I’ve always erred on the side of cheapness with wellies but recently acquired a pair of Le Chameau’s. Not cheap but the best fitting and most comfortable wellies I’ve ever had. I’ve had the Muck Boot neoprene ones in the past but they are generally loose fitting and not particularly comfortable...

Eyes & back are fine, it’s the knees that are the problem. besides, if I get rid of the Oldham I won’t need the belt😳

Still got my original Caving Supplies belt From 1983. A little frayed on the edges and seems to have shrunk in length over the years but still use it to hold my 30 year old Oldham battery which still gives about 5 hours light on main beam on the odd trip I do these days.

If it helps, I’m Bedfordshire based and started caving with a club based in Luton. I found this useful as the club had the necessary equipment ie ladders & ropes etc, organised trips to the various caving areas and there were experienced cavers to show me the ropes (no pun intended). It also...

And how much environmental destruction would be needed to harvest all that energy Is the £10000 question & why so far the biggest wind farms are offshore. And it’s not just the harvesting of energy it’s the destruction of landscapes worldwide as a result of mining for essential raw materials...

There was an interesting 3 part programme recently with Guy Martin looking at various renewable/green energy sources including wind, solar, nuclear and hydroelectric. what he discovered was that there is ”potential” for all our energy to be from renewable/sustainable sources under ideal...

Men can have babies too", only if they’re called Loretta aka Stan and intend to let the foetus gestate in a box!

I used dowsing rods (bent welding rods) in the past to find “lost” water pipes in parks I worked in. All I can say is it worked for me and saved a lot of random digging.

You are quite correct, I found that out a good few years ago whilst working on the Bedfordshire Biodiversity Action Plan and also in discussions with a highways consultant who advised on GC Newts. The protected status in UK is due to blanket EU legislation ( can’t remember the exact title)...

Another thing to consider is ongoing maintenance if you go for willow. i know it’s stating the bleedin’ obvious, but being trees, they have a tendency to get quite big if left to their own devices which people tend to overlook. If it’s a narrow water course they will soon overshadow it if not...