Have you climbed a uk mountain with your primary school aged dc?

[InterstellarDrifter]

It’s one of the things I want to do this year. Can you tell me which mountain please and how it went?

People have mentioned waterproofs - you need a proper coat and trousers for every child and you need to take it with you on every walk, even when sunny. If the weather turns get them in the waterproofs immediately and tuck trousers in socks etc. It's vital to keep them dry. Good ankle support from boots, a first aid kit and gloves and hat also required

We have done scafell poke when my kids were 6 and 7, and snowdon when they were 8 and 9.

Bribed them with sweets both times.

We did Snowdon with our 3 & 6 year olds this year (3 year old had some carries). Snowdon is mostly gravel tracks etc if you take the right route, so not difficult if a child is happy to walk up uphill. We also did Hartafell in the Lakes. That was much more challenging and probably a bit to much really. We had intended to take the six year up as Scafell, but decided against it after trying Harta.

Helvellyn with a 3 year old?!

I think Snowdon would be a good option, choose one of the main paths on a good day and you will be right.

Ben Nevis isn't technically difficult at all, it's just looooooong - that zig zag path to the summit goes on forever!

My word of caution based on our experience of Harter Fell would definitely be to be 100% sure that you know how to pick up your pre-selected route for the way down. DH and I had walked a lot before having children, but not much in the Lakes (more Scotland & Wales). When we reached the top it was really windy and do DH went off to find the way down while we found a sheltered spot. Somehow, we must have picked up a different path at some point and found ourself in a much steeper decline than expected. Our six year old is pretty foot sure and confident, but I found it terrifying with our three (nearly four) year old. We’d never hit a problem like that before and will certainly not bring trying anything quite like that for a while, unless it is something we have climbed before and feel confident we can easily find the easier route down.

FEIW, we did have all the correct kit, and DH is very confident and experienced, but it is very easy to get it wrong, especially when the weather isn’t as good as it was when you set out. We had also chosen Harter Fell as we’d been told by a local it would be fine if we took the gradual and not the direct route.

Snowden with 7yo. You need to have the right shoes and the right equipment. Even in August the windchill at the top can be below zero, and if you have rain as well, or even drizzle, you can end up with tired and miserable children. Be prepared to turn around and try again another day.

We saw too many people wandering up late in the afternoon, in casual clothes. The Llanberis path is pretty easy, but also boring. The pyg track and miners track are much more interesting for children but there is a fair amount of scrambling on the former. If you haven’t done much hill walking before I would start in the Lake District on something like Catbells.

“When I say path, I don’t really mean a constructed path but a well walked path that most walkers/climbers would follow”

Equimum’s experience here is highly relevant. I haven’t walked in Wales, but on many fells in the Lakes the right path is not always obvious. You can confidently follow what turns out to be a sheep track and lose your bearings, and in mist if you don’t know how to use a compass with your map things can turn nasty. Paths are not signposted.

Having said that there are some great walks with clear paths which run along features easy to identify on a map.

My kids always liked something steep and rugged with a good summit.

Harrison Stickle from Mill Gill :Stickle Gill is a great walk. A steep rocky path alongside the beck up to Stickle Tarn and a great view of the majestic Pavey Ark. Then up to Harrison Stickle, a great summit with stupendous views. Not a long long walk but an exciting one.

You could go to Keswick and there’s some nice small mountains round there with great views and clear paths. CatBells is the famous kiddy friendly one. Skiddaw has a clear route but is higher/longer slog. Castle Crag has amazing views and is a little mountain.

Yes, snowdon, dd was 8 at the time

My DC aged 9 and 6 did Pen Y Fan (886m) They had a little moan but felt accomplished. We’ve always gone for mountain walks though as we live in Wales and there’s often no place to go except up.

We did Snowdon when my kids were younger. My kids were 11, 8, 6 & 3. The 3 year old was in a carrier (he was a late walker and wouldn't have managed) The others did just fine, no complaints at all, but we've always done lots of walking as a family.

We took the Llanberis path.

