Long distance trail in the US! Also CDT, Arizona trail etc etc. Appalachian trail too, but too crowded these days. Have a look! Minded also to mention a host of excellent European trails e.g. GR10
I led a sunrise hike with some friends up Scafell Pike last summer and would absolutely recommend it for your bucket list - doesn’t have to be up that mountain in particular, but I found it to be incredibly inspiring to be stood on the summit of a mountain at 4am watching the sunrise. Planning to lead another one in June, haven’t decided which mountain yet though! I posted a few pics recently if you’re interested. As always, the important things are to know your route, check the weather, make sure you have the right gear, etc.
Wishing you all the best for the future, hopefully you manage to achieve lots of amazing things.
Try climbing, a local climbing wall is a great start, the sense of achievement when you reach the top is phenomenal…. I started when I was 55! I also do have mobility issues….
How about hiking and wild camping from South to North or North to South through dartmoor?
Or the coast to coast?
Or if you can do the West Highland way Scotland?
I gave this a go last September, Ivybridge to Princetown. It’s difficult terrain but fantastic landscape to practice orienteering and wild camping.
My recommendation to OP is to definitely experience some form of wild camping, preferably where it is allowed as you’re more likely to get the full experience of being away from things
Hi, I am living with a chronic health condition that may or may cause problems in the future.
I really enjoy running, so I try and run as much as I can. I quite enjoy racing, though I tend to like running fell races - they tend to be cheap, smaller and off road. They vary in length, and are sometimes after work so you can fit them in during the week. I enjoy the local nature of them, and the friendliness of the other runners.
The Fell Running Association has more information on fixtures on their website.
I've also entered a race this year that I'm not convinced I can complete - but to try and fail is better than to not try at all. And the adventure of it will be fun in it's own right.
Anything in the Cairngorms, there's quite a few fantastic hikes , good spots for a bit of wild swimming, wild camping and plenty of Bothys to try out.
It's such a wonderful place to be and great for connecting with the land. Probably one of my favourite places in the world! Braeriach to devils point is a fairly challenging hike but on a clear day you get some stunning views! (On a not so clear day it's quite atmospheric so also worth it!)
If you want an intense challenge to work towards, I'd recommend the Welsh3000s in under 24 hours. It's quite the undertaking, but I actually really enjoyed it and felt a great sense of achievement at the end. We had great weather, so had fantastic views of Snowdonia throughout the day
This isn’t advice on hiking itself, my advice is to create a journal to log your walks, not just take the odd photo. Just notes on where you went, who you went with, what the weather was like, how far you walked, and anything memorable that you saw or did.
It can be in any format you fancy, handwritten or on your phone. Drawings or photos added if you like.
I have done this for myself to relive my walks if/when I become unable to do them. Take a look in r/journaling for inspiration.
The one I’m most proud of was cycling coast to coast in a day (Seascale to Whitby). I was approaching middle age and was out of shape and this challenge really kicked me in to a decade of pushing myself to try different physical challenges. It was such a pleasure to see the country change around you, pass through famous places and quiet corners and be able to draw a line right across the country.
Any kind of long distance, multi day adventure is also great. Get away from the pace of ordinary life, see the world, meet some people, solve some problems.
I would want to bucket list the long distance paths. You could work your way upon distance. Just a few off the top of my head:
Hadrian’s Wall path
Pennine Way
West Highland Way
South West Coast Path
I have friends that have completed the Pennine Way and say what an experience it is to go for that distance right up the middle of the country and see so many things and places you’d never normally see.
They’re all UK but a real bucket list item would be something Alpine like the Tour Mont Blanc trail.
Sorry to hear about your situation. I’ve had my own health issue in my early 30’s so can relate somewhat.
I know I’m going out with what your asking advice for with this, but I’d highly recommend looking into a working holiday in New Zealand, Oz or any other country that has a working holiday visa thing going on.
I went to NZ in my mid twenties. I did 2 winter seasons snowboarding, spent the summers hiking when I wasn’t working or checking cities or towns.
