Solo “hiking”

[ApricotDanish83]

Posting here mainly for traffic to be honest.

I’m planning a day out to Dartmoor this weekend to go on a pretty long walk up a couple of the tors. Going by myself because I have nobody to go with but I’m craving being outside 😂

the route is set to be about three and a half hours back, two hours in, and about 12 miles all together. I’m relatively fit but wha do I need to take with me??? I know I’ll need some snacks but that’s about all I can think of

They all help one another out with lifts

how old are you? Do you work? Something you could mention to colleagues?

I’m mid-20s. I’ll definitely bring it up at work, but I’ve previously been very anxious and I don’t want to get myself back into a position where I only do something if I have someone to do it with me.

I thought I recognised your posting style
it’s so good you’re doing this
you live with your parents?

I tend to rely on AccuWeather which is showing a couple of passing showers. I’ll have a waterproof coat with me anyway!

Lip balm!

This is the type of foil / space blanket I carry as part of my 1st Aid kit.
It costs less than £1
www.medisave.co.uk/products/emergency-foil-blanket-medium-size-200130cm-p-6308?currency=GBP&variant=44837012668699&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=34c6ddfaad06&utm_medium=adwords&utm_campaign=&utm_source=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22363246754&gbraid=0AAAAACjCjVYJRd3RdhGMYdBS26K5nqn17&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2Imgktu3kAMVIppQBh1FbylYEAQYBSABEgLVxfD_BwE

Your day out is going to be great. Just by asking for input you are showing you have all the sense you need to do this. If you do decide to go in for this big time, there are lots of short courses on map reading and navigation which give you a great day out and some nice walking companions. (The very best is Plas y Brenin National Mountain Centre but it's £££.)

You have absolutely no reason to feel nervous about this - there are 16 year olds on Dartmoor doing the Ten Tors! Everyone was new to it one time.

Plenty of water

A woman on here started a thread a few weeks back, she'd drunk stream water and felt terrible

You know what?

Fine if the OP Wants To walk with others but walking solo is incredibly liberating, empowering and refreshing.

I often walk with friends and family and often walk alone. I LOVE walking alone. It isn’t a sign of being a failure if some kind and women don’t need to always have someone to cling to for safety or company.

I’m not saying that that is what you are saying, just pointing it out.

In the context of MN being a place where frequently women are advised not to walk alone, go out after dark alone, stay overnight in the house alone etc etc.

Nothing to add to the fine advice already given. Just wanted to say, if I wasn't busy already this weekend, I would have loved to have accompanied you. Dh and I go hiking, similar terrain, similar distances whenever we can. He is out of the country at the moment and I am really missing hiking. I just don't quite feel able to do it alone which is a bit pathetic of me, I know.

Anyway, happy hiking!

I’m forcing myself to do more stuff by myself because I’m going on some solo trips next year and I want to be totally comfortable with my own company, I find the hardest part is just getting off your bum and deciding to do it

That distance seems fine to me, I did longer than that on a whim with no equipment recently and I’m unfit too (feet were in pieces I admit) the right clothes, food, water and a map, you’ll be fine, it’s not that remote

Yep, although when it’s hundreds of miles away at least you know it’s wrong. It’s when it’s two miles away but on the wrong side of a mountain ridge that it’s really problematic. In the incident which I was involved in it ended up with the patient spending two hours in extreme pain and becoming hypothermic because the team had gone to a plausible (but incorrect) location in the same general area. All because of misheard word.

Haha I kind of feel like not much can really go wrong with a walk like this. Just turning back and being embarrassed that I overestimated my ability!

I’ve downloaded the OS map :)

Avoid stream water most of south uk - bad bad bugs
ans always filter elsewhere or boil

although it’s winter so a litre should be fine for the short day

I remember that thread, I wont be drinking any stream water!! I’ll take 2 litres with me plus a lucozade or two and I’m sure that’ll be fine

The low cloud can come down very quickly over the moors and its like a thick fog. You are doing a well known route though and there's likely to be plenty of others around too on a Saturday as its a very easily accessible part of the Moor.

Theres a brilliant cafe as you get off the train too at the youth hostel which is literally next to the station.

@ApricotDanish83 they had the knockoff version in our Aldi at the weekend!

I’m closer to an M&S at work than anything else so I’m thinking I’ll grab myself a nice picnic to make a proper day of it 😁

Have an awesome time OP, I love hiking and do it in a small group but I feel I need to get out on my own a bit. I love hiking for the nature, views etc, but miss too much of that at the moment because I'm nattering to pals!

You sound sensible and prepared - hope it's just the first of some fab adventures for you.

Main thing: enjoy yourself, spend your time on the walk enjoying the views, the fresh air, the rhythm of your step.

Mist important thing: come back and tell us about it!

(for myself I would only take 1l water plus lucozade… but if it gets heavy you can always pour it away)

I would double check the weather if I were you. Theres a storm forecast this weekend in Devon.

This.

Can you borrow a dog for the day?

No, there isn’t! It’s rainy tonight, tomorrow and Friday but Okehampton is sunny with occasional showers on Saturday 😂