Category: Autumn

Women’s Montragon HELLY TECH® Waterproof Hiking Boots

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Fitness, Gifts for Her, Mother's Day, Sustainable, Winter, Women

Disclaimer: We received these boots free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

I am a keen walker so a decent pair of walking boots is an absolute must for me, my boots have covered many miles and are starting to look a little tired, so I was really pleased to be given the opportunity to try a pair of Helly Hansen Montragon HELLY TECH® Waterproof Hiking Boots which are the perfect choice for my autumn adventures.

I have a few Helly Hansen items, and I have always found them to be very comfortable and hardwearing so couldn’t wait to try the new boots which have been specifically designed for backpacking and longer hikes. Autumn isn’t my season of choice for backpacking, but with plenty of hikes planned over a mix of terrains I am looking forward to putting the boots to the test.

So a little bit about the boots – they are part of the Verglas collection which uses technical materials that are thoughtfully combined with versatile and durable design solutions to create quality outdoor pieces that can be enjoyed for years of adventures. Featuring a combination of HH® Arch-Brace TPU plates – one located between the outsole and midsole and the other positioned just underneath the arch of the foot – the Montragon HT is lightweight yet still offers lots of protection to your foot. The hybrid of TPU plates creates just the right amount of stiffness, enabling you to carry heavier packs and step over ledges or rocks without impacting the performance of the boot. The boot’s taller construction provides added ankle protection and stability, while the specifically engineered eyestay offers additional support. I’m very conscious of our impact on the environment so I was pleased to discover that more than 70% off the upper is made from recycled materials.

To keep your feet dry they have HH Quick Dry and HH Seam-Shield technologies which will keep your feet comfortable no matter what the weather and ground conditions are.

When you get a new pair of boots it is important to wear them in a little first, otherwise if you go on a long walk straight away you will invariable end up with blisters and sore feet. The best way to wear them in is to wear them in the house for a couple of days and do a few short walks in them before attempting a proper hike, doing this means I know they are comfortable, and won’t end up with blisters and sore feet on my first hike in them.

So the all important question is what are the boots like to wear? As soon as I put them on they felt very comfortable, the padded collar around the ankle offers plenty of ankle support and the HH Max-Comfort Insole is firm, even after walking all day my feet felt nice and comfortable on the last few miles. The boots have really good grip on the sole and my feet felt secure when scrambling down wet hillsides and I didn’t slip once, even when it was very wet. One of our favourite walks follows a stone path which turns into a mini stream when the weather is bad and as we’ve had more wet walks that dry ones I’ve really been able to see just how well the HellyTech® WATERPROOF performs in bad weather – I’m pleased to say that despite the dreadful weather my feet have stayed bone dry – probably the only bit of me that has!

I am really impressed with the boots, they are comfortable, supportive and look good too. Whether you are a keen walker or someone who just needs a sturdy pair of boots to walk the dog these boots are perfect for both rugged terrain and country walks.  

If you want to treat your feet this Christmas then I can highly recommend these boots they are so comfortable to wear and your feet will certainly thank you for wearing them! 

RRP £200 available in sizes 3.5 to 8 – available here

BLO Pens

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, Children, Games, Gifts for children, Halloween, Stocking Fillers, Toys

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts an opinions are our own.

The days are getting shorter, the nights are darker and the spookiest day of the year is just  around the corner. Our little withes and ghouls have been getting into the Halloween spirit with some spooktacular Halloween crafts and have been having plenty of fun with these new BloPens sets from John Adams Toys.

BloPens are really clever as they turn a felt tipped pen into spray paint – simply take the top off,  put the nib into the clear plastic tube and put the coloured end back on. By blowing through the top the colour sprays out and you can create different effects by blowing harder and softer. Once you have finished your picture you can use the pens to add extra details and wording.

The Harry Potter Set (RRP £15) and the Scooby Doo set (RRP £13.38) are both perfect for creating spooky Halloween masterpieces, both sets contain 8 coloured BloPens and 6 cardboard stencils which you can use to create colourful effects on the paper. I would advise popping out the bits of the stencils before you give them to a younger child as little fingers might end up tearing some of the pieces which will spoil the pictures.

Our mini reviewers found them easy to use and before long were creating some spectacular works of art by mixing the colours to create a selection of spooktacular and magical pictures. They have really enjoyed using the BloPens and unlike a lot of crafts it’s a pretty mess free activity so there’s hardly any tiding up needed – definitely my sort of craft! The stencils can be reused so the little monsters will be able to create plenty more spooky pictures in the lead up to Halloween.

