Want to get into hiking/walking - any tips?

[WalkingintotheSunshine]

DH and I are starting to think that getting into hiking and walking could be a really enjoyable pastime - fresh air, fitness, lovely scenery, photography and the odd pub lunch!

Does anyone have any tips about how to start? Is it simply a case of just choosing a route and getting out there one day?

Yep! Lots of routes on the internet or you could join a rambling group. Perhaps look for an easy to navigate fairly flat route to start with, rather than up in the hills where you would need more equipment.

You put one foot in front of the other and repeat!

Most important thing is good footwear. A comfortable pair of good quality boots and proper walking socks are a worthwhile investment - they'll last you many years/miles. Some routes are OK in walking shoes, but (especially at this time of year) waterproof (ie mudproof) boots can mean the difference between happiness and misery.

Breathable waterproof, preferably with a wired hood. A lightweight one layered with fleece or wooly is much better than a heavy coat. Day rucksacks for picnic, water and carrying coats and fleeces if the day warms up are useful. Depending on the terrain, a walking pole apiece can be a really good idea, but you may not need those initially.

If you don't know how to read maps, there are loads of books with detailed instructions. The Ordnance Survey does some good ones, they have graded walks, instructions and also proper OS maps - some of the books which only have sketch maps can be inadequate.

What area of the country do you live in and roughly how far/strenuous do you think you will be starting with? I'm sure there are people scatted all over the country who can make suggestions.

Always have a paper map. Phone apps are great but not if you run out of battery or lose signal.

Country Walking magazine is good and gives lots of walks each month
It also started #walk1000milesin2017 or if you feel it's a bit late for that soon there will be #walk500miles2017 on Facebook
Great group very supportive
A Fitbit is motivational too
Local groups?

Oh lots of helpful replies, thank you, I was a little worried this topic might be a bit quiet!

I managed to find these boots in the sale which are very comfy and feel really supportive. DH and I have been on a few skiing holidays (though I am a terrible skier!) so we have lots of layers/ windproof/ waterproof clothing, which I'm hoping for now will be good enough to use to see if we really do get into it.

We are in the Midlands so quite a flat area of the country, so another plus point is that it would be an excuse for weekends away in various lovely (hilly!) parts of the country!

I do like a good book so I will peruse the shelves and take a look at that magazine too. And explore FB and local groups - good idea as I hadn't thought of that.

Thank you! Getting excited now

Be sure to 'break in' your boots around the house first, before you do your first 'walk,' and have a supply of blister plasters in your first aid kit (albeit anti-blister hiking socks might be a worthwhile investment too).

Great tip, thank you!

Is there anyway to download a route onto my iPhone, either using the Google/Apple Maps app, or a specific OS app? Obviously not to use as a primary aid, but I would be very interested if this were possible.

The ordnance survey have a mapping package that you can use on your phone - I think a year long subscription is about £20, and you can plot routes etc on that. They have some great info on their website.

Seconding pp comments about good boots and breaking them in, I always wear two pairs of socks too to reduce likelihood of blisters. Wherever you may be out walking it's worth carrying a small kit of essentials - first aid kit, survival bag or blanket (they pack down very small), water and high energy snacks (just an excuse to have mint cake....) and some small change for a pay phone. Paper and pencil also handy.

Going back to the OS and maps etc, it's great to learn more about how to read maps and use a compass, maps are full of great info once you learn to read them more deeply. Again there will be plenty of info available on line.

Have fun! My DP and I often go out walking at weekends, he's based in the East Midlands and there's some great walks around there too. There's often a wealth of tried and tested routes to be found online, and there's a great series of books called 'Pub Walks' that have some great routes in them too.

My last pair of boots were North Face, they were great - think you've made a good choice there.

The great thing about Britain is that we have a wonderful network of public footpaths plus 'the right to roam' (up to a point). Depending on whereabouts in the midlands you are, you may be with reasonably easy access of the Peak District or the Malverns - compact but big enough for decent walks, fantastic views and teashops.