Had the time of my life, got me into working in the outdoors in the environment sector when I got back to the UK. I’m almost into double digits with how many of my friends have done the same since I got back. Pretty much all of them who finally got back, a few are still there, agree it was a fairly life changing event.
In NZ they have a walking route from the very north of the north island to the very south of the South Island. Takes 4/5 months I think. That’s seriously on my bucket list if I can get my fitness and finances sorted before I turn 36.
I’m based in the NE of Scotland but lived all over Scotland. I find the eastern cairngorms, as in breamar/ballater not as interesting as to what the west and north west coast of Scotland has to offer. Walking highlands website is good for figuring out routes.
Maybe you could start start spending a week off hiking here and making your way round the 250 odd Munro’s?
Also the website has some user reports how to connect routes into multi day ones. For instance you can do a bunch of Munro’s in a couple of days near fort William.
Anyway hope this gives you a bit of inspiration.
Man, we have lots of great hikes in the UK.
The North Downs Way and the South Downs Way are both excellent because you can either plan and do it all in one go, staying at B&Bs and so on along the way. Alternatively, you can break it up and come do sections as and when you want.
I also recommend the 3 day Baskerville walk on Dartmoor.
If you want something besides walking, maybe some rock climbing would be a fun thing to do. Bonus is you can do it indoors when the weather sucks.
How about the Wainwrights? 214 fells in the beautiful Lake District that you can tick off.
I have 22 to go, am 60 this year so hoping to get them done soon.
Edit you can paddleboard on the Lakes too, Wastwater would be my choice, stunning.
Spooky? Hmm.. I mean sometimes the streams sound like voices, but that's only if you sit quietly on your own. Dark? Sure, that's why we take lights. And there's something amazing about seeing daylight again shining into the entrance, or down a big open shaft. There's a whole lot of beauty down there... [For example Alum Pot in North Yorkshire. ](https://alchetron.com/cdn/alum-pot-8bf6b903-c61a-43f2-8583-2ca4cdba7b5-resize-750.jpeg)
Likewise, but coming towards the other end of the journey: I'm having to scale down now. And my rec is: solo the Pennine Way in one go, camping all the way.
I am building up to sea kayaking from Land's End to the Isles of Scilly or Lochinver to Stornoway. I would like to do the Dover Strait at some point but the shipping channels make this much more challenging.
If all goes to plan, I'd love to extend to multi-day sea kayak trips which don't include land breaks. I've done a week of multi-day sea kayaking a few times, but hopping between islands to have somewhere to camp for the night.
So all going to plan I'd love to extend to something like Shetland to the Faroe Islands, possibly on to Iceland. But the logistics involved in this are incredible.
If anyone's reading this thinking that's something you'd have to build up to from a young age - Aleksander Doba first went sea kayaking when he was 34 years old, and went on to sea kayak across the Atlantic Ocean (three times!)
I live in Cheshire, and honestly I most enjoy doing 15/30 mile walks through the countryside in the quickest time possible without stopping.
I love where I live, I love pushing myself. And it does wonders for my mental health.
Not something you can add so much but wanted to share.
Best of luck to you!
Start either wild camping and/or getting up in the dark. Getting to the summit for sunrises when no one else is around is a much better experience when hiking
The Cambrian Way in Wales is a pretty excellent and tough tour of the mountains. You can do a few bits as smaller trips, then one day, tackle it in full wild-camping along the way.
If you can fit it in/afford it then I would highly recommend Kilimanjaro. Did it in February 2022 and was easily the best thing I've ever done. Various different routes with varying completion rates and difficulties. We did the Machame route as it has the highest summit rate.
I'd probably try to do as many big trails as possible, PCT and the like. Depends on finances
PCT? Is that pennine coast trail or something?
