small (most are less than 10ft) pine trees as you want and then you can pick the best for your own Christmas tree.

We carried our well earnt tree back to the road and loaded it on to the car. The children were absolutely delighted to have chopped their own tree down and celebrated by singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star at full volume all the way home! No prizes for guessing which tree they were most proud of…

MERRY CHRISTMAS

One of the most gratifying parts of last winter was receiving calls from our customers to say how happy their children had been wearing the snow boots that they had bought from us.   One parent said that her kids were the only ones in the playground with warm feet when they were wearing their Sorel Snow Commander boots.

In cold frosty weather wellies really don’t cut it when it comes to keeping feet warm. As we all know once kids get cold feet the fun and games end pretty soon. It really is worth investing in a pair of “snow boots” if you want your children to be outside whatever the weather in winter, think of them as winter wellies.

Cold is transferred to your feet mostly via the ground you are standing on. To keep the heat in and the cold out you need a thick good quality rubber sole and then added insulation on the inside of the boot. Insulation on the kids snow boots is either a felt liner that is removable or a synthetic insulation sewn into the boot. In addtion to this Sorel boots have an added Frost Plug layer inside the soles which keeps even more cold out.

We are now fully stocked with kids’ snow boots ready for the chilly winter that is forecast. This year we have the favourite Sorel Snow Commander Toddler and Sorel Cub boots and we’ve added the Sorel Super Trooper with its 9mm thick felt lining as well ast the top of the range Yoot Pac and for those that like the more sophisticated look the Cumberland boot is selling well too.

We’ve just have a great meeting with the guys from Maverick Slacklines. So what’s slacklining all about… think of tight ropewalking just above the ground (i.e. no scary drops) and instead of a rope you have a line like a tape, about 5cm wide. It started pastime for climbers to keep fit away from the crags and then the skate scene took to it. Now slacklining is holding its own and even has it’s own competition circuit.

A slackline in essence is very simple, it is quick to set up and all ages can enjoy it. If we are being scientific about it all the balancing/wobbling means it’s excellent for building core body strength   but basically it is just good fun and one you’ve had your first wobble you’ll be totally addicted!

We saw people slacklining at the European Outdoor Trade Show last year, it has a huge following in Europe and I’m the UK will be catching on soon. A major player in the growth of UK Slacklining is Maverick, a small company based in Poole who design and make skate parks. They have made a natural progression from skateboards to slacklining and they now design their own lines. Their beginners line is perfect for all ages we’ve had 2 year old kids through to 70 year old grandads on the one in our backgarden and everyone has loved it.

On a personal level I have been a bit feeble in my attempts to master slacklining and have only managed 4 consequtive steps so far… but this year I am determined to own it! If the sun is still shining when I get home I’m going to get our line out.