Backpacking in hot weather

The balmy days of summer are few and far between in the UK

When you live in Wales (or Britain, come to that) you tend to get used to walking in miserable conditions - snow, sleet, hail, fog, torrential rain. Our wonderful, constantly changing climate means that even the Met Office can't get it right most of the time. You get a forecast for a warm, sunny day, set off in sunshine and end up soaked through a few hours later.

Harri and I have had some dreadful experiences over the years; we've shivered and dripped our way up and down Wales and around the South West Coast Path. During one unforgettable summer trip to the western tip of Cornwall, we walked from St Ives to Sennen in the heaviest rain imaginable. The coast path had become a raging torrent around our feet and the rain and wind was relentless (unsurprisingly, we only passed two other hikers all day and they looked as miserable as us!).

Three years ago, Harri tackled the Rhinogs in weather that was so bad I was fearful for his safety (yes, you've guessed it... in August!). When I finally picked him up near Harlech hours later, he was so cold we had to have the car heating turned up high.

Locked out in the rain at Ilston, Gower

My point is that in the UK we're so busy expecting (and preparing for) the worst possible weather that we rarely pause to consider the likelihood that it might end up being hot and sunny.

On our recent trip to the Somerset Levels, it was really blustery but the sun was so strong that we both managed to burn our lips. Had we been hiking in Europe, or the States, we'd have stocked on up lip salve with UVP but it didn't cross our minds that we'd need protection from the sun here in the UK, in May.

When it gets too hot there's only one thing to do... find water and JUMP IN!!

Hot weather hiking requires an altogether different mindset so who better to ask for some pointers than someone who lives in central Texas, where summer temperatures can reach the high 90s Fahrenheit. Joseph is an avid kayaker, who works for Austin Canoe and Kayak (ACK.com) so he's got plenty of experience of staying safe in the sun while still having plenty of fun.

So, while I sit here dreaming of another summer like 1976, it's over to Joseph.

"When you think about summer hiking, you probably imagine the blistering sun beating down, dusty soles edging on hot rock, snakes rattling from the bushes, and shimmering mirages off in the dusty distance. And yet, these thoughts aren’t all that far from the precautions one must take when considering a desert hike or during the summer months. Important things to consider on your hike are the conditions of the trail, staying hydrated, wearing adequate clothing and carrying helpful gear, as well as the possible dangers of exposure and fatigue when it’s hot outside. Consider the following points when you’re planning your next summer hike.

Enjoying the heat in Setubal, Portugal

Proper planning 

The first point of your logistics should be to tell someone you’re going for a hike. Tell them when, where, for how long and swap contact names and numbers for all those in the party. Prepare an emergency plan. Hiking as a pair or as a team is not only safer, but sharing the experience is more fun. Make sure you research your proposed route and any contingency plans. Take note of any potable water points or permanent streams and lakes as these may become useful in the event you exhaust your water supply.

Know your terrain. Sometimes it’s best to make sure the members of your team are of similar ability, but in the case of a family group or multi-experienced team, pace yourselves to accommodate the lowest level of experience in your party.

Check the weather before you go. This will help you to plan more effectively for possible severe events, even though it’s good to pack a rain jacket anyway. In more mountainous terrain, the weather is increasingly unpredictable and so too the likelihood of being caught in a thunderstorm, especially during the summer months and even in the desert.

A rare hot day in the Brecon Beacons (Harri on Pen Cerrig-calch)

Stay hydrated

The most important personal factor to consider when planning a warm weather hike is proper hydration. If you are hiking uphill and in full midday sun you can lose up to two quarts of fluid an hour, not to mention the essential electrolytes you are losing during this time as well. Be sure to pack an appropriate sized water bladder, a handheld water bottle, and a water purifier (tablet, bottle attachment or pump) if you’re going to hike for a long period of time. This will allow you to collect water from the natural resources along your hike such as streams lakes and pools. Note that long slimmer bottles pack more easily than shorter bulkier ones.

Clothing 

When packing clothing, be sure to carry proper attire for all expected inclement weather. You need to be prepared for thunderstorms, hail, and even 30-40 degree drops in temperature.  You should wear layers and pack extra pieces you may need. A sweat-wicking under layer, mid layer for morning and evening, and a rain jacket to protect against wind and rain. If you have room in your pack, it’s nice to have a third outer, warm layer in case darkness falls during your journey. You should also pack a hat or bandana and sunglasses in order to shield yourself from the intense sun.

