Equipment For Country Walking

EQUIPMENT

BOOTS, etc. - For walking in the country there is noting so comfortable as a pair of old, well-cared boots or shoes, with tick soles kept soft and waterproof with dubbin. For cycling in warm dry weather, canvas shoes are very cool and light on the feet.

A pair of light anklets are very useful in wet weather or in boggy country, and throw off a good deal of the rain which falls from a waterproof. They should be of soft pliable material to enable them to be rolled up and carried in the pocket when not required.

GLOVES. - The only really satisfactory protection for the hands in very cold weather is a pair of woollen gloves inside leather ones - the latter, of course, must be a large size. Some prefer the wool outside, but my experience is that the gloves are warmer and wear better with the leather outside. Mittens (without fingers) if thick enough, are the warmest of all, but are rather clumsy.

WATERPROOFS. - A light cycling cape is the most convenient and portable protection against the weather, and can be had light enough to carry in the pocket. Also - a square of waterproof cut from an old mackintosh is very useful as a seat in damp weather, and when folded takes up little room.

MAPS. - It is recommended that this book should be read in conjunction with some good map of the District. The best is the Ordnance Survey map of the Dublin District, 1 inch to the mile, mounted on fabric, price 3s. (15p). It extends from Portrane on the north to the southern slopes of Bray Head on the south, and to near Naas on the westward. A smaller scale is of little use except for cycling or motoring on the main roads.

CAMERA. - If you are a photographer, do not encumber yourself with a heavy camera - you will be tempted either to leave it at home or else to use it recklessly so as to have some value for the trouble of carrying it. A camera should be of such size and weight as can be carried for a whole day without inconvenience, should no opportunity arise for using it. Most of the photographs reproduced in tis book were taken with a folding Kodak, fitted with an ordinary lens, and weighing little over a pound. Even with the smallest cameras, very pleasing mementos may be obtained of places or persons, and enlargements made therefrom up to half plate size.

If a camera be taken on the carrier of a bicycle, which is not to be recommended, it should have a thick padding of felt, at least half an inch thick around it. A frame bag is, however, a much better way of carrying it. It goes without saying that a camera for the pedestrian or cyclist should be of the film variety.

- A glass of some kind is a pleasant companion in a country ramble. The best, of course, are the prismatic kind, but they are now very expensive. A magnifying power of 6 will be found the most generally suitable. In the case of the old style of glass (Galilean) a higher power than 4½ is not advisable on account of the smallness of the field. Do not buy an inferior glass of any description - they are injurious and uncomfortable.

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