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Main Boards => General Walking Discussion => Topic started by: Mel on 19:31:11, 15/07/19

Title: How far would you travel?
Post by: Mel on 19:31:11, 15/07/19

For those of you that are not lucky enough to live in an excellent walking area how far are you comfortable with travelling for a day walk?


As in, travel there.  Do your walk.  Travel home again.  All in the same day?


What's your cut-off point where you think "I'll have to stay overnight if I want to do that walk"?


For me, it's about 2 to 2.5 hours driving nowadays.  It's not so much the driving there that's the problem (looking forward to the walk ahead and all that) but more the driving home when I'm happily exhausted, hot and sticky after a day in the hills - I just want to be home, showered and fed and nodding off in my bed rather than behind the wheel.



Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 19:51:00, 15/07/19
Is that 2- 2.5 hours each way or round trip? In the past I have driven 2.5 hours plus for a day in the hills, followed by the same drive after the walk. That makes for a long day and I don’t think I would want to do that nowadays.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: fernman on 20:19:30, 15/07/19
How far is 2 to 2.5 hours driving for you, Mel?

For me 35 miles distance is about my limit but I don't time it. I would most certainly draw the line at 40 miles. I am guessing the longest time I would drive is a hour.

I reach most of my starting points via the A40/M40 which is a couple of miles from my home, and as I walk on weekdays I can't avoid the 15:30 to 19:00 evening peak when I return. It always means a half-mile queue along the inside lane of the A40 for my junction, and this is followed by a stop-start crawl for the remaining two miles. I just have to grin and bear it.

Edit: With such excellent walking country as the Chilterns AONB within reach as I've outlined above, I see little point in driving anywhere else. Mel's 2 to 2.5 hours would make Essex or Kent or the Surrey Hills, even the South Downs possible for me, but they would mean using the M25, ugh!

2nd Edit: I've since thought of another comparison. Two weeks ago I drove 100 miles and back on good roads (M25 and A12) which took 2.25 hours each way and used half a tankful of fuel in my little car. A fiddly, time-consuming bit was getting from home to the northern section of the M25, and back. At the end I was stressed and tired. Would I do that to go for a day walk? Absolutely definitely not!
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: fit old bird on 20:19:48, 15/07/19

I don't want to drive more than about 1hr 15 mins each way, for a day walk. I'm going to an Art event in Thirsk at the weekend, could do that in a day, but I'm going to stretch it to 3 days with a couple of days walking. Booking a B & B at Kilburn.


I'm also going to meet a friend next week for a walk. She lives at Flamborough so looking for a walk half way between us. Out and back in a day.


ilona
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: harland on 20:26:00, 15/07/19
For me, but living in North Yorkshire there are lots of walks fairly local, it would normally be about 1.5 hours each way but then I guess it would then only be about a 5 hour walk rather than "all day".  If there was a really good walk that I wanted to do and I didn't want to stay overnight (and it wasn't due to rain!) then 2 or maybe 2.5 hours each way during the lighter summer months.  Not keen on one night away, I would prefer a few nights away incorporating a few more walks if I was going to drive a long way.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Owen on 20:31:25, 15/07/19
The Cairngorm's or Glencoe are about 2 and a bit hours drive away. That's about as far as I'll drive for a day walk but I'd still rather make a weekend of it and get two days walking for the same amount of petrol. But then I'm single and can please myself.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 20:40:14, 15/07/19
I can get to one of the Bennachie car parks in 20 to 30 minutes, Loch Muick in 45, Linn of Dee in 75 minutes and Aviemore in about 90. I can also get to the east coast and some fantastic beaches for walking in around an hour. The west coast of Scotland is 3.5 hours or so, which is too much for a day walk for me.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Ridge on 20:50:26, 15/07/19
Because I am so far from any decent walking for a day walk the longest I will go is about an hour.
But how early will you get up for a walk? This morning I was setting off at 9.00am...






... in Coniston.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: April on 20:57:08, 15/07/19
This morning I was setting off at 9.00am...

... in Coniston.

You have had pretty good weather if you have been up since the weekend  :) I hope it continues for you  O0

It takes from 7.10am until 9.20 to get from my house to Keswick on public transport. Add over an hour on top of that to get to Buttermere or add an hour and a half more to get to Great Langdale or Coniston. That is why we wild camp. We need a car  :(
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Ridge on 21:09:51, 15/07/19
You have had pretty good weather if you have been up since the weekend .
No, we drove up from London this morning.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: April on 21:21:43, 15/07/19
No, we drove up from London this morning.

The forecast isn't too bad over the next few days, I hope you get good views from all the summits you do  :)
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: tom83 on 21:23:18, 15/07/19
I'm quite fortunate to live roughly 2.5 hours drive to the Lake District and 2.5 hours to Snowdonia, less to the Peak District and Yorkshire Moors.


