CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN

anthonymcgrath405 / 14/08/2024

Best Cities in the UK for Relaxing Walks

Although it may not have the lofty peaks of the Alps or the epic thousands-of-mile treks of the United States, the UK is – in its own humble way – a truly world-class destination for walking and now’s best the time to set out on a relaxing walk across the scenic trails dotting the UK.

But which city has the most relaxing walks? A study conducted by Injury Claims, which analysed over 200,000 reviews of popular parks across 74 major UK Cities and towns, ranked cities on the percentage of Tripadvisor reviews which mentioned words associated with relaxation.

Tripadvisor reviews were scanned for words such as ‘relaxing’, ‘calm’, ‘peaceful’, and ‘tranquil’.

Of Britain’s most popular cities, Hereford is the number one city in the UK for relaxing walks, with a total of 28.88% index score.

The Weir Garden is the most popular park in the city. It’s a garden that sits on the banks of the River Wye, and it boasts a unique combination of features, such as well-manicured lawns, wooded areas, and a garden surrounded by a wall. Based on the reviews on TripAdvisor, visitors can take peaceful strolls alongside the riverbank and bask in the tranquil atmosphere.

Ranking second in the study, Bristol achieved an overall index score of 23.72%. Visitors who have explored the city’s parks often describe it as ‘peaceful’, which is the most commonly used term in their reviews. It boasts green spaces, woodlands, and gardens, creating a peaceful atmosphere for visitors to enjoy.

Lincoln takes the third spot on the list, scoring 21.97%. One of the main parks in Lincoln is Hartsholme Park, which provides a serene retreat within the city, with picturesque lakes, wooded areas, and trails.

TripAdvisor reviews highlight the relaxing atmosphere and tranquillity of Hartsholme Park, making it a peaceful destination for locals and tourists seeking relaxation through outdoor activities.

With Emberton Country Park standing out as the city’s most peaceful destination, Milton Keynes ranks fourth with an 18.63% index score. In this park, visitors can find Emberton Lake, which offers outdoor opportunities such as fishing, boating, or simply enjoying the peaceful waterside scenery.

Renowned university city, Oxford ranks fifth with a 17.47% index score. One of the most popular yet relaxing parks in the city is Christ Church Meadow. It offers stunning views of the historic Christ Church College, adding to the park’s charm and beauty.

Gloucester takes the sixth spot with a 15.73% index score. In Gloucester, you can enjoy peaceful walks in its parks and green areas. One standout spot is Robinswood Hill Country Park, where you can enjoy beautiful city and countryside views. With its vast fields and quiet paths, it’s no surprise that people feel calm and relaxed in this peaceful getaway.

Swansea follows closely behind in seventh place with a 15.48% index score. The most relaxing park in the city is Singleton Park. It features a large boating pond known as Singleton Boating Lake, a popular spot for visitors to enjoy boating activities and admire the surrounding scenery.

Carlisle, boasting a 15.43% index score, ranks eighth for its relaxing parks and green spaces to walk. Bitts Park, located along the banks of the River Eden, offers a tranquil experience in the heart of the city. Based on the reviews, visitors can walk through beautiful gardens, along the river, or just relax and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere.

With an index of 14.71%, Warrington is ninth on the list of best cities in the UK for relaxing walks. While often overshadowed by its larger neighbours, Warrington offers its unique charm for those seeking a peaceful escape. Sankey Valley Park is a quiet spot with winding paths and calm waters.

Newcastle upon Tyne rounds out the top 10, scoring 14.65%. Despite its reputation as a vibrant urban centre, Newcastle has some calm spots to enjoy the outdoors. Jesmond Dene is a picturesque park nestled in a wooded valley, offering a peaceful retreat from the city’s bustle.

Here is the full list:

