[Closed] Hill walking talk to me about it.

At this time of year, you'd be better sticking to low stuff initially due to the cold weather that will soon hit us. That will save you on start up costs. But even then, a good pair of boots can make a huge difference to comfort and stability. You don't need to spend a lot, but £100 will get you a good pair of boots which will last a long long time. You should be able to borrow some or buy second hand for cheap if need be. I'd be wary of any sort of off the beaten track walking in trainers, especially in winter. it doesn't take much to go over an ankle.

Snowboarding gear will be fine for walking in, but wear layers, since then you can strip off as you warm up/cool down. A non-cotton base layer is a must IMO, particularly in winter. Nothing worse than a sweaty cotton t-shirt are the bottom of 5 layers! Decathlon do great ones for £5. Snowboard gloves and socks will be fine (I often wear mine).

Don't bother with poles until it becomes obvious that you need them. I've never used them other than for super long multi day things. Check with physio re your injuries.

If you are going to be wandering around areas which are not familiar to you, invest in a map and compass and learn how to use them. it wouldn't matter how much expensive kit you were wearing, you'd be in trouble in winter if you got lost. £5 for compass and £7 for a map. You can find lots of how-to videos on you tube

Comfy boots are important. Nowadays I'd focus on something GoreTex lined (it's a wet country) and not leather. No need to go to £100 as long as they are a good fit. Go to a proper walking shop to get them fitted and be prepared to walk around a lot indoors (up and down steps if you can) to make sure they fit well before wearing them outside.

Poles might be a good idea if you are carrying any leg injuries. Other than full-on winter walking, or backpacking, I hardly use mine.

Layering up with your clothing works, using whatever you have. However, I'd avoid natural materials as they tend to soak up sweat. A good baselayer an insulating layer and a waterproof layer still works well as a concept. If your snowboarding jacket is both insulating AND waterproof you may find it a bit warm when it's not raining.

Avoid wearing jeans or any heavy cotton on your legs. Unless it's absolutely chucking it, or very cold, I tend just to suffer damp legs.

Gaiters avoid the creep of mud and wet up your trousers and are well worth it outside of summer.

Warm gloves can be a life-saver.

For this time of year, a decent sized rucksack will let you take some spare clothing, a map and compass (make sure you know how to use them), torch, whistle, a flask and some food and drink.

Most of all, just relax and enjoy it. You live beside some beautiful countryside and you are at a good time of the year to see it changing through the seasons.

Navigation, navigation, navigation.

*read that in an extremely nasal tone.

And gaiters are for wimps

Re that last post. I'm usually lyrcad up to the eyeballs when I'm out on the hills. So don't listen to any advice I give on clothing.

I went today with a mate who has given up MTBing due to ill health. A walk around the Dovedale area and up Thorpe cloud. Sturdy boots are a must.

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Scotroutes, do you own any big red socks?

Depending on where you are walking, it can be anything but gentle so be aware of that. As for kit, well again it does depend on exactly where you are going to be walking but fit is of far, far more importanace than price when it comes to boots/shoes so take your time about buying a pair and try on loads. To be honest if you are only going to go walking on well graded paths then a good pair of comfy shoes, even trainers, will probably do. Poles again are dependant on where you are walking, although if your injuries are knee related then yes poles are a good idea. I don't walk regularly but whenever I do, I always take poles. For waterproofs yes your boarding gear will be fine, although it may be a bit heavy but better that than too light; it's easier to lose heat than it is to gain it.

The only other thing that you should do, if you can't already, is learn to navigate and read maps.

How about big red gaiters?

[img] [/img]

http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/p/walking-west-highland-way.html

Walking is great, I probably spend more time walking than riding and you can access many places you cannot on the bike. It's a different kind of fun and you cannot cover the same amount of distance in a given time.

Kit.

Do you not have some suitable shoes to get started in ? I have a couple of pairs, one pair of approach shoes (outdoor trainers really) and one pair of standard relatively flexible boots. Until you know what kind of walking you want to do I'd avoid spending too much on specialist shoes. You could get started in old trainers with decent socks or thin seal skinz.

Poles are very useful for taking the pressure off your knees whilst descending but are in no way essential.

