How to start hiking

You do not need expensive equipment or any particular level of fitness to start hiking. You need a route suited to your ability, footwear you have already worn, enough water and plenty of daylight to spare. Almost all first-day problems stem from choosing a route that is too long or setting off too late.

1. Choose a route you can finish without pushing yourself

For your first outing, look for a waymarked route of between 6 and 10 kilometres with less than 300 metres of total ascent and the option to turn back at any point. Officially approved short-distance paths (PR, white and yellow waymarks) are often a good fit: they are waymarked and have route descriptions.

Ascent is the most tiring factor, much more so than distance. Ten flat kilometres make for a long walk; ten kilometres with 900 metres of ascent make for a day in the mountains.

2. Estimate your walking time before setting off

A conservative estimate that is sufficient to start with: 4 km/h on the flat, plus 10 minutes for every 100 metres of ascent, plus breaks. An 8 km route with 250 m of ascent works out at around 2 h 30 min of walking, which can easily become 3 h 15 min with breaks.

Then factor in the time of sunset and subtract at least an hour as a safety margin. If the timing does not work, shorten the route; do not increase your pace.

3. What to take on your first day

• Enclosed footwear with deep-tread soles that you have already worn several times.
• Between 1.5 and 2 litres of water per person for half a day; more if it is hot or there are no reliable water sources.
• Simple food: fruit, nuts, a sandwich, something salty.
• Three layers: a technical T-shirt, a fleece or thin jumper and a waterproof, windproof jacket, even if the forecast is clear.
• A cap, sunglasses and sunscreen; solar radiation is more intense in the mountains.
• A charged mobile phone with a map of the area downloaded for use without a signal.
• A basic first aid kit: blister dressings, medical tape, gauze, your usual medication.
• A head torch or small torch, even if you do not plan to return after dark.

Cotton does not dry and chills you when you stop. It is the most common clothing mistake on a first outing.

4. Pace: you should be able to talk

The right pace is one that lets you hold a conversation. If you are out of breath, you have been going too fast, and you will feel it in the second half. On climbs, shorten your stride rather than forcing longer steps, and take short, frequent breaks instead of one long stop.

5. Tell someone where you are going

Before setting off, tell someone which route you are taking and what time you expect to return. It costs nothing and does more than any other measure to speed up a search if something goes wrong. In Spain, the emergency number is 112.

6. Common mistakes you can avoid

1. Wearing new walking boots for the first time on the day of the walk.
2. Setting off at midday in summer: most rescues for exhaustion take place during the hottest hours.
3. Taking too little water and relying on water sources that may be dry.
4. Going without a warm layer because it was hot lower down.
5. Continuing ‘because there is not far to go’ when your body or the weather tells you otherwise.

7. Respect the environment

Stay on the marked path, take all your rubbish home with you (including fruit peel), do not light fires and close any gates you found closed. In protected areas, check the park's specific rules before you go: there may be restrictions on access, parking or dogs.

After your first walk

Once you have completed three or four similar outings without exhausting yourself, increase the challenge gradually: first more ascent, then more distance and only then more technical terrain. Slow progress is what prevents injuries and scares.