WHW preparation

[neilwood]

Relatively unfit but have been talked into possibly walking the WHW in June for charity.

Any tips for me other than get out and walk?

[Border Reiver]

Get fit first & don't try to blitz the walk in a few days - it's a great walk, so take your time and enjoy it.
We took 8 days, but were in our late 50's. We met a young Edinburgh lad near Inversnaid who had been "talked into it" and tried to walk too far. It was his first real walk and with no training, his knees had gone and he was almost crawling - and his "mates" had left him. We helped him to his campsite and he was going to catch the next bus home.
Also at the Inversnaid hotel, we met a group with big rucksacks who had done too much and their feet were badly blistered, with strips of skin peeling off, leaving deep wounds. We gave them as much first compeed as we could spare.
Good luck and enjoy it.

[Rudolph]

Make sure your boots are well broken in. In my experience boots that are comfy as slippers can give bad blisters when you carry weight.

Are you camping?

If so, it's worth packing a rucksac with the gear you will be carrying and practise walking all day with that. Also practise walking out to an overnight camp and then back the next day. You'll find out if your pack is usable or if you need to get some lighter weight gear. You'll also find out what works and what doesn't food, clothes and camping gear wise. Everyone works in a differnt way so find out what works for you.

[nzt2011]

As above it depends if you are camping or using a baggage transfer. If camping strip it down to the very lightest of gear, you'll be thankful for every KG you can get out the bag!!

Break in your boots big time, walk everywhere you can in them, shops etc...

When the big day comes, MAKE SURE YOU COMPEDE YOUR FEET BEFORE YOU START....not when the first blister comes along.

[Circles]

Try to identify any longish sections of bitumen and take trainers or similar for that section...Hiking boots are often quite hard on the feet for these types of surfaces
Compeed...whoever invented it deserves a Nobel Prize

[lochussie]

I would consider wearing waterproof approach shoes, or even running shoes, rather than boots.

[walk aboot]

I started doing a long-distance path every year a few years ago. I soon learned that walking boots are unsuitable for this - wear walking trainers the whole time and you'll be blister free .

Also, use the cheap and reliable baggage transfer service. Carrying too much weight with a large rucksack would be big ouch

[robertphillips]

Walk aboot

4 of us are going to do whw late april, we are all going to wear hillwalking trainers, are any of the sections really wet this early in the season.

[Caberfeidh]

Walk aboot

4 of us are going to do whw late april, we are all going to wear hillwalking trainers, are any of the sections really wet this early in the season.

YES. And muddy. Perhaps even snowy at that time, you never know. Or it could be blistering sunshine and midgies. Welcome to Scotchlandland.

[neilwood]

Thanks for the replies.

Think we are going to use the baggage services. Also not going to try camping - prefer the chance to get a decent nights sleep.

Will be using boots that have a decent amount of wear on them (but a long way of falling to bits). Also going to take a pair of approach shoes to give my feet a break on the lighter days.

Am going to slowly build my walks up from 1 hr a few times a week to (eventually) a couple of 15-20 mile days at a weekend.

[Border Reiver]

I would consider wearing waterproof approach shoes, or even running shoes, rather than boots.

Best of luck with that if you do






Our WHW walk was in early May - statistically the driest time of year.

Whatever the weather, it's fun.

[neilwood]

Think boots will definitely be in the overall kit so if it looks anything like rain that day, they will be worn in preference to the shoes. And will have gaiters as well for added security.

[Caberfeidh]

Excellent pics - looks like thigh-length rubber fisherman's waders would be the thing to wear!

[Border Reiver]

:lol: Excellent pics - looks like thigh-length rubber fisherman's waders would be the thing to wear!

You're not far wrong. It rained every day for 8 days (sometimes all day). At the swamp in the top pic, we watched as a woman tried to retrieve her trainer from the mud and ended up getting her socks muddy as well. Her husband was in stitches, some way uphill & she was in a right strop. Once our boots got wet, they never dried out all the walk, even in drying rooms. I was one of only a few whose waterproofs (Keela) didn't let water in. My wife's brand new Lowe Alpine one did, but the shop replaced it.

[The Hairy Hiker]

I have to agree with the approach shoes. But don't go for waterproof.Yeah waterproof is great at keeping the water out. But if water gets in them its also great at keeping water in. Go for a lightweight like inov8's and sealskin socks.

I have done it twice once in boots and once in inov8's. The inov8's won hands down and the weather was absolutely bogging to boot.

Have fun

The Hairy Hiker