Clothes - wear your bike stuff. Snowboarding jacket and trousers especially will lookd daft and be overkill anyway. I know it's "cold oop north" but it's not the arctic, snowboarding base / mid layer stuff would be useful, ditto bike stuff.

Have a root round some routes / guides - I bought a few guide books online for £2-£3 one for the 2000ft peaks of England and Wales is particularly good, another for Yorkshire. Must be something for your area, old books out of print being sold off cheap.

Gaiters are handy.

Do not wear any cotton. Even under a waterproof. Cotton fibres absorb water, so you'll get cold, clammy and wet, and the water won't breathe out of your waterproof layer.

Also, if you wear jeans, they can hold so much water next to your legs that you can get hypothermia and die.

When we went climbing mountains from school as kids, the only rules were a waterproof, sturdy boots and no jeans. You don't need much kit. Any sturdy boots/shoes will do as long as they fit. Walking socks help with blisters.

I had no idea hill walkers liked to over-equip themselves like that ^^^^ 🙂

DO learn to navigate and read maps though, if you've never been up there you'll be surprised how easy it is to be lost. You'll end up being stood on a flat bit of ground being able to see a circle of featureless grass about 10ft around, and wonder where the bloody hell you are and which way to go.

EDIT well I say sturdy boots, we were walking in rocky mountains. If you're only on hills then shoes would do.

And I don't use poles, they are an encumberance more than anything else I reckon, unless I want to go really fast in which case they act like XC ski poles and I can use my arms as well as legs 🙂

How about big red gaiters?

You're everything I imagined you to be.

I feel the need to say this again.

NAVIGATION, NAVIGATION, NAVIGATION.

Boots - Sports direct sell karimoor kit, gore-tex (Ok, non trademarked breathable waterproof membrane) boots for £30. Mine are surviving just fine. New insoles helped as the original ones were quite flat, but that's a personal preferance, I do that with all my trainers/cycling shoes as well.

Map
Compas
Whistle
No cotton
Bivi bag/emergency shelter and foil blanket

Tea/coffee/cake, personaly I prefer to take a stove rather than a thermos, nothing better than sitting smug in a shelter with warm soup whilst every one else makes do with luke warm overbrewed coffee. As with all outdoor activities cake is very important, coming only second to navigation (which can help you find more cake).

A simple first aid kit and a decent flask. Comfy boots and your biking gear should do to start with. Get map and compass start with easy to follow routes. If you like it do a navigation course or go out with a guided group to pick up the skills.

Karrimor boots are great value, but only some of them are suitable for serious use.

The KSB350's and the Conistons are very good indeed, but lots of the others are just 'boot shape objects'.
You can get the decent ones for about £40-£50 in Sports Direct.

Alpkit do excellent waterproof rucksacs from about £20.00 (the Gourdon range).
They do a great headtorch as well. Tesco do a cheap handtorch for about £10.00 that's well worth sticking in your bag.

Aldi might have some really good gloves left - they're marked as cycling gloves but work a treat.

99% of the Decathlon walking stuff is great. Not pricey either.

navigation is important - has that cropped up yet ?

Are sturdy boots really a 'must'? I seem to manage quite happily in lightweight approach shoes or mids on anything below the snow line - lighter on your feet, more precise and more comfortable.

Are sturdy boots really a 'must'? I seem to manage quite happily in lightweight approach shoes or mids on anything below the snow line - lighter on your feet, more precise and more comfortable.

Depends on the terrain and conditions.

Walking through ankle deep water/mud in winter is never that much fun in trainers. Nor is walking on really uneven and icy ground.

Ideally you'd wear footwear to suit the walk, but if you only had one set of boots/shoes, a waterproof pair of boots with a decent amount of ankle support/protection would be best IMO, especially if you're taking to the hills.

I've never been on a mountain and thought, I really wish i was wearing trainers, but i've been in approach shoes plenty of times and thought bollocks, i wish i had my boots on! Well fitting boots can be just as comfy as trainers.

(that said, I love wearing running shoes in the mountains, but it's a compromise because i know i won't get away with those little ankle bending moments quite as easily)

I hate boots. Big clompy things. Fell running shoes or approach shoes are perfectly adequate. They will allow you to use your sense of balance and you'll feel much lighter on your feet.

