Family friendly Wainwright walks.

Myself and my four young children have decided to tackle some of the easier Wainwright walk. I have listed below a few of the Lake District fells that I think are perfect for those little legs of the family.

Walking fells with such young children always brings with it a few problems that often cannot be avoided – tired legs, tired children and tired parents to name just a few! However, my children have now successfully completed 8 Wainwright walks and I can honestly say we have had minimal meltdowns during these walks.

The key is to have the correct equipment, I wear the Vango Grivola boot and they are not only incredibly comfortable but they also provide me with essential grip, especially when I am baby carrying. It is also essential that you plan ahead when hiking with young children, particularly the route that you intend to take. With many of the fell walks it is the distance from parking your car to the beginning of the ascent that causes the issues – often the children can be tired before you even begin the official walk! Luckily I have done some of the hard work for you and the following Wainwright walks are short in distance yet still provide breathtaking views from the top.

hiking household

Binsey:

Binsey is one of the smaller Wainwright’s and is a great starter fell for younger children. The terrain is a wide grassy path and there are no cliff edges – this is essential for me when walking with my two year old. It is easily managed, with the occasional boggy section. The summit is marked by a small stone cairn and it is reached in just under 1 mile.

Latrigg:

This is a very easy circular route round the summit. It is approximately 1.5 miles and very easy for little legs. It isn’t steep or difficult terrain and the views are truly breathtaking. There is a bench very close to the summit for you to enjoy a snack while taking in the view ⛰

Catbells:

A classic fell walk of the Lake District with some incredibly breathtaking views. The ‘picnic route’ that we take is often quieter and involves much less scrambling – far better for little legs or those carrying babies. This route is approximately four miles long and, while it is steep in parts, our three year old managed it no problem. A wonderful family walk with breathtaking views ❤️

Hallin fell:

This was my children’s first Wainwright! It is a fantastic route for beginners as it is simple to follow and has good terrain. The walk itself is approximately 1 mile and the terrain is a level, wide, grassy path with some moderately steep sections. My two year old was able to manage to walk up and down this fell with very little help, and she isn’t often the most forthcoming to walk, so it really is wonderful for the younger kids too.

Sale Fell:

Sale Fell is a little fell of about 2.4 miles. This walk is wonderful for little legs because it isn’t too steep. You are also able to park directly at the bottom of the Fell which really does help. It took us about 2 hours 30 minutes to complete and that was with a lot of slow walking, a picnic stop and a very exciting game of ‘skidding down the hill’ which involved a lot of going up…and then coming back down again!

If you would like to find out more of the walks that Laura and her family have completed you can following them on Instagram @thehikinghousehold. All their walks are also mapped, and documented, in detail on www.thehikinghousehold.com.

hiking household