Available from Amazon

Lola’s Cupcakes Halloween Naked Nationwide Cake

Autumn, Children, Family Life, Food & Drink, Halloween

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are our own.

It’s almost October and the shops are pulling out all the stops with an incredible array of Halloween themed products. As well as the traditional costumes, decorations and accessories there is a huge selection of Halloween themed food and drink available which is perfect for parties. Obviously, you can’t have a party without cake (well not in our house) so our little witches and ghouls have been testing some terrifyingly tasty Halloween treats (with a little help from us of course!!)

We’ve decided that the Halloween Naked Nationwide Cake from Lola’s Cupcakes will make a fantastic centrepiece at any Halloween party and if you don’t live near one of their London stores don’t worry, as they can be posted anywhere in the UK. The delicious vanilla sponge with orange and mauve buttercream icing is topped with bright orange pumpkins, spooky sprinkles, sugarpaste ghosts and bats with “Happy Halloween” piped on the top.  The moist sponge cake has a nice thick layer of mauve buttercream and the sponge is really light and fluffy. The cake is tastefully decorated so it is appealing to children yet sophisticated enough for adults too!

It’s always a worry ordering cakes online, but this cake was incredibly well packaged in a cardboard box with cool blocks and a thermal liner to ensure it arrived in perfect condition. Once opened the cake should be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container and whilst it is best eaten within 48 hours if but you do have any left it can be kept in the fridge for another 2 days  – although I can guarantee there wasn’t much chance of that happening in our house!!! I was also pleased to discover that the thermal liner and ice pack can be returned to Lola’s Cupcakes for them to clean and reuse, they even include a prepaid label so this doesn’t cost you anything.

Overall, I was really impressed with this cake, it not only looks impressive it tastes amazing too, the sponge is nice and light which makes it rather moreish, and the combination of the buttercream filling and the sponge was absolutely delicious.

Lola’s Cupcakes make all their cakes fresh by hand each day from scratch, using only high quality ingredients so if you want to treat your ghosts, ghouls and witches this Halloween I would take a look now! The first day of delivery for this cake is the 24th October and the last is just in time for Halloween on the  31st October.

The company has a variety of delicious treats on their website and after with a few celebrations coming up it won’t be long before I’m ordering some more….

RRP £42.50


Wavey Ice SIPS Cocktails and Ice Pops

alcoholic drinks, Autumn, Days Out, Drinks and Mixers, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Home, Summer

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Before the very end of summer looms, and Christmas celebrations start we are in that autumn phase where some of the days are hot and humid and sometimes, like today, it is pouring with rain and you don’t want to leave the house. The evenings are getting darker quicker but with brilliant sunshine and unseasonal heat it’s difficult to say goodbye to summer for good.

Wavey Ice produce these gorgeous alcoholic frozen ice pops aimed solely at adults.  With flavours such as Kola & Spiced Rum, Black Grape & White Rum and Watermelon and Vodka (All at 6.25% ABV) then there’s no excuse to not get the party started, no matter the weather!  This array of flavours is enough to keep anyone happy and the fact that they’re alcoholic too makes them all the more delicious. You can eat them on their own or add them to a mixer as a coolant, just keep them away from the kids!

Wavey Ice have also launched their own range of refrigerated cocktails.  This includes two flavours of mocktails; Virgin Mango & Pineapple Mojito and Virgin Sex on the Beach.  The mojito flavours are obvious but if you’re not familiar with Sex on the Beach as a cocktail, it is peach, orange and cranberry.  Each 200ml pouch is enough for a tumbler sized glass and the pliable pouches fit nicely into any fridge. You can either drink them straight from the pouch for a picnic, add them to alcohol as a mixer or even make up a bigger bowl with them to create a punch. I had them one afternoon to rehydrate after a day out and they’re very refreshing; a nice alternative to fruit juice and as they’re made with real fruit juice. Even better, there’s no hangover because they’re alcohol free and the Mango and Pineapple Mojito has just won Silver in the Irish Quality Food and Drink Awards!

