Solo “hiking”

Well done, I bet you feel great. First of many and you’ll be more relaxed and confident every time. You’re right though, most walkers scale it back for the winter.

8 miles…. Much more appropriate
good you adjusted

Thanks for sharing the pic! Solo Hiking is amazing but if you want to mix it up with some group hikes the Outdoor Adventure Girls has a younger demographic, and Hiking Buddies has a fairly mixed age range, in case their are events near you x

Fab OP! I have Dartmoor on my bucket list of places to ride my horse (I cover many hundreds of miles on horseback, but there are so many places to go, I haven’t got to them all yet!)

Things I can recommend if you are going to do more (and you definitely should do more if you enjoy it.) -

1. set yourself up for 999 texts. Google how to do this. If you end up with no phone reception, you can still contact emergency services for help. Invaluable for if you injure yourself badly enough you cannot move to better reception.
2. learn how to locate yourself - lots of ways to do this so I won’t describe each one. But current favourites of mine are an 8 figure OS grid reference with a What3Words to fine tune it. Either one on its own is good, but there are weaknesses to both. Together, you should be able to give a location precise to within a 5m square.
3. learn to read a paper map and compass, and use them to navigate by. A phone is fine, but can run out of battery, lose reception, ditch data, break, or just generally let you down at an inopportune moment. They are a good primary nav tool, but a map and compass backup with the knowledge of how to read them is a core life skill imo. A good knowledge of pacing and distance measuring is useful too. (I teach these skills, so I am biased. 🤣)
4. carry a basic survival kit - a whistle (and know what to blow on it - otherwise you could just be yet another dog walker trying to call their dog back!) something very visible (mountain rescue roll their eyes about the number of rescuees who are invisible against the mountain/moor/forest. FWIW, I wear a khaki hiking jacket. But I do carry a neon yellow backpack cover I could wave if an air ambulance was looking for me,) a sensible first aid kit (something to stop blisters, allergic reactions, and something to stop a massive bleed. Everything else is helpful but not essential.) I also carry a small multitool with knife, saw and wire cutters, a pee wipe so I don’t leave tissue around, and a bivvy bag. I have had to use a foil bag on 2 occasions for injured parties, both times in winter when the injured person was laying on the ground, and it is nice not to have to lie them in the mud in the cold. A small torch in case you end up in the dark (it happens!) enough water, and emergency food rations beyond your basic (I carry a Kendal Mint Cake bar with electrolytes as my snack of last resort.)
5. find other likeminded hikers! It’s much more fun in company. I don’t hike much, but I have my circle of long distance riding friends and know I can always call on someone to ride with wherever I am in the UK, and round much of Europe too. And they will show me routes and places I might never see on my own.

Let us know how you get on.

Sounds like a good walk and adjusting your day based on the ground is always useful skill

Sounds like its been a great experience and you have made sensible choices along the way.

Solo hiking is amazing. If you are wanting to do more and more adventurous it is worth investing in some sort of emergency beacon that operates via satellite. Mine was about £300. You don't need a subscription. If you press it anywhere in the world it notifies local authorities.

Whew, that went well. We needed have worried so much.
Well done. Are you planning the next one already?

You're back already?! Nice one!

Is that the West Okement?

How far does the step counter on your phone tell you you've walked, out of interest? Xx

Oh wow!
Well done OP, I hope you enjoyed it

@ApricotDanish83 I also find cotton snoods very useful in this weather as I generally hate my ears being covered with a hood but do like my ears covered in the wind and a snood keeps my neck warm too without messing too much with my hearing.

PS, I am also a recent convert to poles. I was given one by our guide while climbing the Grand Piton in St Lucia, and used one since. DH and I did a 30 mile adventure race recently, and he ‘discovered’ my poles too and wants a pair of his own. Our legs are decrepit in different ways, so he had them going uphill and I had them going down. 🤣 He’s getting his own for Christmas.

@ApricotDanish83 and anyone else who is interested in hiking, Love Her Wild facebook group is specifically for women in outdoor activities, and provides lots of opportunities to discuss routes, kit, and meet likeminded hiking/paddleboarding/wild camping companions.

Same. Then I saw lots of young 'ins using them in the Alps and elsewhere and thought 'ah ha' - I CAN use them! They're definitely helped preserve my knees over the years. I'd never use them for 4 or 5 mile dog walk at home. But in the hills or on the moors long distance, absolutely. Am a fan!

You could have hiked it today and even stopped for tea and cake in the time you’ve spent posting on this thread @ApricotDanish83 😆

Actually some of us do this type of walking regularly and have had all these situations happen to us or been involved in helping those how have had them. I always remember what I heard at a Mountain Rescue event which was that you carry all the stuff a couple of hundred times for the one time you really need it.

She’s a fit young woman going for a walk.

A walk.

I'm a solo hiker. Hope you have a fab walk.

Just a few safety bits worth having in your arsenal

Download the OS app and familiarise yourself with the Locate Me function. It works from GPS and gives your grid reference. Perfect for emergencies and also a cheeky "am I where I think I am?" check.

Also register your phone with 999 to be able to send SMS.
Register for SMS messages to 999