Dubbin n Stuff

I had the dubious pleasure of introducing Hugo to the ancient art "dubbining yer boots".

For those who aren't familiar with this stuff dubbin consists of natural wax, oil and tallow. I follow the practise of applying it with my fingers to get it to melt into the leather and seams. There is a lot of argument about whether it rots seams and there may be some evidence for this - but I've been using it for years on my boots and the seams have been fine.

Dubbin has achieved folklore status similar to Kendal Mintcake. I've met people who swear they don't use lipsalve or balm even on the windiest days - they've got dubbin!

Anyway Hugo is off on a hike to practise for his Duke of Edinburgh adventure. The weather is set fair and the terrain will be South East England. Having just come back from trecking for three weeks in the Himalayas, on glaciers at over 5,000 metres, an overnight camp in Hertfordshire should be well within his capabilities.

I wish he would look after his boots a bit better though.