the experience
Night time is when all good people are tucked up in bed, right? Well, not necessarily. There is a well-established tradition of night hiking in the mountains, and one or two mountains have a steady stream of people going up and down all night at the weekends.
Walking at night in the mountains can be a wonderful, magical, experience if it is done properly, offering a glimpse into a new world, even in familiar landscapes. The important thing is to choose the right route (not loo long and not too difficult), and the right night (with moonlight and mild weather).
At first, the feeling of setting out at the start of a night walk, when it seems that everyone else is coming off the mountain and going to their beds, is a bit scary. But as we walk on and become more comfortable with the night, we relax and begin to feel the magic and the wonder. And when we return after our adventure, your body may be craving a good night's sleep at the wrong time of day, but you may be exhilarated and enchanted by what you have experienced.
practical matters
We will walk with LED headlights (one for each walker each and a spare or two) -- these are for seeing where to put our feet, for reading maps, for finding our snacks and our drinks, and for keeping the group together. We will also have one or two hand-held LED spotlights, for seeing further out, such as when we want a longer view of the land around us. We will, of course, have spare batteries.
If we are lucky, the Moon will shine her silver light on us, and we will not have to use the torches, but that is quite unusual.
A night hike can be for just an hour or two, or all night from dusk to dawn. I suggest that if this is your first night hike, we keep it short, and stay on well-worn footpaths.
It is cooler at night, and we will be moving more slowly than in the day, so we will probably need to wear an extra layer to keep warm.
