'Anytime Hotdogs' in Thermos Flask | Food on the move

'Anytime Hotdogs' allow you to have a hot tasty stack whilst on the move.

As the nights get shorter and colder keep warm and satisfied with this tasty tip.  If you’re walking in winter or heading somewhere cold for your walk then what you really need is something warming and comforting to keep you going.  This novel idea will have other walkers green with jealousy and really give you a boost when you’re cold and tired!

Simply boil a packet of hotdogs or frankfurters.  When piping hot pop them into a thermos flask. Pack hotdog buns, ketchup and mustard, then when you stop on your walk just open the flask to find steaming hotdogs!  Delicious!  Simple!  Yum!

Trail Mix Flapjacks | Picnic Ideas for Walks

These flapjacks are chewy, gooey and incredibly moreish!

As well as being a real treat the oats provide slow release energy which will really keep you going on a long walk. One word of warning... you should probably pack twice as many as you think you’ll need, they’re that good!

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Ingredients:

• 200g butter
• 150g golden syrup75g golden muscovado sugar
• 150g rolled oats
• 100g Muesli (Alpen works really well, but feel free to substitute for your own favourite brand)
• A handful of chopped nuts (I always go for pecans)

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Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. In a saucepan melt the butter, sugar and syrup together over a low heat until smooth and gently bubbling. Take off the heat and stir in the oats, muesli and nuts until everything is coated in the sticky mixture. Place this into a greased non stick square baking tin. Bake for around 20 minutes until just golden brown on top. When they’re done wait five minutes then mark them into squares with the back of a knife while the flapjacks are still warm, but wait until they’re completely cool before removing from the tin and cutting.

Enjoy!

Potato Salad | Picnic Ideas for Walks

This Italian take on the traditional potato salad is fresh and healthy, and makes a lovely alternative to sandwiches.

It also travels well so tastes just as great after a few hours in your backpack.

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Ingredients:

• New potatoes (Jersey Royals are delicious when you can get them, but any small salad potatoes will do)
• Chicken thigh fillets
• Fresh thyme
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese
• Rocket leaves or baby spinach
• Pine nuts
• Balsamic vinegar
• Lemon juice

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Crush the garlic (a couple of cloves) in a pestle and mortar with some rock salt, the juice of a lemon,
olive oil and a handful of fresh thyme leaves. Toss 3 or 4 chicken thigh fillets in the marinade and leave them for a while (as long as you like, up to a few hours). When ready, put the chicken in a non stick baking tray (pour over any leftover marinade) and cook in a preheated oven for 15 – 20 minutes at 180 degrees. When it’s cooked and the juices are running clear, leave it to one side to cool down. When cool, cut into yummy bite size morsels!

Pick the best Jersey Royals you can

In the meantime boil the potatoes in salted water, season and drizzle with a little olive oil then leave them to one side to get completely cool as well.

Toast a handful of pine nuts in a dry frying pan (they turn very quickly so keep a close eye on them!).

Cut the mozzarella ball into centimetre cubes and shave the parmesan.

Combine salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a small plastic bottle (one part vinegar to 3parts oil is a good rule of thumb, but you can taste it and alter the quantities for your palate). Shake vigorously.

Mix the chicken, potatoes, cheese and pine nuts together in a tupperware, leaving the salad leaves and dressing separate to add when you’re ready to eat.

That’s it! You’ll love this easy-to-make and fortifying salad.

What is Nordic Walking?

Nordic walking is becoming increasingly popular so here's the full guide.

In a nutshell, Nordic Walking is a normal walk made harder by introducing poles. They look a bit like ski poles.  Each stride makes you work harder than you would when simply pottering along at your normal pace. Nordic walking isn't some technique to employ when walking to the tube or bus on the way to work, it's for walkers looking to strengthen more muscles when walking in the countryside.

One of the benefits to Nordic walking is that it can be enjoyed all year around.  Despite it's links to skiing and Norway, the practice of Nordic walking occurred when cross country skiiers realised that they would lose shape during the summer, the out season.  They saw that those who employed this technique of "summer cross country skiiing" fared better over the Summer and did not let all those Summer BBQs do any damage.

Nordic walking has become increasingly popular in the UK in the past 10 years.  Those suffering with joint pain can see great benefits from Nordic walking.  Nordic walking is a full body Your normal walk in the country side or across a field uses 70% of your muscle mass.  Nordic walking can use up to 90% though, and those doing the activity can exert 46% more energy as you must exert force against the pole in every stride.

Besides helping joint pain, Nordic walking helps increase your heart rate, makes climbing hills and slopes easier, so is great for those planning a climb up Ben Nevis.  Nordic walking also improves the flow of oxygen to the cells and is beneficial for your core and balance.

Some advice though for those using Nordic walking to help with joint pain, make sure the poles are the same length otherwise you'll put unneccesary strain on your joints.

For a full list of Nordic walking guides, visit www.nordicwalking.co.uk

Below is an introduction video to Nordic walking hosted on Youtube:

What to wear climbing Ben Nevis.

Make sure you have the right climbing equipment when walking up Ben Nevis.

Have you set yourself the awesome challenge of climbing Ben Nevis?  You may have trained well enough so far to complete this epic challenge, but one thing you can't afford to get wrong is having the right equipment.

One thing that a lot of beginners don't realise is that you need a range of climate wear to climb Ben Nevis.  If it's warm at the bottom of Ben Nevis when climbing Ben Nevis, it could well be near Arctic when you reach the summit.  You could set off with a t shirt and shorts at the bottom but need trousers and a Karrimor jacket near the top.  Almost definitely, you'll see a covering of snow at the top, so jeans and Reebok classics are not a wise choice.  Below is our definitive guide to climbing gear needed for Ben Nevis.

Rucksaks and bags
Lillywhites in Piccadilly

European Walks | Barcelona | Gaudi Tour

Casa Batllo

A detailed walking guide that will help you see Barcelona's best buidlings including La Sagrada Familia by Gaudi.

Barcelona has an awful lot of beautiuful buidlings, but nothing compares to Gaudi's finest work, La Sagrada Familia. This tour takes you from a familiar starting point, Las Ramblas, and then via some fine Gaudi work including Casa Batlló (right).

First, a little history, who is Gaudi and why should you take this walk? Gaudi was a Spanish architect and his buildings are all unique in their style. On this walk you'll see one of the most visited tourist attractions in Spain, the stunning church - La Sagrada Familia. His nickname was "God's Architect" as he often made his buildings with religion front of mind.  The La Sagrada Familia currently has some scaffolding which is a shame.  It's still not finished but is none the less impressive.  They reckon it won't be finished until 2020 at the earliest.  Current builders are using Gaudi's plans to complete his vision.

Start your walk at the top of Las Ramblas.

Nature Valley 2000 Walks Guide

Interactive tool to help choose from over 2,000 walks in the UK.

Fresh from their recent maths faux pas on the front of the Metro, Nature Valley have redeemed themselves with this handy tool.

2000 Free Walks

It allows you to filter based on criteria: region, difficulty, duration, circular routes etc.  Whilst the walks aren't that detailed in directions, you can get some good ideas for walks.