Last year I bought a new helmet.  Four rides in the consensus was it was too heavy, very noisy and most worryingly after a half hour ride it had left a huge garrote mark around my neck which was sore and angry for a few days.  This season I dug out my old trusty SHOEI and it was like slipping on old Doc Martins.  It is now getting loose (I know you can buy new liners) but it was chipped to bits and smelling and looking it’s age.

Thank you to my dear husband, our anniversary is this weekend he treated me to a new helmet.  The one in the picture above.  Gone for crazy matte black and I have to say I was really paranoid about it getting marked with finger prints and dead beastie guts.  After a summer ride out I have to say it cleaned up a treat and even as a pillion protected by the rider there was guts everywhere.  Wet kitchen roll, a gentle soak and wipe and it looks great again.

We set out this morning to go and visit another garden, Dawyck Botanics near Peebles.  The last time I visited this garden I believe my eldest was two and I was expecting my favourite.  This is now affiliated with Edinburgh Botanical Gardens and has a splendid visitor centre that never existed when I first went.  There is even an art gallery as part of the centre.

We took one of my favourite routes to Peebles.  From Forth – Carnwath – Biggar – Broughton.  To Dawyck Botanics This is a slow narrow road, sheep one side, cattle the other and if the smell is anything to go by then a couple of dead things in the verges.  Death and summer heat, nice combo.

The gardens were as lovely as I remembered. All woodlands with stunning walks and planting underneath, based on American wood planting and now specialising in saving rhododendron type plants from around the world.

BACK TO THE HELMET.

On the way down I had my ear plugs in and about 20 mins in my face really started to hurt.  As a pillion I have great freedom to pull about at my helmet to try and get relief but none of the tugging was helping.  I realised three miles shy of the gardens that it was the pressure on my ear plugs causing the issue.  The return journey was much more comfortable, even with no ear plugs and all the vents on the helmet open it was still quieter than the previous helmet and certainly more comfortable.

JUDGEMENT

I love SHOEI helmets.  They fit my wee pea heid just fine.  Over the years I have experimented with other makes but have always returned to a SHOEI.