Come chat hiking with me!

[SanFranBear]

I've noticed whenever hiking comes up as a general chat subject, loads of people jump in to say how much they love it. I thought there might be a general thread somewhere on this as I'd love to chat with people who walk regularly but couldn't find one.

Would anyone like to join me? I live down on the South Coast so am lucky that there are some gorgeous places for me to walk - the New Forest, South Downs and further up the coast in both directions. I normally manage a couple of decent walks a week, depending on DC's care pattern, as well as trying to get out for the occasional hour or so on other days. I mainly walk alone but do have a friend who joins me on occasion.

I'm quite a novice as only really started walking in February of this year and the furthest I've walked is just over 20k, but I'm finding it so liberating - I feel like a different woman after a walk, my mind is free and my body feels tired but satisfied, if that makes sense?

Would just be nice to have a friendly chat with like-minded bods. And perhaps share some photos - helps the weather is beautiful at the moment but I'm struck every time I'm out, just how beautiful our country is - even when I'm wandering in the inner city. Here's a couple of pictures from my Friday walk - a stunning church in a village in the middle of nowhere and some great graffiti on the side of a motorway underpass 😃

Has anyone got any walking plans for this year? I’m planning on completing Ben Nevis,Yr Wyddfa and Scafell Pike this year. Got dates set in April for Ben Nevis and September for Yr Wyddfa. Scafell pike will be done at some point in the summer, my parents live in the Lakes so easy to do. I’ve already done Yr Wyddfa but not the other two.

Other than that I’m just trying to get out as much as possible. I was hoping to do a walk today but the weather isn’t great, so hoping for Sunday now. Mostly local walks at the moment. I’m pretty busy with work for the first half of the year but have 8 weeks off this summer so I’m hoping that with the longer days, I can utilise it well by getting in lots of walks.

There may well be a lot of snow on the Ben in April , unless the whole mountain has washed away with the rain

Lucky we have lots of minor roads to walk on round here as the hills and fields are more like lakes and rivers - never thought water wings would be a sensible addition to my rucksack !

For the year - I'd love to get back to the lakes - haven't been since before covid !

Not sure if this thread is still a go-er or not!!

But I’m hiking along the first half of the Pennine Way South to North this year. In June.
Edale to Tan Hill Pub. 135 odd miles! 9 days.

Solo backpacking with my tent etc.

Very excited/apprehensive about the daily mileage. But I am fit and healthy. Have weight trained 4/5 times a week for years, have strong legs! Doing more cardio now to help too.

Tan Hill and camping, respect!

Don’t watch American werewolf before you go

But in seriousness this sounds like an amazing hike. Good luck and post pics please!

Sounds good. Definitely doable.
I've camped at tan hill before. I hope your tent is at least semi geodesic? It's definitely exposed!
I think the next one for me and dh will be part of the Cumbria way? We did the full walk. But we like doing chunks of trails now.
There's been some lovely fresh dry days lately. I've been walking locally.

Tan Hill is the end point for me (until 2025 probably) it’s also not even the highest point on the way! BUT yes it’s very exposed.

@Juniper68 Have you done the full Pennine Way?

I have a trekking pole tent, it’s pretty lightweight and I have watched a few reviews of it and it’s held up in winds! I have only used it in mild-ish weather.

No I've never fancied it but know lots who have. I've done a few long distance walks. Which ones have you done?

Oh my goodness... this thread goes on ❤️ So wonderful catching up and sorry for going so awol last year. I did manage to complete my 500 mile virtual challenge by September and then pottered for the remainder of the year. However, I've signed it to the 1,000 mile challenge this year so have forced myself out a bit more (normally a March - December walker!)

Sounds like there's some wonderful plans for the year ahead - looking forward to the pictures already!

And love your attitude, Doris - you'll completely nail it! Solo hiking, just you, your tent and the great outdoors - sounds wonderful! My DC are still too small to be left overnight so unless their Dad suddenly steps up this summer, still no multi-day hiking for me. Might venture further afield this year though...

Anyways - thank you for keeping the lights on and here's to some fabulous walks, hikes, treks and wanderings - I sense a great 2024 ahead!

