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Who needs a scratchy Christmas Jumper when you can be just as festive with a brightly coloured technical base layer from Marmot. Men's Midweight ½ zip long sleeve base layer RRP £55 OUR PRICE £45 Women's Midweight ½ zip long sleeve base layer RRP £55  OUR PRICE £45 A versatile cold weather layering piece, this zip-neck midweight baselayer harnesses the performance technology of Polartec® Power Dry® recycled polyester to provide quick-wicking warmth and rapid dry time. Cocona® activated carbon naturally controls odor and provides UPF 40 protection. Stretchy Elastane, forward seaming and raglan sleeves allow for optimum mobility. Despite being described as "midweight" this is quite a substantial base layer that will really keep you warm in cold conditions and could even be used as a mid-layer in milder weather. With £10 off the RRP our price for this is £45 (available in the Peebles shop while stocks last)

20 years ago today we first opened the doors in our second shop in Peebles. 20 years feels like a substantial period of time and it's hard to decide whether to acknowledge that it encompasses nearly half our lifetime's experiences to date or to marvel at how young we were when it all started off. So much has changed over the years we've been here. I fact, I was wracking my brains to think if there is anything in the shop that we sold on day one that we still sell, unchanged, now. The best I could come up with is tent pegs and the flat, square batteries that go in the old style Petzl Zoom headtorches. 20 years of these! Petzl stopped making the Zoom a few years ago but there are lots of them still around (probably a few that might be 20 years old and still operational) so we still have a steady requirement for the batteries. For the rest, in 20 years products have got lighter, more breathable, more efficiently waterproof, more specifically designed for a particular end

An Evening with Tweeddale Mountain Rescue- an opportunity to find out more about the volunteers who provide this vital service in our community- tomorrow (27th November) in the Macfarlane Hall at 7:30pm. Proceeds from the evening will be towards a memorial celebrating the life of the much missed Stuart Ruffell

Here's a selection of our Down-filled clothing from Rab: Women's Arete jacket £145 (colour: Fjord) Rab® says: The Arete jacket is a medium cut down jacket for every day usage now with a new Pertex ®  Microlight 30D outer. The Arete has all the features you look for in a warm winter jacket for casual use, but with the featured Pertex ®  Microlight 30D outer fabric, and 230g/9oz 650 fill power European duck down so it will perform for hill and mountain use as well. Zipped hand-warmer pockets and a fleece lined collar further add to the comfort of the jacket. Women's Microlight Alpine £160 (colour: Twilight/Fuschia) Rab® says: The Women's Microlight Alpine is a lightweight down jacket for all round outdoor use. This is a fantastic piece for normal UK winters - warm enough for most days whilst slimline enough to pop your waterproof jacket over the top for an unexpected shower. The goose down fill offers incredible warmth to weight and means that the whole jack

We've got some fantastic new kit from Haglöfs in this winter. Have a look through this gallery first before you visit us in store. Hope it whets your appetite....

A couple of new jackets have just arrived in our Harrogate store to complement our growing range of lightweight, synthetic insulated clothing at a competitively priced £80.  Sprayway have introduced the women's Firebird with zoned insulation (60g in the hood, 80g in the sleeves and 100g in the body) which weighs only 427g and packs away into its own pocket. Incredibly versatile, this jacket can be worn as an outer layer, carried in your rucksack to provide spare insulation if conditions change and it isn't too bulky to wear underneath your waterproof if conditions turn really bad. Sprayway Women's Firebird £80 The men's equivalent is the Reactor and incorporates the same features for a barely increased weight of 504g. Both jackets are currently available only in our Harrogate store Sprayway Men's Reactor £80

We've just take delivery of a big stack of FREE   Scottish Walks magazines in our Peebles store. Drop in and pick one up- with details of 20 inspirational walks across Scotland from the Lowlands to the Highlands, the islands of the Clyde to the Hebrides.

We've just taken delivery of the innovative new Petzl Nao headtorch in both stores. Be among the first to see it by paying us a visit. The £135 price tag is reflected in the embodied revolutionary technology based on a built-in sensor that adapts the beam pattern and light output instantly and automatically to give the user the ideal amount of light in varying conditions. This gives less dazzle when map reading but high power (up to 355 lumens) when viewing long-range and better battery management through the downloadable Petzl OS software that calibrates the rechargeable battery. It's all explained in this video:

It's been a good summer for midges- lots of damp, humid weather- not so good for their human prey. We've responded to lots of customer requests to supply a new repellent, Smidge® which is produced by the experts behind the Scottish Midge Forecast a daily update on forecasted midge conditions that you can view here What's Different about Smidge®? Smidge® is a long lasting, broad spectrum repellent, effective against a number of mosquito species, horseflies, ticks and most importantly in the UK, the dreaded midge. The active ingredient is Saltidin®. Recommended by the World Health Organisation, it has none of the plastic-melting nastiness of DEET and is safe for use on adults, children over 30 months and pregnant women. Saltidin® is available in other brands of insect repellent but the really clever thing with Smidge® is that the 20% Saltidin® solution is carried in a patented moisturising, water and sweat proof lotion that stays on your skin throughout the day's a

In keeping with local tradition, the Peebles store will be CLOSED on Saturday 23rd June for the annual Beltane Festival. Anyone thinking of travelling to Peebles should be aware that most shops will be closed and there will be disruption to traffic too. Weather forecast's not looking great but hopefully the 500 primary school children involved will have a good day regardless

