WALK THIS WAY

EIGHT TIPS FOR YOUR NEXT LONG-DISTANCE HIKE

1. DON’T GET LOST

Map and compass are the old-school essentials, but for 21st century navigation you can download a GPS app like OS Maps or ViewRanger. With an annual subscription, you can plot routes, download offline maps and pinpoint your location – it’s like Google Maps for the countryside.

2. AVOID BLISTERS

“The key to enjoyable hiking is comfortable footwear,” says Chris Townsend, author of no less than 20 hiking books. “If your feet hurt, you’ll hate it,” he adds. Carefully choose a pair that’s comfy, waterproof, sturdy and grippy – and combine with hard-wearing, cushioned hiking socks.

3. PACK LIGHT

You should always carry food, water, warm layers, waterproofs, maps and phone – but leave the kitchen sink at home. Keeping your bag lightweight will stave off back ache and enable you to power up that peak faster.

4. BE REALISTIC

Set achievable goals and slowly increase the intensity of your hikes. As Townsend explains, “Don’t overcommit. Get to know your walking speed and reasonable daily distance. It’s better to feel you could have done more, than to crawl home exhausted.”

5. ACCESSORISE

Hiking accessories and gadgets can be incredibly useful. Walking poles, for example, aid your balance and reduce strain on joints, while water filters, such as the LifeStraw Go make drinking out of streams safe, and 20,000mAh power banks keep your phone juiced up all day.

6. SLEEP WILD

Maximise the adventure with a magical night of wild camping. Outdoors writer Alex Roddie explains, “There’s nothing like witnessing a sunset or sunrise from a tent high on a mountain ridge

– it reveals a side of the great outdoors that most hikers never see.”

7. BAG SOME PEAKS

Don’t just climb Snowdon repeatedly. Variety is the spice of life and the UK has thousands of amazing peaks. Why not tick off all 214 Wainwright fells in the Lake District or the 282 Munro mountains of

Scotland?

8. GO LONG

Day hikes are great, but for added excitement take on a long-distance walk like the West Highland Way or Coast to Coast. “For maximum fun factor, join hikes and camps together to plot a longdistance walk across the countryside,” suggests writer Alex Roddie.