Travel news
Families taking their first steps into the hills this season can access top tips thanks to a new book. To celebrate the launch of its spring Lidl Book of Big Adventures, the budget supermarket and National Trust for Scotland are helping Scottish families gear up for outdoor adventures.
Glencoe operations manager Emily Bryce and her daughter Isla, seven, who are keen hillwalkers, have shared their tips on how to make it to the top as a hill-walking family. Alongside the mother and daughter duo’s useful hacks, the booklet includes lots of other family-friendly activities, including hillwalking. Emily says: “If you’re anything like us, you’ll be eager to begin making plans for springtime family adventures. With fresh air likely to be at the top of everyone’s wish list this year, there has never been a better time to get outdoors and explore Scotland’s wild places.”
Isla said: “I feel really proud when I am the first to get to the top and am usually faster than my mum when we walk back down.” Here, Emily & Isla Bryce give their top tips:
Take small steps
Begin with some fun low-level walks, building up the distance over time. There are loads of options at Trust places all over the country, from Crathes Castle in Aberdeenshire, to Culzean down in Ayrshire.
Get comfortable
When you move on to bigger walks, it can be good to start with routes the grown-ups have done before. That way you know the lay of the land and can focus on the kids not the map. Don’t feel you’ve failed if you don’t reach the top the first few times!
Weather watch
Check the weather forecast for your area before setting out – conditions can be different up high and down in the glen. Wait for a mild spell with not too much wind, rain or heat.
Kitted out
Kids find it harder to regulate their temperature than adults, so be prepared to put on and take off layers lots of time!
Hydrate and eat!
Hillwalking is thirsty and hungry work, so don’t scrimp on the liquids and snacks.
Lidl Book of Big Adventures is available now at selected National Trust for Scotland properties and Lidl stores across Scotland. Find out more at nts.org.uk/lidl