I usually do all my walking in a day, although I did do a lot of camping when I was younger.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: BuzyG on 22:34:37, 15/07/19
 The only real limit, on a day walk, for me, is the length of the day.  That limits me to the Brekon Beacons from here in Cornwall. That's 7-8 hours driving plus the days walk.  Well worth it now and again, as we just don't get enough snow down here in the SW. ;)


That said there are thousand of miles of coast path and 100s of 1000s of acres of open moorland, within an hour or so of my front door.  O0
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: WhitstableDave on 22:38:07, 15/07/19
For those of you that are not lucky enough to live in an excellent walking area how far are you comfortable with travelling for a day walk?

As in, travel there.  Do your walk.  Travel home again.  All in the same day?...
I'm well into my third year of aiming to explore on foot every part of my home county of Kent. I average five walks a week, with three being from home and two that are further afield and require a drive. As time goes on, I'm finding that I often need to drive for an hour or more each way to explore a new area. With a typical walk being 16-20 miles (4-5 hours), lunch tends be rather late!

I must emphasise though that I'm lucky to live in an excellent walking area (Whitstable on the North Kent coast) - I just love exploring paths and places I've not seen before!
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Dovegirl on 22:44:46, 15/07/19
I don't mind travelling for about 3 hours each way occasionally to do day walks.  For me the journey is part of the enjoyment as I'm interested in seeing the landscapes and places en route.  I prefer direct routes rather than having to get connections though.


But how early will you get up for a walk?
I don't mind setting off from home around 6.30am and would do so earlier if need be, but I like to be back by about 7pm.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Jac on 00:27:32, 16/07/19

I would consider a couple of hours each way my limit now as, like Mel, I find the drive home tiring after a walk.
Living in the middle of Devon I can get to north or south coasts, Dartmoor, Blackdown Hills, Bodmin moor, Exmoor or the Dorset downs easily within that time.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: taxino8 on 06:51:43, 16/07/19
Two hours or thereabouts is my limit too.
I drive for a living so the last thing I need is more driving.
Fortunately two hours is about what it takes me to get to Borrowdale, which is one of my favourite places to walk.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: happyhiker on 08:13:07, 16/07/19
I am lucky to have lots of great walking nearby, namely Yorkshire Dales, North Yorkshire, North York Moors and the Lake District and indeed West Yorkshire. I can drive to virtually any of it in 2 or 2.5 hours plus the same time back. The travel time is what matters, plus the quality of the drive. It is for this last reason I do not visit South Yorkshire or Derbyshire for day walks. I cannot be bothered with the grind of crossing the Leeds/Bradford/Manchester corridor. There are so many incidents on the local motorways, one can never be sure how long a journey will take.


I tend to shorten the drive time in the shorter winter days.



Public transport is too unreliable or time consuming plus, as a person who runs very hot, I like the opportunity of a change of clothes after a walk and somewhere to change.


I will have to have a rethink if I am ever unable to drive though will probably too decrepit to walk at all by then!
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: pleb on 09:47:35, 16/07/19
2.5 hours drive each way is the limit for me, and rarely reached. Similar times for train/bus combination walks.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: gunwharfman on 10:46:46, 16/07/19
Even though I live in a city it only takes me 20 minutes to get to a wide expanse of walking areas in the countryside. If I want to go further to other equally good areas, I can be near to Petersfield in about 30-40 minutes, the choice then is even greater. I'm also lucky that I can catch a bus to where I want to be and if I want I can also link my start point from a bus to my finish point and use the train.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: rural roamer on 12:44:22, 16/07/19
I would consider a couple of hours too long to travel for a days walk, and even that wouldn’t get me into decent walking country from Suffolk anyway! Heading west, we might just get past Kettering in two hours, south just into Kent and north we’d just about reach the north Norfolk coast! So we tend not to go more than about 30-45 mins from home. We have stayed overnight in Norfolk but otherwise the nearest hills are the Peak District which is about 3.5 hours away, so a weekend trip. Some of you don’t know how lucky you are!  :D
Having said that we do have some nice walking areas in Suffolk!
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Pitboot on 12:49:56, 16/07/19
With so much on the door step we rarely have to travel more than half an hour to get to a new spot. However Mrs P loves a nice rocky beach with cliffs etc, so we can drive up to three hours to get to one from Kendal, it's a drag but we usually avoid weekends and bank holidays, when we are often working anyway.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: snaderson on 13:29:16, 16/07/19
Wasdale is about as far as I can stomach for a day trip and that takes 2.75hrs or so. Even then, I don't do that more than once or twice a year and prefer to visit that area of the Lakes when I'm staying up there. I figure that the walk has got to take longer than the total travel time.

