Walking Grades – our Goat Guide
Walking Grades – use your goat instinct
It is important you are fit enough for your holiday and only you know what you can do.
We are here to guide you. Please read the information we provide and go to our YouTube channel where we have videos to watch that explain our hiking levels plus we have lots of fitness videos to help prepare…
Goat Levels Explained – Our YouTube Channel
Our holidays are designed with independent adventurous women in mind. Whatever your age or ability we aim to offer a range of holidays to provide a level of challenge you can manage, exciting new experiences, alongside good quality, comfortable accommodation, so you relax at the end of the day.
Everyone is individual and our grading is to guide you to choose the right holiday for you. Our itineraries give the detailed information on what you can expect for each walk but we are on hand if you have any questions. We want our holidays to encourage you to come back for more and more.
You will get more from your holiday if you are prepared and feel fit enough.
Get Goat Fitness support
We believe it is important to prepare for your holidays and we have introduced Get Goat Fit guides, You Tube Fitness Videos and we have Get Goat Fit events where you can test fitness and meet guides. We will be introducing more and more to help those that might like to develop more confidence, more balance , better breathing, stronger legs and just generally embrace that active life.
We will be doing more holidays with more than one guide so we can do different levels of activity. We also have our “ bit of everything holidays” where you can choose the walk that suits or that you feel like doing on the day. Look out for more of these.
We have 4 ‘Goat’ grades to keep it simple
The number of mountain goats reflects the challenge – 1 being the easiest and 4 the hardest. We no longer mention hours you will walk as it depends on the group and the speed you walk and on all of our holidays you can expect to walk all day starting at around 9.30am and returning 4/5pm . This does depend on the weather and the season but do always expect a full day of walking. We love stopping and staring so there is never a rush!
As we develop our holiday range we will be listening to customer feedback and fine-tuning our Goat levels as required. Goat 2 are our most popular holidays and they are moderate hiking. Some more moderate than others and we will make this clear in itineraries.
Guides may change the itinerary depending on the weather and prevailing conditions, therefore a certain amount of flexibility is always required. Our guides are the heart of WalkingWomen and you can trust they are experienced and are passionate about showing you their land and giving you the best experience possible. You come to us to be well guided.
We also expect you to be fit enough for the trip you choose: For Goat 1 ability you should be walking regularly on the flat, only needing a tea break after 2 hours. For Goat 4 ability there is no time for tea breaks and you can happily walk uphill for hours – chatting!
Be assured that our guides discuss each day’s walk with the group each morning. Weather may change over night so briefings are before you head out each day.
If you ever feel it’s not for you or you simply want a rest day this is absolutely fine.
Our goats – 5 top tips for any walk
- Read the itinerary
- Prepare for your trip
- Trust your guide
- Pack your adventurous spirit
- Have fun
Easy hikes – gentle. Typically up to 5 miles (8km)
Minimal ascents/descents and on easy paths that are well maintained. There is unlikely to be unstable terrain needing technical ability . The pace will be steady with lots of breaks.
Our city walks are Grade 1 and focus on introducing you to the local area with plenty of refreshment stops. If you are rediscovering your walking legs these holidays could well be for you.
Fitness Guide for this trip:
- Be able to walk for up to 90 minutes on flat ground without feeling breathless
- Climb 4-5 flights of stairs without stopping – keep practicing stairs!
- Carry a light backpack with water/snacks
If you can walk for 90 minutes around your neighbourhood without feeling exhausted you are ready!
More stretching hikes but moderate. No scary ridges or high heights!
Typically up to 8 miles( 13km) with some elevation gain up to 2000ft /600m
We know many people enjoy a bit of challenge so these walks could include some hills and even mountains. Sometimes terrain could be uneven with loose rocks – this will be made clear in information about individual holidays. You will always walk at a steady pace.
One of our guides describes these as mountain tortoise-style walks – slow and steady. They require fitness and ability to be comfortable walking up and down. Our guides can adjust the pace depending on the group. In a week you can expect a day off in the middle to rest and of course you can take one at any time!
Our Cross Country Skiing for newcomers is usually graded as 2 goats. Whilst you can take part never having skied before, it does require a certain level of fitness.
Fitness Guide for these trips:
- Be able to walk comfortably for 3-4 hours with only small breaks
- Climb stairs for 15 minutes without needing a rest – practice on stairs with 50+ steps and keep climbing 2-3 times a week ( or treadmill)
- Maintain a steady pace on uphill terrain – practice going up regularly.
- Do basic length strengthening exercise.
Stretching hikes – for those who want a little challenge and a great hike.
Typically up to 12 miles/ 20km with elevation gain up to 3500 ft/1066 metres
These walks are usually to get you to higher view points and perhaps even a Munro (over 3,000 feet) or one of the higher mountains we want to show you.
If you are looking to challenge yourself and increase fitness these walks could be for you. You would need strong knees and ankles, stamina and a good level of fitness. These are more about endurance than speed as we still like to walk at a steady pace.
Fitness Guide for these trips:
- Be able to walk 8 miles (13km) easily. If you have done a Goat 2 walk with no problem it might be the time to try a Goat 3.
- Keep moving for 3-4 hours without being exhausted. You might be tired but not exhausted.
- Walk uphill with gasping for breath. Can you walk up 20 flights of stairs without stopping?
Practice by doing a weekly long hike of 8 miles/13km with a longer one once a month. Plus walk uphill – hills, stairs – don’t avoid them.
Demanding hikes – more challenging.
Ascents and descents could be steep . These walks are sometime shorter to allow for a steady pace where we are climbing higher. If we are hiking over 1500m/4000 ft these will definitely be 4 Goat walks. The terrain is likely to be varied and may be rocky and unstable in places. You need to be in good shape and have previous experience with tough walks.
Some would describe these as epic as they get you to more unpopulated places and into wilderness if possible. Our newer walks in Switzerland and Andalucia, Spain will typically be 4 Goats, as we explore more mountainous terrain with spectacular views from ridges and tops. Our treks over many days maybe 4 Goats.
‘A bit of everything’
Sometimes we will run holidays with a little bit of everything so that couples or friends of varying abilities can join. You will be able to select the walk to suit you and then join up at the end of the day to share stories. These are known as our ‘bit of everything ‘ holidays .
We don’t like to be too prescriptive as your choice depends on what you feel ready and able for. Contact us if you feel unsure. The table below is to help guide.
| Goats | Up | Down | Distance | Fitness | Exposure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unlikely | Unlikely | up to 8km/5miles | Suitable for anyone but do practice walking 90 minutes regularly. | None | |
| 2 | 600m/200ft | 600m/200ft | up to 8miles/13km | Average fitness | Little | |
| 3 | 1000m/3500ft | 1000m/3500ft | up to 12miles/20km | Good level of fitness | Possible Ridges | |
| 4 | 1300m/4300ft | 1300m/4300ft | up to 16miles/25km | Good level of fitness with great stamina. Treks or Walks with less distance but steeper. | Likely |
Note: the above is guidance please read individual holiday descriptions
Exposure means the possible exposure to height especially cliffs, ridges or areas that some people may not feel comfortable with. We aim to avoid narrow or very exposed ridges.
Up and Down – this is very general. What goes up must come down – the thing to note is how steep the ascent or descent is, which we try to give in our more detailed itineraries.
