Hillwalk Scotland

Tayside Walks for Kids

Yesterday's post about my walk to The Whangie mentioned that it was a great walk for young kids. I've since received an e-mail from a website based in Dundee called dundee4bairns. There's an extensive section in it with information and suggestions on suitable walks for kids in the Tayside area. It's a good site and looks a really useful resource if you're in that area.

Advice for Hillwalking with Children

Dave Jennings has commented on an old post of mine regarding how best to introduce children to hillwalking. In his comment he remarks on the difficulty he's had in finding information and advice. I agree with him - there does seem to be little available, and I suspect that doing a Google search was how he stumbled on the posts I have made regarding my own children.

However there are a couple of links that I can suggest. The forums on the Ramblers Association site have a section called Family Walking which deals with some of the issues parents encounter - it's well worth a browse or you can register and start your own discussion. The Ramblers Association also have a section of their website which gives advice on walking with children - click here.

From my own point of view the best thing you can do is try and build up a sense of excitement and ensure that you have  plenty of treats/bribes with you to keep them going when motivation slips! My experience with my 6 year old has so far  been positive but I do think taking him on the wrong hill, in the wrong conditions could very quickly undermine that.

Dave, like me, lives in Glasgow and we have a lot of fantastic walking close by. My advice would be pick a good day, get lots of chocolate and choose between the Whangie/Auchineden Hill, Conic Hill or Ben An, all of which I've done with my son and written about. I would save the Munros for a time you are confident they will have the perseverance to keep going and that they are comfortable in rougher terrain.
Whatever you do, enjoy it and err on the side of safety.

Ben An in the Trossachs

I had a very enjoyable afternoon out on Ben An in the Trossachs yesterday. I'd been looking for a walk that would be suitable for 6 year old son but would also let me see how well he could cope with a fairly steep ascent and a rocky path. As it turned out it was a very good choice.

Coming over the Dukes Pass from Aberfoyle, Ben An, although only 454m high, is very prominent and with its sharp pointed outline looks very much like a real mountain ( as opposed to a grassy hill). I pointed it out to my son and he immediately was excited by the prospect of climbing 'the one that looks like a volcano!'

The car park was extremely busy and there were a lot of people including a lot of kids on the well marked path. Not surprising really as it is in a popular spot and the hill is relatively low. Around half of the ascent is through attractive woodland until eventually the open hillside is reached and the rocky cone of Ben An rises in front - it looks pretty spectacular and a steep rocky path beckons.

The path was pretty challenging for a six year old - while an adult can step confidently upwards for a wee boy some of it is a bit of a scramble. It does however make it pretty exciting and I was informed that this was real climbing! So along with a few chocolate incentives there was a great deal of enthusiasm for getting to the top.

At the peak there are some rocky outcrops that again for a six year old allowed a bit of safe scrambling as well as an excellent view of Loch Katrine with the 'Maid of the Loch' paddle-boat clearly visible. After a bite to eat we headed down with my son confidently getting down the rockier sections with his dad looking nervously on.

All in all we had a great afternoon and importantly I seem to have whetted his appetite for more hillwalks rather than putting him off. It was  a good choice to assess what he is capable of and I would recommend it to any parent who wants to see how their child copes with slightly more challenging terrain.

Camping with a Baby

No the post heading isn't about camping with someone who complains all the time. It's about camping with a real baby! I was surfing some of my favorite mountain blogs and came upon a post of that title on the Outdoors Gear Blog. They seem to have been away with baby on tow - as a parent with young children I always chickened out of doing that when they were babies - all I can say is well done for trying and you're a lot braver than we were!

'Do you think there's chocolate under that rock'

Yes OK, we had to use bribery but my 5 year old son and one of his friends had a great day out on Conic Hill at Loch Lomond on Sunday. The climb was not without its cries of 'I'm tired' and 'will you carry me' but they were reasonably few and far between. The most difficult part was when my son hurried ahead when his friend was desperate to lead the way - the leadership tussle between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown had nothing on this one.

High Five's

For years going hillwalking has been a relatively straightforward process - a few pints with some friends to decide where we are going, pack rucksack, drag oneself out of bed then drag oneself up a mountain or two. Now, Baggers five year old son has decided he wants to come hillwalking with Dad and only a 'big' mountain will do for him.
Last year I took him up Auchineden Hill near Glasgow and to my surprise he really enjoyed himself and didn't seem put out by the climb. So how ambitious should I be. I obviously don't want to force him up anything he isn't ready for, but he did well last time and is determined that he wants to go to the high mountains.
So after much deliberation I've decided to take him up Conic Hill at Loch Lomond this weekend, weather permitting. One of his pals and his Dad will be joining us so here's hoping the two boys encourage each other. I suspect that mucking about is a more likely outcome! Most of the walk is on the West Highland Way so the track will be decent and I know that the views of Loch Lomond, its islands and Ben Lomond and the Arrocher Alps will be spectacular. Lets hope two 5 year olds think so as well.

Encouraging Children to Hillwalk

I'm feeling very proud of my 4 year old son - he's climbed his first hill under his own steam and really seemed to enjoy himself.

We went up Auchineden Hill near Glasgow and from the top there are magnificent views back towards the City and North towards Loch Lomond and the Highlands. He was really up for it and very excited about what he could see. There was also a real sense of achievement when he reached the trig. point on the top.

As a parent, I find it a difficult balance between encouraging him to try things while not forcing him to do things that really only interest me. Fortunately he enjoyed himself. I'll need to get my thinking cap on to find some more walks he can do - any suggestions?