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As autumn tumbles upon us the weather begins to take a turn for the worse and the thought of getting out for a walk is less appealing. Getting totally soggy and cold doesn’t sound like a lot of fun and we can become tempted to shut ourselves away indoors.
The best thing we can do though is to keep up our walking through the autumn and winter months, stick with our outdoor adventures but just be a little more prepared for the elements.
You may be an experienced walker who has been rambling for years and has many a good campsite story to tell, or perhaps you are new to the walking club, whatever your circumstance it’s always good to chat to others and get their hints, advice and walking tips.
Even if you think there isn’t anything you don’t know about walking you’ll be surprised to hear different peoples experiences and you might even learn a nice little snippet of information that will help you on yours.
Some of us go walking in big groups or clubs with other fellow walkers, but some of us start out on our own. Perhaps walking is a new hobby that you’ve just embarked upon but you don’t know anybody else who shares your passion for going hiking, or maybe you’ve decided to start walking to get out and be a bit more sociable and meet new people. So how easy is it to makes friends as a walker?
Some of us choose to go walking with our families, others with groups of friends, some like to walk with their partner and then there are those of us that just like to go it alone.
There is something very special about being out in the wild, surrounded by only nature and your own thoughts, but as a solo walker there are some considerations to make before setting out that differ from walking with others and we look at them in this blog.
The idea of gorgeous family walks, soaking up the sunshine and immersing the whole family in nature and wildlife is definitely one thats flitted through the minds of most of us parents, but in reality a badly planned hike with the kids in tow can result in a lot of tears (yours and the kids!) and far more hassle then its worth.
Have a look over our top tips for managing an enjoyable hike with the whole family.
We walkers spend a lot of our spare time in the great outdoors discovering our beautiful planet on foot. Its a great way to exercise and really take in the world around us, but have you ever thought about stepping your game up a notch and getting involved in race walking?
Race walking is a a recognised discipline of athletics, is included in the Olympic Games and is essentially just a faster version of regular walking. It is regulated by the IAAF and judged so that you maintain a good walking technique. Points are then awarded based on how fast you complete a fixed distance and rankings are produced so that you can begin to compete with other who do race walking.
You started off just taking nice walks in the great outdoors and realised what a great past time it was, slowly over time your walks became harder, longer, camping over night, then you brought hiking ‘gear’ and all of a sudden you think about hiking a lot!
Are any of the below signs familiar to you? If so we’d say that your love for hiking has definitely stepped a gear and you are truly a seasoned walker!
1.You keep a backpack, tent and walking shoes in the boot of your car...just incase.
It makes sense right? You never know when you might stumble across a new trail or get a call from a friend who wants a trip, so keeping a loaded backpack ready and waiting just cuts time and means you can say yes more often!
2.Most of your internet browsing involves shopping for walking gear or looking for new destinations to go hiking
Internet shopping now means searching the web for new hiking gear, finding the clothes that are going to make your trip more enjoyable and finding new gadgets and tools that are total essentials, obviously.
Social media visits are now to look at travelling pages and plan out the places in the world that you want to hike. Your love for hiking takes priority.
3.You are an expert at packing a backpack to fit the maximum number of items possible in, at top speed
Whether you roll or fold, you’ve become excellent at fitting everything you could posibly need into your backpack at record speed since you’ve done it so many times before.
4.Your wardrobe consists of walking gear, waterproofs, fleeces and merino wool socks
Gone are the days of having a million different going out outfits, 25 pairs of jeans and so on, your wardrobe is now far more practical than that housing all of your precious hiking gear that make your trips so enjoyable.
5.You’d rather spend £200 on a tent than £100 on a hotel room
Why would you spend all of that cash on one night in a pokey hotel room when you could spend just a little bit more and upgrade your beloved tent that you could use time and time again?
6.When you move to a new place, you have no clue where the post office is, but know where the nearest trails are
You’ve likely either already done some of the trails or have extensively researched them before you’ve arrived. Heading somewhere new means new and exciting ground to discover, who cares about the Post Office we can google its where abouts right?!
7.You realise that you think the people who don’t backpack are just a little bit odd
Why on earth wouldn’t you want to head out doors and go on an adventure during EVERY possible bit of spare time you have? To be fair most people probably think your exreme love for hiking is a bit odd too, but who cares.
8.You use your backpack to carry your food shop home
Its totally normal for you to take your backpack with you to the supermarket rather than a million reusable bags, you are so familiar with it and carrying stuff home in a backpack is far easier than negotiating shopping bags.
9.You wonder if the meal you are eating can be dehydrated effectively
You can’t just enjoy your dinner anymore because your mind is always wondering whether it could be dehydrated and paked for your next trip! A meal that can be reused in this way is far more enjoyable in your eyes.
10.You pack a rain jacket on a sunny day JUST IN CASE
Every walker knows that even if the sun is shining when you leave the house you always pack a rain coat just in case, if the weather turns there isn’t much worse than being soggy all day whilst hiking. Your love for hiking is so strong that you just can’t leave the house without that rain coat, even for a quick trip to the shop up the road, it just wouldn’t feel right.
