Santa Brought Hiking Gear! Here’s What We Thought on Our Canal Walk

Saturday 28th December 2024. After the beautiful, clear and bizarrely warm weather we had Christmas Eve, which spread into Christmas Day, the temperature then dropped and what followed was 3 days of intense fog. By the third day, it was less intense, and we decided it was safe enough for a walk and a chance for us to try some of the goodies Santa had brought us for walking!

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It was a cool day, 4°C at almost midday, so we wrapped up warm. Along with the mist today, unlike the previous two days, was a constant super light drizzle that soon got things pretty wet. We had intended to walk the Sutton upon Tern Loop but as we approached the canal, our youngest suddenly said that he really wanted to do a canal walk, and the eldest agreed that would be a great idea, so instead we decided to head an hour up the canal!

Children’s Mac-in-a-sac

With the constant drizzle, waterproof gear was a must, and it was a chance for the boys to trial their new Mac-in-a-sac waterproof jackets! When we looked at packable jackets we were actually quite shocked at how little waterproofing most had, so I was delighted when we happened across this brand (with 10000 mm waterproofing and 8000 gsm breathability) that would keep everyone dry in heavy rain! Helpfully, they were available on Amazon, but with an offer on their website for £10 off your first purchase (offer was available at time of purchase), and being in no particular hurry at the time ordering, I took the option to save an additional tenner and ordered directly from them! Now, they were pricier than I was planning on spending, but again, though the waterproof trousers we’d had for tenner from mountain warehouse were good, I hadn’t realised how low a rating the garments were and I decided not to take the risk and pay more for a better waterproof layer. I particularly liked the huge selection of colours available, and we picked bright colours that we knew the boys would like – we always opt for bright colours to ensure we are seen – especially important in inclement weather when visibility can be extremely poor – like on today’s walk! Look how well this pair stand out!

The jackets come in around half a dozen sizes, with 2 year age groups. We opted for 8-10 for our little 8 year old (125cm), and 11-13 for our 10 year old (138cm). They fit perfectly, with perhaps a small amount of growing room, but for a good coverage which I feel is more important than a ‘fashionable fit’ for a garment like this, I would suggest sizing up. The jackets pack really small and are very lightweight, meaning they are perfect for keeping tucked away in your bag for when you need it. There are air vents to ensure breathability, and a foldaway hood in the collar, which offered a sensible size for covering their heads – not so small that it couldn’t fit over a hat (or their hoodies hoods in this case), but also not so big that they were constantly having to move it away from their eyes. It may seem a silly comment but I’ve noticed recently these are two real issues with hood sizes! We were out for 2 hours and the jackets provided perfect protection for the boys, with no complaints on wetness, over heating or discomfort. They offer adult clothing and ponchos too, and when I need something I wouldn’t hesitate to come back here and grab something for me either. I will be back when the boys need bigger sizes and more waterproof trousers too. A very worthwhile investment!

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The canal was back to normal after our last walk, where it had been drained to fix some issues. It turned out to be a pretty muddy walk. There are a couple of muddy sections on this towpath that never seem to dry out, but the muddy, churned up towpath seemed to extend far past these areas today. It shows just how much rain we’ve had recently! Fortunately it turned out to be no match for the boys new walking boots, but we are definitely going to be investing in gaiters the next time we visit an outdoors shop!

Children’s Scarpa Terra Junior Walking Boots

Well, back in the summer I wrote a post on what to look for when buying your child’s first walking boots. We had rushed the first boots purchase due to time constraints, and also generally not thinking – wrongly assuming that all walking boots offered by an outdoor brand would be equal! Well, we were wrong! In the summer, as the youngest got their second pair, we were more careful and I shared my helpful pointers and advise after that trip. However, annoyingly, the second pair weren’t as waterproof as the description said, nor the reviews implied (which is why I offer only honest reviews because no one should be duped!!). When my eldests first pair of boots finally came to an end, rather helpfully on the black Friday weekend of this year, I managed to find him a pair of Scarpa Terra Junior Walking Boots from sportshoes.com (this is NOT an affiliate link), and they were such a good price that I decided to get the youngest a pair too, to replace the pair we weren’t happy with. I chose Scarpa because I have a pair that I bought for myself 4 years ago, that are still going strong, are super comfortable, and waterproof too! When they arrived I was amazed at how soft and supple the leather was, and I was appreciative of the sensible sized laces too! From experience, I know these will remain done up, and we won’t be having to stop to retie them. The boys have both raved about the comfort of the boots and they have done several miles in them now with no complaints and most importantly, no wet feet!

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About a half hour into the walk we passed this brilliant little set up. Sids Nook. The boys spotted a festive elf addition to his fishing line today! It often changes throughout the year and is something fun for the boys to look out for. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled if you find yourself walking down this stretch of the Shropshire Union Canal between Tyrley Locks and Market Drayton!

