Last weekend I went to Wales to join my brother on an organised walk with a difference. The Real Ale Ramble is an annual event which attracts thousands of hikers to the heart of the Brecon Beacons for an extra special walking route. The Real Ale Ramble in Llantrwyd Wells is a 10-mile or 25-mile hike with stops at beer stations for a selection of real ales. Part group walk and part beer festival, the Real Ale Amble was a real eye-opener.

Before I was talked into joining the walking route, I couldn’t work out why anyone would pay to join a walk around open access land in return for just a few beers. Most regular walkers would stop for a drink in a pub during or after a long hike anyway. Why stand in a marquee in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of strangers drinking bizarrely named brown liquid?

Having done the Real Ale Ramble I can say that I am one of the converted. Not only did it attract me to an area of outstanding natural beauty that I’d never been before. But it also turned a day hike into a social event – a walk where we all had a common purpose that was fun, friendly and not at all competitive. The event also allowed us to sample some tasty ales and walk around the woods in a lightly inebriated state, which is an trail enhancing experience. The walking routes were well mapped out and sign-posted – it was all fun, safe and entertaining. I’d thoroughly recommend it to walkers and/or beer drinkers.

1. The South Downs Way
This is a great seven day hike through some of southern England’s most beautiful scenery. This ridge of hills between London and the South Coast is steep at times but not overly challenging, so it’s a good trail for novice long distance walkers who have never donned a backpack. Many people put on their waterproof hiking boots to tackle parts of the trails at weekends but the 100-mile walk from Eastbourne to Winchester, or vice versa, is well worth the hike.

2. The South West Coast Path
This is a mammoth trek around the spectacular coastline of South West England. Starting in Minehead in Somerset and ending just short of Poole in Doreset, this 630-mile walk is a serious undertaking that can take up to seven weeks to complete in one go. It is very strenuous in places but the views of cliffs, beaches, harbours and ever-present sea make it an extremely popular trail.

3. The Pennine Way
Britain’s oldest long-distance hiking trail passes through the remote, upland areas of northern England. Crossing the Pennine and Cheviot ranges of hills, the 250-mile trail demands respect ad should only be undertaken by experienced hikers with navigation skills. But the rewards are access to great wilderness areas, historic landmarks and scenery that hasn’t changed for millennia. A good backpack and sturdy waterproof hiking boots are needed for this one.

4. The Great Glenn Way

This is a coast to coast walk in the Scottish Highlands. This is a relatively easy, well-marked trail so it’s a good one for those who have never walked with a backpack before. The 70-mile trail follows the banks of three lochs and the Caledonian Canal in a deep-cut valley between Fort William and Inverness. It rains a lot in this part of Scotland so waterproof hiking boots are essential.

5. Hadrian’s Wall Path
This is another coast-to-coast trail, following the line of one of this country’s most important Roman monuments. It is an 85- mile walk from Wallsend near Newcastle to Bowness-on-Solway in Cumbria. While sections through the city suburbs and close to Hadrian’s Wall hill forts are easy, a good backpack, waterproof hiking boots and map reading skills are required for some of the more remote parts of the trail.

I’m lucky enough to have walked in some great places all around the world – France, Morocco, Chile, Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia and Indonesia, as well as the UK of course. I can truly say that I’ve experienced some of the world’s best walking routes. However, I have never topped out on any serious mountaineering treks. Whether it’s the danger, the expense or lack of time that’s put me off, I’m yet to reach the top of any great mountains.

Whether or not I will ever leave my comfortable walking routes and rise to the challenge of bagging a major peak, I’ve started compiling a list of mountains I’d like to conquer before I die. Some of them might be achievable; others are way out of my league. But a man has to have dreams and when I think of a more hardcore version of myself, there are five major peaks that I would like to climb.

Here is my Mountain Peak Wish List:
Mont Blanc, France
Mt Kilimanjaro, Kenya
Mt Washington, USA
Mt Aconcagua, Argentina
Mt Everest, Nepal

With so much emphasis on point to point walks, circular walks often get overlooked. There’s the Coast to Coast, the Pennine Way and the Offa’s Dyke trails, which are all long distance, linear walks. But I couldn’t – off the top of my head - think of any circular walks of note in this country.

