Most hikers hook up with other people when they go out for a walk. But some prefer to go it alone and head out to the hills in search of solace and solitude. I fall somewhere between the two. I usually hit the hiking trails with my family or friends but every so often I like to stride out on my own. Going solo is great for exercise as you can go at your own pace; it’s also great for covering long distances as you don’t have to stop while group members rest, take photos or change layers. You’re your own man; you can go where you want, when you want.

However, long distance walking alone can be a lonely experience. Without a companion to talk to or share experiences with, you really do feel the sensation of isolation. A lot of people enjoy this freedom and independence, which is why they go it alone in the first place. I too like the solitude of a going solo sometimes. But sometimes I need something to fill the vacuum left by the absence of a hiking companion.

Just recently I’ve taken to carrying an MP3 player on the trail with me. Not only does it fill the void of loneliness, it creates an interesting soundtrack to a walk. Instead of quashing the sensations of back-country walking, good music seems to awaken the senses. I actually seem to notice more with music pumping in my ears – it’s as if the trees, birds, cows, clouds and grass are playing along with the tunes or participating in a live music video. Of course, the choice of music can make or break the atmosphere of a walk but for combating loneliness music is a great tool.

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.

I’ve just discovered a fantastic site for hikers. Walking Stories is a site for people to share walking experiences and learn about new places to walk. With route descriptions, experiences and tales from all over the world, a visit to this online community is a must for anyone who enjoys trekking.

The site features all sorts of walking stories, from mountain hikes and countryside trails, to easy walks through towns and cities. Stories cover all four corners of the globe from the USA to China and Spain to Peru. Closer to home there are some quality stories about walking in Scotland. Looking for walks in my area, I found an account of a couple who had walked from Fistral Beach in Newquay to Crantock, crossing the Gannel estuary.

It’s easy to browse through the site, country by country, reminiscing about all the places I’ve walked in the world. The site also has a great gallery section so I can see what it’s like to walk in the places I haven’t managed to get to yet.

All in all, it’s an entertaining website and a wonderful resource for the hikers and trekkers among us.

Hikers are a hardy, independent bunch. Yes, there are walking groups and rambling clubs but people generally walk alone, as a couple or with a small group of friends. So the idea of taking a guided walk would be anathema to most trekkers. Surely, a guide would take a lot of the adventure and spontaneity out of going for a walk.

But when I started thinking about it, I realised there are various advantages for guided walks. First, there’s the companionship of walking with a like-minded person and safety of walking with someone else. Then there’s the simple fact that the guide knows exactly where he or she is going, which eliminates the possibility of getting lost. They’re also likely to have an exceptional knowledge of the local area, so you will get to see parts of the countryside you would not be likely to see otherwise, plus they will point out special flora and fauna, and historical points of interest. Lastly, a guide walks all the time and is likely to push you as far as you can go within your own abilities.

I don’t think guided walks will become regular occurrences in my life. I’d almost always prefer to keep things personal when I pop out for a stroll or visit some of my favourite trails. But when I go trekking in a new area or country, especially in mountainous or wilderness areas I think the pros of taking a guide would far outweigh the cons. I may well give it a go.

We are off to New Zealand in a few months and I have to start a rigorous training regime to get fit. Too many weeks of DIY on my new house and eating any food I can get my hands on are starting to take their toll. As my waistline grows, so does my resolve to start getting back outdoors to get fit for New Zealand. I’ll be carrying my two year old daughter so I need to be strong to cope with 12kg of weight. 12kg doesn’t sound like much, but it can start to bear down a little as she tends to lean to one side so she can look over my shoulder at what’s going on.

We have had three kiddy carriers since she was born. The first one was the Baby Bjorn Active carrier. This was great. Very comfy, if a little cumbersome to get on. But once in place she was happy as Larry and we whiled away many an hour hiking with her nestled against me. When she grew out of that on we upgraded to the MacPac Possum. I did buy it second hand and it was relatively comfy until one of the straps snapped after a few weeks. After that one died, I spent some time perusing the internet and found the Bush Baby Elite. This seemed like the all-singing-all-dancing child carrier. It had a rain cover, mosquito protection/sunshade as well as lots of pockets, a detachable day pack, a mirror (so I could see her smiling face behind me) and a whole host of features. It took a bit of messing about with it to get it comfortable. There are lots of pull straps and cords to sort out so that it fits you comfortably. It’s OK.

Anyway, I’ll have to lug her about when we are away so it’s very important that I get fit. I think I might have to invest in some walking poles too, so I don’t totally destroy my knees!

Heading out for a few days hike in the UK is a pretty tame affair. Of course, you have to make sure the weather won’t be too treacherous and that you have something like a Mckenzie jacket in case conditions change, but at least we don’t have to worry about wild animals. Years ago, when I hiked in Canada, you had to go and register with the Parks Canada rangers before you headed out on anything longer than a few hours. This wasn’t so they could keep tabs on you big brother style, but was a precaution. If you (for some awful reason) failed to deregister on your return, they would send out a search party for you. There was a whole host of animals waiting out there to try and cut your hike short.

