Solo Hiking. What do you reckon? Love it? Hate it? Utterly terrified by the prospect of it, or have you tried it and felt that it’s all a bit…… well meh?

I can’t recall a time when I haven’t enjoyed getting out hiking. Having started out on the Lake District Fells at the tender age of 1, it’s been something that I’ve consistently done throughout my life. (Don’t worry, I was carried. I didn’t conquer Scafell Pike whilst I was still in nappies!)

But it had always been a social thing for me. Whether it be with the kids, family or friends, we conquered stuff together! Not on my own.

But. Now this may come as a shock to some of you who are new to the blog….. wait for it……

My kids aren’t always that enthusiastic about walking.

Ok, that’s an understatement, my youngest actively tells me regularly how much he hates it, and let’s face it my husband isn’t shouting from the rooftops about it either.

Enter…. Solo Hiking….. but why is it so damn good? !

It’s Bloody Selfish and I Love It!

Parents. It’ll be no surprise to you that walking with kids can at times be bloody hard work. Yes, I too have had the rare good days, those days when the moon is aligned with Saturn, it’s rained before 6am and there is a westerly wind….. You get it, RARE good days.

But regularly walks with kids are full of moaning, snack requests, complaints, questions, endless amounts of walking games for entertainment. Exhausting.

Worth it. But utterly exhausting.

Now, Solo walking……

Ahhhhh the blissful peace. I get positively giddy at the prospect of being able to eat chocolate without somebody poaching half of it, I LOVE the fact I can walk faster than the pace of a snail, and the fact I can go wherever the bloody hell I like, and take as many pictures as I like, and DO WHATEVER I LIKE!

See? Totally selfish and I love it.

Go Explore!

I don’t know about you, but I’m the map reader and route planner in our family. If we get lost, it’s my fault (although I don’t believe in lost, I always know exactly where we are, we just might not be on the right path…..!)

The pressure right?!

Solo hiking totally removes that pressure. Ok, maybe it’s just me who feels that, but on a solo hike, I can happily get lost. Purposefully lost. With nobody there to ask …. ‘Mummy, do you know where we are?’ at every available opportunity.

It’s only recently that I’ve really started to get to grips with the Right To Roam* and sometimes checking something out, or going a bit off path to find out what a black wibbly line is on the map, is great fun! If you have a tired entourage who want to walk no further than is absolutely necessary, then an extra explore is reeeeeallly not all that possible. Particularly if that black wibbly line in a stream turns out to be nothing more than a dried up stream bed rather than a waterfall (yes, that’s happened. Yes, I heard about it a LOT!)

See? Solo hiking means you can do this, unhindered by the exclamations of ‘IS THAT IT?!’

EXPLORE MORE (alone!)

Are you Tempted?

So have I managed to swerve you from fear and loathing to at the very least marginally intrigued and open-minded?

Well then here are a few things I’ve learned about Solo Hiking.

Where are you going?

Always tell somebody what your plans are, where you are headed and rough timings. One time, I fell off a tree. Yes, I was trying to climb a tree. Yes I am in my 30s. But, despite being an utter idiot, if I had fallen and become stuck in a gigantic hole, having smashed my phone (yes, it’s an extreme example…) somebody knows what I was doing and when I was supposed to be back. I probably don’t need to say any more, but let’s just say, unless you have told somebody who really couldn’t care less about your whereabouts, somebody will be able to help.

Have a fully charged phone

Just in case you have some reception and you haven’t smashed it by falling out of a tree and dropping it into a hole, you can use it to call for help. Or if you are an obsessive Instagrammer like me, then you can use it to document every moment of your journey!! A really handy app to have is What 3 Words. It is used by the mountain rescue teams and can pinpoint your exact location. It’s also really handy to help find places too, so definitely worth a download!

Use a Map backed up by GPS

Ah if you’re reading this you are probably thinking, well duh! But if you are on your own, I’d always play it safe rather than sorry!

Be prepared

This is so much more important when you are alone, as you won’t have anybody to borrow stuff from! Drinks (always more than you think you’ll need, particularly if you’re climbing) Snacks (if you’re a parent, I doubt you’ll know how to leave a house without a bucketful of them anyway) and always take something in case the weather changes too.

Are you a beginner?

Why not start off your solo hiking career by exploring somewhere you already kinda know. Not exactly where you’ve been but somewhere nearby to build confidence!

So there you go!

I hope perhaps some of you have been inspired to go and enjoy that kid free time, doing something that makes you feel awesome!

(And remember…… UNDISTURBED CHOCOLATE!!!!!)

A LITTLE NOTE:

* The Right to Roam applies only to Public Access Land. Do not stray off path in areas that are privately owned. On an Ordnance Survey map, the land where the Right to Roam applies is marked with a brown edge. However, if the land owner has made any specific requests in respect of the right of way or grazing livestock/ nesting birds, please adhere to their wishes. To read more about this, head to www.gov.uk.