As Wavey SIPS are freshly made with fresh fruit juice and ingredients, there is a limited shelf life to them. Pop them in the fridge and drink them as soon as possible, or they can also go in the freezer for later.Wavey Ice SIPS and Ice Pops are available from £16.99 per box at: https://waveyice.com/collections/sips

Palmers Cocoa Butter Formula

Autumn, beauty, Christmas, Gifts for Her, Mother's Day, secret santa, Stocking Fillers, Winter, Women

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

Last week my inbox was bombarded with Christmas gifts and whilst we’re only in September it does make sense to start shopping early as it means you can get gifts before they sell out it and it also helps spread the cost too.

I’m on a hunt for stocking fillers at the minute and when the Palmers Cocoa Butter moisturisers arrived I knew they would fit nicely in the stockings this year. Palmers are a natural cocoa butter and coconut oil skincare and haircare brand whose products are not only reasonably priced but are brilliant at caring for dry skin. I’ve used Palmers products for years as I have dry, eczema prone skin and the moisturisers really help care for my skin, leaving it lovely and soft and hydrated.  

The Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Formula Daily Skin Therapy Body Lotion (RRP: £5.99 – 400ml) smells amazing and is gentle enough for sensitive skin. The pump action bottle makes it easy to dispense the lotion and it is easy to apply, absorbing effortlessly. It has really helped soothe the dry skin on my arms and legs after only a couple of applications.

When my skin is particularly bad I find a thicker product is best to help soothe the redness so the Palmer’s Original Solid Formula Jar (RRP: £7.49 – 200g) is perfect when my skin flares up. This is more of an intensive moisturiser and the balm is thicker and greasier than the lotion, but my dry skin just soaks it up and it does a brilliant job at keeping my skin soft and smooth and calming the redness. I let it warm in my hands first to make it easier to apply and find it is Incredibly soothing on my skin.

With a uniquely rich and creamy blend of Cocoa Butter, made from ethically and sustainably sourced cocoa beans, and Vitamin E these moisturisers are just what you need in the winter months to keep your skin hydrated and soft. As well as buying some for stocking fillers I will be treating myself too!

Vortx 6L Colour Air Fryer by Tower

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, Family Life, Home, Home & Garden, Tech

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

I have wanted to try an air fryer for ages, having heard a lot about them and seen on Instagram what they can do.  Why would I want an air fryer though when I have a perfectly good electric fan assisted oven?  Without trying one, I wasn’t going to find out if this would be an easier and perhaps cheaper way of cooking, so when the Tower 6 Litre Vortx Air Fryer arrived, I wasted no time checking it out!

The website gives a lot of information about air fryers in general and how they work, but I was pleased to see that the Vortx technology in this Tower air fryer is even better at circulating the air and heating it up, making it quicker than an oven by up to 30%. This variety is also 6 litres, which is a generous size to be able to cook a family meal or large volume baking, thereby saving energy as well as time.

As air fryers work by cooking the food with air at high temperatures which is circulated quickly around the food, there is no need for any fat as you have to do with electric or gas ovens. The air convection mechanism uses a lot less energy too, and this Vortx Air Fryer uses 70% less energy for cooking than oven, which with the price of energy is also a bonus. 

The machine itself is pretty big; bigger than a bread maker or about as big as a mixer. However, compared to a built-in oven, it’s much smaller and obviously mobile, so taking it away to university would be ideal. I like the fact that it stays on the worktop like a microwave would so all the panels and buttons are at eye level and the drawer can be opened with one hand if needed. It’s not so heavy that you need two hand, and I also like that you don’t need oven gloves to take the drawer out. Much safer with little children around and anyone with a disability and unable to bend down or lift out heavy grills will find this much easier. In fact, the Tower Vortx Air Fryer is designed in a way in which elderly or anyone with a disability can adapt how they use it to be able to lift the drawer and carry food.

The front panel is touch controlled, which lights up when you switch it on with the control panel button, but don’t forget to switch it on at the wall first! It’s easy to set the temperature from 80 Centigrade up to 200 Centigrade. You can also choose some of the pre-sets for easier cooking such as fries, steak and cake.

Once I had worked out the controls panel, it was time to start testing the Vortx Air Fryer! I started with some simple oven chips. As you don’t need any oil, I just piled a layer into the basket and used the pre-set controls for cooking them.  After the 15 minutes cooking time, the Vortx Air Fryer emits a sound and you take the drawer out, emptying the fries onto a plate. There’s very little clearing up to do because there’s no oil involved, and the chips are crisp on the outside and still fluffy on the inside!

