10 TIPS FOR DESIGNING A WALK
What’s the difference between a good longdistance walk, and a great long-distance walk? A walk is a story. And a good one needs as much plotting as an Agatha Christie. A story needs a climax. Guess what? The climax should be at the end. This could mean doing Wainwright’s Coast to Coast westwards towards the Lake District, instead of away from it. Almost as important, the anticlimax: the quiet steps to the finish. After two weeks along the Cape Wrath Trail, the easy clifftop day to Cape Wrath is just perfect. After 10 days across the Highlands, the 30 miles of agriculture out to the east coast is less so. Don’t even mention the West Highland Way’s road walk into Fort William…
Jeopardy. Any scriptwriter will tell you it’s essential – whether that’s rattlesnakes, or midges, or map-reading a high moorland. So wander up-river to Loch Avon, sleep at the Shelter Stone, and wonder just which of the 1100m Cairngorm mountains we’re going to get out of here over. It’s a trick that works even better ten days later, when we wander into Loch Coruisk for a necessary exit across the jaggy Cuillin ridge. Suspense means something you’re not quite sure you can do. The big river at the other edge of Rannoch Moor, or the tidal mudflats to Holy Island on St Cuthbert’s Way, or the 3000m glacier pass high above Zermatt on the Tour of Monte Rosa. Disappointingly, the glacier turned out to be an easy ski piste. But by that time we’d already enjoyed the days of uncertainty leading up to it. Misery and the possibility of failure: doesn’t every story need a bit of villainy? So plan for that by thinking even more about the fallbacks. Gales kept me off the Cairngorm plateau – for one of the best days ever, below the stormblast in the ancient pines of Rothiemurchus. Dare to dream and get creative. And may your every walk story have a happy ending. 10 TIPS FOR DESIGNING A WALK
1. Think what is most important to you on your walk. Hills or valleys? Wild places and/or somewhere to eat and drink regularly? Wild camping or campsites? Occasional B&B/ hostel/hotel? Or all the above!
2. Considera theme – we have had TGO Challenge routes that seek out ancient sites, battle grounds, aircraft wreckages or just places to swim. Other people simply string together a few places they really want to visit.
3. Take inspiration from others. There are plenty of bloggers out there, particularly among the Challenge community (www. tgochallenge.co.uk/challengers-blogsand- photos/) but remember this is your route, so make it your own.
4. Think about where you will start and finish – are they accessible by public transport? Is there a pub or café to provide a celebratory pint or cream tea when you finish?
5. Let the map talk to you! Physical maps you can spread out have an advantage here over digital ones. Start with a big scale map and mark the places you want to go then swap to a 1:50,000 map to work out the detail. Quite often how you will link them will jump out at you.
6. You might find some of your chosen places just don't fit - so save them for another time.
7. There’s a good reason why we request Foul Weather Alternatives (FWAs) to Challengers’ high-level walking routes. If you are planning to stick to tops and ridges, what will you do if the weather intervenes? Make sure you have an FWA that you will enjoy – remember it can be a ‘Feeling Weary Alternative‘ too – and don’t be too proud to use it.
8. Don’t over-plan. It is tempting to research every step but you risk losing the sense of adventure. When you turn a corner and find a stunning waterfall or the perfect pitch, it is all the more special when it is a surprise.
9. Scattering a few easier days in your route allows you time to recuperate and enjoy the delights of a proper bath or shower as well as resupplying.
10. process. A good route takes time to evolve. If you’re not happy with part of it, come back after a few days and look again – you’ll probably see a solution you couldn’t see before. This is what wet winter evenings were made for!
sources: The Great Outdoors, July 2018
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