Fitness and Grading Note

The distances and difficulty are for guidance only, and if you have any queries about the walks or indeed any other matter please contact us.  We have tried to grade the walks to give you a good guide to the conditions and hence level of effort required for each walk.  These gradings are not prescriptive and neither are the timings and we can take longer or even shorter depending on your feelings, though we do not recommend charging off at a fast pace particularly on the long and rough trails.  While we expect to start on time, the finish is subject to considerable variation and cannot be guaranteed.

Easy indicates distances up to 10km/6 miles on relatively level ground on good tracks, with a duration of up to 2 or 3 hours

Moderate indicates distances up to 13km/8miles ascending a total of approx 400m or 1200ft across reasonable  ground or tracks, with a duration of between 2 to 5 hours.  With an LGE of up to 15km

Strenuous indicates distances up to 16km/10miles, ascending approx 400m/1200ft across varied ground, with a duration of approx 5 to 6 hours.  With an LGE of between 15km and 18km.

Very Strenuous indicates distances over 16km/10miles ascending to 900m above sea level and higher across rough ground, with a duration of up to 6 or 7 hours.  Participants will need to be able to maintain a pace of around 4km/h (2mph).  With an LGE between 18km and 25km

Extremely Strenuous indicates distances over 20km/12miles ascending in excess of 800m across rough ground, with a duration of over 7 hours.  Participants will need to be able to maintain a pace of around 4km/h (2mph) for a long duration and ascending at around 30 to 45 secs for every 10m.  With an LGE of 25km or greater.

Varied ground may include some heather, peat hags, bogs, boulder fields, scree and/or river crossing (though not necessarily all).  Rough ground will include significant distances in these conditions.  Depending on the weather and other conditions at the time there may be additional unplanned walking in order to avoid a hazard.

Where shown the Ascent indicates the overall amount of going upwards across the whole route, and does not indicate the maximum height above sea level that is reached.  The timings are based on a speed of 3.5 to 4km/h and including stops.  Finish times or durations are not prescriptive and within reason clients can take as long as they like.  A more detailed description of each route can be found by clicking on its name on the activity list.  For a larger group the durations can often be longer as the group tends to become spread out and hence there are more frequent catch up stops.  A good indication of the degree of exertion required is the level ground equivalence (LGE).  This is found by multiplying the metres of ascent by 7, converting to km and adding this to the distance.  For example a climb of Ben Nevis via the 'Tourist Path' (16.5km and 1370m ascent) can be considered as equivalent to 26km on the flat and would be graded Extremely Strenuous despite being on paths.