The third Monday in January is supposed to be the most depressing day of the year! Let me explain why it is actually the most exciting third Monday in January!

“Blue is the colour of the sky
In the mornin’, when we rise
In the mornin’, when we rise
That’s the time, that’s the time
I love the best…” –
Colours by Donovan

Stop the rot!

The fallacy that the third Monday in January is the most depressing day in the year; is simply a lie. Conjured up by depraved souls in the travel industry, to make you believe that by booking a package holiday in the upcoming summer; your struggles with the long cold dark nights of January will magically disappear! Yet you, I and common sense know that is complete nonsense! Any day of the year can be depressing for rightful reasons. Yet never ever let anyone or anything make you believe you are sad or wrong! Onwards and upwards; brave souls! Let us make the most of this Monday and everyday after that!

Early to bed, early to rise; makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise!

The day before ‘Blue Monday’ is Funday; I mean Sunday! Go for a walk in the fresh air with your nearest and dearest and just relax into nature. Turn off your phone and listen to the birds and the wind in the trees. Make and take a picnic and enjoy the taste off a fresh ham sandwich after you have grown hungry from a bracing walk in a northerly breeze.

Then get home and run a warm bubbly bath and appreciate just being warm and then clean! Put your feet up after a hearty dinner; have a beer or a glass of wine and maybe a dram to ease the muscles and mind. Yet do not stay up too late watching some depressing documentary or tragic serial of a serial killer! Head early to bed for maybe a chapter of a interesting book. Then turn off the lights and wish yourself a goodnight.

So when the alarm goes at some ungodly hour; you jump out of bed full of life and power! Save time and money later in the day; by eating a big breakfast before you leave the house. Queueing in a bakery or café to buy breakfast; is not only expensive and time consuming, but maybe stressful too as you try to choose and chew with strangers in full view! Skip to work or just drive; with a pack lunch that you made the night before and along with the right frame of mind, your day can only be kind!

No work, no money or honey?

Have you lost your job or even worse; you are in a job you do not enjoy? Well make this the Monday you change everything! Tell your boss the truth; tell the customers they are not right; as a result you can tell the truth from here on and out!

You are out of money after spending all your hard earned cash on material things? The things that you were told would you make you happy by the made up girl on the advert? Well you cannot grow a straight row of potatoes with a overpriced car; you cannot keep warm in that thin silk shirt and you cannot clean the dirt whilst holding that overpriced phone in your hand.

No; today is the day you run, jump and fly away from the rat race way of thinking! People who think you are crazy are actually in awe; the friends by the whirlpool were just there for the fair weather and the you’ll soon meet the greatest person ever: the true you!

Unlucky in love; lonely, beaten, cheated on and left in the gutter? Or with someone who does not appreciate you? Well today is the day you leave them far behind in the shadows of your mind. Love yourself, appreciate yourself, respect yourself; you are the greatest! Do you think you are walking alone? You are not; surrounded by good thoughts and feelings, you are on top of the world! Appreciate your family and true friends; for they have stood by you through thick and thin!

‘The sweet is never as sweet; without the sour’

There are rightful reasons to feel depressed and low. Bereavement, losing a lover or just too much stress from a unhealthy job. It is easy for me to write here; yet try to see everything in perspective. Remember the good times and remember they are with you in spirit. You cannot turn back the clock; yet try to show them you are making the most of the present day! What is more; grieve and learn about loss in your own sweet time. If friends become impatient with your sadness; then grieve alone until you feel happy again.

As for stress from work or man made things in the present moment? Simply leave them in the present moment and they will soon be the past.

If you find you are struggling and becoming stressed; it is best to simply focus on your breathing. Read my first blogs to perfect the technique: Breathe and Breathing techniques to relax

‘Carpe diem’

So do not listen to the naysayers, doom mongers or saccharine social media. Make the most of this Monday and everyday. Enjoy it, use it and make the most of it! Learn, work hard, exercise and eat well. Fear nothing but fear itself; and you will climb any: ‘mountains of the mind’.

A long term review of a comfortable but sturdy boot from Berghaus; the Berghaus Expeditor Ridge 2.0

A reputation built on miles of family walks

My parents and then my siblings and I; have been keen walkers for the last fifty years. From: Sunday walks; to autumn half term breaks in the Lake District; to hikes further afield in the Alps and Pyrenees. Having to find boots for our nine pairs of feet has been a expensive task for our parents over the years. So after wasting money on trying poor quality alternatives; a brand we have always returned to is Berghaus.

To find out more about this classic British brand and help support the UK economy; checkout their own website here: https://www.berghaus.com/berghaus-history.html

With one of their latest designs being called the ‘Expeditor Ridge’; we had little difficulty in deciding what to buy. There is another boot by Berghaus; named: ‘Expeditor Trek’. Which has suede uppers for hiking in warmer and more humid places; yet here in a English winter, the Expeditor Ridge is the right choice.

