Walk to a mountain peak for a breakfast sunrise!

What will you be doing this Saturday? Siting on the sofa watching a bland TV programme? Drinking too many beers or wine? Wondering why you’re bored – when everyone else seems to be out having fun? So, do something different!

We’re off to walk overnight from Ballater to take the sunrise views from the Munro, Lochnagar. The outing is sure to be great fun and we can promise you camaraderie and a Champagne and strawberries breakfast at the summit.

Of course, there is no guarantee of a view but we’ll have our fingers and toes crossed.

Lochnagar (also called Beinn Chìochan) is a mountain in the Grampians, situated about five miles south of the River Dee, near Balmoral. Technically, the English name is a misunderstanding because Lochnagar was named after Lochan na Gaire – the “little loch of the noisy sound” –  which is in fact a loch that is found in the mountain's northeast corrie. The mountain is also known Beinn Chìochan, which means mountain of breasts in Gaelic.

If you fancy the Glentrek sunrise walk, please contact us. We’ll be setting off at 11pm on Friday July 14 from Ballater. The guided mountain walking takes place in darkness and we’re hoping for a magnificent sunrise on the Sunday morning. The price per person is £30, which includes a 25% discount.

Email admin@glentrek.com to book or call us on 07934443557 for more info.

Great guided walking trips in Scotland

Midsummer's Day walk

Why not make the most of the longest day – and shortest night – of summer with a special walk and a chance to see an amazing sunrise? On Midsummer’s Day on June 23, Glentrek is leading a walk on the Munro Lochnagar in the Cairngorms.

Lochnagar is a fabulous mountain and offers amazing views, including one of Scotland’s most beautiful corries. The mountain was also featured in a poem by Lord Byron.

Our Glentrek walk meets in Ballatar at 11pm. We will be walking in darkness but at this time of year it is not dark for long. And imagine the rewards as the sun rises… It is always stunning.

The price of this unusual walk is £40 per person.

Munro bagging weekend

And if walking Lochnagar has given you a taste for Munro bagging, join us on the weekend of July 7 and 8. We’ll be bagging a few Munros in the Tyndrum/Bridge of Orchy area during our guided adventure. The price is £35 per person per day

Bike and hike on Ben Alder

On Sat August 4 a Ben Alder Bike ’n’ Hike trip offers the opportunity to climb this remote Munro in a day without the need to camp. You’ll have a guide for the day and the use of our quality mountain bikes.  This trip is £55 per person.

To find out more and to book your place, please contact us

Summer is the time for walking in Angus

We love this time of year – and especially when the sun is out. With long days of light, extended hikes are possible and the summer is a great opportunity for multi-day walks. Whether you like to get away from it all and camp overnight (that does mean you need to carry your tent on your back!) or walking with overnights in B&Bs (Glentrek can arrange to carry your luggage for you!), there are just so many different routes to choose from.

Lock Muick... Just one of the fabulous views on offer at the walking fest

If you’re not sure about where to go or the best walks in the Angus and Perthshire areas, please give us a call at Glentrek. We know pretty much all there is to know about walking in this area and we love to share our passion and knowledge.

This weekend, we’re enjoying the Angus Glens Walking Festival. Twenty eight guided walks over four days! Need we say more? Well, we’re going to! The festival is celebrating its 10^th year in 2012, which has given the organisers another reason to expand the number and range of walks on offer.

Glentrek assists this festival every year and we’ll be walking a number of routes over the weekend.

To find out about the walks there’s a handy Angus Glens Walking Festival PDF link 

The weather forecast is looking good for much of the weekend so why not head up and join a guided walk?

If you don’t have the time, there are still months of summer to enjoy walking. Angus is a fabulous area for seeing Scotland’s natural landscape and wildlife at its very best. The area also boasts some of the easiest Munros (mountains with a summit of more than 3,000ft) and several waymarked walking routes.

Give Glentrek a call to find out more.

Parents catch on to cost-effective outdoors play

Well, we never thought we’d read this, especially given the number of studies that have been telling us that kids just don’t get outdoors to play nearly enough.

Finally, it seems, outdoor play is making a comeback! But why?  It’s to do with cash-strapped parents swapping the cost of buying DVDs and the cinema for free days playing in the park.

 A poll of 1,250 UK parents of school-age children reveals that 44% of children are now spending more time playing outside than they did two years ago.

And the parents says that this is because trips to local parks or walks in the countryside are cheap days out.

We have been banging on about the cost-effectiveness of walking for years, but it’s great to see that people are now realising this!

Of course, there are still a few obstacles to more outdoors activity, including time and the weather.

The research was carried out on behalf of food manufacturer Arla's Kids Closer to Nature campaign.

