Do not charge these torches at waist height, particularly if there are people behind you!! I bought an Energizer head light from Argos for £15 and has lots of different lighting combinations. Gives off plenty of light for night walking and batteries seem to last an unbelievable amount of time.

talking of torches has anyone come across the torch without batteries not a wind up one but one that works by magnetism you just give it a quick shake when it goes out, ideal for those who like to shake things when they stop working, cheap too at around £3

Just sourced this new headtorch from reliable Petzl @ £24.95. With three white LEDs and one red there are a multitude of combinations of lights and power. The best fact is that it only weighs 27g all up. Depending on the power setting selected you'll get 35 to 45 hours of light.

It comes with an elastic headcord as well as a wire clip for snapping onto a cap brim for example. Batteries, 2 x CR2032 are included as is a plastic case with a belt loop.

Although marketed as an 'emergency headlamp' it could be adequate for night walks - I'll leave that to those who do them. As sold it's now in my bike commuting kit to back up the bike lights as well as for repairs.

Sold at most outdoor retailers, stocks appear low at the moment so worth casting the net wide. Buy!