Going on a Hiking Holiday

In my experience, once you've bitten by the “hiking bug”, you'll snatch at any opportunity to include the activity in your schedule. And what better way to enjoy a break from working life than to combine your love of hiking with your love of holidays?

For me, I caught the bug many years ago in the Lake District (North West England) as a child. As a family, it was our annual summer ritual which turned into our hiking holiday. Since then I’ve been to many places (mainly Europe) where I’ve been able to go to the beach but also take the opportunity of venturing into the wilderness. To be honest I’m not a huge beach fan, I get bored!

When you go hiking abroad it can be an extremely rewarding experience, and a great way to learn to cope with and plan for new climates (a great skill for any budding hiker). However, there are also some fantastic locations to visit for your hiking holiday that are reachable without travelling too far from home, wherever you are.

For example, I live in England and have easy access to a variety of excellent hiking locations in neighbouring counties, more specifically in Wales. Snowdonia has played host to several excellent hiking holidays for myself, family and friends at a far lower cost than we could have expected elsewhere. I would suggest you do some research into the places surrounding your home before looking too far afield.

If you are interested in setting sail for warmer (or colder) climes, then Spain, Peru, New Zealand, Australia and North America are all popular destinations for hikers. Bear in mind that not all of these will be suitable places to take children, so do plan well in advance.

The importance of extensive planning is amplified by the fact that most people enjoy holidays in unfamiliar territory. This means unfortunately that anything you've forgotten to pack or account for will have to be purchased on site which can be expensive, depending on where you choose to go. I would advise following a mantra of “check, check, recheck” whilst packing, and of course this applies doubly for children, who will inevitably begin removing items from their luggage when your back is turned. Safety equipment such as emergency whistles, reflective blankets and torches are, as always, a priority.

Finally, and essentially, you should check in with the appropriate authorities, wherever you are, and provide them with a copy of your route plan along with estimated, realistic time frames for reaching each checkpoint. This will allow them, in the event of any accident that might (but hopefully won't) occur on your hike to get a rough idea of your location so that a search and rescue team can be sent out post haste.

Mountain Rescue teams and other similar authorities make thousands of rescues per year, many of which would be impossible without the forethought of considerate hikers.