Once I had mastered fries, it was onto cooking more of a meal! I cooked a piece of beef, being careful to work out the cooking time with regards to the weight.  Like any new appliance, it takes a while to get used to the cooking times and how evenly it cooks so I checked on the meat a few times by opening the drawer.  The beef was nicely cooked on the outside, along with the layer of mustard I had smothered on top to give it some extra flavour!  You can see in the photo how it looked as soon as I took it out of the air fryer and put it on a plate – medium rare, and that was in 20 minutes of cooking.

The Tower Vortx 6l Air Fryer can also be used for cooking vegetables, baking, roasting and even dehydrating such as these pieces of apple which I put on at 80 Centigrade (the lowest temperature possible) for 20 minutes. Most of the moisture was taken out, without any burning and just the flavour of the apple left behind. This will be lovely as part of a salad later in the week and puts to use the windfall apples from the garden this time of year!

Healthier than a microwave and more versatile than an oven, the Tower Vortx Air Fryer is brilliant for going to university and not having to worry about ovens and hot grills.

Available from £79.99 in 6 colours at: 

https://www.towerhousewares.co.uk/air-fryers/vortx-6l-colour-air-fryer-midnight-blue-t17127mnb

Readly Subscription

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, Books, camping, Christmas, Family Life, Father's Day, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Summer, Valentine's Day Gifts, Women

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

It’s holiday time again and we’re off in the motorhome. We love our road trips but living in such a compact space does have its challenges, the most difficult perhaps – clutter! It is so easy to take too much stuff and with limited space you end up constantly moving it from the table to the bed and back again!  

We both love reading and before any trip stock up on a few magazines. I like tech and model making but might pick something different just for a change. My wife likes food and gardening magazines, but it does mean that wherever you try to sit there is a magazine in the way!

This time I’m going to avoid this problem entirely by not taking any magazines with me, but I won’t miss out because I have a Readly subscription that allows me to pick from a massive number of different magazines and read them on my tablet or phone.

There is a huge choice, my usual favourites are there but there are also titles that I might not normally choose and they’re all available for one monthly price.

Sometimes we struggle for internet (we do choose so out of the way places to camp) but that’s not a problem either, we can download magazines to the tablet and read them later. Once we’re done, delete the files and start again.

I wasn’t too sure how I’d take to reading on a screen, but I found it to be brilliant, the pages are rendered in a very high quality and if I needed larger text the page zooms easily. I was just as impressed with the app on my phone! Whilst the screen is not a big as my tablet, many magazines use an “Article View” that re-formats each article for better reading on a mobile device. All the content remains the same, but it is presented in a more natural scrolling experience.

With over 7000 titles available it could be easy to get lost, but each publication is categorised and once you find a magazine you like you can add it to your favourites. Not only are the current editions available but many magazines have back issues too, one of the magazines I occasionally dip into is The Magpi, looking at that the back issues are available back to August 2018 which will keep me going for a while!

At £9.99 per month, a Readly subscription isn’t much more than some magazines and allows you to read as many as you like without worrying if you’re going to enjoy them or not, just move on and download another!

There is currently an offer on the website where you can try it for a month free of charge – perfect for summer holiday reading!

 Cherry Blossom Shoe Polish and Sneaker Cleaner

Autumn, Children, Family Life, Fashion, Home, Home & Garden, Summer

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Back to school means new uniform, maybe a whole new school and for most children, new school shoes as well.  It’s not just the neatly polished black lace-ups which they will need, but the sports shoes or plimsoles as well as sneakers to change into a break time for the most important of playground football matches.

Maybe new shoes aren’t needed? What if you can buff up their last pair enough to make them last another term? Cherry Blossom, the only remaining British manufacturer of shoe polish, have a range of shoe polishes in different colours, plus a handy Midsole Reviver Kit for cleaning midsole trainers.  We were sent the kit and polish, along with a Sneaker Shield spray to try out before school starts. Yes, I realise it’s only just August but stay with me on this!

The photo above is a pair of my white, summer plimsoles and my black, winter ankle boots. The ankle boots really should have been ditched years ago because of the discolouration of walking in the rain with them on and not keeping them buff but they’re so well made and so comfy that I can’t part with them. Cherry Blossom to the test! Using the Cherry Blossom Black Shoe Polish, the instructions say to work the polish into the leather and leave before shining the polish off with a soft brush. Using an old sock, I worked ample polish into each boot, including the heels, and left for a couple of hours.  Once the polish had dried, I used a soft shoe brush to shine up the leather. It takes a little while and some effort to remove the loose polish and bring the leather up to standard, and I probably could have done more, but I’m pretty happy with the transformation I got, and only in few hours!  The leather was nourished and not cracking or discoloured with watermarks any longer, making them look newer than they are and ready to be seen out in public again, which you can see in the second photo.

