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MANDATE The Band of Historical Hillwalkers was founded in 2007. The BHHW advocates the exploration of the great outdoors wearing attire made by underpaid adult craftsmen in the United Kingdom, as opposed to fashion-wear made by underpaid childern in the Pacific Rim. Tweed, wool and leather boots are worn in preference to inferior man-made materials. The BHHW considers velcro, gortex and other such imposters objectionable and the wearing therof is politely discouraged. Quite a crowd had gathered around us as we snapped some photos in the Pen y Pass car park, interested in ‘the strange men in funny clothing’ as one schoolboy so eloquently called us. ‘Just what are you doing?’ a young teacher asked. ‘We are the Band of Historical Hillwalkers,’ announced my friend Wolf, ‘and we are here to climb Mt Snowdon and to prove the benefits of old fashioned clothing over new.’ He pointed at my wool trousers, ‘They look uncomfortable,’ the teacher said, looking at the extra wide and strangely shaped boots. ‘Not at all,’ I replied, ‘the curve in the sole actually helps to propel you uphill…’ I don’t think the crowd were really that interested, they’d come for a day in the hills not a lecture, but we told them a bit more anyway, and they were polite enough to listen, apart from two lads at the back, who had their heads down playing games on their mobile phones. ‘I’m wearing wool socks,’ I said, ‘and merino wool thermal underwear…’ ‘Oh, that must be so itchy,’ a lad said. ‘No, its normal wool that’s itchy, Merino wool is different,’ I said, ‘it's extremely fine and any friction isn't actually able to be picked up by the human skin.’ ‘But all those buttons, it’s not very convenient, is it, ‘smiled a sporty lady, ‘surely zips and velcro are better?’ ‘You’re probably right,’ I smiled back, failing to add, out of politeness, that if she was actually interested in things being convenient she’d be taking the train up to the summit of Snowdon rather than walking there, wouldn’t she? Or…perhaps what’s convenient is not actually what’s best? If it sounds to you like I’m already biased towards natural fibres and old style clothing and, consequently, not the best person to test old against new, then perhaps you’re right. I’ve hiked for twenty years wearing modern gear and never been really comfortable in it. I always felt that it looked ridiculous, never lived up to it’s claims and I could never quite forget the fact that it was made mostly by slave labourers in sweatshops out of non sustainable materials. So why stick it out for twenty years? Simply, I was sucked in by the marketing and I didn’t know any other way. That was until a friend gave me a second hand So I did. And two months later, having explored the Moroccan Atlas and seen the old wool perform better than anything I’d ever worn before, I was converted. The crowd drifted away. As we finished preparing for our hike only a single old man remained. ‘That gabardine waterproof should be longer,’ he advised, ‘down past your bottom. I remember them from way back.’ He may be right, I mused as we started off up the misty Pyg track, my waterproof could do with being a bit longer. We’d had them made from vintage WW11 cotton gabardine according to a 1940’s British Army pattern but in retrospect, British army design was never that good and perhaps we should’ve gone for a different, longer pattern, something resembling Mallory’s 1920’s gabardine jacket for instance. Whatever, the plus points of my smock was obvious enough to me as I walked. Namely, it kept the rain out, it didn’t rustle like modern waterproofs do (we could hear other people on the trail way before we saw them) and its neutral colour fitted in with the landscape far more harmoniously than anything else we were to see that day. What something looks like is pretty important. One of the reasons I go into the mountains is that I want a peaceful, pleasant day full of nice scenery. The last thing I need is to see slopes full of rustling orange and red dots before me. But see them I did as we trekked on, following the fluorescent hoards up the final snowy path to the peak. A bright yellow rescue helicopter flashed overheard, reminding me of the obvious reason for wearing such loud clothes. But if people want to be seen in the event of a fall why not just wrap themselves in a foldaway cheap silver space blanket, which they should be carrying anyway to keep them warm in case of injury? The summit was crowded and the differences between us travelling with an old mindset and those others around us were immediately obvious. A group of six lads stood sweating heavily, changing their wringing wet shirts and dousing themselves in deodorant. We didn’t need to. Wool moves water in its vapour state, has been measured to absorb up to 35% of its weight in moisture without feeling wet and, as a neutrally charged fibre, it doesn’t attract or hold odor-causing bacteria. Consequently our clothes were dry and fresh, even after the ascent. As opposed to those of the sweaty lads, made from synthetic materials, which only move water in a liquid state after it has condensed and which are positively charged so suck the bacteria up hungrily. Poo! We chatted, admired the view, enjoyed a nip of scotch and took photos. Others sharing the summit with us spoke loudly into their mobiles ’Yeah, I’m on There was a constant ebb and flow of people. Once the summit was attained it was quickly discarded in favour of a quick return to car park. Our route guide, downloaded from a modern website, had said the trek up and down would take four and a half hours. It had taken us that just to get up. This is another difference between the new and old ways of doing things. Nowadays everybody’s in such a rush to achieve everything that all they end up with is a host of substandard experiences. What’s the point in that? I’m fit enough to run marathons but it wouldn’t seem sane to me to rush up and down a mountain in double quick time with no pause to paint, photograph, explore and share several peaceful hours chatting with my mates… Not many people like to face up to their own actions and choices. Where our clothes come from is an interesting subject but the truth of the matter doesn’t make comfortable reading. According to Ethical Consumer magazine much of the hiking gear on show in today’s countryside was produced by sweatshops in the It may sound like I’ve got a puritanical and unrealistic attitude to the modern hiking world. I would disagree. I’m saying that we should take personal responsibility for ourselves. I’m saying we should take into account that we are not the only people on the planet and that others might not like to see our awful loud clothing or hear us yelling into our mobile or generally acting in the country like we do in the big city. I’m saying we should slow down and get creative. And I’m saying that there’s no need to buy into the outdoor industries’ marketing campaigns… Forget the clothes with miracle ‘wicking’ properties and more. You don’t need them. A standard set of Merino thermals with wool bags, shirt, socks and jumper followed by a We returned via the Miners track, an easy hike affording some really spectacular views of the surrounding lakes and peaks. We stopped several times for a chat and a smoke and to gaze upon the Y Lliwedd ridge, where those Everest climbers of old that we so admire had trained, and arrived back at our hotel, the Legacy Royal Victoria in Llanberis, just after seven. We walked into the lobby, were greeted warmly by the reception staff and instead of rushing off to get changed headed straight for a drink. Imagine doing that in stinky bright hiking gear without offending or amusing everybody else in the bar? As it was the The Hillwalkers Guide to Walking Mt Snowdon Time/Distance: Allow 8 or 9 hours to ascend Maps & Guides: Mt Snowdon is possibly the best trekked mountain in Travel to: By rail the nearest link is By coach you go to Llandudno or Caernarfon and from there by local bus to Llanberis. www.nationalexpress.com – 08717 818181 Travel Around: Further Info: The excellent Great outdoor boots are made by William Lennon & Co. Their catalogue can be viewed at www.williamlennon.co.uk Our 1940s vintage windproof smocks were made by Pegasus Militaria, who can be seen at www.pegasusmilitaria.com or contacted on 0208 3687588 We get our Merino wool thermals and socks online from www.nznature.co.nz
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