I find the need for ankle support that even good walking type shops harp on about to be way over the top. Shoes allow you to have more feel for the ground and in my experience you're way less likely to go over on an ankle. If you have any propreaception in your lower limbs you'll be fine.

Would a Garmin edge 800 with OS mapping sort out the navigation.?

I've climbed Munros in sandals so I'm not wedded to the idea of muckle great boots. Much depends on the terrain though. If it's very rocky you can pick up a lot of bruises through thinner shoes.

I don't mind selecting something appropriate from my footwear collection but if I could only afford one pair and it was this time of year I'd err on the 'sturdy' side.

A GPS can't navigate.

No.

Learn to use maps first, then get a GPS. Pretty important, and I'm not saying that from a techno-luddite misty eyed red socks nostalgia point of view. Maps are your backup, GPSes can and do fail.

Sturdy boots don't need to be big and clompy. Even lightweight boots (the kind I wear every day in the winter) are better than shoes when it's rough. They are just shoes with a higher ankle, so no more clompy.

Good cardio is a godsend to outrun the herds of zombie apocalypse ramblers, beware.

PS. Just think that bogfest known as the Cheviot is just down the road, with views to die for, of the endless bottomless sticky bogs :lol:.

neilsonwheels - Member
Would a Garmin edge 800 with OS mapping sort out the navigation.?

👿 don't get me started

Footwear is a personal choice, and depends on the individual ankles strength/sure footedness etc

But it seems prudent to give then generic advice of sturdy grippy footwear suitable for the terrain and conditions.

Walking is slow, real slow. At this time of year onwards you'll likely get cold wet feet in trainers etc. Especially if you stop for any length of time, eg for lunch.

Yep it all depends on where you ramble, the Lakes are quite civilised, you don't even get muddy feet on those manicured armoured trails, approach shoes are fine until it snows, I thought ski poles were for poking passing cyclists.

Hi Tec make some good cheap boots

What is the "hill walking" of which you speak? Hills were meant to be run on 😀
Grippy trainers or fell shoes, shorts and T shirt! oh and a map.

Amen brother

Agree about good goretex boots. You can pick up decent hill walking kit from Decathlon.

It has probably been covered above but at this time of year the main things to consider are

1 - can you get off the hill in adverse conditions, navigation!
2 - does someone know where you are
3 - have you got suitable waterproof cover, warm clothes and a hat and gloves, these need not be expensive just keep you from the elements in case of failure of point 1 & 2
4 - have you got some food and water

Everything else is a luxury, you can go out walking in your hi-tech silver shadows if necessary.

To all those who keep shouting 'NAVIGATION'. Is it just a case of looking at your map and cross-checking against your compass, or is there more to it?

Genuinely interested.

There's an over "gortexification" of the outdoors. People have been walking safely in the UK hills for a long time. Keep fit, learn to read a map and be prepared and you will be fine.

To all those who keep shouting 'NAVIGATION'. Is it just a case of looking at your map and cross-checking against your compass, or is there more to it?

Genuinely interested.

Depends how much you can see. If you've already ballsed up, your cold, lost, tired, you can't see much beyond 5 meters. Can you figure out where you are and how to get off the hill?

People have been walking safely in the UK hills for a long time.

Yeah they used to be a bit damper though, that's all.

Navigation - you need to be able to read a map well, understand everything it tells you, and you need to be able to walk on a compass bearing and reckon distance.

It's not at all complicated, but you have to be able to do it.

Oh Jesus wept, I've turned into my instructor.

Just as well start growing a beard and smelling of something odd. Just off to buy some massive red gaiters.

There is a bit more to navigation than that. Becomes really important in white out conditions, when you can easily become disorientated. I saw someone on a low level walk at the weekend, having a real faff trying to open out and read the map. Any higher up in windy conditions I reckon the map would have blown away.
Hill walking is great fun though. If starting out try to pick your route wisely, and work around the weather, you will gain experience and can then be bolder with route choice.
I have always found the planning almost as much fun as walking or climbing.