Have you ever thought about getting involved in an event to challenge yourself, give yourself something to work towards and train towards and most importantly raise some much needed money for your favourite charity?
Well we have just the thing; the Three Peaks Challenge. This is where participants are challenged to walk the three highest mountains in the Scotland, England and Wales all in one go. The traditional Three Peaks Challenge dares you to get this done in one day only. Sounds like a tough day? It really is!
If you don’t think you’re quite ready for all of this in one day there is another option so don’t worry.
Walk sessions are spread across the warmer months and are filling up fast with some dates already full, so if you are keen to get involved then have a read of our guide below and get yourself booked on!
The Open National Three Peaks Challenge in 1 Day
If you’re ready to accept the challenge then you’ll travel to Fort William in Scotland on the Friday morning and meet up with your walking team.
You can come in a small group or as an individual and you’ll be placed in a group of the same ability as yours. You will walk together providing each other with great support, as well as having mountain guides and support staff on hand.
The event begins with the Ben Nevis on the Saturday which you’ll need to have conquered in 5.5 hours and have reached Scafell Pike in England ready to climb through the night for 4.5 hours, then head for Snowdon in Wales to climb during the Sunday early hours in 4 hours. If it sounds hard then that’s because it really is!
You definitely need to be a fit and healthy person to complete this challenge, make sure you train hard and are in top physical condition.
Of course you will be accompanied by a driver who will get you from mountain to mountain in the required amount of time, so you will get a little down time to regain your composure, re-hydrate and refresh, ready for the next climb.
Do Your Own Three Peaks Challenge
You can also register your own group event to take on this challenge which means you will need to organise the whole trip yourselves including transport from each mountain and onto the next.
You will receive an information pack on what you’ll need to organise though so don’t panic. It will also help you to record your challenge online and includes personal certificates upon completion.
If you do decide to do this challenge alone then preparation is the key, you need to thoroughly do your research or it could end up being a really dangerous trip.
Also keep in mind that many attemptes at the The Three Peaks Challenge have to be abandoned, even by guide led groups, since we cannot control the weather and certain conditions are just too dangerous to walk in when you are half way up a mountain.
The Three Peaks Challenge in 3 Days
If all of this sounds like something you are keen to do but you don’t think you are ready to take on the 24 hour challenge then you can accept the three peaks in three days challenge instead. We are not saying that this is in anyway easy either but it just gives your body more time to recover in between the mountain climbs and psychologically makes the challenge seem more reasonable.
Three peaks in three days also starts on the Friday with a stay over in Fort William in Scotland, then on the Saturday you will complete the Nevis climb in seven hours and drive to Scafell Pike in the Lake District and sleep the night here. On Sunday morning you will wake up refreshed and ready to climb Scafell Pike in six hours, then drive on to Snowdon to sleep the night here. Waking up on your final day you will climb Snowdon in six hours and relax, since you’ll have completed the three peaks challenge in three days!
Walking three mountains in three days is still very tiring and physically draining for your body so please don’t think you can scrimp on the training, you’ll too need to be in peak physical condition to get this challenge done.
Good luck if you choose to accept!
If you are looking for some new walking ideas and fancy something a little bit different we’ve found some quirky and interesting ideas spread out over Britain, that we hope might be of interest.
Walking doesn’t always have to be about climbing the highest hill or rambling through forests, sometimes we all fancy a change to keep things fresh and fun and there is absolutely no harm in that.
1.Glasgow School of Art walking tour
The Glasgow Miracle Tour takes you from the 1970’s to modern day looking at how artists, designers and architects have helped to shaped Glasgow and have contributed to its cultural regeneration.
The tour takes you through some of the city’s most amazing buildings, including the Charles Rennie Mackintosh building that was rebuilt after a fire four years ago. Definitely an unusual walk but also really very interesting and really quite educational.
2.Manchester’s Wonder Women 2018 Guided Tour
This year sees 100 years since women first gained the right to vote, and to celebrate this there a whole host of interesting things going on in Manchester, the birthplace of the suffragette movement back in 1903.
The Wonder Women Guided Tour will educate you in the lives of the many women who campaigned for equality over the last two centuries, with a special guided tour of the People’s History Museum.
3.Alice in Wonderland and Harry Potter tours, Oxford
These book related tours in Oxford are just perfect for all of the family, so if you’ve little ones in tow you won’t be disappointed.
Oxford was the birthplace of Alice in Wonderland and on this unusual walk (there wasn’t much normal about Wonderland let’s face it!) you’ll tour the same hallways and gardens that Alice once walked. See the door in the Cathedral that is said to be the very one Alice went in to Wonderland through, and after the tour head for Alice’s shop where you’ll find all manner of Alice related products.
Along the way you’ll also get to see all of the Oxford film locations for the Harry Potter movies and can imagine yourself being right there in the action.
Piel Island is a tiny little place quite like no other. Home to a castle, a couple of houses and of course a pub, this island lies half a mile off the southern tip of the Furness Peninsula in the administrative county of Cumbria, and can be reached by ferry.
