John Pilkington, a long-time friend of brasher, has been described as "one of Britain's greatest tellers of travellers' tales". His Radio 4 programmes have won him several appearances on 'Pick of the Week' and one on 'Pick of the Year' . Last year he took a pair of Lithium XCR's on a six-month journey through the Middle East.

Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran are in the news for all the wrong reasons. Starting in Beirut, I found situations quite different from the news stories as I followed a winding route via the Euphrates, the Caucasus and the Valleys of the Assassins to finish eventually on the Persian Gulf. I met a spectacular variety of people - Druze, Maronites, Arabs, Kurds, Armenians, Azeris and both Shi'ite and Sunni Iranians - and to my surprise I found families and whole communities working together to survive the harsh climate and political strife.

Iraq was fascinating of course, but it was the people of Iran who made the trip unforgettable. They must be the most warm and generous in the world - for days on end I was hardly allowed to buy any food or drink. Worringly I managed to get arrested in the holy city of Qom, but was let off and continued south through the desert to Qeshm Island in the Persian Gulf, a rocky no-man's-land that hasn't changed much since Marco Polo was there in 1271. Marco Polo had been intending to take a local boat to India, but the boats looked so unseaworthy that he turned north and went overland to China instead. Have Qeshm Islanders got to grips with boatbuilding since then? Come to a talk and find out! There's more info at http://www.pilk.net/lecturedates.html

Incidentally my Lithium XCR's took a bit of a hammering towards the end of the trip in northern Iran. The ground was rough and steep and for the first time I had to do some real scrambling. Here's what they looked like at the end.

February is National Heart Month - an annual campaign increasing awareness of heart and circulatory diseases with various fundraising activities being held throughout the UK to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation.

This month The British Heart Foundation have launched a national health code and lifestyle check - BEAT. 

Be Active - Eat Healthy - Avoid Smoking - Take the Lifestyle Check 
(go to the British Heart Foundation website for more info)

Walking is a great way to Be Active and can help with your fitness and well being. Whether it be a regular walk each day or out for a full day at the weekend you can do as little or as much to suit your lifestyle.

The 84 miles of Hadrian's Wall running from Wallsend on the east coast to Bowness-on-Solway on the west coast is to be lit up as part of a number of events in conjunction with the British Tourism Week.

On Saturday 13th March 500 beacons will be lit at 250metre intervals along the wall, creating an amazing 'line of light along the coast' which would definitely be worth a visit.

brasher have even more reasons to celebrate this December as our new lightweight trekking boot Lithium GTX has just won Gear Of The Year Award voted by Wanderlust magazine.

As quoted by Wanderlust:

"These structured boots support the ankles, hold up well on rocky paths, are waterproof, instantly comfortable and as you'd expect, very light. They're a great compromise for travellers who like trek, or trekkers who love to travel"

To check out the tech spec on these boots click here.

"No Christmas is complete without the gift of a pair of socks!"

Our brasher socks are perfect for any activity - from dog walking to hillwalking, worn with multi active shoes or boots and there's even a pair suitable for those more adventurous relatives who spend their free time trekking up mountains.

Wool Ultra (shown below) are always a popular choice for keeping feet warm and toasty in the cold winter weather and with the choice of 2-3 or 3-4 season they will be the perfect addition to any stocking this Christmas.