Walking

hargi

hargi

hargi

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19 Jul 2006
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Done a bit of a search but cant find anything on here,

Been out camping this weekend and loved it, so much so that me and a friend are wanting to get into walking, we are thinking about doing coast to coast ( but think this may now take to long??) and the yorkshire 3 peaks and the normal 3 peaks , we would probably not do the 3 peaks all in one day. Just one a day.

As anyone here done any of the above and can offer any advice or input?
 
Aside from the general of break in your boots properly before embarking on a long trip, dress appropriately and let people know where you're planning to go and when you plan to get there there's not an awful lot I can add.
 
I'd recommend putting your right foot forward, and following it with your left. Once your weight has shifted and you feel stable, Repeat for aslong as needed.

You'll be fine :)
 
Wainwright's C2C is approx 190 miles and based around 12 days of walking, so is not something to just attempt.

Are you confident with navigation in bad weather?

Three Peaks of Yorkshire can easily be done over a weekend so is probably a better place to start (IMHO).
 
We both play a lot of sport so are quite fit, though i dont know how we'd cope with 12 days of back to back walking. I would probably want to do a lot more walking before we attempted the C2C
So some good training routes would be good.

Think we did about 10 miles a day this weekend
 
I hate it, but doing a 100mile walk over 4 days shortly.

Boots are a must, its what's killing me. But ain't allowed to change them too much. Good socks and changing them when you start sweating when you feel blisters coming on. Good all weather clothing is a must too, stuff that will dry with your body heat is ideal.
 
#Chri5# said:
Wainwright's C2C is approx 190 miles and based around 12 days of walking, so is not something to just attempt.

Are you confident with navigation in bad weather?

Three Peaks of Yorkshire can easily be done over a weekend so is probably a better place to start (IMHO).
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12 days? so circa 16 miles a day? you'd be finished by lunchtime each day if you got up at a reasonable hour tbh...

Should be doable in half that time surely.
 
#Chri5# said:
Three Peaks of Yorkshire can easily be done over a weekend so is probably a better place to start (IMHO).
Click to expand...

This one is about 25 miles and can be done in around 8-10 hours. I've done it twice and on both occasions the clouds were low depriving me of the views.
 
dowie said:
12 days? so circa 16 miles a day? you'd be finished by lunchtime each day if you got up at a reasonable hour tbh...

Should be doable in half that time surely.
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Hey, the record for running the route is just over 39 hours, so why not run it and take even less time? :p A lot of folks add two rest days to make it a two week holiday.

FWIW, Naismith's Rule works on 3 miles in an hour on the flat, adding 30 minutes for every 1000ft of climbing.

Personally, half the point of a long distance walk (LDW) is to enjoy it, having time to stand & stare, rather than just slog through it with your head down (the best view is often behind you). It also depends if you're being supported by a car / using B&Bs or carrying everything (eg tent, stove etc).

I did the Three Peaks of Yorkshire many years ago as a Scout and we took 1 1/2 days for it, but were totally self sufficient (bar water refills). I did the Grin & Bear It walk (run by Langsett MRT) a few years ago and finished 25 miles in 8 hours - that was a tough day out.

What are you walking Begbie?
 
Spare socks. Change em regularly. Blister treatment. Last time I went for a long hike (I did a ridge walk for charity 52 miles took just over 17hrs), I taped my feet up thoroughly (some people use Duct tape - but you can buy some proper sports tape). Have good walking boots that are comfy/broken in. Wear loose and comfortable clothing, some energy food, water, I used electrolyte salts in my water, lots of fruit, chocolate - but the organisers had food checkpoints too. I had made little Tupperware pots of pasta - stuff easy to digest, protein shakes etc...
 
Begbie said:
If your feet can handle 32 miles a day!
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Keep them dry and look after them nd it shouldn't be too bad. Its not like you have to run it tbh... few pairs of bridge dale socks and you're sorted.

Even as a kid I remember doing the chase walk with scouts aged 14 in about 11 hours or so (was just over 40 miles). Admittedly my feet were a bit ****ed after that but I wasn't used to it then.

Military exercises over 2 weeks can frequently involve tabbing significant distances and putting up with a whole load of other **** in between.

I reckon given that all you'll need to carry is maybe a tent split between two, some clothes, food etc... the weight isn't going to be too much and 32 miles a day for 6 days is doable without it being too harsh. Realistically doing 16 miles a day - if you started at 7am you'd be finished and setting up camp around lunch time.
 
My suggestion as simple as it sounds would be to learn how to navigate / read a map properly. My father and I have recently started walking again locally (Shropshire) and the big problem we have had is going the wrong way in fields or forests or where there wasn't a strongly defined path!
 
bridgedale socks, ortlieb map case, silva compass, foot powder(containing miconazole nitrate)... Waterproof everything - ortlieb canoe bags are great for this but perhaps a bit overkill for basic hiking.

Yes basics should be obvious - fold your map properly, orientate the map to the ground, account for magnetic declination - the date your map was printed and the annual change will be marked on the map - simply phrase to remember how to adjust a bearing from map or from ground is - 'grid to mag add mag to grid get rid' (this only applies if the variation is west - fine for the UK). Get used to taking a back bearing off prominent terrain features in order to check your position.

Other tips -

Count out how many paces you take to walk 100m (don't count every pace but rather every other) easy navigation aid/check used by plenty of squaddies is to have a small cord with 10 toggles on - every time you walk 100m pull a toggle down, cord is reset every 1km.

For really bad weather there are techniques that can be used - a crude one is to walk/guide your buddie out on a bearing to the limit of visibility, then walk to catch him up then repeat.
 
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