Things We Love

1. The Outdoors:

Of course we love the outdoors! Can you ride a bike indoors? Can you walk indoors? Can you sail a boat indoors? No, which is why we much prefer outdoors. Whatever your choice of outdoor activity, we want to encourage people to get out and get active.

2. Usain Bolt:

He's the fastest man on the planet, smashing records left, right and centre yet claims not to try very hard. And he loves a Guinness, even when in training- our kind of guy.

3. The Lake District:

We're based in Manchester, so we're close to some great walking spots. The Peak District is pretty close and Littleborough and Saddleworth are just short train rides away but for us you just can't beat the Lake District. Beautiful walks, sublime views not to mention some great old pubs and hotels make the Lake District one of our favourite places in the world. Amid the ancient rolling wilderness and mist-covered waters of the Lakes its easy to feel removed from the world, as though one is not merely in the countryside but has somehow strayed into a poet's vision of heaven.

4. Geocaching:

Ever tried geocaching? It's basically a modern day treasure hunt; people hide little 'treasures' all over the place, logging their co-ordinates on geaocaching.com for others to go and hunt for hunting for using their GPS. You're never more than a few miles from a cache, so wherever you are you can go hunting. It's great fun and can bring a sense of adventure to your walk.

5. Fruit and Nut Mix:

We've had a bit of a Health Food Revolution at the Loving Outdoors office so no more crisps or chocolate for us. Instead we've been munching on Fruit and Nut mix- it's great brain food, and keeps your energy levels steady throughout the day and though it's perhaps a bit early to declare 'love' for it, it has nevertheless become an important part of office life. However, we're not yet completely able to get rid of our old habits...(See No. 9).

6. Social Media:

We love connecting with people so Facebook and Twitter are really important to us. Whether it's letting people know about an event or a new product or what's going on in the office or inside our minds we love participating in the online discussion. Our website is set up to let anyone post their views on our products- social media channels have made our site a living breathing hub of info and advice on the latest outdoor gear.

7. Charity:

Faith and Hope are great but it's Charity that we like best which is why we donate to Reaper Ministries, a charity that works in Malawi, Africa to build schools and help with community outreach projects. At the minute one school is facing closure because the teacher's haven't been getting paid, so we've been busy raising money to make sure it stays open. If you have any interesting fundraising ideas, do let us know.

8. Gadgets:

We're always keen to check out new gadget and gizmos here at Loving Outdoors. We spend a large proportion of our time fiddling about with Garmin GPS devices but we like other stuff too, ipads, ipods, guitar pedals, ZX Spectrums, Sinclair C5s, all the technology stuff, it's all really cool.

9. McCoys:

Ok, so were still partial to the odd packet of crisps now again and consider Steak McCoys to be the finest crisp money can buy. Unlike many crisp flavours, McCoy's 'Flame Grilled Steak' actually taste a bit like their purported flavour and the 'ridge-cut increases' surface area maximising flavourability of the crisp making them unbelievably delicious. If anyone from McCoys is reading this, give us a call and maybe we can work out some kind of endorsement deal.   

10. The Black Bull Inn in Coniston:

After a hard day on the trail there's nothing better than heading to a nice pub for a pint and a bite to eat and for our money there's nowhere better than the Black Bull Inn on Consiton in the Lake District. The Old Man of Coniston nearby is a beautiful but gruelling walk, so settling down afterwards next to a roaring fire for several pints of world-renowned ale and some decliously calorific pub grub is just what the doctor ordered.