Hillwalking

Cirrus

This is something I've always fancied doing but not really bothered to make any moves to actually organising except for an occasional spontaneous hill-climb when there happens to be one nearby and it's a nice day.

Does anyone here do any hillwalking, and if so do you have any suggestions for routes, places to visit etc?

scrumhalf

Cirrus said:

This is something I've always fancied doing but not really bothered to make any moves to actually organising except for an occasional spontaneous hill-climb when there happens to be one nearby and it's a nice day.

Does anyone here do any hillwalking, and if so do you have any suggestions for routes, places to visit etc?

Hills?

hubobulous

Lake District. One of my favourite places on earth and there are more choices that you'll probably ever manage. The Langdales, BowFell, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Catbells, Fairfield......so many that are easily accessible yet very rewarding.

Staying in Grasmere, Elterwater, Keswick or Ambleside gives you easy access and good pubs!!

Panama_Jack666

Aye, I've done most of them in lakes, done Ben Nevis and a few on Skye. I walked the Old Man of Coniston week before last. Pics below...

You should join us one day. Providing you're not weird obviously.

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a555/Panama_Jack666/Mobile Uploads/20150411_114603_zpsh8mumaxn.jpg

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a555/Panama_Jack666/Mobile Uploads/20150411_124352_zpshilxjdoq.jpg

http://i1283.photobucket.com/albums/a555/Panama_Jack666/Mobile Uploads/20150411_122702_zps6xonatsh.jpg

Panama_Jack666

hubobulous said:

Lake District. One of my favourite places on earth and there are more choices that you'll probably ever manage. The Langdales, BowFell, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Catbells, Fairfield......so many that are easily accessible yet very rewarding.

Staying in Grasmere, Elterwater, Keswick or Ambleside gives you easy access and good pubs!!

Pretty much everthing said here. Keswick is the social hub of the lakes so if you stay a night or two, you're guranteed some good booze and potentially some live music.

I recommend the 'Cow Pie' at The George in Keswick. You have to book a few days or more in advance though. It's always rammed (for a good reason - great food). I don't think I'd recommend staying there as a hotel though.

All me mates are going up Langdale Pike this coming weekend, unfortunately I'm skint and on orders to give it a miss from the Mrs. I've done it 3 times before though so I'm not missing out that much I s'pose. I just fancied climbing up 'Jacks Rake' again!

Cirrus

scrumhalf said:

Hills?

Fretwired

Register with these guys .. lots of info on gear, where to walk and walking clubs if you fancy meeting people .. http://www.ukhillwalking.com/

hotpot

Hills! absolutely not, I was born with car driving legs.

joneve

hubobulous said:

Lake District. One of my favourite places on earth and there are more choices that you'll probably ever manage. The Langdales, BowFell, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Catbells, Fairfield......so many that are easily accessible yet very rewarding.

Staying in Grasmere, Elterwater, Keswick or Ambleside gives you easy access and good pubs!!

This. I fucking HATE walking. Bores the living shit out of me (but the wife and her family LOVE it)...But I don't mind doing it in the Lakes. Helvellyn is a must do IMO. The walk up is fucking crap and tiring most of the way, but once you get to Striding Edge It's pretty dangerous and therefore moar awesome! 

But general walking in the lakes is ok because you fucking hate it going up and wonder why you're doing it (well, I do), but then you get to the top and the views are normally ace, so it makes it worth it. 

guitarfishbay

Panama_Jack666 said:

hubobulous said:

Lake District. One of my favourite places on earth and there are more choices that you'll probably ever manage. The Langdales, BowFell, Helvellyn, Skiddaw, Catbells, Fairfield......so many that are easily accessible yet very rewarding.

Staying in Grasmere, Elterwater, Keswick or Ambleside gives you easy access and good pubs!!

Pretty much everthing said here. Keswick is the social hub of the lakes so if you stay a night or two, you're guranteed some good booze and potentially some live music.

I recommend the 'Cow Pie' at The George in Keswick. You have to book a few days or more in advance though. It's always rammed (for a good reason - great food). I don't think I'd recommend staying there as a hotel though.

All me mates are going up Langdale Pike this coming weekend, unfortunately I'm skint and on orders to give it a miss from the Mrs. I've done it 3 times before though so I'm not missing out that much I s'pose. I just fancied climbing up 'Jacks Rake' again!

We stayed at Avondale B+B round the corner from The George.  The couple who run it are nice and do a good breakfast with Stornoway Black Pudding (my personal favourite).  Had Cow Pie - it is basically a massive pie.  Which is basically a great idea.  There's an Italian place nearby that does tasty Gelato too if you want something sweet.  Didn't make it to the other ice cream shop during opening hours though.

