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Many years ago, when our (first two) children were four and two-and-a-half (2019), we went on vacation in Vienna. We wanted to do a trek with them walking on their own, and this post is going to describe what we did and how it turned out. Our primary concern was for it to be easy and successful. We didn't want their first experience to be frustrating; we didn't want to turn back midway. Since we were planning on going to Vienna, we thought we'd go somewhere nearby. The Vienna “Alps” were an obvious first choice, specifically the Rax plateau. It's a great place for a first hut trek with children (or for adults looking for an easy introduction to hut-to-hut trekking). In order to reach the Rax plateau, we decided to go by public transportation. Trains leave for Payerbach-Reichenau quite often, and it's an hour-long train from Vienna. From there we took a bus to the Rax-Seilbahn – the cable-car that goes to the top of the Rax plateau. This bus leaves two or three times an hour from the train station's parking lot. This brought us to the “beginning” of our trek. When we got off the cable-car, we bought snacks at the mountain inn at the top. We were amazed at how much colder it was, even in August – though given the height (1547m) it really isn't that surprising. From there it was a leisurely 2km walk to the Ottohaus. It was quite foggy, which our children liked and which gave the walk a sense of adventure. We spent the night there. The Ottohaus is a large and friendly establishment. Our children woke early and were thrilled to see deer from our window. We had a nice breakfast and started for our longest day – walking to the New Seehütte and back. There are two paths you can take there, and we chose the easier one that's further from the plateau edge. It was comfortable, well marked and we were able to let our children run ahead of us without worrying that they were in danger. The trail is basically a dirt road, but there are no private vehicles on the plateau, only one or two that were brought there by helicopter. The entire length of the trail between the Ottohaus and the Seehütte is about 3.5 km. Once we were there, we enjoyed a hearty lunch and a long rest. We chose to go back the same way we came because we didn't want any surprises; if your children are older you can vary the return by taking the alternate route. Both trails are described further in “Hut Hopping On The Raxalpe”. Another option is to walk to a different hut, for example the Karl Ludwig House or the Habsburghaus. Neither is far from the Seehütte; if your children can make it back to the Ottohaus they can probably reach one of these two as well. On the way back my younger child got tired; I carried him for short spurts on my shoulders to give him some time to rest, but I didn't have to do this too often or for too long. We reached the Ottohaus in good spirits and had an early dinner followed by a virtual miracle – our children went to sleep in the late afternoon and slept for more than 14 hours! (that had never happened before and has never happened since) The next morning we walked back to the cable-car and started our trip to Vienna. We got off the bus in the beginning of Reichenau and had a lovely walk along the river on our way back to the train station – it was the perfect denouement to our time in the mountains.

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I can regularly be found walking in the hills with at least some of my children in tow. All four have been regularly walking from a very young age. The youngest two currently have four multi-day walks under their belts: the Weavers’ Way and the Boudicca Way in Norfolk, the Cumbria Way, and a 54-mile stretch of the South West Coast Path (from Land’s End to Perranporth). The eldest two walked the Pennine Way and Wainwright’s Coast to Coast at similar ages. And more recently the Southern Upland Way and Cape Wrath Trail. Rhossili Down Here are my tips on how to make walking with young children safer, more accessible and less stressful for everybody – whether you’re planning a day walk or a multi-day adventure. ## 1. Wait for the right weather Of course we check the weather forecast before we set off. However, when we’re walking with the children, we are prepared to postpone the walk if the forecast is poor. It took us a year before we got the magic combination of school holidays and decent enough weather to walk the Cumbria Way. (It finally came along in October half term 2018). Still happy in the rain The odd rain shower isn’t a problem. as long as the children are dressed for it. Nothing kills a walk quicker than cold, wet children. The main weather considerations are wind speed, wind direction (ideally we want it on our back) and night-time temperatures if we’re camping out. ## 2. Get decent kit We spend as much consideration on outdoor kit for the children as we do for ourselves. However, we need to balance this against our low-cost philosophy, and the irritating thing about children is that they grow out of things so quickly! Walking the Pennine Way North to South in 2012 There are ways to make this more cost-effective: * Look after the stuff