Exploring...
Today we ventured into the deep dark (actually light, a bit dull and rainy) woods with our dog Peg for some bug hunting and walking to burn off our lunch. We ventured to some woodland nearby and put the kids latest GORE-TEX shoes/boots to good use, with lots of puddles, wet grass and log piles to explore, it definitely put their newbies through their paces. Last year we were invited to be an ambassador family for GORE-TEX and these winter specials were sent for us to review - perfect for today's dodgy weather!
We've not been out exploring much lately and the last few weekends have been mostly house bound with us all taking it in turns to be ill so it was amazing actually getting out into the fresh air all together. Alf wanted to take his camera too so we all wrapped up, cameras charged and headed out to the woods.
It's strange walking out at this time of year because it was cold but not frosty and with no leaves on the trees, berries to pick or interesting bugs around it kind of makes for a pretty dull walk unless you go a bit deeper to explore. We overturned logs and looked in tree stumps and soon found lots of worms to take home for our Axolotl (Steve), a tonne of yucky slugs and lots of woodlouse for the kids to handle. Alf got some brilliant snaps which I'll be sharing soon too.
Soph's shoes are a gorgeous pearlescent pink Ecco shoes with all the GORE-TEX quality and protection from moisture. As well as being really nice to look at, these are super soft and comfortable with no tough or rough bits, simple Velcro fastenings and fully waterproof. Soph has worn these a lot lately and they are without a doubt her favourite ever shoes - or princess boots as she calls them.
Alf's shoes are pretty similar to Soph's, a cool navy blue with laces and also a handy side zip so he can get them on and off really easily. These look so grown up on him, they are lined slightly with a warm sheepskin style fleece to keep his ankles warm and are apparently very comfortable to run jump and splash in. Alf was a little hesitant at first because he is still so attached to his previous low rise pair but as soon as these were on and we got out he agreed they were indeed very cool and a pleasure to wear. Again, these are totally waterproof, extremely well made and great quality.
We had a nice walk out, it was totally exhausting after a week of tonsillitis but well worth the walk to get the kids out, burning off some energy and having fun. Both kids shoes have been great and despite lots of puddle walking they remained dry inside so their feet were nice and toasty despite it being absolutely freezing out there. Despite there not being a great deal to look at on such a gloomy day, I did managed to get some pictures, here's a few of my favourites.
Disclosure: We were sent the kids shoes last month from Gore-Tex to trial as part of their Big Days project and as one of their ambassador families.