Guest post by Alan Halewood Alan Halewood is a respected friend and colleague (occasionally – happy for it to be more often!). He is also one of the UK’s top mountaineering instructors. When he accepted my invitation to share his wisdom and love of Scotland, I was thrilled. Learn about five fantastic flowering plants found …
Please welcome my hiking mascots – the three musketeers! These two little quirky figures, the Explorer and the Naturalist, arrived in the post today, along with the cute chameleon. They will be accompanying me on some of my adventures and having some adventures of their own! However, they need a name. I am opening it …
County: Hampshire/Berkshire Area: Ashford Hill, Wasing Place and Brimpton Distance: 7 Miles Time: 4hours Refreshments: Yes – pubs in villages A 7 mile walk in the relatively unknown and quiet countryside of the Hampshire/Berkshire border is perfect for a sunny day. Normally my day walks are much longer than this, but 7 miles is a …
The Mountain Training Association (MTA) was set up in 2005 by Mountain Training. It aims to support walkers, climbers and mountain leaders who are working towards a qualification and help those who already have them to further develop their skills. If you are passionate about walking or climbing and want to learn and stay up to …
Did you know that you can still practise your navigation skills at home? There are lots of ways you can do this … from simply getting a map of your local area and finding the bearings to certain buildings, to estimating the distance and time it will take you to walk somewhere and testing it …
Helicopters, Whirlybirds – What am I talking about? You might have been hoping I meant proper helicopters? Instead, I mean the beautiful winged fruit (yes, they are not a seed!) of Field Maple, Ash, Sycamore and Norway Maple. These are the four species of tree that have these in the UK. The botanical name for …
What better way to help lead an Everest Base Camp expedition than for charity. In May 2007, Xtreme Everest sent a research team to the summit of Mount Everest. They took the first-ever measurement of the level of oxygen in human blood at 8400m, on the balcony of Everest. This was the centrepiece of an …
After spending 26 days doing the alphabet walk (have a read of this here: https://whatsnottohike.co.uk/walking-from-a-z), and still in lockdown, I came up with the idea of looking for each colour of the rainbow whilst on my daily walk. In countries across Europe and America, rainbow pictures have been put up in windows to offer positivity …
Yes we may be in lockdown, and missing our normal lifestyles, but there are things of interest that you can still do. This walking activity is great for people of all ages, trust me it’s tried and tested! Think you know your A-Z? Well this idea will test your imagination, observation skills, and patience all …
Did you know that there are 46 different species of ladybird in the UK and can live for up to 3 years?