Welcome to the Our Sporting Life hiking blog. I’m Stacey and I’ve been hiking religiously since 2020. Lockdown helped me discover local trails and since then I’ve been bagging munros, Wainwrights, as many hills and mountain ridges as I can find, plus flatter trails too. I’m absolutely hooked. Most of the hiking blog posts here are written by me. I cover routes, reviews, gear and other features relating to hiking (mostly in the UK because that’s where I am). And I’m a firm believer that nobody should write about a route they haven’t done themselves. That’s why we don’t have thousands upon thousands of route reviews, but instead a smaller number of the ones we’ve done ourselves and can do into more detail on.
Sometimes, other members of our team of guest contributors may share hiking articles here too, but we only publish content on topics that the writer has experience of.
Getting caught in a thunderstorm on a mountain puts you at much greater risk of being struck by lightning than if you were at ground level. So what do you do if you get caught in a thunderstorm on a mountain as a hiker?
Annaupurna I is officially the world’s deadliest mountain. And yet hundreds have attempted to scale it. In this article, we’re rounding up the fact about the world’s most lethal mountain.
I solo hike a LOT and one of the questions I get more often than questions about routes is about personal safety when hiking alone as a woman. So here’s how I reduce risk and stay safe when hiking solo in the UK.
As someone with a chronic hiking addiction, of course I’m going to preach all about the benefits. But don’t just take my word for it. Science (yes, actual science) and people far smarter and more qualified than me have proven a ton of benefits and here are some of them.
A stunning day out hiking in Scotland with 3 munros in the Lawers range. Here’s how Beinn Glas, Ben Lawers and Meall Corranaich went on a sunny solo hiking day in Scotland.
Ben Vorlich and Stuc a’Chroin was the first hiking route I took with a new (at the time) hiking buddy. It promised two munros, some wonderful potential views and a bit of a scramble up to the Stuc a’Chroin summit. So just how did it go? Here’s the route and the review.
An Autumn walk at the Hermitage near Dunkeld in Scotland with some incredible weather, phenomenal views and two (yes two) beautiful waterfalls – here’s how an afternoon of wandering/walking/hiking at the Hermitage went.
I really miss my youngest being small enough to pop in the “bag” as I called it (or my toddler carrier), sling on my back and take him out for a walk. I just gave my hiking carrier away and he’s officially too big for any of the carriers now. But here are some of the ones I tried and my take on the best.
A strenuous hike could leave you feeling it physically for days. So if you want to cut your recovery time and get back out on
Hiking trips are typically associated with remote locations. But here are some superb suggestions for hiking destinations in spots with great night life too.
I’ve been up Ben Nevis twice and, despite there being as much footfall on that mountain path as a busy motorway services, both have been enjoyable hikes in their own way. Interested in Ben Nevis yourself? Here are a few fascinating facts about Britain’s highest mountain.
Statistics show we’re buying all sorts online. But what about your hiking boots? What are the pros and cons of going in store vs buying online?
I took a February midweek hike up Y Garn via Devil’s Kitchen (Snowdonia). The weather played ball, the views were amazing and it was a fantastic hike. Here’s the route, some photos, a review and some practical information.
I’l never get tired of banging this same drum! Hiking is the PERFECT family activity. So here’s a little bit inspiration for where to go with the family and a few tips for those venturing into hiking with the children
The Trinnacle Trail is a hiking route near Dovestone Reservoir in the Dark Peak area of the peak district. It takes its name after the unique three pronged gritstone formation most ascend to see. Here’s our take on it and a few route options.
Hiking is a fun pastime that combines nature, the outdoors and exercise – making a superb hobby for both mental and physical health. And if you’re new to it and you’re just thinking about getting involved, here are of the very basic tips to know!
In what is possibly my favourite ever use of AI to date, I got Midjourney to generate some very funky themed technical hiking boots for me. Some are hideous, granted. But there’s some of these I would definitely wear if they existed. Here they are…
Edzell is a beautiful village in Angus, just on the border of Aberdeenshire, Scotland. There’s a popular walking route there known as the Blue Door Walk. I took a jaunt on a longer circular from Edzell village, to the blue door and up to the rocks of solitude along the North Esk River. Here’s how it went.
For keen hikers looking for remote walking experiences, the Knoydart Peninsula might be just what you want. With Corbetts and Munros for the baggers, here are some of the hikes to check out in Knoydart.
Winter hiking can be brutal. And for those of us (erm, me) who particularly love hiking on warm days with loads of long daylight hours, winter might not be our favourite season. But here are 7 reasons to love hiking in the UK in winter.
If you hike mountains for the solitude, then the Snowdon summit’s well talked about queues might be a reason to skip Wales’ highest mountain in favour of an alternative. So here are 6 really great alternatives to Snowdon within North Wales.
I took a hike last weekend up Grey Mare’s Tail burn to Loch Skeen, up in the Moffat Hills, Scotland. Here’s how it went and some photos from a lovely day in the hills.
In a bid to bag as many of the UK’s finest scrambles as possible, I headed to the Crib Lem Spur (Llech Ddu Spur) in Snowdonia on a very, very hot and sunny Friday. Here’s my take on this spectacular scramble and the wider hiking route that takes in 3 of the Welsh 3000s (Carnedd Dafydd, Carnedd Llewelyn and Yr Elen)
Jack’s Rake is an incredibly fun scramble up the face of Pavey Ark in the Lake District’s Langdales. It has been on the list for a while so I took a sunny morning off to go and get this one in the bag. Here’s the route I took and review of the morning.
Got way more hiking gear than you need and a potential addiction to acquiring more? Yes, me too. So I’ve been having a little nosey at storage ideas and here are some cracking ones.
Having done Sharp Edge up to Blencathra last year, I wanted to head back and explore some other routes. My 8 year old also wanted to level up his scrambling and try a ridge. Hall’s Fell Ridge is less exposed (though more sustained) than Sharp Edge, so we headed out in April 2023 to scramble our way to the summit.
The weather was sublime and my deadlines were in the bag! So of course it called for an early start, a drive to the Lake District and hike up Blencathra via Sharp Edge. Here’s the route and how the hike went.
I first visited Corrie Fee in August 2022 en route to the Munro summits of Mayar and Driesh. I was blown away so decided to go back just to see Corrie Fee alone with more time to explore. I did that in 2023.
So you want to hike the UK’s wonderful hills and mountains in winter? Not sure what equipment you’ll need. Here’s our check list.
After crossing both Crib Goch and Aonach Eagach, I’ve taken a bit of time to weigh them both up. Here’s my comparison of the two ridge crossings and an attempt to answer the question, “which is tougher?”
Traditionalists may not like it! But personally, I don’t like to risk being stuck on a hill or mountain with a dead phone or head torch battery. So I like to carry a portable charging device (or 2, or 3) with me. Here are the best portable charging banks for hiking that I’ve used. (And I’ve used a lot, by the way).
We don’t post loads on social (shock, horror, we know). But we will try harder… promise!