and pass it down to the next child. We have two boys and two girls, so anything we buy has to work for both genders. No pink, sparkly items! * Spend money on the gear that really makes a difference – decent waterproofs, boots and sleeping bag. * Look out for suitable walking clothes in charity shops. Trousers need to be quick-drying and light, and you can nearly always find second-hand fleece jumpers. * Buy gear bigger than they currently need it – even boots. A pair of thick walking socks can counter-balance the bigger size. * Check adult sale rails for XXS sizes. These are often the last items to sell, and can fit a child with a bit of creative pulling-in and rolling-up! ## 3. Get child-sized backpacks When our children first started walking, we carried all their gear. However, it wasn’t long before they wanted to carry their own bits and pieces. We started off with waist packs for them, and they just carried their snacks and gloves. Now they’ve graduated to their own backpacks, and it’s important to make sure that the pack fits them. We’ve found that the bags designed for running are a great size for children. Check the waist strap can be tightened enough though – hip belt pockets can be a problem, as they can stop the belt being tightened enough around a skinny child! The children walking the South West Coast Path with their own rucksacks Isaac is now using the Outdoor Research Isolation HD 18L backpack, and this is big enough for him to carry his waterproofs, sleeping bag, drink, hat, gloves and snacks. It fits him really well – he’s a tall 6 year old. Isaac says, “it’s very comfortable and I can fit lots of things in the rucksack.” Rhiannon, a tall 8 year old, is using the North Face 35L backpack. This is a brilliant lightweight rucksack that will last her for years. Rhiannon says, “it’s very useful as it takes weight off my mum and dad when I can carry my own things. It has a comfy shape when you’re wearing it.” ## 4. Feed them! OK, this sounds obvious – but I am always amazed by how much the children eat during / after a long walk. I will order an adult portion of a meal for them, thinking I can then finish off any leftovers, but there never are any! Adult-sized lunch while tackling the Weavers’ Way in Norfolk Pack LOADS of snacks. Our children particularly enjoy being in charge of their own snacks, and being allowed to choose which one they eat when we stop for a break. If it’s a multi-day walk, I tend to allow them to eat anything they like as they are burning so many calories. It also serves as an incentive to go walking. Salt and vinegar hula hoops for breakfast? Go ahead. ## 5. Build resilience This means taking every opportunity to walk. To school, to the shops, to the swimming pool… walk everywhere. I appreciate this is made easier for us as we live on the outskirts of a small town. However, we found that getting the children fitter really made a difference to their resilience on a long walk – and their enjoyment of it. Up in the hills – and loving it! ## Conclusion The more the children got used to walking as something we do all the time, the easier it became. It can be frustrating at the start, though – walking my two-year old to nursery and back used to take FOREVER. But I worked on the principle that if he never walked it, he’d never get quicker so we stuck it out! Food bribery (see tip 4) and doing exciting things, like walking in the dark helped. Walking on the beach at night – doing something unusual adds to the children’s fun So there you are – no rocket science, I’m afraid, but hopefully a few practical tips that might help someone else to get out into the hills with young children. Make sure they’re warm, dry, well-fed and fit enough, and they will enjoy every minute. This is my 18 year old daughter wild camping with me on my Pennine Way walk All my children have enjoyed being out walking and wild camping from an early age. As they’ve got older they now go off on hiking trips on their own and often join me on mine. Hiking in the Lake District with my teenage son ## Further Reading Isle of Wight Coast Path with children Weavers’ Way with children Boudicca Way with children Cumbria Way with children South West Coast Path (from Land’s End to Perranporth) with children Pennine Way with children Wainwright’s Coast to Coast with children Cape Wrath Trail with my son 22 Southern Upland Way with my son 23 Wildwalkinguk is a blog run by myself and my family. I pay for its running costs myself. I do have some Amazon affiliate links and adverts on the site. If you click on these adverts or links and buy what you need (it doesn’t have to be the item I’ve linked to), the company will pay a small commission to us. This money goes towards the costs of hosting the blog. I would be extremely grateful if you could consider using our links when you next need to buy something. Thank you so much for your support. Mark. ### Share this: * Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook * Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X * Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit * Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest * Click to print (Opens in new window) Print * ### _Related_