Trail – Will I ever get there?

Remember those AA adverts where the old lady in the car is rescued by “a very nice man, a very very nice man..”? That’s exactly how I’d describe Michael from Paramo, who came to visit me today. Even Willow, the slightly psychotic collie, loved him, and that’s praise indeed.

I was a bit worried when he said he’d been reading my blog and I was reminded several times that I’d described one of their expertly crafted, terribly expensive jackets as ‘frumpy’, and of the pasting I gave Trail the morning after the magazine came out. Still, I guess they can rest assured that I’m not one of those people who will say nice things about something just because it’s been given to me. That’s no use to anyone really.

I desperately wanted the Viento or one of the red jackets to fit me, because they were the prettiest and a more modern cut, but after trying what felt like the entire stock of Paramo on, I am now the proud owner of a Paramo Alta jacket in green. Yes, that’s the one I thought was frumpy in purple – it’s better in green – and yes, I did say ladies. Never before have I been able to get ladie’s outdoor gear to fit. Thank you Paramo, I think I love you.

I also now know what each and every feature of the jacket does, and can’t wait to try it out. The best bit is being able to see where I’m going with the hood up because I’ve been shown how to adjust it! When you put my jacket on, it’s like slipping into a slinky duvet and slippers with a hot chocolate, when all outside is cold and frosty. I just know I’m going to be snug and warm, especially as they’ve also slipped me a base layer t-shirt and two clever tops that are fleecy on one side and slinky on the other. Oh, and some Nikwax. I’m kind of running out of excuses not to climb that mountain now!

I just can’t believe how generous Paramo have been. I’m about as far away from being their average customer as you can get, and yet they’ve bent over backwards to be nice to me and give me the things they think I’ll need.

It’s so nice to come across people who genuinely care about what they’re selling, and actually know their stuff. And, spookily, it turned out that the Paramo man knew Andy. A small world, but a nice place to be today.