Dave Jennings has commented on an old post of mine regarding how best to introduce children to hillwalking. In his comment he remarks on the difficulty he's had in finding information and advice. I agree with him - there does seem to be little available, and I suspect that doing a Google search was how he stumbled on the posts I have made regarding my own children.
However there are a couple of links that I can suggest. The forums on the Ramblers Association site have a section called Family Walking which deals with some of the issues parents encounter - it's well worth a browse or you can register and start your own discussion. The Ramblers Association also have a section of their website which gives advice on walking with children - click here.
From my own point of view the best thing you can do is try and build up a sense of excitement and ensure that you have plenty of treats/bribes with you to keep them going when motivation slips! My experience with my 6 year old has so far been positive but I do think taking him on the wrong hill, in the wrong conditions could very quickly undermine that.
Dave, like me, lives in Glasgow and we have a lot of fantastic walking close by. My advice would be pick a good day, get lots of chocolate and choose between the Whangie/Auchineden Hill, Conic Hill or Ben An, all of which I've done with my son and written about. I would save the Munros for a time you are confident they will have the perseverance to keep going and that they are comfortable in rougher terrain.
Whatever you do, enjoy it and err on the side of safety.




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