Hill Walking – How to Get Started

Living in the Lake District, I meet a lot of people new to hill walking that want to climb the fells (hills and mountains). Whether it be Scafell Pike to summit the highest in England, or simply one of the peaks surrounding their holiday spot for a nice view.  But what should you know before embarking on such a new adventure?

Hill walking in the Lake District was the reason I moved here, and one of the core things I love about Cumbria. Busy as it can get, I love it when new people discover this wonderful part of the world, and I love sharing my passion for it. I also like to help people where I can, and one of the most common forms this takes is chatting to people and giving advice for walks. So, I thought I would write a small post giving a bit of brief, to the point, and down to earth advice.

Firstly, don’t be afraid to ask for advice or help. You don’t know what you don’t know! Don’t be embarrassed, everybody starts somewhere and anybody worth speaking to will be happy to help you and share their knowledge. There’s no such thing as a stupid question!

The advice from https://www.adventuresmart.uk/ is simple – ask yourself 3 questions regarding your planned adventure:

·         Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?

·         Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?

·         Do I have the right GEAR?

Am I confident I have the KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS for the day?

It’s worth repeating what I mentioned at the top – you don’t know what you don’t know! In other words, you might not be aware of the knowledge and skills you need (and potentially don’t have). There are various skills to consider including what skills are needed for the route and terrain (is there scrambling or ridges involved etc.), but the main one for consideration I would say is navigation. How are you planning on finding your way?

Some purists will say everybody should have a map and compass and the ability to use them. This is the gold standard for sure, map and compass usage is a wonderful skill, a joy to utilise and I would highly recommend it. However, I don’t think it’s realistic to expect everybody that will go hill walking to have this.

There are websites with step-by-step instructions for walks. This might do the job for smaller hills, in busier areas, on very clear and well-marked paths, in good weather etc. and they can be useful, but generally I wouldn’t say this is sufficient in itself.

You can use your phone, and this would be my advice, but only if used properly. Use an appropriate, outdoor activity specific app that uses GPS and shows footpaths (no, Google maps won’t cut it here). There are many, but my preference is OS maps. You can get a free trial for the premium version, and the subscription is only £28.99. Considering the majority of a day walking is free, this is a bargain if you ask me, but the kicker is that this is for a whole year! A brief play with it to get used to the functionality and you will get the hang of it very quicky. It’s easy to use, you can find routes to follow and it shows you where you are on the map. This is, in my opinion, the quickest and easiest way for beginners to safely navigate on the hills.

Key things to note with using your phone:

·         Download the map for offline use whilst you are in good Wi-Fi. You will not always get signal out on the hills.

·         Ensure your phone has plenty of battery, and have a power bank as back up.

·         Have your phone on airplane mode to preserve battery (and immerse yourself in the experience more, but that chat is for a different time :D). Note GPS will still work in airplane mode!

·         Protect your phone from the elements – some sort of waterproof case ideally, but otherwise just in your bag or tucked away in a waterproof pocket.

Do I know what the WEATHER will be like?

This one sounds obvious on the surface, and in many ways it is! But it’s important to consider the fact that the weather at the top of hills and mountains can be extremely different to that at the bottom. What you usually use to check the weather will not be accurate for the mountains.

My go-to places to check the weather for mountain days are https://www.mwis.org.uk/ and https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/specialist-forecasts/mountain. These give specific mountain forecasts for each mountainous area of the UK and break it down in simple terms to tell you things like how cold it will be up the tops, how windy, chance of cloud free summits, and the effect the conditions will have on you.

Don’t underestimate what the weather can be like at the tops. A shorts and T-Shirt day at the car park can turn into very dangerous and scary conditions at the top if you’re not prepared.

Do I have the right GEAR?

The right equipment to keep you safe is vital, and to keep you comfortable highly desirable! Walking isn’t a main hobby for many people, so owning the full catalogue of “insert famous outdoor brand here” isn’t either realistic or necessary. However, it is important to make a sensible and informed decision about what gear you will need for the walk you are planning.

This links with the previous two questions – your gear will be determined a lot by the route you are taking, your knowledge, skills, experience and the weather. A small hill in good conditions and you can probably get away with not a lot, but as you ramp up your hill walking or the conditions are more challenging, it takes some more thought.

Here is a list of what I would consider a good starter for basic hill walking in fair conditions. Please note this is by no means exhaustive, and I can’t state strongly enough that it is very dependant on conditions, but I think it’s a good starting point.

·              Appropriate walking clothing – you can research this further online, but basically clothes that are breathable, active-wear type

·              Walking boots

·              Waterproof jacket

·              Spare warm layer (fleece / jumper)

·              Warm hat / gloves / sun hat / sunglasses (depending on the weather)  

·              Food and drink as required for your chosen walk, but definitely plenty of water and have some snacks packed even if you don’t intend on eating them, you never know when you need a little pick me up!  

·              Personal first aid kit including sun cream and any personal medication

·              Backpack. Ideally with waterproof cover or lining, but a good alternative is to pack your things inside a waterproof bag inside your bag. I.e., put your spare clothes in a dry bag or bin bag, then inside your backpack to ensure keeping them dry

·              Fully charged mobile phone. Even if not used for navigation, this is important in case of emergency

Summary

I hope this has been helpful for anybody in the position of wanting to get out on the hills. I could talk about this subject for ages, and there are of course lots of points not fully covered here, but I wanted to keep it short, sweet and digestible. Hill walking is such a great experience that I would encourage anybody to give a go. Please just ensure you can do it safely, and within your capabilities. If you’re still not sure about taking that first step by yourself, you can hire a guide to ensure your safety, learn along the way, and teach you the skills to then go out and do it yourself in future.

If you have any questions please ask, I’ll be happy to help! 😊