Sunday’s Fashion Briefing in The Guardian (UK National Newspaper) asks - “What to wear with this season’s peep toe-heeled hiking boots?” and the answer; “Well, the obvious actually. This pair of socks is particularly Prada-esque for a very un-Prada price.”

Simon Chilvers, from The Guardian was referring to Bridgedale Comfort Trekkers in his summary of the weeks hottest styes and trends.

3 people, 20 days, 1000 kilometers, 2,000,000 paces!!

For 20 days during August and September 2010, Greg Maud and two of his friends will undertake the gruelling challenge of running 1,000 kilometres to cross the Kalahari Desert. Following a route that extends through some of Botswana’s most remote wilderness, Gregg, Jukka and Kirsi will test their own boundaries as well as the Enduring Comfort of Bridgedale socks.

Why do it? In part, “because it’s there and no one else has yet run a complete crossing” comes into it but, and of equal importance, it is to raise awareness for the CHEETA CONSERVATION BOTSWANA; an organisation that aims to preserve the nation’s wild cheetah population, one of Africa’s most endangered animals.

This is the first time anyone will attempt to run a complete crossing of the Kalahari. Covering approximately 50 km a day for 20 days, they will run almost 24 marathons in just 20 days - a major challenge, both mentally and physically.
The route will pass through some of the remoter areas of the Kalahari, including passing along the edge of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. The challenge will see them running mainly on remote tracks or small gravel roads and the remoteness of the route means that they will be running through areas with substantial wildlife populations including large predators and snakes.

Recognised as a global leader of technical performance socks for outdoor activities, Bridgedale maintain their position at the forefront of design, construction and fibre technology through continuous evolution to deliver continuous comfort.

Trail running is very much in vogue within the outdoor market and what better chance to give products the “ultimate trail test”. Greg is teaming up with Bridgedale as a key partner and along with his companions and support crew will be putting the X-hale Speed Speed Demon, X-Hale Multisport, Ventum Multi-terrain, Men’s Bamboo Lo, Men’s Bamboo Crew and Endurance Summit through their paces. Designed for a variety of temperatures and terrains these Bridgedale socks will protect Greg’s feet by wicking away moisture and providing essential cushioning and ventilation. Greg says “In order to succeed we need to have the best gear, second best is not an option during an adventure of this magnitude. We have chosen Bridgedale due to their enduring comfort and performance and will be relying on them during our 1,000 km run”.

Cheetah Conservation Botswana was a natural choice for Greg and his team. As the world’s fastest runner, the cheetah can achieve speeds of around 110 km/h. The oldest of the African 'big cats' and the fastest land mammal on earth, the cheetah is today engaged in a race against extinction. Whilst they don’t anticipate reaching the same extreme speed, Greg, Jukka and Kirsi will be running through the cheetah’s natural habitat raising awareness, as well as donations and will be able to see first hand the impact of land conservation efforts on the preservation of that habitat.

Greg is no stranger to major challenges. As well as having completed more than 50 marathons, in 2007 Greg realised a lifelong dream to summit Mt Everest and in 2008 travelled to the Antarctic to climb Vinson Massif. Steve Fowler (MD Bridgedale) says “I was delighted that having already worn Bridgedale’s, Greg recognised us as the perfect sock partner for his enduring challenge. We wish Greg, Jukka and Kirsi good luck and look forward to hearing about their adventure when they return”.

You can track the progress of the team from 14 August www.kalahari1000.com

Bridgedale have received the Gold Award for Best Walking Sock, as voted for by the readers of WALK Magazine.

Bridgedale Managing Director Steve Fowler said “It was great to receive the Gold Award for the sixth consecutive year. As we develop the Bridgedale sock range it is re-assuring to know we are continuing to please our existing wearers as well as bringing new wearers into the brand. Thank you to all WALK readers who have and continue to support our brand.”

For further information on Bridgedale’s range of socks take a look at the Products section on our website.

Bridgedale are once again proud to sponsor this year’s Lakeland Trails events.

The first event of the series gets underway in Hawkshead on 24th April and includes the 15km PUMA Hawkshead Trail Race & Challenge. This event was rated the 6th best race overall in the UK in 2009 by Runnersworld magazine, achieving a 98% overall approvals rating. Early entry for this event has proved popular, with only a few places remaining.

The other events for the 2010 series are :
05/06/10 Staveley
05/09/10 Keswick
02/10/10 Coniston
see event website for full details www.lakelandtrails.org
Last year, Trevor Brewster from Leeds, was the winner of the Bridgedale spot prize at Coniston, winning a luxury weekend for two to Northern Ireland. Trevor says, “We had a great Valentine weekend courtesy of Bridgedale. After a fantastic Valentine's meal on Saturday we had to climb out of our four-poster bed on Sunday morning to eat what is rightly described as an award winning breakfast. Cruising down the coast road to a Van Morrison soundtrack we stomped up Slieve Donard (NI's highest) to try and work off some calories. On Monday we were shown around the Bridgedale factory and given an interesting and detailed insight into all stages of their production. We were impressed with their commitment to development and quality. We would like to thank Steve Fowler and all the Bridgedale team for their hospitality and generosity, not least with their time. Thanks for what turned out to be a great prize."

Styles in our Fast & Light series are perfect for the Lakeland Trails – further details can be found on the Fast & Light section of our website.

