|
Walking Kit
These are not school trips. You are all grown
up and don’t need a bossy walk leader looking after you like a Head Master.
Use your own judgement, bearing in mind the time of year, weather, your
fitness levels and difficulty of the walks.
The items in red are deemed essential. If you
get cold, wet, tired, hungry or blistered then it spoils your enjoyment &
safety and that of the whole group, who then have to listen to my patronising
“I told you so” voice.
Most events are in very remote areas with no
petrol stations, shops or cash machines for miles. So bring plenty of fuel,
cash and food.
Be ready and punctual for meal times and
start of walks, please don't keep the group waiting shopping, making
sandwiches or faffing about with walking kit. Prepare the night before. Thank
you!
Indoor Equipment
What is included:-
- Separate Male or Female bunk bed
dorms for our use only.
- Off suite toilet, shower,
self-catering kitchen, dining areas.
- Duvet, pillow, sheet &
heating but no towels.
- £3 per night non YHA member fee
because we have a group YHA membership card.
What is not included:-
- Breakfast, lunch and evening
meals.
- Milk, Coffee, Tea & Drinks.
- Towel & toiletries.
Someone always forgets one of these items.
Please don’t forget them:-
- Towel (YHA do not
provide towels but you can rent them).
- YHA membership card if you have
one
- Toothbrush, toiletries and any
medication like asthma inhalers.
- Cash, petrol, packed
lunch, drinks and snacks (There are no petrol stations, shops or
cash machines for mile in remote areas).
- Phone, camera and chargers.
- Some casuals clothing and
sleepwear for the evenings.
- Ear plugs - if you are a light
sleeper and not used to sleeping in a dorm.
- Booze (Be discrete as you are not
supposed to consume your own alcohol on some YHA premises. However,
anything goes outdoors.)
What not to bring-
Outdoor Equipment
 Winter walking is
great fun if you come dressed properly and your boots can grip the ice.
The weather can be very different between the
start and the summit, and can change quickly and dramatically over the course
of the day. Don't rely on a good forecast or sunshine in the morning - always
come prepared for the weather to turn nasty. Remember that several thinner
layers will keep you warmer and drier than one thick layer, and you can vary
how many layers you wear & carry because thin layers pack easily into a
rucksack whereas a thick one does not.
Recommended kit:-
- Minimum of 1.5L water
bottle or platypus (I carry twice that)
- Fully charged head LED
torch (not
hand held).
- Thermos hot or cold drinks.
- Food, snacks and extra
snacks (recommend jelly babies, wine gums,
chocolate and cereal bars)
- Waterproof walking boots
(wear new boots in before a big walk)
- Waterproof jacket with
hood.
- Waterproof trousers.
- Walking socks (spares
recommended).
- Thick warm waterproof
ski type gloves (recommend additional liners and a
spare pair).
- Walking boot ice spikes
(see
ebay for Kahtoola Micro-spikes chunky chains
not the pathetic Nano-spikes).
- Walking poles.
- Hat
in the cooler months. Sunhat in sunny months.
- Buffs
are very versatile as neck scarfs, caps, balaclavas and hair bands.
- Waterproof
rucksack.
- Trousers that will dry quickly (avoid
jeans)
- Layers
e.g. wicking base layer, fleece, shell jacket (avoid cottons).
- Sun
glasses (even in winter).
- Sun
cream and midge insect repellent in summer months.
- Whistle.
- Winter car tyres and spade.
- Most importantly bring a Sense Of Humour
You might also want to bring:-
- Gaiters, if rain or mud are
likely.
- Handwarmers.
- Basic first aid kit including
blister plasters, paracetamol and ibuprofen.
- Sunglasses and suntan lotion in
sunny weather.
- Survival bag.
- Map, waterproof case and compass.
- Mini dry bag pouches (really
handy for packing clothing small inside your rucksack)
Remember
if you buy cheap then you tend to buy twice and if you Join Ramblers you can
get up to 15% discount on outdoor equipment.
Fitness Levels
These
events are on some of the highest, remotest and most difficult mountain
routes in the country. They are fantastic!
We
really welcome beginners, we will support you and we don’t expect you to rush
first time. We were all newbies once.
If
you are young, healthy and do some practice walks, running or cycling and
bring the proper food and equipment you will be fine, and will get better
very quickly with practice.
However,
if you have underlying health issues or make no effort to prepare then you
will spoil the whole enjoyment of the group.
Avoid silly mistakes
This is meant as a tongue in cheek fun
reminder of silly mistakes:-
- Lost property – then having the
whole group waste time searching for your mobile phone.
- Arriving late for walks &
meal times - especially if you oversleep (we must start promptly for
daylight hours and restaurant table bookings).
- Forgetting items on the list of
things to bring - particularly waterproofs, gloves, head torch, towel,
toothbrush and enough to eat and drink.
- Asking questions already on the
FAQs (Frequent Asked Questions).
- Splinter groups - please ask the
leader before leaving slower new members. Remember we are a friendly
team and you were new once.
|