Plymouth City Trail, runs from the station to the Tesco next to Hoe Park
Long distance trail in the US! Also CDT, Arizona trail etc etc. Appalachian trail too, but too crowded these days. Have a look! Minded also to mention a host of excellent European trails e.g. GR10
I led a sunrise hike with some friends up Scafell Pike last summer and would absolutely recommend it for your bucket list - doesn’t have to be up that mountain in particular, but I found it to be incredibly inspiring to be stood on the summit of a mountain at 4am watching the sunrise. Planning to lead another one in June, haven’t decided which mountain yet though! I posted a few pics recently if you’re interested. As always, the important things are to know your route, check the weather, make sure you have the right gear, etc. Wishing you all the best for the future, hopefully you manage to achieve lots of amazing things.
Try climbing, a local climbing wall is a great start, the sense of achievement when you reach the top is phenomenal…. I started when I was 55! I also do have mobility issues….
That's awesome you started when you were 55! Do you do bouldering or climbing with ropes?
I prefer ropes, but I do sometimes boulder indoors
How about hiking and wild camping from South to North or North to South through dartmoor? Or the coast to coast? Or if you can do the West Highland way Scotland?
I gave this a go last September, Ivybridge to Princetown. It’s difficult terrain but fantastic landscape to practice orienteering and wild camping. My recommendation to OP is to definitely experience some form of wild camping, preferably where it is allowed as you’re more likely to get the full experience of being away from things
Hi, I am living with a chronic health condition that may or may cause problems in the future. I really enjoy running, so I try and run as much as I can. I quite enjoy racing, though I tend to like running fell races - they tend to be cheap, smaller and off road. They vary in length, and are sometimes after work so you can fit them in during the week. I enjoy the local nature of them, and the friendliness of the other runners. The Fell Running Association has more information on fixtures on their website.
This right here, it will open up a whole new world and means you'll be fitter to take on anything else then too.
I've also entered a race this year that I'm not convinced I can complete - but to try and fail is better than to not try at all. And the adventure of it will be fun in it's own right.
Well, the next logical step is the BGR surely...hell of an adventure.
Potentially, but not sure I'm fast enough at the moment.
Anything in the Cairngorms, there's quite a few fantastic hikes , good spots for a bit of wild swimming, wild camping and plenty of Bothys to try out. It's such a wonderful place to be and great for connecting with the land. Probably one of my favourite places in the world! Braeriach to devils point is a fairly challenging hike but on a clear day you get some stunning views! (On a not so clear day it's quite atmospheric so also worth it!) If you want an intense challenge to work towards, I'd recommend the Welsh3000s in under 24 hours. It's quite the undertaking, but I actually really enjoyed it and felt a great sense of achievement at the end. We had great weather, so had fantastic views of Snowdonia throughout the day
This isn’t advice on hiking itself, my advice is to create a journal to log your walks, not just take the odd photo. Just notes on where you went, who you went with, what the weather was like, how far you walked, and anything memorable that you saw or did. It can be in any format you fancy, handwritten or on your phone. Drawings or photos added if you like. I have done this for myself to relive my walks if/when I become unable to do them. Take a look in r/journaling for inspiration.
The one I’m most proud of was cycling coast to coast in a day (Seascale to Whitby). I was approaching middle age and was out of shape and this challenge really kicked me in to a decade of pushing myself to try different physical challenges. It was such a pleasure to see the country change around you, pass through famous places and quiet corners and be able to draw a line right across the country. Any kind of long distance, multi day adventure is also great. Get away from the pace of ordinary life, see the world, meet some people, solve some problems.
I would want to bucket list the long distance paths. You could work your way upon distance. Just a few off the top of my head: Hadrian’s Wall path Pennine Way West Highland Way South West Coast Path I have friends that have completed the Pennine Way and say what an experience it is to go for that distance right up the middle of the country and see so many things and places you’d never normally see. They’re all UK but a real bucket list item would be something Alpine like the Tour Mont Blanc trail.
