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It's not often that a brown envelope contains a pleasant surprise- but yesterday one arrived at the Peebles shop that did. Totally unexpected Issue 78 of The Angry Corrie , Scotland's self-styled "first and finest hillzine". We'd got used to the sporadic nature of the issues but with the previous one being published in Spring 2010 we had assumed that Murdo Munro had hung up his bobble hat and TAC had quietly retired. It's sometimes nice to be wrong- so The Angry Corrie is available again, with the familiar mix of hill news, access issues and list-ticking at only £1 a copy.

DECEMBER 24th    OPEN 9am TO 5pm DECEMBER 25th     CLOSED DECEMBER 26th     CLOSED DECEMBER 27th    OPEN 10am TO 5pm DECEMBER 28th    OPEN 9:30am TO 5pm DECEMBER 29th    OPEN 9:30am TO 5pm DECEMBER 30th    OPEN 9:30am TO 5pm DECEMBER 31st    OPEN 9:30am TO 5pm JANUARY 1st           CLOSED JANUARY 2nd         CLOSED JANUARY 3rd          CLOSED JANUARY 4th          NORMAL OPENING HOURS RESUME

If you are in Peebles pick up a FREE copy of Scottish Walks , a new quarterly publication that features 20 inspiring walking routes across the country. The magazine is also available as a free download so no one needs to miss out.

We've just had news of three very special offers that could save you up to £125 this Christmas on Paramo clothing through our participation in the Paramo Partners scheme. Available only until 24th December, these fantastic offers can be ordered in store for next day collection or for delivery to your chosen address at no extra charge. If you haven't taken advantage of the Paramo Portal before, now is the ideal opportunity. The Paramo Portal is a way of combining the convenience and direct stock access of internet shopping with the personal and skilled service offered by independent retailers like us. You can come in to store and chat to us about your requirements, share our knowledge and try things on before making your choice with the added assurance that in addition to our own extensive stocks of Paramo clothing, we also have direct access to Paramo's online warehouse and can arrange delivery of any item directly to you with no postal charges to pay. SAVE £37.50 The...

Womens Rab Stretch Neo Jacket in Aqua £250 If you've been following our facebook page  you'll know that there's been quite a sense of anticipation about the launch of the new Rab Stretch Neo Jacket . At last, it's here and available to view, try and buy from our stores. Out & About is one of the first independents in the country to stock this jacket so make sure you don't miss your opportunity to be in at the beginning too. The unique feature of the Stretch Neo Jacket is its use of a brand new fabric, POLARTEC® NeoShell® , the first fabric to combine the superior breathability, ventilation and stretch of a soft shell with the waterproof performance of a hard shell. Mens Rab Stretch Neo jacket in Maya £250  If you are into diagrams, charts and videos with elevator music, Rab have put together some information on their website to explain the principles behind the fabric technology. Although the jackets are very new to the market, extensive testing in th...

Last winter we couldn't get hold of enough of these snow grabbers to meet demand Fitting over your shoes to provide extra traction on icy pavements or in packed snow they certainly got plenty of use in December 2010. With photographs this week from Cairngorm Mountain showing deep snow at the top of the funicular railway, who knows, we could be in for another early dose of winter weather. If you'd like to be prepared in advance, we have stocks of both models above available at the 2010 price of £15

It's officially Autumn when the new winter 2011 stock starts arriving. First through the door is the Montane Fury jacket, a quality well-designed fleece that's fantastic for layering.

This weekend is the start of events in Peebles to mark the town's role in hosting the opening stage of the Tour of Britain on the 11th September.

Way back in March, we celebrated St Patrick's Day by announcing that the pavement works outside the Peebles shop were completed and the disruption to access was over. Now the barriers are back.

The 2011 upgrade of the Lifeventure Mega Trek Mug is now available in the Peebles store. Its a serious vessel for those who take their hot drinks seriously too.

Happy Yorkshire Day to all our customers in Harrogate.

Everyone in the family can wear a Buff- even the four-legged members.

  In Harrogate we are currently offering the Rab Vapour Rise Jacket at only £87.50 (was £110). Seen by many as the ultimate soft shell Vapour Rise has something of a cult following

The keenly awaited Summer 2011 issue of Scotland Outdoors is now available in the Peebles branch and features the usual inspiring mix of activity ideas and conservation issues.

One of the most interesting new products available in our Harrogate branch this summer is the Marmot Hyper Jacket £160 .

Peebles Beltane Festival is well underway which means some disruption to opening hours while the town goes about its festivities.