Those of you who climbed Snowdon- how long did it take. Google tells me between 4-8 hrs. Think that’s a bit much for us.

Sugarloaf in Wales

I was going to say Sugarloaf - especially as the OP stated they aren’t very experienced.

Snowdon took about 6-7hrs with my 3yo.

I started fell walking with DS when he was 8 and by the time he was 11 we'd done 63 of those in the Lake District including Scafell Pike when he was 9.

But as others have said, start small and make sure you have the right kit.

Even small fells can be steep and it's a whole different kettle of fish to walking around a London where it's flat!

Snaefell on the Isle of Man. I think I was about eight when I climbed up it with my dad. The view is stunning, you can see the 'kingdoms' of all the countries in the British Isles it's said on a clear day, 'and the Kingdom of Heaven'.,

Snaefell is just a few feet over mountain height, and more of a fell walk than a climb.

The really awesome thing is that you can get back down (or up) using the working Victorian electric railway (Easter to Autumn) - and the station on the windswept summit is attached to a little café.

If you're going to be in the Lake District anyway, it's worth the ferry over from Heysham to experience the Isle of Man.

I took my DC there for the Manx Grand Prix and we went up Snaefell when they were primary age, and it was brilliant.

It took us around 6 hours, we did the miners track which is quiet and beautiful. You don’t have to do the whole thing of course, just see how far you get. We set out prepared for the summit but thinking DS wouldn’t manage it all but when that summit’s in sight it really spits you on. The cafe at the top is great for a well earned rest and recharge.

Ben Nevis isn't technically difficult at all, it's just looooooong - that zig zag path to the summit goes on forever!
The main path isn’t technically difficult but picking it up again at the summit can be especially in poor weather or cloud - many people have found themselves in trouble in Five Finger Gully having followed others off the summit.

The presence of a path doesn’t mean it’s not tricky or dangerous, mountain rescue logs are testament to folk who thought it would an easy walk and came a cropper.

My primary aged children have done Cadre Idris, Old Man Coniston, Scarfell Pike, Snowdon, Mam Tor, Pen-yfan and Catbells. The last 3 are lovely for younger children.

We haven’t only walked around London. A lot of our holidays involved walking lots, sometimes steep.
We’ve done some coastal walks in the uk and often walk on the weekends.

I think I’d like to limit it to a max of 4 hrs for this year.

Mam Tor is very easy, though too small to technically be a mountain. Park in the Mam Nick car park, between Castleton and Edale, and follow the steps up to the summit, then walk along the ridge and back. Absolutely no need for map reading. Although I don't recommend it during a gale, that time I went up was interesting to say the least. If you are slightly more confident map reading, you can descend and find your way back to the car park using the broken road (the old A road destroyed by landslips). But to be honest the Mar Tor ridge is stunning enough anyway that people are usually happy to do and out and back.

Kinder Scout, just across the valley is a mountain, though its a mountain plateau, so the actual top isn't the best place to walk to. I'd only recommend it for beginners though on a bright sunny day, after a couple of weeks of really dry weather, and by sticking to the Pennine Way up and back down. The weather can turn in minutes, it's frequently impossible to see where you're going. The paths aren't clear. Lose the path and your quickly deep in peat bog and lots of the paths turn into scrambles. Lovely mountain, but you do need the right equipment and a bit of a clue.

Snowdon on a nice day, out of snow/ice season (May to middle of September usually OK), when you've checked the mountain weather forecast is doable with kids. If you're not sure stick to the Llanberis path and turn around if necessary. Don't rely on the train unless you have prebooked tickets. There is a cafe at the top (open when the train is running to the top) and a cafe halfway up the Llanberis path. If you're not used to walking though I'd allow 10 hours for the round trip.

Thanks everyone. So many good recommendations and tips. All the images I’ve been checking it out makes me want to just pack up and go this weekend.
Think we’ll try Mam Tor. (Even though it’s not technically a mountain )

Mam Tor is easy, it's about 15mins!! You can turn it into a much longer ridge walk if you want though.

Not a UK one but yes, we've climbed a couple. I thought that only Scotland had mountains in the UK?