Not Quite Hiking

Our Favourite Hikes in 2019

This year has been a fun filled year of adventures all over the country. We had a few holidays, made lots of new friends and stayed active and outdoors for most weekends of the year. I have compiled a list of our favourite hikes of 2019. Why not have a read and tell me what your favorite is?

Our Favourite Hikes in 2019

January

Mam Tor- The Peak District

Our first Hikerkidz meet was in January, and so our little community of hiking children across the UK was born. We were joined by other families who shared the same interests and benefits of getting outside. We had a very windy, but enjoyable day out at the base of Mam Tor and to the landslip.

February

Solomons Temple – Buxton

Snow fell and covered Buxton with wonderfully fresh powder. We took our sleds up to the temple and found a large hill to power down. The kids had an absolute blast and the pictures look as though we were skiing in the alps!

March

Old Man of Coniston

March was a fantastic month for getting out and about, and our Lake District virginity was broken with a wild camp on the Old Man of Coniston. We hiked up to the summit, then grabbed our tents and walked halfway back up for a cold but fun night under the stars. The Lakes are truly beautiful and the scenery is outstanding. We caught the bug for wild camping and achieved another camp later on in the year.

April

Luds Church

Hikerkidz 2 happened. We met at Luds Church and 12 children ran around happily in the middle of the Peak District. We made new friends and explored the beauty of Luds Church and the secrets that lie inside. A wonderful walk that should be taken by any walker, big or small.

May

Cornwall

May is a hard month to choose from, as we had a holiday in Cornwall, with lots of places that we explored. Ultimately, I think the coastal walk from Hayle to St Ives was the best as we took in so much from the journey. We walked with our parents and the kids while completing a Treasure Trail map which kept us entertained on our stroll. Cornwall is beautiful and there are so many hidden beaches left for us to explore.

June

Higger tor

Another wild camp this month, at Higger Tor in the peak district for Wild Night Out. A campaign where as many people as possible sleep under the stars for a night. So much fun and we got to hone our wild camping skills a bit more!

July

Snowdonia for adults!

Myself and Dicky took ourselves to Snowdonia for a night as my mom took the kids to the beach. We camped at Llyn Gwynant campsite and took a leisurely stroll up Snowdon the day after. As we had no children, we made it in good time and the views were magnificent from the top. A lovely adult day to connect with each other as husband and wife.

August

Cat Bells

The Lake District gave us a home for a few days and we crammed in as much as we could. Finley tested his new snorkel at Ennerdale Water and we went paddle boarding with Lake District Paddle Boarding. (Highly recommend if you ever want to attempt it). Our best hike was Catbells with cascading views of the valleys around Derwent water.

September

Get Outside Day

We took a HikerKidz meet and combined it with National GetOutside day. We led a group around Chee Dale in the Peak District and got absolutely soaked! The Monsal Trail Tunnels gave us shelter from the rain to have our lunch and we made some new friends along the way.

October

Plas Y Brenin

Another small holiday took us to Wales for a long weekend. We explored coastal paths then stopped off near to Moel Siabod and had a stroll around there. Classic welsh forests and mountain views were gawped at, as we made our way around a small 2 mile route. Just enough to burn off the over indulgences from our holiday!

November

Loughrigg Fell and Rydal Water

If you are ever in the Lakes,you must visit Rydal Caves. Man made holes dominate an area next to Rydal water and lure you in via the stepping stones. There are thousands of small fish to be fed and near to the cave, a trig point to be found. Loughrigg Fell is a great walk, slightly steep in places, but the views make up for that!

December

HikerKidz 5

We ended the year with another Hikerkidz meet at Mam Tor. An iconic hill in the Peak District is an easy one for all ages. The weather gods blessed us with sunshine and low winds which really helped keep spirits up. 22 children turned up with their parents and we all had a good stroll along the ridge line. The kids mingled, laughed and rolled their way along! A fantastic day out which will surely be repeated in the new year.

What has been your best hike of 2019?

10 Comments

  1. Looks like you have had a brilliant year of adventures! Some brilliant walks there. Cat Bells is one of Rowan’s absolute favourites.

    It’s so hard to choose a favourite, but I think, maybe, Goat Fell on the Isle of Arran is my favourite for this year. Not got round to writing it up yet, but was gorgeous. And watching Rowan get excited about his scramble to the top as I huffed and puffed behind him was just brilliant.

    Thanks for sharing with #AdventureCalling

    1. Thank you for reading. I will look out for your post as I haven’t made my mind up where we will stay in Scotland. Arran looks very appealing.

  2. All a wonderful set of adventures, I love the look of the Cornwall one, I may be a little biased on that one, and the snow filled one. Happy New Year and I hope you have many more family hikes to come #CountryKids

  3. Some amazing hikes there, we’ve done a few of them, but I have jotted down some new ideas for us this year. It’s always great to look back and see what you’ve done, here’s to a great year of adventuring ahead! Thanks so much fro sharing with us #AdventureCalling

  4. I love the sound of your HikerKidz group – what a brilliant way of getting out and about with other families. So many beautiful places to go on a hike too. Love the snowy fun in Buxton in February. It really does look like you could have taken that photo in the Alps. The view from the top of Snowdon is absolutely stunning and Rydal Caves looks like a fascinating place to explore. Thank you for sharing all your favourite hikes from the year with #CountryKids

    1. Thank you for reading. Doesn’t snow change the whole feel of a place?! We could have been anywhere but the UK!

  5. There are so many stunning places in the UK and I’d love to visit quite a few of the ones you’ve mentioned here. Hopefully we’ll be able to tick off at least one of either Lake District, Peak District, Cornwall or Wales before the end of 2020… Fingers crossed! x #CountryKids

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