Dry robe review. The D-Robe Beaufort Robe

Disclaimer: The Beaufort dry robe was gifted to me by D-Robe, who did not ask me to write this review. It is an honest and open account of my opinion.

Whether your outdoor swimming pool is at the beach, a river or a lake, as winter approaches you can be sure of one thing.

The water is going to get colder.

Cold water swimming is amazing for your physical and mental health. I would recommend it and the communities that surround it to anyone. Wild swimming, especially sea swimming is absolutely the best way I’ve found of cheering myself up on darker winter days.

But I do find it difficult to warm up afterwards.

Until now I’ve resisted the urge to try a changing robe. In fact I’m almost the last person in my swimming group not to have one. but I am aware that putting the heating on to warm up after a swim isn’t great for the environment or my energy bills.

So when D-Robe offered me their Beaufort outdoor robe to try, I was keen to take the opportunity.

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Six really helpful coastal map symbols

We tend to associate map symbols with hills and footpaths but our popular coastal walking routes like the South West Coast Path have their own idiosyncrasies. Luckily for us, Ordnance Survey maps have a set of map symbols to help us safely navigate coastal areas and enjoy being by the sea.

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Adventures by train – Par’s Time and Tide Bell

One of the things I love most about my train adventures is they take me off the beaten path to explore places and discover treasure I wasn’t expecting to find.

Like a bell in the middle of a lonely beach.

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Ten Devon and Cornwall train adventures

Have you noticed any hints of autumn yet? I have but they’re so slight, I’m choosing to ignore them and make the most of the last few weeks of summer 2024.

So far I’ve had a grand summer.

Especially when it comes to train adventures.

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Outdooractive or OS Maps. Which app is best for walking route planning?

There’s a walk out there to suit all my moods. Whether I want to stroll along the coast path, stride across Dartmoor or find a quiet spot for wild camping, all I need is a map to find the best walking route.

Navigation apps can make life easier

I’ve been planning walking routes for a long time now and before the days of navigation apps, we had to measure all the distances (sometimes with string), work out the height gain (by counting contour lines), and calculate section times in our heads.

I’m still proud of my ability to write (and rewrite) a traditional route card but it is a time consuming process.

So these days I often use a route-planning app to speed things up.

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UK watersports centres you can get to by train

Outdoor adventures by train aren’t just possible, they’re great fun. To help me live a more sustainable life, I’ve been researching train adventures for the the last two years now, and I’ve discovered that travelling to my adventure destination by train adds to rather than detracts from my outdoor experience.

Because I can see so much outdoors from the train window. 

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5 fun ways to use your route-planning app

It’s no secret that I think the best route-planning app is OS Maps but whichever map app you choose, you’ll be pleased to hear these clever geographical gizmos aren’t just useful for planning walks, runs and cycle rides.

Route planning apps can also be a whole lot of fun.

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Do you need a changing robe for outdoor swimming?

It might be a shock, for anyone who has recently visited a UK lido, beach or riverbank, to hear that outdoor swimming is entirely possible without a changing robe.

Scandalous I know!

Sea swimming skies, Fi Darby

As my toes are ably demonstrating above, when it comes to swimming, all you really need is some water.

But the pull of the change or drying robe is strong. So strong that the number of manufacturers supplying them appears to increase daily.

‘The best swim robes: 20 options.’ (220 Triathlon)’

’13 best changing robes.’ (Glamour Magazine)

Which must surely be contributing to the 140 million pounds worth of clothing sent each year to UK landfill.

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Sustainable outdoor knitwear. How long will my new Finisterre jumper last?

Just before Christmas I was gifted a merino wool outdoor jumper by Cornish fashion-sustainability pioneers Finisterre. My mission was to try it out, and share my findings on my social media channels.

I loved the jumper and it suited my outdoor lifestyle so it got a really positive review.

How long should a jumper last?

A few weeks on, the jumper has been everywhere with me, and is clearly a piece I’m going to get a lot of wear out of.

So much so, it’s given me an idea for an experiment in sustainability.

Reading the comprehensive environmental impact information on the Finisterre website, I became interested in the idea that, from its start to its end, I could trace the whole life of my jumper.

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Sustainable New Year Resolutions for Outdoor Adventurers

Last year’s new year resolution

I’m not really a new year’s resolution type of girl. Mainly because I don’t have a good success rate, but this year I did manage to complete (just about) the new year’s resolution (some might call it a challenge) I set in January 2023.

I didn’t shop in supermarkets for a whole year.

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