Mostly I just go to the Peak District as that takes less than an hour to get anywhere (though the train to Grindleford on Saturday took me almost 2 hours door to door [of the Grindleford caff :) ]).
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Mel on 20:15:28, 17/07/19
Bigfoot Mike - I meant each way, not a round trip.


Fernman - the distance can vary greatly depending on the road/traffic which is why I am curious about other folks' thoughts on travel time rather than distance.  At present, I travel 7.5 miles to work and it takes me 45 minutes of mostly gridlocked traffic jam into the city.  When I finally move to my new job I'll be travelling about 14 miles to work and it takes me 45 minutes of mostly fast moving main roads. 



Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: The Wondering Wanderer on 20:39:16, 17/07/19
I live in the Chilterns and would happily drive 3 hours to the peak district for a walk.


For me the difficulty is finding time. If I had the time I'd go anywhere I could get there and back and still have enough time for a decent walk.


The further I go the more worthwhile the walk has to be.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 21:10:11, 17/07/19
My drive to work is 28-30 miles depending on the route and it takes me 45 minutes up to 1 hour mainly on country roads. The faster times are usually in school holidays, but that is normally the time for all the roads to be dug up. In extreme winter conditions it has taken 2.5 hours one way. Based on that, I would not want to drive much more than 1.5 to 2 hours each way for a day walk and preferably shorter.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: fernman on 23:11:11, 17/07/19
Because of this thread, I made a note of the mileage and departure/arrival times for my walk today, this was for the first time in my life. In the past I've occasionally made rough guesses at time taken and distance, but otherwise I simply haven't bothered. The walk was in the Oxfordshire part of the Chilterns, which I regard as being at the furthest extreme of how far I will travel for a day walk.  Today's accurate results rather surprised me.

My journey was 37.5 miles, which is more than I imagined it would be, while the time taken was an astounding 1 hour 32 minutes. No, I don't drive slowly, some of it was 70 mph on the M40 and some was on fast A roads. What added to the time was temporary traffic lights on Henley-on-Thames bridge. This town is usually a b*gger to get into (while waiting I vaguely remembered a vow I made two years ago to never come this way again) but today I was in the sort of queue where you move three car lengths, put your handbrake on and switch you engine off.

Naturally I returned by a different route, which is a horrible one full of bends, and this was 36.5 miles. Again I was able to do 70+ on the motorway but it still took 1 hour 7 minutes, because of the evening congestion.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: sunnydale on 19:34:27, 18/07/19
Living in the heart of the Peak District, it takes no time at all for me to travel to a lot of the walks I go on.
I also have quite a few routes that I do from home, so at busy times I get to leave the car behind.
There are a few areas of the Peaks that can be awkward to get to/busy with traffic, which might mean up to an hours drive....but that doesn't happen very often.


If I'm travelling further afield, then I guess 2 hours would also be my limit for a day walk.
I've driven to the Lakes a couple of times in the past for a day walk and then returned home the same day. The walks were fab but the long journey home afterwards kinda ruined the days, to be honest.


I prefer to stay over somewhere and make a mini-break out of it O0
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Dyffryn Ardudwy on 13:06:12, 20/07/19
Living on the coast here in NW Wales, to get to the walks that i long to do, takes forward planning.
Last year i drove 112miles to climb Pen Y Fan, just to see what had changed in the 23yrs since my last visit.

Ive even driven to Northumberland to walk sections of the Hadrians wall path, not very far though, due to time constrains, but that was a round trip of well over 400miles to exercise my legs.

I believe if the walk is that good, no distance is too far, but most of my favourite jaunts are Summer events due to the distances involved.

With Snowdonia right on my doorstep, i much prefer to venture to the remoter regions, regions that take considerable effort and energy to get there.

Some years back, i managed to even walk in three separate countries all in the same day.

An epic adventure was when i drove to Llindisfarne of all places, from North Wales, and as Berwick Upon Tweed was not that far, i entered Scotland, parked the car in a nearby laybie, and stretched my legs for the epic return journey home to Cymru.

That was one heck of a daytrip, but with the motorway network north, it was a very long day out, but still achievable for those daft as a brush to try it.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Mel on 15:13:46, 20/07/19
So after how long after sitting in a car do you feel like you're done with sitting in a car and want to be home?


Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: bricam2096 on 16:12:45, 20/07/19
So after how long after sitting in a car do you feel like you're done with sitting in a car and want to be home?

