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We love to picnic, whether a day out at the beach, a picnic walk with the family just out at our local park. We’ve picnicked for as long as I can remember. It’s an easy way to feed a family, meet up with a group of people or fuel kids on an adventure. But where did the idea of picnics come from?The word picnic comes from the French Picque-Nique. First appearing in the 1600s. It was used to describe a group of people dining in a restaurant who brought their own wine. It then became known as a meal to...

How handy was my PACMAT at the festival?    Enjoying the view above the Ribbon Tower.   Waiting for the next band.   Spotted an old Glastonbury PACMAT in the crowd.   A relaxing early Sunday afternoon at the Pyramid with Herbie Hancock.   Waiting at the Other Stage.   And another stage!   Getting chilly at the Pyramid. The Solo worked a treat as an extra layer on my shoulders, and later as a sarong.    And when it was all over. Recovery.

Lucky us. From our experience of camping, festivals and rain we've packed a few essentials: Boot jackAfter a trip through toilet mud nobody will want to give you a hand pulling your boots off. Old Gardening glovesIf you've opted for lace up walking boots and it's muddy it's nice to have some dedicated gloves for undoing the laces so that nobody actually has to get their hands muddy. Recycling bagsOur Hackney ones work well for keeping a spare set of clothes dry in the tent, popping over our welllies to keep the rain out and then of course, taking our recycling home with us.  Head...

PACMAT as sunshadeTents can get unbearably hot in the summer, and this becomes especially evident when you’re in need of a midday snooze between sets. Packing some pegs and string will turn a picnic mat into a sunshade to keep you tent cool dark and nap-proof. And if it rains, reverse for an equally useful waterproof. The strings and pegs can then double as a drying line! SPFA must take anywhere at the moment, but especially festivals where you will be spending most of your day in the sun. Opt for environmentally friendly brands where possible and don’t forget to reapply!Sunglasses plus sunglasses strap  For...

The weather forecast looked perfect, so we decided to do a day trip to the seaside by train and bike. On some train routes you have to book your bike on, but St Pancras to Margate, you can just rock up. So we set off from Hackney by bike, along the cycle way to St Pancras. We'd just missed a train, but it was very pleasant doing a bit of people spotting in the square opposite the station. The next train we could get with our cheaper tickets was about an hour's wait. It wasn't very busy, we were easily able...