My Saturday Mornings in The Lakes
Introducing Jonathan James, Lake District dweller and Nikwax user. Jonathan has lived in Cumbria for over 10 years and takes to the hills most weekends to exercise, decompress and take in nature. With some of the UK’s most stunning scenery right on his doorstep, Jonathan gives us a flavour of how a typical Saturday morning […]
Is Iceland on your bucket list? Don’t forget the Nikwax
Charlie Smith is a designer, filmmaker and cold weather adventurer with a penchant for heading into frozen and hostile environments. Having led expeditions in the Arctic; including dog-sledding across Scandinavia and travelling extensively in Iceland, Norway, Sweden and Greenland, Charlie is no stranger to uncomfortable journeys in the cold. Working alongside leading adventure brands such […]
My Coastal Life – Nikwax’s Rose Cawte
There is always salt in the air, it’s that distinct smell you notice when you arrive at the coast. I love the pureness of it. My favourite feeling is stepping off the train from London and taking a deep breath of the freshest, cleanest air. Those big, bright, clear skies that you only find by […]
Eric Lindemans: my favourite Nikwax product…and more…
This month, we’d like to introduce you to Eric Lindemans, our long-standing Nikwax Head of Sales in the Benelux region. We haven’t seen as much of Eric as we’d have liked to over the past two years, due to you-know-what, so we were thrilled to finally catch up with him again in person last month […]
An adventure with Jenny Tough
Adventurer, mountain runner and cyclist, Jenny Tough, tells us about her recent expedition and invaluable tips for planning your own trip… The Caucasus Mountains have been calling me for years. In my global, long-term project to run solo and unsupported across a mountain range on every continent, the Caucasus were always one of my planned […]
A Trustworthy Partnership: Therm-a-Rest & Nikwax
Across all of their products, Therm-a-Rest’s philosophy is a pretty simple one. The brand, who turn 50 this year, advocate for a better rest outdoors, and build each piece of gear to not only meet the basic needs of sleep, but to exceed them. For Therm-a-Rest’s sleeping bags, this philosophy is dialed down even further; […]
How to camp like a pro with Ben Phillips, Nikwax Product Feedback Executive
Since the boom in sales of camping gear in 2020, people are continuing to plan holidays and time away ‘under canvas’, with the Camping and Caravanning Club reporting that Easter 2022 bookings are up 33% on Easter 2019*. If you are thinking of getting away from it all, take a leaf out of Ben’s book […]
Enjoying life on the road…
Spring is officially in the air and up and down the country, motorcycling enthusiasts are dusting off their bikes ahead of drier, warmer conditions in which to enjoy the open roads. One such biker is our very own Marika Nicholson, Nikwax Export Sales Account Manager, who will soon be making the most of the sunshine […]
EcoSki: How to make your ski kit last
Our friends at Ecoski raise awareness about how we can all meaningfully reduce our impact as skiers, help protect the very thing we all love and make it easier for snow sport enthusiasts to make better choices. They have brought together key figures from the world of sport, environmental activism and fashion, to help them […]
Top Tips for mountain bikers, old and new!
Has watching Great Britain win a total of 12 medals in cycling at the Tokyo Olympics inspired you to get outdoors on two wheels? Tom Pidcock wowed us all with his fantastic gold-medal performance in the Tokyo Olympics men’s cross-country mountain bike race, winning Great Britain’s first ever mountain bike medal at an Olympics! […]
Meet the new Nikwax Youth Ambassador
Here at Nikwax, our passion is for everything outdoors and we know just how important getting outside can be for peoples’ fitness and general wellbeing. We are really excited to now have our first Youth Ambassador – 14 year-old Elvie Baker – daughter of naturalist and wildlife presenter Nick Baker. We took some time out […]
Three Tips for Photography in the Outdoors
Nikwax’s own photographer – Lucas Canino – takes some time out from capturing the beauty of the environment to give you some top tips for outdoor photography. Though amateur and professional photographers alike, tend to gravitate toward a particular kind of outdoor photography – wildlife, landscape, sports, etc. – they are united by their willingness […]
Interview: we talk environment, sustainability and lockdown, with Nikwax’s Sustainability Director
Here at Nikwax, our passion for the great outdoors and protection of the environment is at the heart of what we do. We constantly strive to improve our sustainability and environmental credentials throughout the business, and with that focus, we employed our own Director of Sustainability. We speak to Maïté Angleys about Nikwax, the outdoor […]
Interview with Erik Ahlström
Tell us a little about yourself Erik, who you are and what you do… My name is Erik Ahlström, I live in Sweden. I love being outside and spend most of my time outside. I’ve spent many years riding bikes in the summer and skiing in the winter months. I’m also a big fan of […]
Be responsible during festival season
This month festival season kicks off across the UK and abroad. Over the coming months, hundreds of thousands of music fans will descend onto temporary campsites and pitch themselves up for a long weekend of musical highlights. A lot of them will take with them a cheap, pop up tent, and once the festival is […]
Interview with Tim Wiggins, Endurance Cyclist
Endurance cyclist Tim Wiggins is the author of Life in the Saddle – one of the country’s top independent cycling blogs. If he’s not busy filling it with news of his latest ride and providing inspiration and advice to the huge number of people in Britain who now love to be on two wheels, then […]
Caerphilly Challenge 2019: interview with Brian Begg.
