A weed is of course just a plant in the wrong place. And when that ‘wrong place’ is stinging your legs while you’re on the trails, weeds are a pest. So how to stop the stings and beat the weeds next time you’re out biking, hiking or walking?
Our three tips on ways to beat the weeds:
1 LEGS UP!
Ouch! Cyclists, mountain bikers and trail bike commuters know. When weeds are right on your leg and ankle level, brambles and stinging nettles can be mighty uncomfortable. The solution? Sit down – legs up: freewheel through the worst and hope for the best.
2 ZIP-OFF TROUSERS
Convertible zip-off trousers may just be the spring hiker’s best friend. Legs on while you are thigh deep in skin-irritating weeds and nettles, then zip them off for comfort once you’re clear of the undergrowth.
Zip-offs have numerous benefits, and are perfect for DofE expeditions as they are so versatile.
Visit the WhoSki.com shop to buy and sell secondhand walking trousers in all styles.
3 LONG SOCKS
Warm enough to wear shorts at last? Walkers know, this wet spring has been boom-time for weeds with cow parsley growing higher than your head and super-strong nettles just waiting to do their worst. How can you beat the weeds when you’re staying cool in cut-offs?
Cover up is your best option. If you can’t face long trousers as above, opt for long socks and roll them down when you’re out of the weeds and into the meadows.
Long socks will also help prevent ticks jumping aboard if you’re in an area where infestations have been reported, or livestock have been grazing.
PS Don’t get us wrong: we LOVE weeds at WhoSki.com. In fact, we would say they probably aren’t weeds at all. Wild flowers and plants are essential for the bugs and birds that make the great outdoors even greater.
We are just not such a fan when weeds are causing us aggro on the trails (says WhoSki.com co-founder Nicola, who slipped on a muddy hike recently and landed in a patch of super-strong stinging nettles. Skin was still a-tingle THREE DAYS later. Ouch.)