There’s something uniquely satisfying about lacing up a pair of walking boots, shouldering a pack and hiking up solo from the valley floor to the summit of a mountain and back down again, all under your own steam. The boom in outdoor leisure, fuelled by social media, has seen many explore the mountains for the first time, and hiking continues to be the most accessible way to enjoy being immersed in the world’s wildest landscapes, with all of the benefits that this brings.
As Tom Carrick, mountain safety officer for the British Mountaineering Council (which represents both hill walkers and climbers) says: “It’s so good for your physical health, your mental health and your social health, and we want to encourage people to safely come into the mountains, whether it’s your first time, or your 600th time.”
It’s never been easier to hop on a plane and tackle official, well-publicised long-distance trails, such as Corsica’s G20, which goes the length of the country and is known as “Europe’s toughest trail”, or the Swiss Alps’ Haute Route that takes you days deep into remote, high-altitude areas. Or to catch a train and take on iconic British challenges, such as scrambling up the knife-edge arête of Crib Goch in Snowdonia National Park, or hiking up Ben Nevis.
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Just as with anything truly worthwhile, there are significant risks associated with being in the mountains, and there have been some recent tragic stories of solo or small-group hikers getting into trouble in challenging terrain. Conditions can change abruptly at altitude, where a lack of appropriate equipment and key knowledge can quickly lead to a survival situation.
If this is all starting to sound a bit grim, then know that there are a host of solo adventurers, like Cotswold Outdoor ambassador and author Jamie Ramsay, who have made a rewarding career from overcoming obstacles and challenges in the outdoors: “Every hike I have been on has presented something that has tested me and I have learnt so much over the years. Solo hiking is exhilarating but it doesn’t need to be unsafe,” says Ramsay, who who has run across Iceland…
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