Rank	Cities	Relaxing Walks Index (%)
1	Hereford	28.88
2	Bristol	23.72
3	Lincoln	21.97
4	Milton Keynes	18.63
5	Oxford	17.47
6	Gloucester	15.73
7	Swansea	15.48
8	Carlisle	15.43
9	Warrington	14.71
10	Newcastle upon Tyne	14.65
11	Leamington Spa	14.03
12	Southport	13.67
13	Bath	13.34
14	Cardiff	13.31
15	Chichester	13.04
16	Aberdeen	12.47
17	Leicester	11.74
18	Mansfield	11.65
19	Edinburgh	11.48
20	York	11.30
21	Cambridge	11.05
22	Norwich	10.21
23	Welwyn Garden City	10.19
24	Manchester	10.07
25	Harrogate	9.78
26	London	9.77
27	Derry (Londonderry)	9.60
28	Wolverhampton	9.24
29	St. Albans	9.23
30	Esher	9.10
31	Winchester	8.99
32	Nottingham	8.91
33	Eastbourne	8.80
34	Liverpool	8.72
35	Salford	8.47
36	Southampton	8.29
37	Barrow-in-Furness	8.23
38	Coventry	8.07
39	Derby	7.85
40	Watford	7.80
41	Chelmsford	7.50
42	Sale	7.43
43	Royal Tunbridge Wells	7.42
44	Bangor	7.15
45	Bradford	7.04
46	Durham	6.83
47	Glasgow	6.79
48	Birmingham	6.70
49	Stoke-on-Trent	6.67
50	Guildford	6.55
51	Chester	6.48
52	Belfast	6.27
53	West Bromwich	6.25
54	Leeds	6.21
55	Northampton	6.20
56	Southend-on-Sea	6.19
57	Plymouth	6.10
58	Wakefield	5.99
59	Sunderland	5.95
60	Portsmouth	5.83
61	Dundee	5.50
62	Brighton and Hove	5.11
63	Paisley	4.94
64	Cheltenham	4.88
65	Newtownabbey	4.62
66	Lancaster	4.58
67	Sheffield	4.57
68	Newport	4.49
69	Halifax	4.18
70	Barnsley	3.96
71	Hartlepool	3.83
72	Reading	3.64
73	Kingston upon Hull (Hull)	3.26

anthonymcgrath405 / 12/08/2024

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr-reat – Bulldog Grooming range

The guys behind the Bulldog grooming range like to boast, quite naturally, excuse the pun, that it’s the UK’s first and largest natural skincare brand for men. Launched, way back in 2006, out of a frustration that there were no options available for switched-on men who wanted to reduce the number of man-made chemicals in their bathrooms. Initially Simon and Rhodri got Bulldog off the ground by combining their life savings and maxing out credit cards to scrape together just under £37,000. Today the range is listed in over 7,500 stores worldwide and successfully competes and sits with leading brands on those shelves.

All Bulldog products are body friendly and don’t contain controversial man-made chemicals such as parabens, sodium laureth sulfate, artificial colours, or synthetic fragrances. Instead, Bulldog products are loaded with essential oils and other natural ingredients to deliver great skincare results. The products are not tested on animals and never contain ingredients derived from animal sources.

We asked Simon for some of his top inside grooming tips –

1) Moisture, always use a quality moisturisers that won’t overload the skin or leave an oily residue at least once a day. The award-winning Bulldog Original Moisturiser offers top quality and performance at a great price.

2) Avoid soap – regular soap will always leave your skin feeling over-dry, tight and uncomfortable. Conventional soap often contains strong fragrances and foaming agents that can irritate sensitive skin. Bulldog Original Face Wash is a brilliant facial cleanser that avoids such nasty chemicals.

3) Different Strokes – men’s skin is very different from women’s,so it’s very important that they use products that have been designed specifically for them. For a kick off, men have much oiler skin then women’s and this makes it much more prone to shininess, enlarged pores, acne and other skin imperfections. In addition, men’s skin is more acidic (with an average pH of 4.5) which means it can react very differently to products than women’s skin will. Therefore, it’s important that you buy your own products that have specially formulated for men by a proper male brand, rather than think you can borrow hers in the bathroom !

anthonymcgrath405 / 09/08/2024

The Original and still the best – Lacoste Original

From the first polo shirt and clothing logo to the first steel racket and tennis ball machine, these four words embody the essence of the Lacoste brand and celebrate the pioneering spirit of its founder. René Lacoste was a tenacious champion and passionate inventor, often the first in the Original sense.

Truth, serenity, wisdom and confidence. A symbol of French elegance since 1933, Lacoste has been honouring the legacy of its founder for over ninety years. Combining the traditional with the ultra-modern, this fashion-sports brand revisits its codes with creativity and inventiveness, with the iconic crocodile—a firm favourite the world over—

as its figurehead. While fragrances have long been part of the Lacoste universe, the brand is

expanding its olfactory wardrobe with an original creation that reflects its unmistakable identity and celebrates its bold, daring personality. Lacoste presents LACOSTE ORIGINAL. A subtle nod to the Lacoste Original fragrance launched in 1984, this new scent embodies both authenticity and innovation. Elegantly revealing all the brand’s iconic codes, it adds an unexpected and surprising dimension to its olfactory universe, writing the first chapter of an inspiring, untold story.