Design and fit

The Expeditor boot is lightweight at only 1020 grams per pair; so they certainly wont slow your pace. With an upper made from scuff resistant leather and AQ water resistant lining; you will remain comfortable what ever the weather. I have walked for over six hours in the pouring rains of the Lake District: Wast Water; and for over four hours in the snows of the Pyrenees: Ibon de Gorgutes and Puerto de Glera; yet my toes remained warm and dry throughout

The ankle support is well designed, with your malleoli being enclosed and protected; yet not restricted even with the laces drawn tight. The rear of the ankle support is lower to help the ankle flex as you walk forward. It is possible for small stones to enter the boot here; yet this is rare and are easily removed with the simple lace system.

There is a high level of grip thanks to the OPTI-STUD sole; that has given me the confidence to walk on icy paths and steps.

The neutral grey colours of the boot mean you can wear them anywhere you need; without feeling like a high coloured advert for a sports company. With the smooth smart lines of the boot making them respectable enough to enter any bar or restaurant on a cold winters night.

Sizing

Like most people my feet are actually different sizes! My right foot is just smaller than a UK size 10 (EU size 44.5) and the left is just under a UK size 9.5 (EU size 44)! Yet due to the need to wear thick thermal socks for winter walking; my boots are a UK size 10.5 (EU size 45).

On top of this, my feet are really wide in relation to their length! So much so; I have split newer shoes where they just could not keep my fat feet from flattening out!

Yet with even thinner socks; these boots do not fill loose or unwieldy like a clown shoe! They truly hold the foot like a hand in a glove by allowing the natural movement of the foot without pressurising certain points like the ankle, heel or the big toe and small toe mounds.

To compare, I made the mistake of once using cheap army surplus boot. The cut was much higher up the leg with long laces. So I once made the mistake of tying the laces around my leg to lose the length; which resulted in blisters on both sides of my legs where the boot rubbed as it flexed against my swelling muscles. Not to mention the various blisters on the heel and toes of my foot as it flopped about in what was apparently the right size for me!

Over a year of wear without tear

So I have worn these boots almost every Sunday to walk in the English countryside; as well as weeks hiking in France and Spain. Not to mention countless wet and cold days; where I have worn them to work, shops and friends houses. So as I write, my pair of Berghaus Expeditors are now approximately 14 months old and still looking fresh!

The toe box is scuffed from walking through rough terrain; yet has not broken weakened the leather. On the top of the little toe mound, where the toe box meets the sole; the stitching is starting to come away. Yet no water is able to ingress and the boots structure is maintained by the rest of the stitching across the top of the boot.

Yet the heel of the foot is hardly worn, the laces have not even started to fray and the insole is still cushioning my foot from the terrors of ‘terra firma’.

I wonder when I will have to buy them again?

So to answer the question on your mind? ‘Yes’! I would buy them again too! Yet the paradox of buying such a well made boot such as this one from Berghaus; is that they last so long, you do not know when they need to be replaced! In three, four, five years; will newer models be this good? With new environmental laws and events out of our control; maybe we will be lucky to have this quality in the future? My mother has had a pair of Berghaus boots that have lasted over ten years; so who knows when?

Yet for now, I always feel confident to walk anywhere in these boots and that is all that really matters. From a whole day in the rain, hours in knee deep snow or just rough terrain in high summer; I have always felt happy in these boots. The £95 to £110 price tag is still a lot of money to must; yet compare it to any other boot or shoe and then realise how long they will last and you are on to a winner for many years to come.

December 2021 update

Almost a year has passed since this review and sadly the quality of the Berghaus boot has come to light. The glue has given way between the upper fabric of the right toe box where it meets the sole on the inside of the shoe. In addition, the stitching on the outside of right boot has failed; to the extent that water easily enters the boot. This leaves me with a wet foot, on the gentlest of walks without puddles.

So, I would no longer recommend these boots. It seems Berghaus have fallen for the same mentality of so many brands; by having their clothing made in the far East by cheap labour. Where the focus is not on quality and longevity but aesthetics and a low price.

When I was barely a teenager; my parents found the money to buy me a pair of classic walking boots for the many school trips and camps in the cold and wet English countryside. They were too big when I first wore them because they knew I would have room to grow into them and last me for many years. I was still wearing the boots ten years later when I was leaving university. I will now buy from this brand again; after such a sad experience with Berghaus. The name of this brand: Lomer. They are Italian and you can find out for yourself here: http://www.lomer.it/en-UK/. Or read my review here: Lomer Keswick MTX walking boots review

I hope you are all able to enjoy a relaxing walk in warm comfortable boots. Happy walking.

Lockdown and the cold weather make it hard to get outside; yet get inspired with these books and maps that have inspired me to get back on the bike.

Links to my own rides that have come from reading these books.

1. ‘The Great Bicycle Adventure’ and ‘Clear Waters Rising’ by Nicholas Crane

I first encountered Nicholas Crane on a BBC television series about the joy of walking. With the presenter, he was walking part of a long distance route he had previously undertaken. From Cape Finisterre on the Atlantic coast of Spain, to Istanbul in Turkey; he walked almost always in mountain ranges that linked to make one long route. He wrote a book on this epic walk; called: ‘Clear Waters Rising’.