Definitely loving the idea of Pub Walks!!

Type Pub Walks into the search on Amazon - there's loads of books! (Other bookstores are available...)

Good walking Boots, map, compass and know how to map read. Lots of courses are available. Waterproof trousers in rucksack, gaiters probably good investment for this time of year. Trekking poles help balance, slips, trips etc and I've heard can save about 20% of your weight from going through your knees, so give you a good arm workout, while sparing your joints.

Put something like a Bag for Life in your daysack (weighs nothing and folds down to nothing). It will give you a sturdy, damp-proof sit-upon for when you stop for your Kendall mint cake.
Take binoculars.
And sometimes secateurs (for overgrown brambles) come in handy.

Start small on a well known route.

Good shoes, purchase is what you want, mine were cheap as chips from millets but have done miles.

I like to plan a route, I have a 25l backpack, if I'm going out alone for more than a couple of hours I take tea and sometimes frittata, I can go four hours with just water. The other day I heard a woodpecker though, so I thought I'd stop for tea and a ciggie to see if I could see the bird. It was big and green. What a lovely past time.

Have fun!

Agree with everyone else. Good boots, and break them in. Wear around the house then for a couple of laps of the park, then on an hour's ramble in your local country park, etc, and build up.
Definitely learn how to map read if you are aiming to go beyond country parks, etc - lots of them, there hills don't have much signal.
Build up to any 'mountain walking' as you'll need to think more about equipment, and what you wear, what you carry, and safety tips like leaving your route before you set off.

If you buy OS maps now they have an QR code so you can also download the map to your phone, which is great as you can just use your phone and carry the map as back up without having to pay a subscription.

I also recommend Bridgedale merino socks under your boots ( no need for double socking) and personally love a camelback rucksack with drinking tube. Layers will be your friend.

I'm in the Midlands too and there is some fab walking here, hope you get as much joy from it as I do.

Hmm so I seem to have hit my first snag - to follow a route I need to buy a GPS receiver? Or buy the map and draw my own route (which may be wrong?)

I have found routes online and it says "download the GPX", but there seems no way to import this GPX onto my iPhone. Disappointing as we were hoping to follow a route tomorrow but I guess we will have to just make our own route.

GPS devices are quite pricey and not necessarily essential. Your phone does have some kind of GPS thing in it, that's how Apple Maps and or Google Maps identify your location. You may find that either of those apps will help you create your route - they both offer walking options - thinking on it as I type, you may be able to create the route on the desktop versions and transfer that across to your phone.
Good luck!

People have been walking without incident long before gps - a map, powers of observation and common sense are the essentials.

Definitely don't need GPS.
Indeed, pretty risky to rely on GPS.
FAR better to learn to map read - if you've not already got those skills.

If you put in 'Walks near me' to your search engine, it will bring up literally dozens of sites, most of which are then suggesting dozens of walks, all within a short distance of home. No need to 'make up your own' walks until you get to the stage where you want to.
That is just one search, there are literally thousands, but that gives you starter walks near to your home, to start getting in to it.

Go to Cotswold for your first boots especially if you're thinking of spending that much money on them. Cotswold will take hours making sure you get the right fit

DH and I used to have a pub walks book - start and end in a pub carpark

so you have a lovely walk in the morning and go in for lunch afterwards

genius

Tomorrow looks like a lovely walking day in my neck of the woods, hopefully yours too.

Apart from the internet, which does indeed have lots of good walks nowadays, bookshops usually have a good selection of local walks books. Apart from the OS ones I mentioned upthread, the Cicerone ones are good IME.

Just get out there. Today would have been perfect , but I had to work.

One tip of mine is to leave really early. Then you can get places completely to yourselves. And see a lovely sunrise...

Going on from this - leave the brickphone at home. Invest a tenner or less in a talk and text job that fits in a pocket and needs charging once a fortnight. That is in case you need to contact someone. These also tend to have better performance in low areas.

Ask at a tourist office or look online for routes. Buy a map and learn to read
It.