However hot it is, always carry extra clothes for sudden weather changes

Footwear

Wear appropriate hiking boots and be sure they have adequate tread, can lace up tight, and fit properly. If they are too tight or loose, you can develop blisters and actuate poor circulation. High-topped hiking boots can also help protect your ankles through cactus and snake terrain. If you’re planning a trip with a few hikes, or a particularly long hike, and you’re thinking of purchasing new boots, it’s a good idea to break them in for at least two to three weeks prior. A tip to help minimize friction inside your boots and prevent blisters or hotspots forming is to wear two layers of socks. Wear a thin under-layer made from a material that helps wick moisture away from your foot and a second thick outer-layer sock to provide good support and cushioning. The friction will be mitigated between the two layers of socks and reduce any potential hotspot on your foot.

Selecting the proper pack

When selecting your pack, it’s best to consider the length of your hike and the personal items you’ve decided to pack including your water, food, extra clothing layers, first aid, and emergency kit. Typically a good size pack for a day hike is anything between 20-30 kilograms and will depend on how much water and food you need and whether you are carrying items for others (in the case of a dad or team leader). It’s important to make sure the pack is positioned on your body correctly, with the weight placed predominantly on the hips. Also consider packing the backpack properly by distributing the weight evenly. This will help you to save energy on the hike and eliminate a shifting load.

Bring the proper gear 

It’s important to pack anything you may need in the lightest way possible. You should bring a headlamp to be contingent on a late arrival time. Make sure to have sunscreen, bug repellant, extra batteries for your headlamp, a first-aid kit, a flint fire starter, and a GPS device or a map.

About the Author:
Joseph is an avid kayaker based out of the central Texas area. He has spent many a weekend and holiday on the Texas coast attending sea kayaking events or just having some fun with a kayak or paddleboard. He’s currently employed at Austin Canoe and Kayak (ACK.com) and loves that he gets to spend time working with his favorite toys.

A refreshing dip in a shallow stretch of the River Monnow... but never jump into deep, cold water

England Coast Path - Chepstow to Portishead

Setting off from Chepstow... where's the sun?

Our first day can be summed up in one word... bridges!! We might have been going nowhere near Bridgwater today but these man-made constructions certainly dominated our walk.

We set off on a blustery, grey day, relieved that the torrential rain of the previous day had stopped but fully anticipating another downpour before too long.

Our first bridge of the day was the Old Town Bridge at Chepstow. Harri's parents kindly dropped us off and, had the weather been more spring-like, they were planning to walk with us for the first few miles out of Chepstow. The threat of rain put paid to that idea and so we waved goodbye to them at St Mary's Church (the wonderfully ornate west doorway dates from the late 11th century when Chepstow Castle was built).

The first few miles through Chepstow were familiar as we followed the Wales Coast Path (the signage is much better than when we walked this section in June 2011).

Surprisingly, we seemed to be the only ones walking across the Severn Bridge

I'd been really worried about carrying a heavy rucksack for the first time but, whether I'm stronger than I realised or just packed wisely, the additional weight wasn't bothering me unduly.

I was childishly excited about crossing the Severn Bridge (the old bridge... pedestrians aren't allowed on the Second Severn Crossing). Building work started in May 1961, a month before I was born, and it opened in September 1966. There is a plaque on the English side which lists the names of the six men who were killed during the five-year construction period.

Half a century later, and with a second crossing just miles down the estuary, it's hard to imagine a time when people had to drive all the way Gloucester to cross the water or catch the ferry from Beachley (or perhaps travel underground via the Severn Tunnel).

Flat and easy walking along the promenade at Severn Beach

It's only when you're actually walking over the bridge that you realise how peculiar its design is (and the reason it frequently closes in high winds). At the centre, the part most exposed to the elements, the road is raised several feet above the pedestrian walkways on either side. I'm sure there must have been a solid engineering reason for this seemingly illogical decision but it escapes me.

We reached the far side - and England - windblown and cold, but in high spirits. There's really nothing like setting out for a long-distance walk, even if it's only for a few days. It's the promise of the unknown... the lure of new places and experiences.

Severn Beach is usually a lovely little place but at low tide and with threateningly grey skies, it didn't look quite as pretty as I remembered (I have mixed feelings about the rich alluvium silt that's so much a characteristic of coastal places along the Severn Estuary). Still, the walking was easy and much flatter than we're accustomed to in Wales.