In the television programme he was walking a section through the Spanish Pyrenees. Which introduced our family to the valley of Benasque; where I have enjoyed many holidays and countless bike rides in the picturesque Pyrenees. Please check out my website for my own routes; yet, here is a link to a ride in this wonderous place: Autumn in the Pyrenees (Benasque Valley)

I saw this television programme when I was still a teenager; full of dreams of travelling the world and exploring new places by bike. So after reading ‘Clear Waters Rising’; I noticed the author had written other tales of adventure. One of the most interesting is detailed in the aptly named: ‘Great Bicycle Adventure’.

Along with his cousin, way back in the late eighties; Nicholas rides to the point on the earths surface that is furthest from any sea or ocean. It was a amazing read for a younger me and the philosophy of riding anywhere has stuck with me.

2. ‘Cycling home from Siberia’ by Rob Lilwall

On a old fashioned mountain bike called ‘Alanis’; this dude cycled over 35,000 miles from Siberia to London. Riding through a bitter Russian winter that the locals thought was suicide. The sweltering heat of the far East and Australia and cold of Tibet. The peaceful Afghanistan and Iran of 2004 and back across Europe. With the patience of a saint and the humility of a pauper; he describes a journey that few of us could even comprehend. A must for any cycling enthusiasts’ reading list; read and enjoy the world by bike.

3. ‘Moods of future joys’ and ‘Thunder and Sunshine’ by Alastair Humphreys

Rob Lilwall did not set out alone from Siberia; he began the ride by joining up with Alastair Humphreys. An amazing chap; who had already cycled through: Europe, the length of Africa and the Americas and crossed the Bering Sea to get to Magadan in eastern Russia!
Yet after braving the cold of a Russian winter; they fell out, but then parted on good terms, to go their separate ways home. Read all about Alastair Humphreys odyssey in these two books:

4. ‘Lost Lanes’ by Jack Thurston

A bit closer to home is a series of books by Jack Thurston. Well researched, well written and with stunning photographs; Mr Thurston describes 36 routes in each regional based book of Great Britain. Having grown bored and tired of my regular rides in the local area; this book gave me inspiration to try new routes that are not too far from home. Find the one for your area and try for yourself:

Places I have ridden; solely through reading about them first!

5. ‘It’s Not About the Bike’ by Lance Armstrong

After the truth came to light; this guy has been made a pariah for what was a sport wide problem. Yet like when you believed in Father Christmas as a child; cast your mind back to when Lance was everyone’s hero. Brutal attacks on the Tourmalet, epic TT battles with Ullrich and that off-roading on a road bike to avoid poor Beloki.
If you remember Lance Armstrong as a: serial drug abuser, perjurer and bully; you must also remember he made an incredible recovery from testicular cancer in his younger years. His confidence and positive outlook have certainly inspired me to keep cycling. In this book, he describes the early years and his battle with cancer.

6. ‘Mountain High: Europe’s 50 Greatest Cycle Climbs’ by Daniel Friebe

This brilliant book was bought for me by my dear mother way back in 2011 for Christmas. Crammed with fifty climbs all over Europe; it is perfect inspiration for a holiday adventure. I personally flew to the Italian Dolomites; to ride the legendary Sella Ronda after reading about this far flung ride.
Before the internet age; every route description comes with a helpful diagram of gradients and directions. Along with a well researched description and stunning full page photos. Put down your Garmin, Strava or mobile phone and pick this book up for a classic route to ride.

7. ‘The Man who cycled the World’ by Mark Beaumont

The mild mannered Mark Beaumont is now famous for his supported record breaking achievements. Yet back when he started this ride, he was unknown and sometimes alone on our big wide world. Read this classic account of a round the world ride. With honest descriptions of emotions as well as places and people; this is heart-warming easy read for a cold winter night.

8. Ordnance Survey maps

Although not strictly a book that you can read; OS maps have brought me so much joy and inspiration over the years. Being brought up in a age before the internet, smart phones and GPS; knowing the way to go has always come from reading a map. Studying the route of the little pink dashed and dotted lines; that represent bridleways and footpaths that criss cross Great Britain is great fun. Linking up places of interest, knowing where paths go and looking for safer off-road cycling routes causes me to study our world renowned maps for sometimes hours on end! The original pink covered maps cover a wider area; with the orange covered maps giving greater detail of a smaller area. Buy your local map and find the way!

9. ‘Big Mile Cycling’ by Sean Conway

A thrilling read from the flame haired ultra distance rider, runner and swimmer: Sean Conway. Describing an attempt to ride across Europe from Portugal to Russia in record time; this ‘thriller’ is hard to put down. In addition he considers the sport of ultra distance cycling as well as remembering fallen friends.

10. ‘Lanterne Rouge: The Last Man in the Tour de France’ by Max Leonard

No book recommendation list could not be complete without this brilliant book about the ‘Lanterne Rouge’. The name meaning red light in French; was given to the last rider in the Tour de France, to acknowledge his position in the rear. The author recounts tales of: daring, doping, debauchery and other others; to highlight how life is not just about winning. For highlighting human failings that have helped me stay realistic and relaxed in my riding; I recommend this book above all others. ‘Allez, allez et au revoir; salut’!