We've been running a SALE in the Peebles branch on The North Face® Footwear for a couple of weeks now. Stocks are getting low (we've sold out of Men's Hedgehogs) but there are still some great bargains to be had- particularly if you are a girl. Women's Hedgehog GTX RRP £100 our price was £85 NOW  £60   currently   (today's date only) available in a variety of colours in European sizes 37½, 38 and 38½  For warmer weather and climates we have the Strive II which is light and breathable breathable, but not waterproof. RRP on these shoes is £69, our price was £59 NOW £50  Men's models are currently (today's date only) available in UK sizes 10 and 11 but we still have a good range of women's sizes available The North Face® Men's Strive RRP £69 our price was £59 NOW £50 The North Face® Women's Strive RRP £69 our price was £59 NOW £50 

Fantastic cover image of a corner of Ardnamurchan, one of our favourite parts of Scotland, in the new issue of Scotland Outdoors (£3.80) Other articles include reports from Ben Nevis and the Isle of Coll- plenty of ideas for getting out there this summer

Our Harrogate store is CLOSED for the Jubilee Bank Holidays on Monday 4th and Tuesday 5th June. The Peebles branch is CLOSED on Monday 4th June only.

OK- let’s start with the premise that the sun might actually shine some time in the coming months. If it does and if you’re out all day walking or climbing the chances are that you will want to consider some protection against the sun’s rays. If you’re keen to cover up, a long sleeved shirt is a good option but a classic button down style may not offer the features and fit you need to complement the rest of your outdoor clothing. Which is where the Rab® Boreas (men’s) and Aurora (women’s) comes in. Presented with an Editor’s Choice Award by respected USA magazine, Backpacker.  The Boreas Pull-on has been designed to offer fantastic sun protection (SPF 50+) when climbing or travelling in mountainous areas. The fabric does also offer some wind resistance but this does not compromise breathability and makes the Boreas a fantastic mid layer for both warm and cold conditions….perfect for those long summer days at the crag with the temperature in the high 30's  . . . 

If you are looking for an excuse to come for a browse around the Peebles shop here's one that won't cost you a penny. We've got a big stack of copies of the summer edition of FREE magazine Scottish Walks to give away with route descriptions for 20 inspiring walks throughout Scotland.

Next week is tick bite prevention week and the early spring weather we've recently experienced means that ticks are already being reported as active. You can visit the website for more information here At Out & About we think it's important to take the threat of tick-borne diseases seriously. One of the staff in our Harrogate store suffered a long period of ill-health after contracting Lyme Disease from an infected tick bite and I've also had a brush with complications from a tick bite myself. I picked up a tick after mountain-biking one evening in Glentress and a week or so later began exhibiting the classic "Bull's Eye" rash that can be one of the early signs of a tick-borne infection. When I went to the doctors I was, at first, a little preturbed that my GP needed to use Google to find out more about the symptoms but at the same time felt fortunate that he was open minded and informed enough to prescribe precautionary anti-biotics. I felt pretty ro

We have two key seasons each year when new products are available in the stores. We've decided to highlight the Spring Summer 2012 arrivals in a new section of our website that you can reach by selecting Spring Summer 12 on our homepage. There's more arriving over the coming weeks so keep checking back with us to keep up to date

Co-founder of Out & About, Ivan Chamberlain, has a significant birthday on Saturday, which his family would like to share with him. One of the drawbacks of Out & About being a family business is that his family is all of us, half being in Peebles and half being in Harrogate. In order to share the festivities, the Peebles shop is closing half an hour early at 4:30pm. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause- everything will be back to normal on Monday

The Spring 2012 issue of Scotland Outdoors is out now (£3.80) with an in depth look at the outdoor adventure opportunities available in Ayrshire and Arran. Describing Arran as "Scotland in Minature" is something of a cliche but with all manner of activities available on land and sea it's clear that it's also one that's true. There is a look at the affect Community Buy-outs have had in some of Scotland's remotest areas and an exploration of some of Scotland's caves, including a newly discovered cavern in Applecross. With beautiful photography throughout as usual, you'd be hard pressed not to find something in the magazine to inspire you to get outdoors this spring.

Issue 2 of Scottish Walks , the FREE hillwalking magazine edited by Cameron McNeish has just landed in the Peebles shop. We've got a big stack of them to give away but hurry because, judging by the popularity of the first issue, they won't be hanging around for long. Walks in the magazine are dotted throughout Scotland with a fair sprinkling of route ideas in our local Border Hills and plenty to whet the appetite for trips further afield.

Pick up a leaflet in either of our stores and find out if you've won a 3-night break for a family of 4 staying in Fort William- the Outdoor Capital of the UK. The prize includes a Vango tent, a pitch at the 5-star Invercoe Highland Holidays, a full day of activities with Vertical Descents and a family pass at Nevis Range. There are also over 100,000 free surprises being given away offering discounts at a number of  adventure activity providers throughout Scotland. The promotion is being run by VisitScotland and Vango  and you can find out the full terms and conditions on the VisitScotland website at www.visitscotland.com/surprisevango

One of five new products launched by Buff this season, the Hoodie Buff £27 is perfect for skiing, snowboarding, or just hanging out in the great outdoors. A polar fleece hood is combined with a moisture wicking, microfibre Buff- available in a variety of patterns and colours.

STORE HAS NOW RE-OPENED We took a break over Christmas from the works to rectify October's flood damage but we're back on track now and the painters and decorators will be in over the weekend. Unfortunately this means that we need to be closed on Monday 9th January  whilst the stairs are painted. Our office will be manned during the closure, so we are able to take phone enquiries, click here for our contact details

THIS PROMOTION HAS NOW ENDED There are bargains to be had throughout the Harrogate store with 20% OFF marked prices in the "Shiny Ticket" Sale. Look out for the holographic labels that indicate what's included in the offers- they're really shiny so you can't miss them!