Caring for Old Faithful

Wheather it be beating through gorse, clambering over stiles or pushing through gaps after hounds, a rural lifestyle can wreak havoc on attire. Blackthorn, barbed wire and fish hooks snatch at threads like a homesick child clinging to departing parents. Wearers are likely to have invested – often emotionally as well as financially – in the clothing required for their pastime. What other folk would keep patching up greatgrandpa’s first ratcatcher despite it being held together by more safety pins than Liz Hurley’s dress? Yet while ‘make do and mend’ may already be an established way of living for many country-oriented people, how much more sustainable can and should our kit be?

For worn, torn favourites, be realistic over whether the repairs are worth it. As John Sugden from Campbell’s of Beauly advises, “Like with a car it can be more work stripping something down completely and rebuilding it than it would to