This month, the Nikwax Caerphilly Challenge Series returns on 9th May. Sponsored by Nikwax, this non-for-profit walking event welcomes around 500 entrants every year and has been running since 2012. But, in fact, its origins go back to 2005, when the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) of South Wales and the Countryside Service of […]
Interview: Will Renwick on walking, Wales, Nikwax, and the great outdoors
Will Renwick is the editor of Outdoors Magic – an online publication with a focus on outdoor gear, news and product reviews. He’s also President of Ramblers Cymru and can often be found walking, running, or climbing somewhere deep inside Wales. We spent some time with Will to discuss his love of outdoors, Nikwax Sweatproofing, […]
Nikwax and The Duke of Edinburgh Award
For the last seven decades, The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) has transformed the lives of millions of young people – teaching vital life skills and giving them the chance to take part in outdoor expeditions and exciting volunteering opportunities. Nikwax has been working with the DofE for seven years. A relationship that’s set to […]
Interview: How the Duke of Edinburgh Award inspires at Glenmore Lodge
For the last five years, Shaun Roberts has been the Principal of Glenmore Lodge – Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre based in the Cairngorms. He worked his way up from Instructor and has more than 20 years’ experience guiding and training people in the outdoors including working for Scottish Mountain Rescue as their Training Officer […]
Walking and wheeling in the UK with Julia Bradbury
Chances are, being an outdoors sort of person, you’ve probably stepped in the footprints of Julia Bradbury at some point. Julia must be Britain’s most prolific walker! Her TV presenting career has seen her trek the length and breadth of Britain looking for fun, challenging, breath-taking, hard-going and easily accessible walks we can all enjoy. […]
Interview: Get Outside with Parkrun
According to YouGov, last year’s second most popular New Year’s resolution was to ‘exercise more’ (top of the list was ‘eat better’). But if you’re not the sort of person to relish the wintry weather, you might need some encouragement to exercise outdoors. Especially as it’s common knowledge most of us will give up on […]
Joey Holmes – Top Ten Christmas Gifts for Outdoor Adventurers
What to buy the adventure junkie in your life? Joey Holmes is mad about outdoor clothing, gear and camping. As the editor of Cool of the Wild – a website dedicated to enjoying and exploring the wild outdoors, she knows a thing or two about what trail-loving hikers and mountain-mad alpinists would love to discover […]
Don’t Throw Your Outdoor Gear Away – Donate It!
How many waterproof jackets do you own? What about walking boots? Have any spare pairs of gloves or hats languishing at the back of the wardrobe? Us outdoor folk are often guilty of a gear obsession. We relish brand new clothing and kit because it’s so exciting to test out the credentials of next season’s outdoor […]
Seeding the meadow with the help of a Nikwax Environmental Grant!