Version 11.1 of Nikwax TX Direct wash-in reproofer has just been launched

When the weather's a bit warmer it's a good opportunity to think about efficient hydration.

The Compact (currently £50 per pair or £25 each ) is Fizan's (and our) best selling pole, primarily because at just 158g Fizan recokon that it is the lightest 3-part pole available worldwide.

With more people following our Facebook page- it's easier than ever to find us. Just search Facebook for Out & About or go directly to www.facebook.com/outandaboutoutdoor

Unfortunately the guys have had to bail and are heading back to Katmandhu. More info here

For the latest news from Andy Houseman check out his blog by following this link

Peebles is a popular stop-off for those walking from Lands End to John o' Groats and we always feel that Spring has properly arrived when we are visited by our first through-hiker of the year.

As part of the service we offer as a Paramo Partner, we display frequently changing offers in our (real) shop window and in store.

Easter's nearly here and Spring is underway, the ideal time to check through all your kit and undertake a little maintenance where needed.

An update on Out & About old boy Andy Houseman's latest Himalayan adventure with climbing partner Nick Bullock

Here's a picture from  Out & About Peebles customer, Robert Veitch, of our Green Bag at the summit of Halti (1328m) the highest point in Finland.

Our Harrogate shop has just taken delivery of the new Brear Grylls Survival Series by knife specialists Gerber. Here's a first look at what's available:

Marmot Precip® waterproof jackets are currently available in Harrogate with £15 off. Were £75 now only £60 .

The works to widen the pavement outside the Peebles branch are now completed.

The new rechargeable CORE battery (£30) is designed for the TIKKA2 and ZIPKA2 line of headlamps. It is easily inserted into the headlamp in a few seconds in the place of the standard AAA batteries. The Lithium Ion Polymer technology guarantees a lifetime that is equivalent to 900 regular batteries which saves you money and makes an efficient contribution to limiting toxic waste in the environment. A zipka headlamp, opened out to show where the CORE unit clips into place A standard USB connection allows the CORE battery to be recharged almost anywhere: from a wall plug, a car's cigarette lighter/12V outlet, a solar panel, a portable energy source, a computer, etc. and an LED battery charge indicator shows the precise energy level remaining in the CORE battery at any time. What makes CORE really special, however, is the customisable discharge of the battery using the Petzl OS software that can be downloaded for free from the petzl website. This allows you to tailor the battery l...

The latest issue of Scotland Outdoors is in stock in Peebles (£3.80) For Spring 2011 you'll find articles on the rich variety of seabirds in Scotland, travels on lonely Rannoch Moor and a cycle tour along the length of the Outer Hebrides together with a fantastic opportunity to win a cruise to World Heritage site St. Kilda. P.S. Congratulations too, to Richard Rowe, Scotland Outdoors editor, on becoming a first time Dad

Petzl have recently discovered in China illegal copies of the products pictured below The outward appearance of these products is very difficult to distinguish from the genuine article but testing has shown them to fail at much lower forces than stated. These counterfeit products do not meet UIAA or CE safety standards. All Petzl products sold at Out & About  are purchased directly from Petzl's official UK distributor. You can find out more about the specific faults in the counterfeit products and how to avoid purchasing them on the UK website here  and also on the Petzl International website here

We have updated the website with the latest additions to our footwear range- all of which can be viewed here Highlights include the Zamberlan Vioz GT (£165.00) a top quality 3 season walking boot with a Gore-Tex waterproof lining Full specification and more details on the main website here Specialist British footwear and bio-mechanics company Anatom have also introduced their own footwear range. Our Harrogate branch is stocking the TriAria Q2 (£125) Full specification and more information on the main website here

It's March and the road's department have some money to spend before the end of the financial year. The Old Town in Peebles is benefitting from this with major pavement re-alignment works going ahead at the junction of Old Town, Elcho Street Brae, Biggiesknowe and Greenside. Of course we are right in the middle of all this and currently the shop is surrounded by an attractive stockade of red and white crash barriers and cones. We expect this to go on for some time (nobody seems to be able to tell us exactly how long) but would like to re-assure customers that we will be open throughout and will be doing everything we can to ensure that the contractors maintain safe and adequate access to our premises. When it's finished, it will be a major improvement, with wider pavements and safer road-crossings for pedestrians to look forward to.

If you've filled the car up with petrol today you'll have noticed the VAT Increase coming in to effect. We just want to reassure our customers that we haven't spent the Bank Holiday re-pricing all our products to reflect the increase. We are currently holding all prices at Pre-VAT Increase Levels.