I agree with what has been said about the Lakes, my other recommendation would be Wales.  Absolutely love North Wales, and often a more relaxing drive than the Lakes a lot of the time too since the Lakes can get pretty blocked up sometimes.

If you're not too fussy about where you sleep my recommendation is have your eye on a couple of walks, then go opportunistically one weekend when the weather is nice.  If you're happy driving you can usually get a B+B or hotel at least a sensible distance from where you want to walk, and much as walking for walking's sake is good exercise it is so much more rewarding if you get a good view on a nice day.

Panama_Jack666

guitarfishbay said:

Had Cow Pie - it is basically a massive pie.  Which is basically a great idea. 

I'm fairly sure it's 1.5kilo's of meat in the 'Full Cow Pie'. And it's good quality meat. I couldn't eat the full one and I'm a fat ba$tard.

Bellycaster

If you love the Coast, there are some lovely stretches of the South West Coast Path or the South Downs Way. The walk from Eastbourne Promenade to Seven Sisters Country Park would have been lovely, but I only made it to The Beachy Head Inn :-) then back down the hill to Eastbourne.

Peak District in Derbyshire, plenty of nice walks there too with nice Villages.

I'm not much of a hardened walker, but I do short stretches if I'm away, I prefer to park up the Car and do a couple of miles or so, I much prefer to sit and take in the lovely views.

EricTheWeary

If you don't want to go as far as the Lakes then the area around Church Stretton is good, the Styper Stones ( spll?) quite interesting. I'm sure you could look up and pick a walk to suit yourself. If you just want to walk up a big hill and back down again the Wrekin is popular for that kind of thing, probably 45 minutes drive from wherever you are in Brum.

hubobulous

Ooo. I'm a bit embarrased as my Mum is from Church Stretton so I should have at least mentioned the Long Mynd!!

robinbowes

The walk from Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay is a good one - not too long or strenuous, and there's a bus back!

R.

robinbowes

robinbowes said:

The walk from Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay is a good one - not too long or strenuous, and there's a bus back!

Or from Robin Hood's Bay to Whitby, and a bus back the other way. Or walk both ways. Or some other combination I've not thought of...

Snap

If you want an easy intro to hillwalking, get to the Peak District, or theYorkshire Dales. Beautiful places and small hills, nothing over about 650M, not too taxking but still makes for satisfying stuff.

Malham in the Dales is a wonderful place and you can easily get to the 3 peaks - Wernside, Pen y Gent and Ingleborough, all of which are reasonably easy.

Malham Cove and around there is lovely.

In the Peaks, all the stuff around Castleton and Edale are nice, with lovely little villages.

Generally, walkers are a friendly bunch too, if a little square.

The Lakes are quite hardcore in places, to be fair.

equalsql

Peak District fan here. Not on the same scale as the Lakes but some really nice all days hill walks be there.  Derwent Edge and Kinder Scout offer some great views as does The Roaches.

Edale up onto Kinder Edge via Ringing Roger, onto the woolpack and back down Jacob's Ladder will stretch the old legs

chillidoggy

The route from my gaff to Margate old town is a nice easy mile-long walk. There are numerous boozers and restaurants once there and if the sun's shining, it's a very pleasant way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

There is a hill on the way, though.

Grunfeld

Cirrus said:

This is something I've always fancied doing...

Does anyone here do any hillwalking, and if so do you have any suggestions for routes, places to visit etc?

You might be overthinking it -- I know I was.  I'd always fancied doing it too but I dunno what I was waiting for. 
Here's the call I got from my son last autumn: 
"What you doing tomorrow?"
"Nuffink"
"Wanna go to Wales, climb a hill?"
"No... oh okay, yeah"
"See you tomorrow at 5am"

London --> [drive]  Wales --> up and down Pen y Fan --> breakfast --> London

Not complicated.  REALLY not complicated.

And, London --> [fly £24] Inverness --> hire car [£35] --> watch eclipse --> up & down hill --> [fly] London

Basically:  it took my son to make me realise that if you want to climb a hill (and why not) all you actually have to do is start early, get to a hill, climb it, go "Wooo I'm up a hill!", and come home. 

equalsql

hubobulous said:

Ooo. I'm a bit embarrased as my Mum is from Church Stretton so I should have at least mentioned the Long Mynd!!

The one time my ass really tightened was driving that bloody hillside road from the Long Mynd down into Church Stretton. When I looked out the left window there was nothing there but sky!
Scared me right proper it did!