The Cherry Blossom Midsole Revival Kit is for keeping your trainers clean, especially the fashionable white ones! The kit comprises of the Foam Cleaner, a small application brush and cloth.  Pumping the foam onto dry trainers (they can be wet but it’s not essential) then brushing in the solution to work out any of the stains and mud.  With a quick, light rinse, you might need to apply again with really stubborn stains.

My white plimsoles took a while to dry and several applications of the foam to get rid some of the mud stains and ground in dirt from walking around dusty cities.  As an added tip, leave white clothes and shoes in the summer sun and this will help the products bleach out any stains, especially organic stains.

The white shoes came up very well after a second application of the cleaning foam, but they did need rinsing a few times which left them wet and it’s not easy to see the effect until they’re dry! They’re definitely cleaner though. 

Finish off your trainers with the Sneaker Shield from Cherry Blossom to fight off the rain and stains that inevitably come from getting wet.  Great for the walk to and from school or autumnal breaktimes when kicking a ball about in the wet leaves at school!

Cherry Blossom Polish, £2.00: https://cherryblossom.co.uk/products/shoe-polish?_pos=1&_sid=eeb168a60&_ss=r

Cherry Blossom Midsole Revival Kit, £11.45: https://cherryblossom.co.uk/products/midsole-reviver-kit

Cherry Blossom Sneaker Shield, £7.45: https://cherryblossom.co.uk/products/sneaker-shield

Yankee Candle Autumn Daydream

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Family Life, Gifts for Her, Home, Home & Garden, Women

Disclaimer – We received this item free for the purpose of this review/feature but all words and opinions are our own.

Hardcore fans of Yankee Candle know that the new range of Daydreaming of Autumn candles are out now, perfect for planning your autumn indoors. Who can tell what the weather will do from now on? 

The collection includes 4 new candles; Autumn Daydream, Pumpkin Maple Crème Caramel, Mulled Sangria, and Evening Riverwalk. We were sent Autumn Daydream to review for you our readers and to give you a taste of what the rest of the collection has in store.

All of the scented candles have a rich, woody fragrance to compliment the season as the nights become longer and the weather (probably) turns cooler.  Part of the Signature Large Jar collection, this candle has a subtle, clove scent, warm with the colours of autumn and with the rich hue of clove to go with it. There’s also lavender, balsam and eucalyptus added into the blend to give a more rounded feel to the burning candle. I can also smell rhubarb in the mix too, which is evocative of autumn for me as we always grew it at home when I was growing up.  The forest feeling lingers with the eucalyptus and lavender which are also calming and reminiscent of the summer being over and winter soon approaching.

The candle weighs 567 grams and is available in large (as seen in this photo), medium and 5-wick tumbler.  It has a burn time of 60-90 hours so will last a long time on those long evenings before Christmas, and the two wicks means it burns evenly. The jar and lid make it easy to store when not using and I particularly like being able to extinguish the candle by just placing the lid on top to stop the oxygen getting in. 

The scent stays consistently the same throughout the whole burn time thanks to the high quality ingredients and the soy wax blend that prevents the colour and scents from separating out when burning.

Whether for yourself or as a gift this autumn, there are ample choices at Yankee Candle for that atmospheric, relaxing home candle. 

Autumn Daydream is available for £29.99 at: https://www.yankeecandle.co.uk/yankee-candle/candles/shop-by-type/signature-large-jar-candles/autumn-daydream/ORCL_1743378E.html

TOG24 Glasson Womens Waterproof Jacket

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Days Out, Family Life, Fashion, Fitness, Gifts for Her, Sport, Summer, Women

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

National Walking Month is coming to a close now and we have certainly covered some miles. We normally go out walking a couple of times a week but at the start of the month we challenged ourselves to go out for a walk every day in May and the miles have been quickly totting up. I have really enjoyed exploring our local area and walking along the public footpaths that cross the fields as well as doing a few higher level walks on the fells. We have seen plenty of wildlife too, my favourite was seeing a beautiful barn owl fly around the fields one evening and we have also spotted deer and hares.

