Hill Walking

 

River Clyde

Hikes in our hill walking club are graded on a scale of increasing difficulty. We understand this approach is fairly common with the numerous hill walking clubs in Scotland. Our club releases a listing of the upcoming hill walks, complete with dates, public transport times, a route description, the leader's name, the mileage, and the difficulty rating.

There are four levels of difficulty: the "D" level (6-8 miles over level paved surfaces), the "C" level (8-10 miles with modest elevation gain), the "B" level (10-12 miles with 1,000-2,000 feet of elevation gain), and the "A" level (12-16 miles with 2,000-3,000 feet of elevation gain while bushwhacking over terrain with few established trails).

Each level hill walk has its own characteristics. The "D" walks are leisurely with frequent stops to learn about a ruin, a flower or tree, or some other aspect. The "A" walks can be near "death marches" up steep terrain with few stops; but they usually provide the reward of terrific views from the top of some hill/mountain. In the photo, we are on a "B" walk along the River Clyde.