There is a bit more to navigation than that

Oh?

Just go for a walk. Start out fairly gentle and get more ambitious. If the weather's awful you'll probably have less fun and also it's more dangerous so at first it's a good opportunity to go for a low level walk. Some of the best walks I've done have been low level walks on days when the hills were shitty.

If you get wet/sore/cold feet then get some boots, if the rest of you gets cold/wet/sore consider some other clothing.

Jeans aren't ideal but they'll do, I do most of my walking in jeans. Trainers are perfectly fine for 99% of walking but boots can be better.

Thanks for all the replys so basically just get going and work out what works for me and modify after that.

Someone at work has mentioned that they can get deals on Scarpa boots are they any good , they seem to get good online reviews.

Thanks again for all the advice.

Elma, some more specific advice for the northeast.

For a perfect introduction to hillwalking head up to simonside, park at the forest car park and then wander up through the trees to the ridge via bob pyles struddle. Along to Garleigh and down via the carvings on the moor. An almost perfect day's walking compressed into an afternoon.

[quote=elma ]Thanks for all the replys so basically just get going and work out what works for me and modify after that.
Someone at work has mentioned that they can get deals on Scarpa boots are they any good , they seem to get good online reviews.
Thanks again for all the advice.
Nowt wrong with Scarpa as a make but it's more important that whatever you get fits you well. Personally, I just can't get on with them at all. Go to a decent shop that has a selection of makes. Try on loads. Go to another shop etc. etc. Try to go later in the day as your feet tend to swell a bit, but not so late that the shop assistants are in a hurry. Take a pair of thick walking socks with you.

Someone at work has mentioned that they can get deals on Scarpa boots are they any good , they seem to get good online reviews.

They'll be great if they're a good fit. If they're not a good fit they can easily be awful.

I much prefer wearing approach shoes to heavy boots in most conditions. The exception is when it's very rocky and I'm carrying a big pack, and then not for the ankle support (is any boot that is comfortable to walk in sufficiently laterally stiff to stop you going over?) but for the greater sole stability and protection against bruised soles. Whatever you go for, the ones that fit your feet best are the best ones!

Regardless of all the above stuff about 'stuff', why not go out with someone who knows what they are doing? Hillwalking covers a broad stretch from bumbling in benign circumstances to being out in wild conditions on severe terrain. If you are new to the game and find yourself cold, wet and lost, it could end poorly for you.

How about going on to the BMC website and finding your local Mountaineering Club? They're not all beardies with staring eyes looking to crawl up K2... 🙂 Spend some time with them learning the game and you never know, you might even enjoy their company.

Boots don't stop you going over unless they are huge, but they do help. I have strong legs and ankles, and I never understood what boots were for, but after going on a long mountain rocky walk in shoes I did get tired ankles.

+1 for navigation

My first hill walk was with my brother in law up Lochnagar. Beautiful sunny day and you could see for miles. Weather closed in at the top and you couldn't see more than 10m. If my BIL hadn't have known what he was doing I'd have been stuffed

local Mountaineering Club? They're not all beardies with staring eyes

To be fair, most of them are.

local Mountaineering Club? They're not all beardies with staring eyes

-- To be fair, most of them are.

really? last I looked in ours, they weren't, must be different in pieland 🙂

To be fair, most of them are.

I used to be the president of one and I can't grow a proper beard for love nor money... 🙁

There is a lot of hill walking to be done without worrying too much about navigation, and with minimal risk of getting lost. National trails are so heavily used these days most of them have been heavily signposted and the pennine way is paved for huge chunks of it due to erosion. You can do some great walking from the train too. Head over to Haltwhisle, walk up to Greenhead, you're then on Hadrian's Wall, and one of the best bits of it. Head east for a few miles to Housesteads fort, then down from the wall to Bardon Mill for the train back home. Reverse it if the wind is the wrong way.

I've been walking for ages around the peaks, Win Hill, The Great Ridge, Mam Tor etc, totally oblivious, in trainers, jeans and a T Shirt. Have I been risking death all along for not having the right gear? What areas are we talking about? Scotland/Snowdonia etc? What about Kinder/Bleaklow etc?

