How do I take children walking without it being a disaster?

Children walk perfectly well for a long time as long as the walk is not the point. Adults measure a walk in distance and summits; a child measures it in streams to dam, walls to balance on and food. Design the day around the second of those and the distance follows.

What you'll need

• Waterproofs and a warm layer for each child
• More food than seems reasonable
• Spare socks and gloves
• A change of clothes in the car
• A small rucksack each for older children
• A hat and sun cream

Step by step

1. Choose a route with things in it.Streams, stepping stones, boulders, a tower, a waterfall, a beach, an ice cream at the end. A featureless three-mile track is a long way for a five-year-old and a mile with a stream in it is nothing at all.
2. Halve your distance expectations, then halve them again for the first few outings.A rough rule people use is about a mile per year of age as an eventual maximum for keen children, but it varies enormously. Start short, finish while everyone is still enjoying it, and let them ask for more next time.
3. Build in a huge time margin.Children walk in bursts and stop constantly. Plan for roughly half your normal pace and no fixed appointment at the end.
4. Feed them constantly.Small children run out of energy suddenly and completely, and the drop from cheerful to inconsolable takes about ninety seconds. Snack every twenty to thirty minutes, before anyone asks. Take far more than you think and make some of it a treat held in reserve.
5. Dress them for stopping.Children get cold quickly, particularly when they stop after running about, and they rarely mention it until they are miserable. Waterproof and windproof outer layers, a warm mid layer, hat and gloves in the bag even in summer, and spare socks.
6. Let them get wet and muddy.Fighting it makes the walk a battle. Wellies or old trainers, waterproof trousers, and a full change of clothes waiting in the car turns the puddle problem into the best part of the day.
7. Give them a job.Navigator with the map, photographer, leader, counter of stiles, spotter of a particular bird. Ownership of something turns a march into an expedition.
8. Let them set the pace at the front.A child at the back is being dragged; a child at the front is leading. It also stops the adults setting an adult pace without noticing.
9. Take the safety kit seriously even on small hills.The same rules apply: tell someone the route, carry a map, a head torch, a first aid kit and extra layers, and check the forecast. A group with children moves slower and has less tolerance for going wrong.
10. Set the turnaround rule out loud.Agree at the start that you will turn round if anyone has had enough, and then do it without complaint the first time it happens. That is what makes them willing to come next time.
11. Carry the small ones and expect to.A framed child carrier works well up to around three years and about 15 to 18 kilograms depending on the model. Beyond that, expect to carry a tired four-year-old on your shoulders for the last half mile, and plan the route so that is possible.
12. Finish with something good.A cafe, a beach, chips, the promised ice cream. The memory of the end of the walk is what determines whether they want to do the next one.

Tips

• Take a friend for them. Two children walk considerably further than one, and complain less.
• Games work: counting sheep, spotting colours, a scavenger list, geocaching, a story told a chapter at a time between landmarks.
• A cheap camera or a phone with the camera on gives an older child a reason to look at things.
• Sit down and eat properly halfway rather than snatching snacks on the move. Everyone recovers more than you expect.
• Choose circular routes over there-and-back where possible — new ground holds attention better than retracing it.

Common mistakes

• Aiming for a summit because it is the point of the walk — It is your point, not theirs. A walk that ends in an argument three hundred metres from the top has done more damage than not going.
• Waiting for a child to say they are cold — They usually do not until it is bad. Put the extra layer on at the stop, before it is needed, as a routine.
• Rushing to keep to a plan — Hurrying children is what turns a good day into a bad one. Build the margin at the planning stage so the day does not need to be hurried.

Questions people ask