The ‘king’ of Piel Island is the pub landlord due to old traditions that are still very much alive today.
Many people come to Piel Island and camp over for super cheap rates and a fabulous experience, quite like no other.
The island is very chilled, children can roam about freely, it’s lovely to walk around and see the old castle and of course end the day in the pub, perfect!
5.A History of Terror, Belfast
This award winning non-partisan, non-political walking tour in Belfast was set up by a resident to highlight the lost human stories of the troubles the city has seen.
The tour lasts for about two hours and you’ll see several of the attack sites that took place between 1971 and 1976. Because of the nature of this unusual walk it’s really more for adults and older children.
If you’ve a group who would like to go along they will certainly taylor tours to your requirements, often doing the same for schools and universities.
6.The End of The World, Foula
It is easy to see how Virgil, an ancient Roman poet, once called Foula the end of the world.
Foula Island is one of Britain’s most remote inhabited islands and lies within the Shetland islands in Scotland.
There are about 30 people living here who are mostly sheep and pony farmers, and as you can imagine there are some simply beautiful walks in this location.
Many people come specifically to see the amazing variety of birdlife including puffin, skuas, razorbills and gannets, but whilst walking the beautiful, rugged coastline do watch out for seals.
This wild, rugged and stunning island will fill you will calmness and peace and is certainly an unusual walk and one that you won’t ever forget.
7.Britain’s deadliest path
If you fancy an unusual walk that will also mean you taking your life into your own hands then be brave and head for Britain’s deadliest path in….Essex of all places!
There is a churchyard nearby where 66 people lie buried, all victims of the same killer, the footpath from Wakering Stairs, seemingly out to sea before making landfall again on the Foulness Island.
This route makes it way over the Maplin Sands mudflats on the northern banks of the Thames Estuary, once marked by twigs that have since washed away. If you make it it’s a beautiful experience that at times feels a little like walking on water, but the big problem is getting the tide timings wrong. Get caught short and the tide sweeps in far faster than you can run and has claimed many lives.
The risk of encountering ‘unexploded ordnance’ from Ministry of Defence activities on Foulness Island if you stray too far from the Broomway route, adds an extra excitment to this walk.
If you do decide to give this route a go then please always use a local guide who knows the area well and will guide you safely there and back.
Getting blisters when walking has to be the number one annoyance that is sure to completely ruin your walk. Having a blister will put a quick halt to your walk pretty quickly and you out of action until the blister has healed. The best advice when it comes to blisters when walking is prevention, prevention, prevention. Sometimes though these things happen, so how do we go about avoiding blisters when walking?
The first way to keep your feet happy is to choose the right pair of shoes. Go into a variety of walking stores and try on all shapes and sizes until you are perfectly sure that you’ve found the most comfortable pair for your feet. What works for one person won’t necessarily work for another so don’t go on recommendation, just go and find out for yourself. Don’t be lured into thinking the old ‘they’ll be great once I’ve broken them in’ - this almost never works. In order for them to be comfortable whilst walking they need to feel comfortable in store right from the get go. Chose a pair with a good sized toe box because toes rubbing into each other and toenails in the picture too can make for the perfect recipe for blister when walking. Also if shoes are too big and sloppy then your feet will move around inside them and make for lots of rubbing and potential blisters.
Now, having said not to rely on ‘breaking them in’ the next piece of advice is actually to break them in. Although they should feel super comfortable in the shop and around the house, when they’ve been on your feet for hours on end during a hike they may tell a different story. So do wear them around the house or out for short walks at any given opportunity to get your feet used to them and them to your feet before you embark on your first big hike. This should set up a good foundation to avoid blisters when walking.
If you look after your feet you can actually toughen them up whilst taking care of them. If you start getting calluses don’t be tempted to file them away, they may not look great but they are a walkers friend since they toughen up the skin making them far less blister prone. You don’t have to ignore them though, moisturising them will help avoid painful cracks which will hinder your walking nearly as much as blisters themselves. Some professional long distance walkers and runners actually toughen up their feet by soaking them in tannic acid or tea soak which toughens up the skin and helps avoid blisters when walking. Lubricating your feet with vaseline is a good idea too, this reduces the friction that results in blisters. Rub it on your feet under your socks and you’ll feel the difference. It’s worth noting though that Vaseline doesn’t easily come out of socks.
During your walk make sure to keep your feet dry. Sweaty or wet feet are far more prone to blisters so if your shoes get very wet then make sure to take them off, and your socks, and air your feet. Keep spare pairs of dry socks in your bag to replace wet ones. Some people swear by using antiperspirant on the feet before walking to keep sweat at bay. If you know you are prone to blisters then you can cover them before you walk. There are all sorts of option of plasters and tape to pop over the spot and make sure you avoid blisters when walking.
Whatever measure you go to to stop blisters there will always be times when you just can’t avoid it, but if you are prepared and do the best you can to stop the little blighters showing up then you will notice a marked difference and will really have much more enjoyable walking experiences.