This month’s guest blog is courtesy of Dr Emma Edwards-Jones, whose community in Snowdonia received a Nikwax grant to make a dedicated flower meadow. Each year, Nikwax looks to make available small grants for community projects which focus on the environment. A little bit can go a long way and Nikwax strives to help those […]
Interview with cycling world record breaker – Markus Stitz
Markus Stitz hit the headlines in 2016 when he became the first person to cycle Around the World on a single speed bike (a bike with just one fixed gear). He peddled 34,097 kilometres in total, covering 26 different countries. But he says those aren’t the most important figures to him, “I guess the most […]
How to Dress for Mountain Biking: 5 Tips for Choosing the Best Apparel
Our guest blog this month comes from Amanda Wilks. Image © Pexels.com Any dedicated sports enthusiast knows that having proper equipment is crucial in any field. Naturally, this is also true for MTB. Thus, how you choose to dress for mountain biking is an essential part of your success, which is why you need to know […]
Camping With a Conscience
This summer, thousands of tents will be left for landfill as festival goers choose to discard cheap or broken camping gear rather than pack it up and take it home. At last year’s Glastonbury Festival, more than 1,000 volunteers were drafted in to clear up the mess left behind – costing organisers around £785,000 for […]
Interview with Debbie Martin-Consani
This month we interviewed ultra-runner Debbie Martin-Consani. You can read more about Debbie HERE. How has your running schedule been this year so far? The weather hasn’t been kind to you in Scotland, have you managed to regularly get out running? “Living in Glasgow, I don’t really have an option to allow weather to affect […]
Interview with Camping and Caravanning – care for your camping gear
As we look forward to the Easter holidays and a chance to get back onto the campsite, Nikwax interviewed keen campers, Camping and Caravanning magazine, to bring you the best advice on how to look after your tent this season. Stuart Kidman, Editor of Camping and Caravanning – the official magazine of The Friendly Club – […]
Nikwax Expert – BaseWash and BaseFresh keep you warm on the slopes
This month’s guest blog is from Paul Humphreys – Nikwax Technical Sales Representative I have been skiing for most of my life and have skied in most weather conditions from -25C to +10C from the windy ski slopes of Bulgaria to the wide open cold slopes of Breckenridge, Colorado and there are always two items of […]
Pro-skier Daniel Loots talks to Nikwax
How have you enjoyed this year’s winter snow season? Where did you go for your annual ski/ board snow fix? It’s been a great season so far, probably the most snow I’ve seen since I started skiing, spending most of my ski-time in the 3Vallee or Les Arcs. What clothing and equipment have you chosen […]
Paul Lewis – Peak Mountaineering – on Base Layers
Paul Lewis is a base layer mega fan. As the owner of Peak Mountaineering – a long established provider of high quality mountain training and outdoor adventures – he’s worn one or two base layers in his time. So we asked him for his top tips on why it’s all about the base. Why wear a […]
Outdoor adventurers celebrate 100 years of Finland on top of Halti
A group of seven adventurers from five nations hiked Finland’s classic Calotte Route up to Halti, the country’s highest peak. They each carried a section of a seven-piece alphorn in their backpacks and sent a musical anniversary greeting over the hills of Finnish Lapland from the top. The celebration was part of an eight-day trip […]
Poles Apart From The Competition
This month we are excited to feature an exclusive interview with members of the GB Ski Team. Nick Moynihan and Laurie Taylor are a lesson in starting your kids young. And not underestimating the impact of a skiing holiday! Laurie was only six, and Nick just two when their families took them abroad to see […]
Start your weekend off right with Park Run
This month’s guest blog is from our very own Nikwax PR Specialist and outdoor sports addict – Tom Willox. Park Run has been growing rapidly all over the UK in recent years. Every Saturday morning at 9am hundreds of people gather at 468 public parks all over the country to run, jog or walk 5km. […]
Sussex Search and Rescue – one big family
This month’s guest blog is written by Nick Rewcastle, Secretary for Sussex Search and Rescue – a volunteer organisation utilised by Sussex Police to help search for, and rescue, missing people. Read on for a fascinating insight into what it’s like to be a part of this invaluable charity. When my (now) wife told me […]
Tales from the Scottish Stores at Plas y Brenin
This month’s guest blog is courtesy of Isaac Murphy, a Centre Assistant at Plas y Brenin – the National Mountain Sports Centre – based in Snowdonia, Wales, with a centre in Alltshellach, Scotland. While the post-Christmas period can be typically viewed a dour time, characterised by dark days, cold nights and a general lack of […]
Carbon For Conservation
For almost a decade Nikwax has been supporting World Land Trust (WLT) in safeguarding and restoring critically threatened habitats around the world through the Carbon Balanced programme. Nikwax’s approach to environmental sustainability is completely in line with the offsetting programme’s ethos of measure, reduce and then offset greenhouse gas emissions. Launched in 2005, the Carbon […]
An Aspiring Eventer!