It’s a different story in other countries where circular walks seem to be de rigeur. In the Alps there’s the Tour de Mont Blanc; in the Andes there’s the Torres del Paine circuit; and in the Himalayas is the Annapurna Circuit. But there doesn’t seem to be any great, British, long distance walks that go round in circles. At least there aren’t any famous ones that spring to mind.

I did do a little digging and found a few fantastic, short distance circular walks. But they are all half-day hikes at the most and not great national trails that would inspire multi-day adventures. Surely someone could map together some multi-day circular trails around the Lakes, the Scottish Highlands or Snowdonia National Park.

After a lot of hunting around, I finally found an exciting circular walk - the Isle of Arran Coastal Way. It’s a bit of a cheat because it is a walk around the edge of an island, which is circular by nature. But being in Scotland, the 100km route does take you through some classic mountainous landscapes, as well along forest trails, rugged coastlines and deserted beaches. It’s not famous yet but the novelty of a long-distance circular walk means it deserves to be in the category of great British walks.

Ordnance Survey is a great British institution. Established in 1791 to map southern England for defence purposes, Ordnance Survey has been the BIG name in mapping ever since. Its maps not only served the military but were also used for commercial purposes, and eventually for leisure. Hikers have been using Ordnance Survey maps to find walking routes ever since recreational walking became popular. The ubiquitous, orange, fold-out Explorer maps have been the companion of trekkers for decades.

Today, Ordnance Survey is leading a technological revolution with its digital mapping service for electronic route finders, mobile phones and map websites. Its own website is packed with free resources including a useful walking route finder. You just type in a village or town where you want to go walking and the finder returns a list of walks pinpointed on its highly detailed maps. The walks are suggested by fellow walking enthusiasts so you always know they are tried and tested walking routes.

There are loads of great websites in cyberspace and they all suggest great walking routes. But the reliability and trustworthiness of Ordnance Survey and the detail of the mapping means you can really assess the worthiness of a walk before you embark on a walking route.

The trouble with hiking backpacks is that it’s always easier and more pleasant to walk without them. The freedom of hiking sometimes feels hampered by all the equipment we deem necessary to take with us nowadays. For ease of walking, freedom of movement and simplicity, it’s better to hit the trail without a backpack.

But if you’re going for a walk longer than a few hours, a rucksack starts to become a necessity. As well as carrying food and drink, waterproofs and a map, a backpack becomes a safety item for long walks into isolated areas. It enables you to carry first aid kits and warm clothes in case of accidents, and GPS devices to ensure you don’t get lost.

And now there are some very comfortable, lightweight backpacks on the market, you can enjoy the best of both worlds and retain manoeuvrability while carrying essential items. As long as you don’t pack anything excessively heavy, you might even forget it is there.

Is there any such thing as a windproof jacket? Surely if it’s howling a gale outside, even the most robust materials will not protect you from the chilling wind. Not so according to Ronhill, which produces performance sportswear for runners. Its running jackets are super lightweight with new Windlite™ fabric to prevent the chill factor on the trail. Windproof jackets are especially beneficial to runners and cyclists as they stop their sweaty bodies becoming cold and uncomfortable in the wind. Salomon produces a highly technical Windstopper™ Jacket precisely for this purpose.

But windproof properties are also used in walking jackets for the same reasons. Imagine climbing to the top of a mountain to be penetrated by a biting wind which attacks your core body temperature. It doesn’t bear thinking about. Most manufacturers of hiking jackets will combine waterproofing, breathability and wind proofing to produce multi-functional jacket that protects you from the elements. The Mountain Equipment G2 Alpine Jacket is one such coat – its Windstopper Soft Shell offers ‘total’ protection from the wind. The Mountain Hardwear Escape Jacket offers similar protection due to its Goretex Performance Shell material.

Whether or not they are 100% windproof, there’s no doubt that they substantially eliminate the bite from a bracing breeze. For anyone who walks regularly in the UK, this is a handy piece of kit to have.

