Nordic Walking Spring / Summer Season

We’re well into Spring now and have been lucky to have experienced one of the warmest Aprils in decades. Of course the Winter Nordic Walking gear I recommended is a little over much for these balmy conditions - so I felt it was opportune to share with fellow enthusiasts, my top picks for the Spring / Summer season.

I have been stopped by a fair number of people now over the last few weeks - everyone was most interested in where I got my ’sticks’ / poles, and whether Nordic Walking was in fact good for shifting extra kilos. The poles, as I will reiterate below came from www.leki.co.uk and are Adjustable Leki Traveller Carbon Poles. I have slimmed down considerable since I took up this activity at the start of the year; I still retain the same enthusiasm, and I can feel my fitness / performance improving every day now; over to the finer details then...

Spring / Summer Nordic Walking Equipment

In my previous Nordic Walking post ’Nordic Walking is My Fitness Heaven’ - I set out a fair number of options, alongside the rationale, on this occasion I will simply state my preferences:

Nordic Walking Poles - Adjustable Leki Traveller Carbon poles from www.leki.co.uk as before

Trail Running Shoes - Salomon XA Pro 3D Ultra GTX - same as winter shoes, just in a more summery colour

Summer Trail Running Socks - X-Socks Sky Run; love their ’Winter Run’ socks (as below), and the Sky Run’s are just as good for summer conditions

Weather-Proof Outer / Jacket - Paramo once more reigns supreme, I love the Paramo Trekker Hoodie - as pictured above, also the Paramo Fuera Ascent Windproof Jacket (fine for light summer showers) for more constant rain - the lightweight Paramo Quito should see you good

Weather-Proof Trousers - I totally love the Paramo Cascada Trousers, nothing compares to these - with vents open, they are quite comfortable well into the 20’s temperature-wise

Technical Shorts - Because of the equipment I need to carry - iPhone, wallet, keys etc. I needed at least 2 secure, zipped pockets; the Salomon Wayfarer Bermuda shorts provide 4 zipped pockets - 3 at the front, 1 at the back, the shorts are water repellent, breathable and UV-proof to 50+SPF

Technical T-Shirts - Paramo have quite a limited range of T-Shirts, the Cambia Sports Tees are pretty great - reversible for different conditions, but my favourites are the super-lightweight North Face GTD Crew T-Shirts - as pictured above

Eye Protection - In summer you really need to keep the sun off your eyes - sunglasses have a habit of misting up eventually, I much prefer technical sun visors which keep sun, hair and sweat out of your eyes, and if the visor is a White Rock Hydro Cool Sun Visor, it has additional properties which repel insects and help keep you cool

In-Flight Entertainment - iPhone + Sennheiser MM100 Bluetooth Neckband Headset as before

I have also discovered that the route I take in Hyde Park is not quite the 4 miles I first thought, the distance is actually closer to 3 miles, or around 5 km. The park gets a lot busier when the sun is out - I’m trying to work out the ratio for policemen - as to whether there are more in the park simply because of the good weather, or if they tally exactly with the rise in the number of visitors to the park.

Along the Floral Walk near the Kensington Hight Street corner of the park I frequently see a lovely green parrot with a scarlet red beak. I also see groups of magpies most days - usually 2 or three, but occasionally individuals, it’s lucky I’m not overly superstitious - even though single magpies do often seem to tally with off-days!

Anyway, nearly a 1/3rd through the year - and I’m still loving the experience of Nordic Walking, I’ve encountered a couple of gentlemen on the extended Nordic Rollerblades - with poles, but I’ve yet to encounter someone just with Poles - like me; I still get the odd funny look too, I am quite mystefied that no one else has seen the advantage in doing exactly this type of exercise in Hyde Park ... I look forward to eventually bumping into some likeminded souls. I don’t typically suffer from hayfever, but when you walk around the park these days, you can definitely feel the grass spores in your sinuses!

All good for now though - if anyone has any questions about this great form of exercise, don’t hesitate to post some comments below. I include the original Winter Equipment diagram below for historic reference purposes and visual comparison.