Everyone who entered the various parks in the Rockies were given leaflets on what to do if a black bear attacks (play dead) or if a grizzly bear attacks (punch him on the nose – how?!). I understand the information has changed slightly since then, but throughout the Rockies, the mantra was to try not to surprise a bear. They said that we should talk or sing loudly whilst walking so that bears had good notice of your impending arrival and had plenty of time to scarper. I think we managed to sing the entire back catalogue of the 80’s when we were hiking. Not that there was any need. I’m sure the bears would have heard the rustling of our Mckenzie jackets for miles off.

While it is rare to come across a bear, elks on the other hand, can be seen pretty much everywhere. They look like pretty deer grazing on the side of the road, but catch an elk in rutting season, or a female protecting her young and they can slice your belly open from throat to navel. A Parks Canada ranger told us this information with relish. Maybe we should ditch those Mckenzie jackets. Scare stories abound. We had a three hour ride with a guy who picked us up and filled us with as many animal horror stories as he could. Thank God it was at the end of our trip in the Rockies and not at the beginning or we would never have stepped out of our tent – or slept in one for that matter. So the next time you go hiking in the UK, don’t scream when you see an adder – things could be a lot worse. Oh, and here it’s perfectly fine to wear your Mckenzie jacket without fear of attack!

I’ve been thinking recently about the whole deal of hiking with children. For some it is a kind of torture with incessant “I’m bored”, “I hate this” or “I want to go home” followed by crying. While others have kids who can’t wait to get their walking boots on and look up adoringly with big smiles as they climb a 30 degree hill in the driving rain.

I’m hoping that my own daughter will turn out to be the latter. At just under two she loves coming out for a walk with Daddy, but that’s usually because I’m carrying her the whole way in a back-pack. She gets to point out cows, sheep, birds etc and even go to sleep to the rocking motion as I walk.
We have a trip to New Zealand booked so I’m seriously thinking about getting her some waterproof hiking boots. She’s getting heavier by the day, so I’d like her to do some of the walking on our holiday otherwise I’ll come back home as skinny as a rake with legs the size of Arnold Schwarzenegger. I’m not sure that shops sell waterproof hiking boots in baby size 5, but I hope they do.

Maybe I’ll also get her nursery to give her a crash course on orienteering or ask them to teach her how to use a handheld GPS. I wonder if you can get the GPS to play music from Teletubbies too? Now that would be a handy gadget for walking with kids.

Often the best camping adventures are the ones that are most challenging. This is definitely the case for one of the most scenic I have ever stayed at. While on a trip across the Canada, my girlfriend and I tackled a number of multi-day walks in the Rocky Mountains. It was on this trip that we stayed at the Takakkaw Falls Campground in Yoho National Park.

This is no ordinary campsite. It sits at the foot of the Emerald Glacier, on Yoho River, at high altitude almost at the tree line. To get there we took a succession of buses and hitchhike rides from Lake Louise as we made our way up the winding route to this glacial campsite.

But it was well worth the effort as we were lucky enough to get a pitch at the water’s edge with outstanding views of Takakkaw Falls, which cascade 380 metres into the river coloured turquoise because of the mineral deposits of the melting glacier.

If this campground was a house it would be considered prime real estate, yet we were staying there with uninhibited views of the Alpine vista for a couple a dollars a night. It was one of those places that you could stay for forever… if it wasn’t for the cold air coming off the glacier!

With so many amazing places to go hiking around the world, it’s difficult to know where to start. Everyone dreams of tackling a long-distance trail at some point in their lives; some people make it their life’s task to tick off as many as possible. For those in search of a little inspiration, here’s my walking trail wish list.

The Coast to Coast, England

This 190-mile trail tackles some challenging terrain over the Pennines between the North Sea and the Irish Sea. It’s a great way to see some of England’s finest scenery though the North Yorks Moors, the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District.

Torres del Paine, Chile

Glaciers, lakes, rugged mountains and steep rock towers are on offer in this national park in the Chilean Andes of Patagonia.

Appalachian Trail, USA

This monster of a trail runs for 2,175 miles between Georgia and Maine in eastern USA. Those who have tackled it have been rewarded with pristine backcountry scenery and wildlife.

Haute Route, The Alps

This traverse amid some of Europe’s highest mountains flits between France and Switzerland on this trek from Chamonix to Zermatt. High points on the High Route include fantastic views of the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.

Annapurna Circuit, Nepal

This introduction to Himalayan hiking is a 185-mile circular route with views of some of the highest mountains in the world, scaling heights of 5,300 metres on the Thorung La Pass.












South West Coast Path, England

The jewel of English long-distance trails follows the coast for 600 miles from Minehead to Poole through Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset.

Milford Track, New Zealand

There’s a long waiting list to get a pass to walk New Zealand’s best known tramping trail. But number limitation is justified in this wilderness of ancient forests, high mountains and deep fjords.

The Inca Trail, Peru

The trail of the Gods to Machu Pichu is a challenging multi-day hike through the high Andes, which unfortunately can now only be undertaken as part of a guided group.