Oh - and heres a photo from my Sunday early morning wander down the Solent. My photos app on my phone stylised it but I rather like it 😀

Looks good @SanFranBear
Glad you're managing to get out walking. Shame about the overnight hikes. Maybe when dcs are older a friend or other family member will take them? Or take them with you. There's a few 5 year olds been doing long distance walks.

My 3 girls are 3/12/15!! So husband will be a busy man for 10 days 🤣

@SanFranBear That’s some contented looking swans and a great view, it that the IOW in the background?

Just a little update with a short walk me and ds did the other day, started on the edge of Fleet and walked along the Basingstoke canal a few miles (bit squelchy here and there but not too bad) until we got to pretty much the boundary of Farnborough airport perimeter, probably about 6k and pancake flat.

Got to a slightly elevated spot overlooking the end of the runway and had an interesting half hour watching the jets take off and land. Also it was funny seeing the plane spotters with their notepads geeking out and what was coming in, tried to get flight radar up and got confused

Anyway, the canal is always lovely, a haven for nature and very peaceful too. Highly recommend it for easy walking if anyone is not too far away.

Oooh... some nice swans of your own there, lonelycrab! Mine just shows the New Forest coast across the Solent as I was the City side!

And would love to take DC on some hiking adventures - DS12 is quite keen but DD14 couldn't think of anything worse! Just a few more years and I'll have a lot more freedom. I'm lucky to have so many gorgeous landscapes and beautiful national parks on my doorstep so I sometimes take annual leave for 2/3 days on the trot and get some distance in each day, somewhere local!

I was away for work last night in Bristol (DC with their Dad) and managed a nice hike out, over the Clifton Suspension Bridge and surrounding areas.. bloody hell though, Brizzle is one hilly town! Not the best picture but it got dark pretty early.

Was out again last night, just a walk down to the shore of the Solent and then back up through a nature reserve and along the beach. It was a really mild night and a full moon making it truly beautiful... a little misty by the water, barren trees shaped by the coastal winds, so peaceful apart from gentle waves and the moon obscured by thin clouds!

I'm not a January walker by nature but goodness, it was just lush

I've barely written in here since my back has been bad, but I just went to visit a friend in Finland and we went on a hike in the Arctic circle. It was about -30°c.
So exhilarating to find out I can walk in those conditions. And they have barbecue huts on the trails. This is something I would like in Scotland.

@SuperLoudPoppingAction wow! Absolutely stunning. Certainly not your average hike. Can’t imagine how fresh the air must have been🥶

@SanFranBear nice spooky moon shot. Just spotted the trees at the bottom- they grow pretty much horizontally when they’re right on the coastline down there.

Just thought I’d bump this thread for all the mid winter hikers among us.

Went for a walk with ds and the ex (we split 6 years back but get on now really well as co-parents and friends) along the squelchy Basingstoke canal to the edge of Farnborough airport again and watched the planes taking off. Was an unbelievably hot 16 degrees (that’s just wrong in the middle of February!!) and stopped in the pub on the way for a soft drink. Did around 9km and the legs were a little achey but good to be out.

I had 3 days of walking - not massive distances as both of us have back issues but we got some good views.
We walked up a hill each day, but just little ones or in this case part way up Ben Lawers

It has warmed up though- 14 here yesterday.

@SuperLoudPoppingAction what is the going like? It's been so wet here you need arm bands to walk !

Yeah... we're definitely walking (made up paths) rather than 'hiking' at the moment, the north west of England is usually muddy at this time of year but it's extra squelchy at the moment. I've not been on the canal towpath near us since it was frozen solid for a few days at the start of the year. Other sections are made up, our bit is grass which is nice in summer but a morass now.

It is extremely wet down here on the South Coast.. I've had to change routes a few times as footpaths completely flooded and whilst I don't mind getting quite wet and soggy, I'm not willing to get wet to mid shin! See pic for prime example!

I'm walking the Itchen Navigation in a couple of weeks and am seriously considering wellies as it cam be impassable in places after a lot of rain... and there is a lot of rain, all the time at the moment 😢

That Ben Lawers pic us fabulous, SuperLoudPoppingAction - I can almost feel the clear, bracing air... gorgeous!

and am seriously considering wellies

I know the feeling. I hate wellies to walk in but after trying to get out with my dm(79) for a stroll on the new forest the other day, they kinda make sense. It was a bog🤨