These boots were made for walking...

The boots I was wearing were certainly not made for walking as they weren’t waterproof and I ended up with very muddy and silt-y toes, such fun… they were very old to be fair but think I might treat myself to a new pair.  You might have seen my post on Instagram showing that last week I went walking in the North York Moors with Ant and my sister Annabel. The night before our walk Annabel and I used our rusty DofE skills and planned a route using the Ordnance Survey OL26 Explorer Map of the North York Moors area. Our route started at a car park and formed a sort of circuit along the Cleveland Way and then used some smaller paths to get back to the car park.

On the day of the walk we got up, had some big breakfasts and drove off to find our car park. I don’t really want to write about the route we walked but would recommend the Cleveland Way as a well-maintained path with beautiful views! It is quite steep in parts so beware if you have problem knees/ don’t deal with the steps too well.

What I do want to talk about are tips and thoughts if you want to have a go at hiking. First of all, it is very important to have the right kind of kit. Even if your walk is quite short, if you are in the outdoors (especially the British outdoors), you are potentially exposed to every kind of weather you could imagine in one day. I failed to take a hat or headband and got very chilly ears in the wind on the high points. Equally, at points it brightened up and so Ant had a nice pink “tan” line from his t-shirt. A waterproof coat is pretty essential too. I have a pair of walking trousers but you don’t need snazzy walking clothing just don’t wear jeans or anything denim, absolute nightmare if it gets wet. Just some sports type clothing will do! If you are walking a very flat, paved route you could wear trainers say in a forest where you know the paths are taken care of by a team of rangers. BUT if you really want to get into walking I think it is important to invest in a pair of walking boots. They protect your ankles from rolling, their padding and fit protect your knees but also, they keep your feet dry and comfortable, wear double socks to avoid rubbing! Here are some other things that you might find useful to take:

-          Toilet Roll (quite important not going to lie)

-          Wet Wipes

-          Hand Sanitizer

-          Spare socks

-          First Aid Kit (plasters are a must)

-          Pen Knife (probably just to get into your chocolate but you never know)

-          Torch

-          Hat

-          Emergency rations (basically, more chocolate that you’re not actually allowed to eat)

Now the most exciting part, food! If you have a long route planned it is important to keep your energy levels up. You aren’t just wandering to the shops and back. You may be facing big hills, wind and rain, evil nettles and brambles, hey you may even have to climb over a wall (we did have to as the farmer had failed to maintain the path and it was completely overgrown, almost impossible to get through). All of these things take energy so I would recommend eating little and often, again, something I failed to do. We kept putting off eating our sandwiches that we had brought for lunch because we wanted to find somewhere nice to sit. This was at a time when we were a little bit lost and then had the wall climbing scenario so you can imagine by the time this was over I was verging on hanger. Fruit and nut mix, chocolate buttons, the classic jelly babies are all good things that can keep your energy levels going. Healthier options work too of course! It just depends on what your preference is, I just like to use walking as a great excuse to consume some chocolate. It is also very important to make sure you take enough water with you! We had about a litre each and a carton of blackcurrant juice. It’s pretty common sense, drink plenty of fluids to keep your muscles firing and your body happy!

It is important that if you are planning your own route you know how to read a map and use a compass. There is loads of information online about how to do this so I won’t go into it. It is also worth having a look at the Countryside Code to get an idea of the basic rules and expectations of walkers but they are pretty common sense. Things like shutting gates after yourself, not startling livestock, taking your litter home, keeping to the paths etc… I think it is a good idea to have a look online for some popular walks and routes as they tell you what the route is like and what to expect from it. Mobile phones are used by a lot of people for route finding and maps but honestly, I wouldn’t go on a big walk without a real-life paper map. Mobiles are temperamental, they run out of charge, aren’t waterproof, suddenly die, get dropped off cliff edges, you can’t rely on your phone. Anyway, it’s fun to debate which path is the right one, go down the wrong one and have to figure out where you are using a map the good old-fashioned way.

Walking should be a fun, if you take the right equipment and are prepared then you will have a fun time! I am no expert so you should probably read a bit more from some more official sites to find out more information but these are good starting points and the basics of walking in the great outdoors!

Em x

(Really though, I am NOT an expert, just saying)

Some websites that might be worth checking out...

I know that BBC Bitesize is something I used in Primary School but it does have some useful stuff on there: Map Reading Skills

The Countryside Code