Osprey Sirrus 34l Walking Bag

This walk was also the maiden voyage for my husbands new walking bag. After falling in love with my Osprey Stratos, and noticing that my husband was having similar grievances with his current bag that I previously had with mine, I decided to get him the men’s version, the Osprey Sirrus 34l walking bag, for Christmas from us. I opted for the same size as mine, the 34l, which I still stand by as being the perfect size for day hikes, ensuring there is plenty of room for all your necessities and still some left over for any additional items we might need. I had a choice of blue, grey, black and green for the Sirrus, and opted for the blue as it was a similar shade to his coat – although I did quite like the green, it was out of stock everywhere. When he put it on, he suddenly realised what I meant at just how well it balances out the weight. At no point did he feel it was heavy and pulling down on his shoulders and he said the distribution of weight was far superior to the bag he was previously using. It didn’t take long for him to find his best fit, and he enjoyed having so many pockets to put his things into. He also was coming from a single pocket bag, so it was a real winning feature for him, being able to separate and organise his things. The back suspension worked well too, allowing him a cooler back during the walk, despite his warm down jacket being on. In fact, the only thing he wasn’t overly keen on were the hip pockets, which sit right by the bag and can’t be moved along the hip strap, so he really has to twist around to reach them. This makes them less useful as a feature for him and he was a little disappointed as it would have been, in his words, perfect for his phone and a snack!

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Today’s walk saw us heading further down the canal than we’ve ever ventured together before. Normally we head off at this Pill Box, often heading through the town of Market Drayton for a cheeky coffee and cake stop! This Pill Box was one of many built in the Second World War, and I was keen to show my boys around and take a nose inside. However, I was greeted with glass and needles as soon as we stepped in, so I wouldn’t advise entering with children! Such a shame!

Around an hour into the walk we had arrived at the bridge that carries the A53 and we were ready to turn around. This section is really pretty with a marina, a new housing development, and well kept paths. (Yay! Mud free!). We loved this wall so got a quick photo here, as well as a quick snack.

The walk home was merely a reversal of the walk out. The fog didn’t shift, and the temperature didn’t rise, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable walk all the same and we were all grateful for the chance to stretch our legs and try out our new gear! I was incredibly grateful to my husband for treating me to a smartwatch to record our walks. I didn’t want anything fancy but I did want something with GPS that I could record our walks, and hopefully future bike rides with, and he came up trumps with this little beauty:

Garmin Forerunner 55

I had initially been looking at a G Shock, as I love their style, but I couldn’t find a small watch with a step counter! As a petite person this was important to me as I don’t like big chunky jewellery or accessories. I left my thoughts with my husband to surprise me with whatever he found and he didn’t let me down! I got this wonderful Garmin Forerunner 55 GPS Smartwatch. It fitted my requirements perfectly; it’s a feminine fit with a smaller watch face and available in three colours: black, mint green and white. I was given the white one, which my husband said was the ‘sensible choice’ to go with everything. That said, I’m glad the decision was left to him as it would’ve been a hard choice between the mint green and white if I’d had to decide!! It was super easy to setup and within 10 minutes it was linked to my phone and recording my steps. The Forerunner 55 is the most basic in the Forerunner range, with a reasonable price point for the features. It has inbuilt GPS, which non of the G shocks in the same price point had, which makes it perfect for walks, or when we eventually cycle (and if I can ever run again!). It monitors my heart rate, stress, sleep, v02 max and more. It can be linked to your smartphone’s notifications and used to control your music too, though I’m less worried about those features personally. You can even pick a different watch face which was fun! I enjoyed finding a watch face that shared the information that was most important to me too, and whilst the Forerunner 55 has around a half a dozen built in, others can be found on the Garmin IQ app, with a huge selection of free and premium styles to choose from. The watch strap has a soft silicone band, and so far I haven’t had any reactions to it (some rubber/silicone straps can cause my skin to get itchy and bumpy) and it’s comfortable to wear all day and night (I love checking my sleep stats!). The battery is said to last up to 2 weeks, or 20 hours in GPS mode – I tend to put it on charge every day when I’m in the shower: it keeps it topped up, and prevents it from adding ‘phantom steps’ as I’m washing 😅. When we started this walk, it was the first time using the GPS mode. I used the start button to choose my activity type, and then had to wait for the GPS to connect. I was informed that the first activity often takes a few minutes to connect so I started it before everyone was ready to ensure I didn’t hold them up, and within a couple of minutes the GPS was found and the start button was ready for me to begin recording the activity. During the walk there were options to record laps and pause, but I just left it running as I’m only really interested in the overall miles and time we’re out for. The Forerunner 55 gave a little vibration everytime we hit a mile walked, which I thought was a useful feature to gauge how far we had walked without having to keep looking at the screen (because who wants to keep exposing their wrists when it’s 4°C out 😂). At the end of the walk I stopped the activity and was able to save it. From here it uploaded my activity with a tonne of other information, including a heat map, to the Garmin app. It’ll be really useful to have this going forward for all of our activities, and I’m really happy with this watch!

Did you get any fab walking or biking related goodies for Christmas?