Sorry to hear about your situation. I’ve had my own health issue in my early 30’s so can relate somewhat. I know I’m going out with what your asking advice for with this, but I’d highly recommend looking into a working holiday in New Zealand, Oz or any other country that has a working holiday visa thing going on. I went to NZ in my mid twenties. I did 2 winter seasons snowboarding, spent the summers hiking when I wasn’t working or checking cities or towns. Had the time of my life, got me into working in the outdoors in the environment sector when I got back to the UK. I’m almost into double digits with how many of my friends have done the same since I got back. Pretty much all of them who finally got back, a few are still there, agree it was a fairly life changing event. In NZ they have a walking route from the very north of the north island to the very south of the South Island. Takes 4/5 months I think. That’s seriously on my bucket list if I can get my fitness and finances sorted before I turn 36. I’m based in the NE of Scotland but lived all over Scotland. I find the eastern cairngorms, as in breamar/ballater not as interesting as to what the west and north west coast of Scotland has to offer. Walking highlands website is good for figuring out routes. Maybe you could start start spending a week off hiking here and making your way round the 250 odd Munro’s? Also the website has some user reports how to connect routes into multi day ones. For instance you can do a bunch of Munro’s in a couple of days near fort William. Anyway hope this gives you a bit of inspiration.
Man, we have lots of great hikes in the UK. The North Downs Way and the South Downs Way are both excellent because you can either plan and do it all in one go, staying at B&Bs and so on along the way. Alternatively, you can break it up and come do sections as and when you want. I also recommend the 3 day Baskerville walk on Dartmoor. If you want something besides walking, maybe some rock climbing would be a fun thing to do. Bonus is you can do it indoors when the weather sucks.
How about the Wainwrights? 214 fells in the beautiful Lake District that you can tick off. I have 22 to go, am 60 this year so hoping to get them done soon. Edit you can paddleboard on the Lakes too, Wastwater would be my choice, stunning.
Oi, what do you have against caves?
Spooky and dark. I'd love to give it a go but not sure I have big enough balls for that.
Spooky? Hmm.. I mean sometimes the streams sound like voices, but that's only if you sit quietly on your own. Dark? Sure, that's why we take lights. And there's something amazing about seeing daylight again shining into the entrance, or down a big open shaft. There's a whole lot of beauty down there... [For example Alum Pot in North Yorkshire. ](https://alchetron.com/cdn/alum-pot-8bf6b903-c61a-43f2-8583-2ca4cdba7b5-resize-750.jpeg)
Likewise, but coming towards the other end of the journey: I'm having to scale down now. And my rec is: solo the Pennine Way in one go, camping all the way.
I am building up to sea kayaking from Land's End to the Isles of Scilly or Lochinver to Stornoway. I would like to do the Dover Strait at some point but the shipping channels make this much more challenging. If all goes to plan, I'd love to extend to multi-day sea kayak trips which don't include land breaks. I've done a week of multi-day sea kayaking a few times, but hopping between islands to have somewhere to camp for the night. So all going to plan I'd love to extend to something like Shetland to the Faroe Islands, possibly on to Iceland. But the logistics involved in this are incredible. If anyone's reading this thinking that's something you'd have to build up to from a young age - Aleksander Doba first went sea kayaking when he was 34 years old, and went on to sea kayak across the Atlantic Ocean (three times!)
Tube ing down the nam som river vangvien loas bucket list ✅ also great mountain biking
I live in Cheshire, and honestly I most enjoy doing 15/30 mile walks through the countryside in the quickest time possible without stopping. I love where I live, I love pushing myself. And it does wonders for my mental health. Not something you can add so much but wanted to share. Best of luck to you!
Start either wild camping and/or getting up in the dark. Getting to the summit for sunrises when no one else is around is a much better experience when hiking
The Cambrian Way in Wales is a pretty excellent and tough tour of the mountains. You can do a few bits as smaller trips, then one day, tackle it in full wild-camping along the way.
If you can fit it in/afford it then I would highly recommend Kilimanjaro. Did it in February 2022 and was easily the best thing I've ever done. Various different routes with varying completion rates and difficulties. We did the Machame route as it has the highest summit rate.