This month’s guest blog is by young rider Theo Funnell, who is sponsored by Nikwax, alongside Harry Hall equestrian clothing and Tamara Hick equine sports massage therapist. My name is Theo Funnell, I am 12 years old and am an aspiring young event rider from Devon, UK. I have had ponies all my life and […]
One man and his dog – Interview with SARDA founder
Have you ever wondered who’d be your knight in shining armour if you ever got lost in the English wilderness? Luckily for you, Nev [Search and Rescue Dog Association founder and president], his gang of handlers and their pesky canines are of service; suited and booted in their BOGS footwear, rucksacks and with dog treats […]
The Best Time To Be Outside
Our guest blog this month comes from Mick Ryan, a director of the photo-location guidebook company fotoVUE, alongside Stuart Holmes. They publish guidebooks that show you the best places to take photographs in the most beautiful places on Earth. They currently have four books published, with another 20 in preparation. www.fotovue.com A few weeks ago […]
Celebrate the fail! Shrug off the embarrassment of crashing your bike
This month’s Guest Blog is by Tom Redfern. Tom is founder of Broken Riders – a UK-based company specialising in ethically sourced and environmentally responsible apparel for mountain bikers. www.brokenriders.com Anyone not into mountain bikes, watching a rider in the world-famous RedBull Rampage back-flipping over a seemingly bottomless canyon must look on in awe or […]
LifeStraw – ‘Follow the Litres’ Campaign
“It all started with the issue of safe water. Which should never be an issue.” Swiss-based global health company Vestergaard manufactures award-winning LifeStraw water filters and purifiers. First introduced in 2005 as a personal “straw-like filter, the LifeStraw portfolio has grown to include technologically advanced products fit for all purposes — from the personal LifeStraw, […]
A Cycling Icon
Winner of three World Enduro Champion titles and recently crowned Pinkbike’s Female Athlete of the Year, Tracy Moseley is a cycling icon for many an aspiring mountain biker, and also a coach at her local cycling club. We grabbed five minutes with her: How did you first get into racing and what inspired you? I […]
A Printer’s Tale
Our guest blog this month is courtesy of Gareth Dinnage, Managing Director of Seacourt Ltd, a Queen’s Award winning environmental printers. Read on to find out how Seacourt became the world’s first ZERO waste to landfill print company and for Gareth’s top tips on how you can become more eco-friendly to make a positive impact […]
Get Outside And Get Active!
Is your New Year’s Resolution to get more active? There are many fantastic ways to get energised and the winter landscape can be a wonderful motivator to start your `New Year, New You`. Being active is more than just getting fit and working off the extra treats you indulged in over Christmas. It also helps […]
Down Wash Direct – A Mountaineer’s Review
Guest blog by Paul Lewis As one of this year’s Trek and Mountain Stok Kangri expedition sponsors, Nikwax kindly gave team members a supply of their products. These included footwear proofers and a supply of wash-in cleaners and proofers for clothing and fabrics. Peak Mountaineering has been users of Nikwax products for years because we value their […]
Put Pedal to the Test with Tech Wash & Polar Proof!
Nick Mitchell is this month’s Guest Blogger. A cycle tour guide and author of cycling books, he has ridden over 25,000 miles across Britain and from Munich to Sheffield and Sheffield to Norway! He is preparing for a cycle tour – The Road to Vienna – and if you wish to join this, or a […]
Sniff Test with BaseFresh
Alex Bardua is June’s guest blogger! Founder of outdoor-professionell.de, gear-testing has become one of his passions and he likes to get to the nitty-gritty to make sure readers of his product tests get a hands-on result and not just machines doing the job! Those who do a lot of sports know this dilemma: base layers […]
River dancing: my quest to save the rainforest
A guest blog this month comes from BBC wildlife presenter and Strictly Come Dancing star, Steve Backshall. Easter and its lure of chocolate hold nothing over me: Easter is a time for doing adventurous things. So when I got booted off Strictly, signing up to kayak the 125 miles from Devizes to the Houses of […]
Nikwax Glove Proof – as much of a safety item as strapping on your gloves!
