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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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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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 (2023) 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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