Allan Bogle the Northern Ireland based Mountain/ Trail Runner is the latest top level athlete to be a big Bridgedale fan!

Allan travels the world to compete and having found Bridgedale socks will not wear anything else!

He recently ran in the Salomon K42 Mountain Marathon in Argentina and was 18th in the race out of 2,500 in a time of 3hr40.

‘I was pleased with my position considering the competition I faced, which included Martin Fiz (former World Marathon Champion) and National Champions from all over South America. Being only my second competitive mountain marathon I feel that I have room for improvement and I hope to be amongst the top mountain runners in Europe over the next 12months.

I have been regularly up-dating my blog www.allanbogle.blogspot.com during my time in Argentina. See more write ups on Bridgedale socks in Allan’s blog!

Take a look at Bridgedale’s Fast & Light Socks.

Mr. Sugaya came 2nd in the 45km Togakushi Trail Race om Sunday 8th November 2009, wearing Bridgedale X-Hale Speed Demon.

After his finish in an impressive 4hrs:49mins he said:

" I like Bridgedale's very much, because I have to cross the river several times in this race,but the socks are very comfortable, dry, and fit my foot, so I didn't get
blisters. I used to get a foot corn when I crossed the river in the race with X-socks. I really want to say thanks Bridgedale, they helped me come 2nd. Thank you."

After several years of thorough research and development, Bridgedale, the UK’s leading manufacturer of technical hiking socks has produced what is arguably the most innovative, practical and comfortable use of bamboo yet! The Bamboo Series offers comfort and durability for everyday use. The socks have been designed for more casual activities and lower level walking including day trips in Spring, Summer and Autumn.

Bridgedale’s Bamboo Socks combine a naturally silky, breathable, antimicrobial (un-dyed) yarn made from a sustainable source of bamboo (created using an eco-friendly process) with COOLMAX® - an advanced moisture-wicking yarn that helps keep feet dry. The result is a high quality, stylish and comfortable technical sock that offers the same level of fit, shock-absorbency and ventilation that you’d expect from any Bridgedale product - but with the added advantages of bamboo.

Bridgedale Bamboo Socks are available in both men’s and women’s-specific fits and colours (specifically designed for the differing shape of men’s and women’s feet) and are presented in packaging made from 100% recycled paper, printed with vegetable-based inks. Bridgedale aim to use their association with the Plant A Boo™ campaign to help raise awareness of the ecological benefits of bamboo - which efficiently removes CO2 from the atmosphere through photosynthesis (by using carbon as an energy source and converting it into plant tissue that releases oxygen as a byproduct).

Features of the Bamboo Series
Bamboo offers many beneficial attributes. It has a soft, silky feel against the skin due to its smooth and round fibre structure, additionally, it is naturally antimicrobial, odour fighting and hypoallergenic. Bamboo is a very absorbent, highly breathable fibre that doesn’t stick to the skin and is two degrees cooler than wool or cotton and three times more absorbent than cotton. Compared to cotton, bamboo is more durable.
COOLMAX® is a synthetic polyester fibre known for its excellent ability to move moisture by transporting it via a unique channelized construction. When used in everyday or performance apparel, it helps to keep users cool and dry.

• Women’s-specific fit is a specialty of Bridgedale socks. On average, women’s feet are distinctly different than men’s: their heel and forefoot are narrower, the overall volume is less, calf height is lower and arch is higher. Bridgedale socks for women are anatomically designed and knit to accommodate these differences.

• One-year guarantee of ‘enduring comfort’ – Bridgedale’s technology fuses bamboo and COOLMAX fibres into a custom yarn that has lasting power and actively keeps feet comfortable. Bridgedale Bamboo Series socks carry a one-year guarantee.

Lloyd Scott MBE, well known for his charitable endeavours is almost half way through his latest fundraising adventure of walking with a life sized Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur from Lands End to John O’Groats in aid of The Teenage Cancer Trust.

Wearing Bridgedale Endurance Summit Knee and Bridgedale Endurance Trekker socks, Lloyd will walk alongside a life-size replica of the T-Rex (30 feet long x 12 feet high).

The T-Rex trek which started on Sunday 19 July will cover more than 1000 miles and is expected to take 70 days.

The Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity very close to Lloyds heart as he survived Leukaemia at a young age. Lloyd says “I wanted to do something big for the charity this year to celebrate my life saving transplant and you can’t get much bigger than a life-sized dinosaur.”

Lloyd has undertaken a number of extreme challenges wearing Bridgedale socks, most notably completing the London Marathon in a deep-sea diving suit, as well as completing the world’s first underwater marathon in Loch Ness and cycling across Australia on a Penny Farthing. To date he has raised over £5 million for charity.

Lloyd took time out from his T-Rex Trek to let us at Bridgedale know how he is getting on and says “I am so thankful I wear Bridgedale socks and have done for a number of my extreme charity ventures. Bridgedale’s ensure I can complete my projects and not have to quit, which is important with so much sponsorship money at stake. For this challenge I have chosen to wear Endurance Summit Knee and Endurance Trekker.
It is so important to get the correct socks as with sore or uncomfortable feet no matter how skilful or fit one is, if your feet are sore it is going to affect your performance.
To date, after 250 miles of my T-Rex Trek I haven’t had one blister, nor do I expect to get one."

Runner's World rated Bridgedale's Bamboo Lo as the Plushest Pair of socks for running in any condition.