I'm just hoping he wasn't sitting in Berwick Upon Tweed thinking that he was in Scotland now  :D :D
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Dyffryn Ardudwy on 21:38:39, 20/07/19
I did this epic journey in my tiny Mercedes Smart CDi, which was so fuel efficient, you could travel big distances on not many gallons of fuel.
When living in South Wales, Lindisfarne was always on my bucket list of places to visit, but doing it in a single day  was out of the question, even in a large powerful car, the distance is too great.

I started very early on June 14th 2015, drove up the M6 North road, turned right at Tebay, and headed towards Shildon and eventually Newcastle.

Still some distance from Newcastle up the far from ideal A1  north road, two lane carriageway all the way, with few opportunities to pass, not that i had the performance to do it in a small Smart car.

I was very lucky on my arrival at lindisfarne as the tide was on the turn, so spent about an hour there, taking it all in, and buying a moment China mug in the shop.

I was really surprised how close the Scottish border was, less than 15miles up the road, so off i went, and crossed the Northumberland border into Scotland.

This trip totalling not far off 600miles, is by far the longest journey Ive attempted in a single day,  i will never forget it, as it was simply a step too far.

I should have stopped overnight, but when you get into a driving marathon, sense occasionally gets thrown out of the window.

It was done in one of the smallest cars on British roads, but i can remember i did it on less than a full tank, but how i managed it, it still surprises me to this day.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: sunnydale on 22:32:24, 20/07/19
So after how long after sitting in a car do you feel like you're done with sitting in a car and want to be home?


Half an hour! :D
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: BuzyG on 00:26:15, 21/07/19
One thing many may not appreciated is that some people actually enjoy driving.  For me the only reason I wouldn't drive further for a walk, is simply that there are not enough hours in a day.  But in pure driving terms I have several times spent a day driving around a number of European race tracks and then driven home to Cornwall, at the end of the day. 

The beauty of it is. You get quite roads early morning and later in the evening to enjoy the driving part. Leaving the hub of the day for some fine walking.  O0
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: fit old bird on 06:52:16, 21/07/19
One thing many may not appreciated is that some people actually enjoy driving.     O0



Yes, me too. After spending most of my working life sitting behind a wheel, I still like driving. For me the day out/holiday starts as I leave my front door. Coming home can be a bit of a chore but it has to be done. I compensate some of the boredom by concentrating on driving within the law. Sticking to speed limits, reading the signs, and staying alert to what's going on ahead of me. I think if you don't enjoy doing something you do it badly, and I value my life and my licence.


ilona
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: richardh1905 on 09:24:11, 21/07/19
I quite enjoy driving too; not if the roads are really busy, mind you. And not in cities.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: fernman on 09:40:16, 21/07/19
When I do the 235 miles-or-so biannual drive from NW London to north Wales for one of my walking holidays, I try to go on a Sunday if I can, because there are fewer lorries, and I don't leave home till about 11:30 a.m.
I have found that the M40 isn't too bad in the middle of a Sunday, and when I reach Birmingham around lunchtime there isn't the usual congestion on the M42 and M6. The M54 is empty, while on any of the routes west of Shrewsbury I practically have the road to myself. By the time I'm on the final miles in Wales all the traffic is coming the other way, towards me, people on their way home.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Owen on 09:43:31, 21/07/19
I also make my living driving, it's rare that I enjoy driving these days. I go out of my way to avoid it when I'm on holiday. I did have a good day last week, I delivered a new snow factory to Nevis Range. I bet you all thought it just fell out of the sky. Driving down Glencoe was nice, no traffic as it was early I was at the ski center by 07.00.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: jontea on 09:53:21, 21/07/19
I found I was over my limit when doing the Mosedale Horseshoe. For me, getting into the western Lake District is 3.5 hours each way. The Horseshoe (including Kirk Fell) was a big day for me, one of the toughest 10 miles I’ve ever done.


I was up at 5am for the early start and it was gone midnight when I got home.
I remember just talking to myself on the drive home, just to stay awake. I just totally underestimated the day in planning and knew I should have stayed overnight.


2.5 hours is my limit now, and that would depend on the kind of route I’m doing.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: Bigfoot_Mike on 10:38:24, 21/07/19
I enjoy driving on country roads, if there are no lorries, tractors, caravans, Sunday drivers or boy racers. Motorways and dual carriageways are a bore. It is difficult to drive any significant distance without encountering these. I have driven over 600 miles in a day on several occasions, including Southampton to Aberdeenshire or the reverse and I wouldn’t want a day’s walking on top of that. I have also pretty much done the NC500 in one go, plus the distance from my house to the start and back, to give relatives a quick view of the country. These long drives are very tiring and don’t make for a good walking experience. I would rather find somewhere to stay and make a longer trip.
Title: Re: How far would you travel?
Post by: sunnydale on 13:50:35, 21/07/19
I actually love driving.....but can only stand half an hour max as a passenger! :D