Our biggest hiking mistakes

Ever had a day out go wrong? Zoe from An ordinary family of 5 shares her biggest hiking mistakes.

Our Biggest Hiking Mistakes.

We've all been there. Forgotten items or wandering off track. Sometimes getting things wrong can make or break a day out. Most of our mishaps have been recorded in the memory bank, and with them came a jumble of emotions.

Here are our biggest hiking mistakes!

Surely You Can't Forget Shoes?

Oh yes. 100% forgotten. Left at home. We drove 2 hours to our destination, with the kids in their slippers (to save on the mess in the car) while the snow and frost creeped around us. As we pulled up to the parking spot, it clicked. I had left the bag of shoes by the conservatory door. It wasn't even as if the kids were in their trainers and we could make do. Nope. We kicked ourselves, got back in the car, and drove back home again. Thankfully, the hills will always be in the same place for us to return!

Charity Hike Gone Awry.

We had a plan of walking 20 miles across the Peak District for charity. 10 miles the first day, 10 miles the next. We started at Ladybower, to carry on over Win Hill, then to Edale. Armed with a paper map, we started to Win Hill, through a forest clearing. Within 20 minutes, we saw the same clearing. Had we just walked in a circle? Yes, yes we had. We walked that circle 2 more times before giving up and trying another direction. I clearly hadn't got to grips with a paper map, and hadn't become savvy enough to know there was an app to download! We made it to Win Hill eventually, adding 2 more miles to our original plan. All the better for charity!

Weather Warnings

I have a terrible habit of NOT checking the weather before we go anywhere. It never usually puts us off. That 20 mile charity hike was completed on one of the rainiest days of 2018. We trudged along the Pennine way, squelching in our shoes, rain-soaked all the way to our underwear.
Finley also nearly got blown off Win Hill. The wind picked him up and promptly plopped him on the ground, resulting in a scar on his head that he treasures as a souvenir for our attempt.

We experienced extreme winds on Chrome Hill. Why would we think being up an exposed hillside in 50mph winds would be a good idea for day out. I laugh about it now, but it could have been quite dangerous for the little ones. We crawled about half way up and decided to abandon it. The situation was ridiculous. The wind whipped our faces, threatening to tear Molly from the blades of grass she was perilously hanging on to. Our clothes blew up in the gusts and pulled us around like a parachute.
Another hill for another day.

Holiday Hardships

Do you ever get that feeling that you've forgotten something? Well, I usually have. On one holiday, I completely missed underwear and t-shirts for my middle child. On another one, I forgot his shoes. What is it with me and shoes?! The mallet is usually left behind when we are camping, and one time, we omitted an air pump from our inventory. Not good when we need beds to sleep on!

None of these incidents mar our experience together. It usually gives us something to laugh about (afterwards, of course) or pulls us together to work out a solution. Usually it means spending more money, but never mind!

Have you got a disaster story to tell?