Hiking: which types it suits

Hiking means walking up hill and mountain paths to a summit or a viewpoint. Comfortable boots, water and snacks are enough to get started, and plenty of trailheads can be reached by bus or train. In many places, the summit has a cairn, marker stone or trig point that everyone touches or photographs, which has become a small ritual of its own. Gentler routes that loop around the lower slopes make it easy to go as big or as small as you like.

Hiking suits people who want to walk, talk and enjoy the view with no competition involved. Sharing a packed lunch with friends or family, and picking a different hill each time, keeps many hikers coming back for decades. It especially suits anyone who'd sooner remember which path they took than how many minutes it took to reach the top.