UKC

I'm keen to introduce my toddler (3 years old) to hillwalking and have started by taking him on short flat walks in the Yorkshire countryside. How and when did you start getting them onto the hills without putting them off for life and any tips for keeping them moving (chocolate buttons are the current method).

In reply to jadm2:

Allow LOTS of time. We frequently do treasure hunts, so we don't just give our daughter the chocolate buttons - we stick them on a rock, or a fence post, or something, and then give her a clue where to look. M&Ms are great for this (wipe clean). Geocaches en-route are also good.

My daughter made it up Loughrigg (just), aged 3, via the cave, and then Catbells aged 4. I did have to carry her pretty much all the way down Loughrigg, and also down the steep bits off Catbells!

We took her for a short walk up Todd Crag from Ambleside with a friend this year - we gave them walkie talkies, and radioed them to tell them where to look for 'treasure' (M&Ms). They had a great time.

In reply to jadm2:

Yes, motivation is everything. Easter eggs hunts are a favourite here - all year round!

It's the flat(ish) stuff mine find boring - a steep up, particularly if it has (easy) scrambly bits, is far less of a problem. And they turn into lunatic fellrunners on the way down. But they've always had some hills in their walks, we live in Cumbria....

Both of them have really taken off and started walking much longer distances about 4 and a half.

In reply to jadm2: I was dragged out walking in the local Peak District and by 4 could manage 13 miles.

As Carolyn says flat walks are boring. Lots of scrambling makes things fun, and generally the rougher the terrain the better.

Kids use up loads of energy so yes sweets are not only a good bribe but also help to keep energy levels high. promises of ice-creams also help, but they will never let you forget the long hot slog up a steep hill only to find the shop was closed.

Give them a copy of the map with the planned walk highlighted and let them do the map reading (expect take over when they get bored).

I used to love walking over the moors on a compass bearing (being small and light I never sank in as badly as my parents), Dad set the bearing and followed behind to make sure we didn't get too lost.

Natural history, geology and archaeology all break up a walk into more manageable (fun) sections and give lots of opportunities for rests in between the walking.

Another thing I loved was the fact that it didn't matter how dirty I got. I could have my clothes caked in mud and the only consequence was being sent to have a bath when I got home

In reply to jadm2:

Geocaching keeps Little Ent interested on longer walks - she's 7.

E

In reply to jadm2:
Get them interested in their surroundings. Get them looking at different leaves, see how many different ones they can find. Anything! grass, trees, flowers/plants. How many birds they can see and here. Many younger kids can here mice & shrews too!. Kids are ideally placed low to the ground and are experts for spotting insects.

In reply to jadm2:

Oh, and take them out when all the puddles are frozen, and arm them with an ice axe. Best to make sure the two children are well separated from each other as a token nod to risk assessment.....

Orienteering courses are good, too, but do tend to be low level than up the fells!

In reply to Dave Perry:

Good call - mine's got a bug book, animal tracks book and a fungus book.

E

In reply to jadm2:

Do it in nice weather.

The only 'adventurous' days out with my parents I can remember as a child seemed to be in the worst of British weather. I particularly remember one miserable day, traipsing through bogs and sheet rain to see a waterfall which we never found.

Amazing I even leave the house considering.

In reply to jadm2: But should you? My elder daughter climbed easy 4000ers with me in her teens - and the consequence was, she bounced down 1500ft whilst ice climbing in the States last year. You never know where your own good intentions will lead your children. Should have taught her something like flower painting instead.

In reply to altirando:

But even then , they could take up painting in the wild rare plants that grow high up on cliffs!

In reply to jadm2:

Started giving the camera to the boy from about 4yrs (old Olympus tough) and encouraged him to take lots of photos. Also as others have said, keep things fairly short and interesting. Scrambley terrain holds their intrest much more than the flat stuff.

Cheers Adam

In reply to butteredfrog:


Ah yes, good call - mine have both had cheap-ish camera, and taking photos (and particularly videos) is very entertaining. Afterwards, they play about with them on the iPad and make a movie trailer on iMovie with very little help. Keeps them happy on the hill, and occupied afterwards - bonus!

In reply to jadm2:

I find our son (just 4) can cope really well with going up steep stuff. You can just stand a few feet behind and all is good. Much better than boring walks on the flat. I always let him go in front so we can judge the pace, which is plenty fast enough not to get bored.

Coming down is more difficult, especially on a steep open fell. You can't really walk in front and you can't catch them if you stand behind. We have a full body harness (Edelrid Fraggle) and a short length of 9mm rope clipped in the back to use as a dog-lead if we're are walking on the top of crags etc.

I encourage him to say hello to everyone he meets. Good for the confidence and makes for a fun day. It's quite funny watching walkers get super nervous with their dogs, putting them back on leads etc. only to see Alex come over and give the dog an enthusiastic stroke/cuddle!

We did Ogwen-Cwm Idwal and back over the weekend and he was still up for scrambling on the little outcrops/boulders on the way back.

Steve