At over 3 miles long, the Second Severn Crossing dwarfs its older neighbour

A few miles ahead loomed the Second Severn Crossing, which has an overall span of 3.186 miles and dwarfs the original. It's good to have a landmark in sight and for many hours this was ours; first, as we slowly approached the vast six-lane structure and later in the day when we'd turn around and use it as a way of gauging how far we'd walked.

The interesting footbridge over the M5

Our next few bridges weren't quite as spectacular...  we crossed the M49 motorway and then the M5 in quick succession during a long detour inland necessary to cross the River Avon. Then it was the 'big one' - we had to cross the motorway bridge (M5 again) over the river. We've done this before at the start of the River Avon Trail and it's such a high bridge that it feels a bit like being in a helicopter looking down on the housing below. Unlike the Severn Bridge, pedestrians and cyclists are completely separated from the busy (and very noisy) motorway lanes by a high barrier and the only vehicles you can see whizzing past are lorries and coaches.

The world looks very different from a higher vantage point

We reached Portishead marina at about 6pm, the perfect time for a day's hiking to draw to a close. The whole area was once a busy dockland; however, like many coastal towns, where there was once industry and grime there are now pristine apartments and moorings for yachts.

21 miles later we arrive at Portishead

Our feet were aching but we'd survived a 21 mile hike carrying heavy rucksacks. Just another four days to go...

England Coast Path - Severn Estuary to Bridgwater Bay

Approaching the imaginatively-named Second Severn Bridge on the English side

Whenever we walk along the south east Wales coastline between Llantwit Major and Worm's Head, we find ourselves pondering on the way the English coastline (opposite) creates an illusion that the open sea is upriver and vice versa.

The reason is simple: the Somerset Levels (scene of such devastating flooding last winter) are so flat they barely register on the horizon, so from across the Bristol Channel it appears the ocean is endless. Of course, Wales's mountains prevent the same confusion occurring from an English standpoint (although they frequently 'disappear' in low-lying cloud).

There's something appealing about exploring a place that's felt familiar for so long, yet remains unexplored and for us, the stretch of coastline between the Severn Bridge and Minehead - more than 110 miles - certainly fell into that category.

We crossed high above the River Avon on a motorway bridge

As always, Harri had a hiking book in mind. His idea was to link up the two longest waymarked trails in the UK - Wales Coast Path (870) and South West Coast Path - creating around 1700 miles of coastal walking. We'll publish the book ourselves later this summer in various digital formats.

The England Coast Path will eventually provide 2,795 miles of continual coastal walking, but well-managed access to all of England's coastline is still several few years off so we knew we were facing a challenge.

Our proposed route would start in the middle of Chepstow and finish in Minehead... and we had just five days to walk it all (the book will split the walk into ten days).

Harri's plan was to utilise existing waymarked long-distance trails as much as possible:

• the Severn Way - between the Severn Bridge and the River Avon
• the Gordano Round - Portishead to Clevedon (we've previously walked part of this lovely route)
• the River Parrett Trail - from Bridgwater down to the coast
• the West Somerset Coast Path - from the mouth of the River Parrett to Minehead.

One of the Somerset pills that sent us heading inland

We knew there'd be gaps and that we'd have several large rivers (Avon, Ax, Parrett) and pills to navigate (taking us farther inland than we would have liked), but on the map it appeared do-able in five days.

Brean Down to Minehead is earmarked as a priority for development of the English Coast Path (Natural England) so we anticipated that this section of our route would be straightforward, even if we encountered problems elsewhere.

So how did we get on?

Well... we've walked most of the route in our allocated five days. We had no choice but to stop at Watchet as we feared missing our pre-booked train from Taunton to Newport otherwise. That leaves us with the final eight miles to Minehead yet to walk.

The beautiful Somerset coastline with Minehead in the far distance

The route itself is varied but interesting, passing through Severn Beach, Bristol, Portishead, Clevedon, Weston, Burnham-on-Sea, Bridgwater, Watchet and Minehead, as well as several smaller villages.There are rivers (large), rhynes (reens to we Welsh) and pills to circumnavigate as well as motorways to cross (the M5 twice and the M49 once). There are promenades, marinas and beaches, piers, headlands and endless stretches of beach. There is even a nuclear power station (Hinkley Point B), although the diverted footpath keeps you well clear of the actual site).

Following the (lengthy) border fence around Hinkley Point

Some sections are breathtakingly beautiful, others boast interesting rather than picturesque landscapes. Like any coastal walk, some miles are a pleasure to walk, others less so.

Later in the summer, we'll return to walk those last eight miles and then we'll publish the ebook at camau.co.uk

For more about each day's hiking, keep reading this blog.