Style and movement: these two dimensions so intertwined with Lacoste have guided Master Perfumer Anne Flipo and Perfumer Tanguy Guesnet in creating the LACOSTE ORIGINAL Eau de Parfum.

“Anne and I worked on a citrus freshness with fiery spices to convey movement in this fragrance. Zesty notes of Bergamot, combined with the liveliness of Cardamom and Pink Peppercorn, make it a highly dynamic and modern scent.” Tanguy Guesnet.

LACOSTE ORIGINAL opens with the intense, tangy freshness of Bergamot, enhanced by spicy Pink Peppercorn and Cardamom accents. These explosive top notes give way to the elegance of Lavender and Clary Sage, which form an intense aromatic heart. At the base, sensual Sandalwood and powerful Patchouli lay the foundations of a potent sillage that blends comforting Amber with addictive Tonka Bean. Dynamic, modern and addictive, LACOSTE ORIGINAL is the olfactory expression of exalted creativity, freedom of movement and French elegance, the hallmarks of all Lacoste creations.

anthonymcgrath405 / 07/08/2024

Penny for your thoughts – 6 of the best Penny Loafers

The Penny Loafer is a much underrated and yet highly versatile piece of footwear, equally at home with a pair of jeans as they are within a formal setting. The Penny Loafer or the “Weejuns” to give them there more correct term first become popular after the depression of the 1930’s and had the rather strange origin of being based on Norwegian diary farmers clogs. The shoe’s strap has a split design that is supposed to resemble a pair of lips. This opening in the strap was soon used as a way to add a decorative touch to the usually simple loafer and small objects, such as pennies, were often placed there, hence the name, get it ? As alway we here at Clothes Make the Man bring you 6 of the best which should appear to you no matter what your taste or budget is. Take a look;

Ahhhh a real British, timeless Classic, this time in the form of this great from John Lobb from MRPORTER.com

Annie are you OK, are you OK Annie ! Ahh the late, great MJ himself was fond of a Loafer and these Penny Loafers from Russell & Bromley are a nice break from the traditional and a little trip down that retro memory lane.

Another wonderful example to add a splash of colour to a look, comes this time from Clarks

Now for something just a little bit special, these objects of beauty come from the Italian luxury house Tods to produce this vintage looking Penny Loafer

You can’t go wrong with this Italian Classic interpretation of the Loafer from Brunello Cucinelli‘s designs are backed by meticulous Italian craftsmanship, evident in the quality materials and precise, hand-stitched finishes

Ahhh the original and many say the best by GH Bass the pride of Maine.

anthonymcgrath405 / 05/08/2024

The Jacket that never goes out of Fashion – The Denim Jacket

The origins of the Denim Jacket are not only very humble but very simple, originally created for the workplace; it formed part of the overall denim uniform that was rugged and durable for the manual worker of the 18th Century. In the late 1800s, it began to become more of a part of general clothing and it became a serious part of fashion attire thanks to companies like Levi Strauss. The company began seeing success with denim jackets in the early 1900’s and never looked back.

However, although not really changing a great deal over time regarding its overall design, the denim jacket is a cultural icon and has played a key role in the overall look of many sub cultures since its conception. Whether it be the western cowboy look which is never-endingly begin interpreted and reinterpreted by brands as a source of inspiration. The British Skinhead following of the 1970’s or the Hell’s Angels Rock inspired movement. The Americana image of the 1950’s Double denim rebel made famous by James Dean in “Rebel Without a Cause” or staying with the American influence of their Redneck brethren.

Virtually every brand on the planet today gives their take on this piece of clothing from TOPSHOP and GAP, to the daddy of Denim Levi’s and Wrangler, right the way through to Ralph Lauren and of course Calvin Klein. Many of these brands have produced unforgettable and zeitgeist advertising campaigns including Nick Kamen taking off his 501’s in the laundrette, Leigh Bowery asking, “Where’s Pepe ?” Lee’s “Jeans that built America”. But my personal favourite has to be a beautiful and rather young Brooke Shields, pondering,”You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing.” This not only sent people running out to buy denim in their droves but it made Jeans SEXY !

Since this moment Calvin Klein Jeans have been knocking it out of the ball park when it comes to marketing denim, not only using Brooke Shields, but Marky Mark Wahlberg accompanied by an early appearance by Ms Kate Moss. Jamie Dornan, pre his Serial Killer tendencies in “The Fall” or even being a little too controversial and having their Ad campaign banned altogether, which only added fuel to the fire of their desirability.

Calvin Klein Jeans continue to rework the sense of structure to their traditional denim jacket and shirts. The garment’s authentic details and aesthetic features with a mixture of shapes and colours.

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