I've been walking for ages around the peaks, Win Hill, The Great Ridge, Mam Tor etc, totally oblivious, in trainers, jeans and a T Shirt. Have I been risking death all along for not having the right gear?

Not in full winter nick you haven't 🙂

Edit: actually, maybe you have, just realised those are all wee tiddler hills

Hill walking is a bit like MTB. You can do it in your jeans and trainers and riding a BSO, but if you do it regularly you'll eventually want to pick up some better kit.

I see.

Yeah, I've never been up in really bad weather. Fair enough. Still struggle to see how you could get that lost though.

Yeah, I've never been up in really bad weather. Fair enough. Still struggle to see how you could get that lost though.

Seriously?

It's actually pretty easy in winter. Cairngorm plateau in zero visibility in winter is one of my favourite places for going round in circles 🙂

I can understand what you mean in summer conditions, but winter is a whole different ball game. So easy to get caught in poor visibility or darkness, or both. Add in the fact you may not be able to see a path or any easily identifiable waypoints. It can be really tricky at times.

Yes. You get lost when you can see bare grass or snow for ten feet around and nothing else. No visual clues about where you are or which way to go. Might as well be blind.

Fair enough.

I actually did get lost once in a forest in France with an ex girlfriend. Well, I actually knew the correct way but she swore blind that we were going the right way. I just decided that I'd rather get lost in a foreign country and get eaten by bears, rather than the get into another row with the missus.

But by god did I not let that lie when we eventually got back eight hours later 🙂

To be fair, you'd need to be blind to lose the paved path up Mam Tor. Try wandering around Bleaklow in zero viz on a winters day and see how the tee shirt holds up 🙂

But by god did I not let that lie when we eventually got back eight hours later

🙂

Last year, I got us very lost at midnight in December while trying to find our way through a forest to a bothy.

It was really misty and I just couldn't seem to get the navigation right. We had to take a few different and crossing paths to get there. It was a bit of a disaster to be honest. Took us an hour longer than expected and my gf and I weren't on the best terms when we arrived. I felt like a total failure, and even though I suspected it was my poor navigation, I kept complaining the the map "must be wrong".

Once we'd lit a couple of candles, I found an map on the table which showed the area in more detail...and the paths were completely different on my OS map. My map [i]was[/i] wrong. What are the chances 🙂

will my snowboarding gear be ok to go walking in or should i get some specific items.

Probably addressed above but...

Your snowboarding gear will be rubbish. Far too hot and bulky. For where you are some walking trousers, wicking t-shirt, fleece and cheap waterproof will suffice. Slightly different requirements if you head for the big hills but you'll work that out.

Poles? I don't use them in summer unless I'm carrying a really heavy bag.

Lots of folks saying boots are essential. Well they're good for wet ground but if it's fairly dry then approach shoes are great for most things.

The maps are often wrong. High Street springs to mind.

The maps are often wrong

But still amazingly accurate. Britain is the best mapped country in the world.

Define hill, define walk. I started mountain biking with a halfords special a pair of trainers and a dodgy baseball cap . I had a fab time and went on to a helmet better bikes and better kit . I have a load of walking stuff but for me the essentials are boots that fit and are comfortable ( scapa work for me ) and waterproofs (tfn and berghaus.) Start small with what you are comfortable with and build up .

Navigation is a tad important .

ianfitz - Member
I hate boots. Big clompy things. Fell running shoes or approach shoes are perfectly adequate. They will allow you to use your sense of balance and you'll feel much lighter on your feet.

I find the need for ankle support that even good walking type shops harp on about to be way over the top. Shoes allow you to have more feel for the ground and in my experience you're way less likely to go over on an ankle. If you have any propreaception in your lower limbs you'll be fine.

I agree. I suspect the more you use boots with ankle support, the more you'll need them IMO. Our ancestors went all over those hills in shoes that were very lightly built.

I went hill walking once when I got a flat and didn't have a tube. Bored me to death.

Yeah, I've never been up in really bad weather. Fair enough. Still struggle to see how you could get that lost though.

Just download this app (android).

http://backcountrynavigator.com/

The full GB covered with OS maps. Bloody brilliant.