Living in the North West we are used to wet weather and a walk in the rain is certainly a lot better with the right gear so I was pleased to receive the TOG24 Glasson Women’s Waterproof jacket – especially as my current waterproof coat has seen better days and tends to leak. It’s bad enough walking in the rain but it it’s a million times worse if the rain gets through your coat leaving you wet and cold.

Available in either navy or faded pink in sizes 8-18, the coat is made from a 100% waterproof, breathable fabric with a DWR coating to repel water. The coat is also windproof so will keep me warm and dry no matter what the weather throws at me.

I normally wear size 14 clothes, but I do like to go up a size for waterproof coats as I like to be able to move about easily and on colder days have room for a fleece or jumper. The size 16 coat fitted me perfectly – the elasticated waist toggles meant I could easily adjust the fit, pulling in the waist for a smooth fit when wearing thinner layers and loosening them when I am wearing more layers.  

Designed with two-way zips and magnetic fasteners (which are a dream to fasten) the coat has two roomy angled pockets that fasten with the same magnetic fasteners. This is the first time I have come across a coat with this type of fastener, and I really love it, they are so easy to open, especially if you have cold and wet hands and they fasten easily with a satisfying snap. It also has a zipped internal pocket which is perfect for keeping my phone safe.

The coat is a very flattering shape and I love the longer length with the fishtail hem. I was really pleased with the length of the arms, I am 6’ tall with long arms and find sleeve lengths in women’s waterproofs do tend to be too short. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I put the jacket on and found the sleeves were just the right length.  Another feature of waterproof coats that I look at are the hood, it needs to fit nicely on my head and stay up when the weather is bad. The hood on the Glasson coat was an excellent fit and with the zip fully up stayed in place nicely. The peak helped prevent the hood from flopping in my face and is deep enough to keep rain off my face and glasses. There is also enough room to wear a woolly hat when it gets colder and still be able to put the hood up.

The lovely, longer-length Glasson coat performed brilliantly when we tested it with the hosepipe (it’s not rained here recently so we had to create our own weather conditions!) This was way more intense than any rain shower I’ve ever been in and although the coat was absolutely soaked, I stayed nice and dry. I am really pleased with this coat, it is comfortable to wear and looks great too. It’s also smart enough for work so whilst the coat is on sale I’m thinking of buying the faded pink version to keep me warm and dry on my daily commute.

RRP £130 but currently on sale at £80

1000 Mile Fusion Walk Sock

Autumn, Birthday Gifts, camping, Christmas, Days Out, Family Life, Fitness, Gifts for Her, health, Mental Health Awareness, Mother's Day, Sport, Winter, Women

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own

May is National Walking Month and is the perfect opportunity to get outdoors and explore the countryside. I have set myself a challenge to do a walk every day in May as walking is not only a good form of exercise it is a great way to destress after a busy day at work. We are fortunate to live in a beautiful part of the country with plenty of good walks on our doorstep, so I am hoping that it won’t be too difficult a challenge!

When you are going hiking it’s amazing the difference a good pair of walking socks makes and this pair of Fusion Walk socks from 1000 Miles are going to be doing plenty of miles this month.

The socks are a double layered 3 /4 season sock with extra padding on the heel, toe and Achilles tendon areas. Combined with the high volume Merino wool, the socks offers warmth and volume, making the socks ideal for wearing from Autumn right through to Spring.

As soon as I put the socks on my feet I noticed how comfortable they are, and that’s before I even started walking! The Merino wool and Tactel mix gives a comfortable, breathable sock that wicks moisture away from the foot and elastane ensures a close fit that doesn’t slip or bunch in your boots  The ribbed cuff is a comfortable fit and not too tight around my leg and the socks are a mid-calf length and they fit nicely in both my walking boots and trail shoes meaning I can wear them for both hiking and fell running.

I was especially pleased when I saw the sizing of the women’s socks, the medium size is for UK sizes 6 to 8.5 and it’s nice to find a company who recognises that women do have feet bigger than a size 7!

The socks come with 1000 Miles’s blister free guarantee and they will give you your money back or a replacement pair of socks if you experience either blisters or the socks wear out within 1,000 miles – provided that the socks have been cared for following their guidance and are returned with the receipt.

The socks are mid length and easily cover the bottom of my walking trousers, the heel padding comes up the back of the heel and finishes slightly higher than the back of my walking shoe, meaning the backs of my ankles are protected and comfortable.  Available in Ladies (3 to 8.5) they cost £18.00 but don’t be put off by the price, given the excellent warranty they really are a  worthwhile purchase