There are some wonderfully technical men’s waterproof jackets on the market. These are coats built for extreme conditions, whether they are encountered on exposed mountainsides or on stormy seas. I’m not sure if many of the men buying these jackets will ever experience the conditions the coats are designed for. But they are nonetheless impressive for their extreme attributes, even if they only get used on low level walking routes.

Take the Paramo Aspira Mountaineering Jacket for instance. With integral features such as Nikwax Analogy fabric, non-rub reversed zips, fully adjustable hood to fit over helmets, ‘Fast Access’ chest pocket , articulated shoulders and sleeves and upper arm vents, it is a highly technical jacket for harsh environments.

Then there’s the Mountain Equipment Changabang Waterproof Jacket. This state-of-the-art, hard wearing, lightweight jacket has a Gore-Tex 3 Layer Pro Shell with exceptional breathable waterproof properties. This coat also features centralised pockets that won’t get in the way of a harness, and cooling under armpit vents. It has an active cut with articulated sleeves, removable snow skirt and a single arm pocket for a GPS.

The Berghaus Fortitude Jacket has many similar features: Gore-Tex 3 Layer Pro Shell, core body venting, full helmet compatibility and articulated sleeves. But it has the added benefits of ripstop nylon fabric for added tear strength, a smooth weave nylon for abrasion resistance and water shedding and reflective sleeves and hood for high visibility. The Fortitude is a highly durable, technical mountaineering jacket.

All three are serious coats for serious conditions. Yet, despite their hefty price tags I expect I’ll see them worn by some ‘extreme men’ on the local footpaths and walking routes. Oh well, at least they’ll be safe and dry!

Going away overnight on a walking trip takes some planning. It’s that old-age dilemma of what to take on a hiking adventure. Do you travel light and stay in a hotel? I think in the current economic climate that is a bit of a luxury. So do you sleep out in the open? It’s November, so sleeping out will be chilly and a bit damp to say the least. If you’re serious about stepping out on a walking overnighter It would be better to get yourself some protection and take either a lightweight hiking tent or a one man tent.

There’s an amazing amount of choice when it comes to one man tents to go hiking with. Obviously the first consideration is the weight. The aim is to find a tent that weighs in at under 1kg. These are few and far between but if you get a featherweight one man tent it will make hiking trips much more comfortable and appealing. I’ve just discovered a new kind of one man tent from Nemo. The US company has created a line of tents built with its own AirSupported Technology™, which means they have inflatable frames. As there are no poles it is faster and easier to set up, and sturdier and more aerodynamic in high winds. They also pack much smaller and are lighter than traditional tents. Its Gogo one man tent weighs just 860g and is a design masterpiece. It sounds like the perfect overnight hiking tool – a shelter from the elements that’s so light it’s no hassle to carry around. If I had one of these I wouldn’t want to stay in a hotel anyway!

I had no idea what a prolific writer Ray Mears is. We’re so used to seeing him on TV in his survival programmes, that it’s easy to forget that Ray Mears has produced countless books on bushcraft and wilderness ways. He writes about the things he is passionate about such as wild food, survival skills and childhood heroes. He likes to tell the stories of people who have survived against all the odds and hiked vast distances to safety.

In his book The Real Heroes of Telemark, he tells the story of how, in 1943, four men parachuted onto a Norwegian glacier, equipped with only the most basic equipment in an attempt to prevent the Nazi regime from building an atomic bomb. Ray Mears tells of their gruelling campaign, showing how these men’s bushcraft skills in extreme conditions influenced the outcome of World War II.

In another book Ray Mears Goes Walkabout, Ray Mears ventures into the Australian backpack to examine the bushcraft skills of the Aborigines who would walk alone for months at a time as part of their rites of passage. In this book Ray Mears shares some of his bushcraft discoveries as he journeys into the wilds of Australia with its amazing variety of natural habitats, rich indigenous cultures and tales of exploration and survival.

Although Ray Mears does not write about walking directly, the lessons he teaches are about bushcraft and survival, and appreciation of nature, which are skills we can all take with us on the trail whether we are walking in a distant wilderness or closer to home.