Grading of tours

We grade our tours to compare one with another and help you choose the right trip. This grade takes into account a number of factors including the ruggedness of the terrain, length of the day's walk, amount of ascent to be made, and whether the difficulties are sustained over several days. The following is an explanation of the grading system we use. We are always happy to talk about our trips if you require further insight into the difficulty of a particular itinerary.

Easy: These tours have walks of 4 - 7 miles with only small ascents and are mostly on good trails. These trips usually also involve some touring by road and visits to places of interest. There may be an option to make a longer walk and with an ascent of up to 1,000 feet on one or more of the tour days.

Moderate: In this category the accent is on a leisurely paced exploration. If there is a hard hiking day on the trip this will be followed by a day of leisure or an easier walking day. Generally the walks will be 6 - 10 miles in length and typically will have around 2000 feet of ascent and possibly up to 3000 feet for some trips (note: 4000 feet on the 3 Peaks Explorer). Moderate trips are mostly on well maintained trails, with just the ocaisional steeper or pathless section.

Demanding: In this grade the hiking may be up to 15 miles and/or with a total ascent of more than 3000 feet on any day. The terrain will be a mixture of good trails, trackless moorland, and rocky ridges which occasionally may require some easy scrambling. Our definition of scrambling is where the use of hands become necessary for balance or progress. These trips are suitable for keen hikers or aficionados of long distance footpaths.

Strenuous: This grade is reserved for our toughest trips. Like our demanding trips the hiking may be up to 15 miles and/or with a total ascent of more than 3000 feet on any day but are likely to be sustained over several days without intervening easier days. The terrain on these tours will vary from good trails to trackless moorland, rock ridges, and water filled gullies and canyons. These trips will often have options for more difficult or technical scrambling and short sections where we may use a safety rope. These trips are suitable for experienced hikers who enjoy the steeper and more adventurous ways to reach their summits.

Please note: All our tours are graded with hikers and hill walkers in mind. If you are not a regular walker or hiker you may find even the 'moderate' tours quite challenging. However, we do offer a range of tours which should cater for most abilities and we are always happy to discuss our itineraries with prospective clients. You don't have to be an athlete or even a keen hiker to take part in a Wandering Aengus Treks tour, but it will increase your enjoyment if you are aerobically fit. It should be noted that even where routes are wholly along maintained trails that in many areas such as the Lake District, these are still part of the natural environment and may be made up in parts of loose rock or turf, tree routes, and occasionally crossed by streams.