Motorcycle gloves must be one of the most difficult pieces of kit to make waterproof. They are gloves, much like any other, but they need to keep a rider’s hands warm, comfortable, and protected. Modern motorcycle gloves contain special protection over the knuckles, finger joints and the scaphoid and wrist area amongst others. At the […]
The YHA Celebrates its 85th Anniversary with brand new Competition
The YHA (Youth Hostel Association) is a charity dedicated to providing unique opportunities for young people to explore the outdoors across England and Wales. From the Lake District to South Wales, the organisation has built up a diverse network of hostels in a range of locations and has worked hard to ensure young people of […]
Scottish Lessons
This month’s Guest Blog is courtesy of Kate Edhouse, a Freelance Outdoor Education Instructor with experience in raft building, orienteering, high ropes and wild camping, amongst others. Read more about Kate here. I recently spent a month working for Plas y Brenin at their base in Altshellach near Glencoe, Scotland, as part of my 15 […]
Legends of ‘The Pimple’ – Twmbarlwm Trek 2015
Guest blog, courtesy of Gavin Jones, Caerphilly County Borough Council; providing an insight into the great Caerphilly Challenge! If there is one walk etched in the annals of history (well in the old Welsh county of Gwent anyway) it’s the ‘Twmbarlwm Trek’. This may conjure images of thousands of people braving windswept peaks and open […]
The Essential Tech Wash
Guest blog courtesy of Giles Babbidge – a commercial and editorial photographer & writer specialising in the outdoor markets. You can find out more about what he does over at his behind-the-scenes website – www.theactivephotographer.com – or catch up with him on Twitter – @gilesbabbidge. TechWash is one of those products which I have come to […]
Adventure-Crossing of the Alps with Children!
Crossing the Alps on a mountain bike together with my children (a son, 3, and a daughter, 13) is something I’ve wanted to do for a while. But before heading off, we had a few queries that needed clarifying. First of all, a 3-year old boy of course wouldn’t be able to cycle by himself, […]
The Benefits of Using Nikwax Polar Proof
When it comes to looking after my kit, I always treat clothing as I would my photography gear; to keep items in prime condition, it’s essential to use recommended cleaning products and follow suggested guidelines. By doing this, I can be sure that they’ll last longer and perform better, even with regular (dare I say, […]
Nikwax grant sends environmental film maker to Iceland
In May of this year, I was able to travel with Risan Media to Iceland with the support of a Nikwax Environmental Grant. I wanted to travel to Iceland to document parallel scientific research around climate change, renewable energy production and outdoor recreation on glaciers. I had been communicating with Dr. Tomas Johannesson from the […]
Once famous for Cheese – now famous for Challenges!
What have a sleeping giant Wild Boar, a mystical standing stone and menacing hills shrouded in a swirling ethereal mist got in common? Game of Thrones perhaps? Why no! – we’re merely Waxing lyrical about features of interest that our army of walking warriors enjoyed as they braved the elements to walk, jog and even […]
The work of the European Outdoor Conservation Association
Tanya Bascombe from EOCA gives us the low-down on the great work done in the UK and overseas: As an outdoorsy type, I bet you probably consider yourself ‘Quite Interested’ in green issues and conservation? ‘Treading Lightly’ – all that kind of thing? Well did you know that across Europe, an ever-expanding group of outdoor […]
Hannah and Chico: Welsh Vacation
The latest blog from Hannah and her trusted friend, Chico: I last sent a message at the very beginning of last July’s heat wave, when the rains of June were still fresh. The walk around Wales took another four and a half months; Chico the donkey and I finally arrived back in Aberystwyth in mid-November, […]
A journey to Machu Piccu… Taking on the Inca Trail and raising money for charity
Each year that’s passed we’d thought…”This year we would do something different… have an adventure rather than the usual two weeks in the sun.” We are over 40 and so decided it was now time for us to see the world. We had thought about it in January 2013 and concluded that this was the […]
Chasing the rain: Life as a product tester
So where will the worst weather be? Helen, my co designer and I debate the mountain location for our monthly field testing get together. We plumb for the Highlands as our best bet.
Nikwax supports World Land Trust urgent land purchase and protection projects
Nikwax and Páramo have been offsetting their unavoidable carbon emissions through World Land Trust (WLT) for over a decade. Alongside this Nikwax and Páramo donate a matched amount to contribute towards WLT’s urgent land purchase and protection projects. Between June 2008 and August 2013 Nikwax and Páramo donated a fantastic £44,819.61 to land purchase and […]
Capital Walkers’ Summer Adventures on the Alps Tour du Mont Blanc
Check out this month’s guest blog from Dr Moira Fraser at Capital Walkers, and read about her adventures this summer on the Tour du Mont Blanc…
World Land Trust thanks Nikwax for its support
Nikwax believes everyone has a responsibility to do what they can to protect what is left of the natural world. And that’s why it puts money aside to help the World Land Trust (WLT) fund the purchase and protection of critically threatened habitats across the world. Carbon Balanced projects Over the past six years Nikwax has […]
Hannah and the Seaside Donkey
Let us introduce you to Hannah Engelkamp, our guest blogger and donkey-walking author [well soon to be]. Hannah Engelkamp is a travel writer and editor
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