Tim Gill, author and a play campaigner, is reported as saying: “The good news is that families are realising that fresh air costs nothing.”

The survey said:

•           Three-quarters of parents believe they can have a cheap day out visiting parks and green spaces.

•           Four out of 10 opted for a budget trip to the seaside.

Tim added: “Times are hard, so parents have to make savings. But the good news is that families are realising that fresh air costs nothing.

“Getting under the open sky - whether in a local park or the great British countryside - is the perfect way for kids to explore, have adventures and feed their curiosity and imagination."

We really like this survey. If you’re looking for great value ideas for walking with the family please do get in contact.

Join a Glentrek guided weekend

What will you be doing this summer? If you're keen to get outdoors a bit more, check out the great weekends that Glentrek has on offer.

Sat June 9 - Women Only day walk... Girls this one's for you! Walking with your fellow ladies, enjoying the chat and taking in the views is hard to beat. And Ben Vrackie in Highland Perthshire promises fantastic panoramic views from its summit. Price £30 per person.

Sat June 23 - Midsummer's Day Sunrise on Lochnagar. Try something new and different on this special night. The guided mountain walk begins at 11pm on the Friday in Ballater and takes in a stunning sunrise. Price £40 per person.

July 7-8 - Munro Weekend. If you don't already know a Munro is a Scottish mountain with a summit of at least 3,000ft (914m). There are 283 of them and this is your chance to "bag" a few of these lofty hills. You will benefit from the knowledge and leadership of a guide on this trip. Come along for one or both days. We'll be walking in the Tyndrum/Bridge of Orchy area. Price £35 per person per day.

Sat Aug 4 - Ben Alder Bike 'n' Hike. Climb this remote Munro in a day without the need to camp. You'll benefit from an experienced guide and hire of our quality mountain bikes. The trip takes place in the Dalwhinnie area. Price £55 per person.

The best mother's day gift you can buy

You could treat your mum to a big bunch of flowers or a box of chocolates on Mother's Day. And, of course, she would be delighted. But how much more cherished will she feel if you book her in for a hills navigation day?

Glentrek runs Women-only Hill Navigation courses that are the perfect environment in which to learn about the vital skills of using a map and compass in the hills and mountains. The days are also a lot of fun and your mum will make new friends.

Your mum doesn't even need to be that fit and country-mad to enjoy a navigation day. The emphasis is about enjoying your surroundings and discovering new skills, which all mums will relish.

A Glentrek navigation hill day or weekend also offers the chance for mum to get away on her own or with a friend to enjoy some quality time without the family. Yes, she loves you all a great deal but she also loves her me-time.

The women-only navigation courses are led by a qualified mountain leader and will teach mum such skills as reading the terrain, using a map and compass, locating grid references, making accurate estimates of walking distances and how to get from A to B on a hill even when mist is all around you.

You never know what new hobby this course might spark for your treasured mum!

Glentrek is running a Women-only Navigation Course on May 12 and 13.

Training tips for hill walking

Chris Highcock has a simply theory. If you want to enjoy hill walking you’d best do a bit of training. But how many of us bother to do any training before hitting the hills? What Chris is suggesting that a little bit of strength building twice a week will increase ability and pleasure when you actually get to the hills. No doubt it will also improve your speed and efficiency when walking and also your recovery time.

So Chris has written a new downloadable book Hillfit: Strength. There are no big surprises in the book. He simply advocates using basic strength training techniques in the comfort of your own home, using mostly your own body weight, or the odd towel or door frame as extras, to become fitter for hill walking.

The explanations of sports physiology are easily understood and the strength-conditioning programme is very straightforward. It fits into just two 15-minute slots per week. Chris reckons that 15 minutes of simple strength training twice a week will create stronger, more efficient muscles that will lead to far better and more enjoyable days walking in the hills.

Basic equipment required includes: Your bodyweight, a towel, a door and occasionally a rucksack and a few bottles of water.

The aim is one set of each exercise following Chris’s guidelines and for a total of only 15 minutes. Twice in a week. Five basic patterns – two upper body (pushing and pulling), two lower body (squatting and hip-hinging), and one whole body (running/hiking) add up to a programme that can be done indoors in your own home without any shop-bought equipment – and all with the aim of building strength step by step.

They exercises are the usual kind, including wall-sits, planks, squats and lunges. So there is nothing complicated to understand or remember. Adding in a weighted rucksack adds extra weight as you become stronger. It’s as simple as that!

The most ingenious part of the programme was utilising an ordinary towel and door to create a “modified row” exercise.

The main emphasis of the book – and something we agree with – is that exercise itself is not the point. Living and enjoying life are the point… and exercise is your biggest aid to this goal.

To download the book costs £10. More details at www.hillfit.com.