Now that you have had a chance to browse the website and pick out one or two exciting walking holidays, how do you choose which walks suit you?

The best place to start is on the 'Information' page of the holiday itself. Scrolling down a little, you will see a paragraph titled 'How Difficult'. Here, you will find an outline of the distances and ascents covered during this holiday.

For more detailed information on what you'd be expected to cover each day, click on the 'Itinerary' tab. You'll see several drop-down tabs that highlight each walk.

Here, you can see the exact distance and ascent for the walk and an estimated completion time.

Using this information, compare it with the walking you are currently doing. Will this holiday provide a leisurely few days, match your current abilities, or be a little more of a challenge?

There are a few other variables to consider when making this comparison.

The heat: It can be warm even in winter, especially with no wind or just a gentle southerly, and continuous exposure to the sun can sap your energy. You should factor this in, as it will add some workload to your walks.

Conditions underfoot: Walking is a flourishing activity, but away from the popular routes, the paths can often be across rough and broken rocks, especially in a karstic landscape. This could only be for short sections or longer, requiring extra concentration and energy to navigate and adding additional workload to your walks.

To help balance this out, I should mention that I don't do yomping! We enjoy our day out on the trails, with frequent stops along the way. If there's a cafe bar anywhere along the route, we'll stop in it.

The MIDE System

What information did I use to arrive at the grades? It could be compared to holding a wet finger in the air to check the weather, but I use the MIDE system to help me grade the routes.

What is the MIDE system I hear you say? It's something that I only became aware of when I started walking in Andalucía and what you will see on the information boards at the start of officially designated walks.

It is a joint venture between the government of Aragon and the Aragonese Mountaineering Federation, which aims to simplify the criteria for assessing a route's difficulty and commitment.

There is a convenient website where you can input a lot of the parameters of the walk, and from there, it will provide four grades, with each grade having a rating (from 1 to 5, 5 being the highest/hardest)

This system has four pillars, from which it gets its name.

Medium: The level of risk in the environment where the activity takes place.

Itinerary: The difficulty of navigation during the walk (not a problem as hopefully the guide knows the way)

Displacement: Assesses the difficulty of the terrain underfoot, from walking along a graded track to a scramble requiring four points of contact.

Effort: The physical demand required to complete the walk, particularly the length, ascent/descent, and terrain underfoot.

 

How fit do I need to be?

The information provided by the MIDE system is excellent. Still, you may be wondering about the difficulty level of the walks. To clarify this, I have categorised the walks as Easy, Moderate, or Strenuous. This classification offers a clear indication of what you can expect from each walk.

To make this less subjective, I have used these grades for someone who regularly walks on lowland paths and hills and can happily cover 6 to 8 miles during the day. If your walking experience is less than this, please email me, and we can discuss how suitable a particular holiday may be.

Easy: This is designed to be a leisurely day out. The paths are generally well-maintained, but some short sections may be uneven or broken, which can be easily navigated with care. We will take our time and walk at a relaxed pace. However, please be aware that areas with steep inclines or longer ascents may still exist.

Moderate: This route should align with your current walking experience. Throughout the day, we may need to navigate shorter, steep paths across open countryside, with brief sections that may involve slight exposure.

The walk will occur on various terrains, including rocky trails, and may require careful navigation through small, uneven areas. Some sections may necessitate using all four points of contact for stability. Maintaining a reasonable pace throughout is important to ensure we complete the walk on time.

Strenuous: You may find certain parts of the walk challenging. The route includes long sections of continuous ascent and rough or uneven paths and tracks. There could be traverses with drop-offs, and the distances involved will require a moderate pace to ensure we finish the walk before dark. Some sections may require using all four points of contact and will involve short scrambles.

Mixing grades: Before your holiday, I will send you a guide to the walks. In this guide, you will notice that the walks are graded, and some have a mixed grade, such as 'Easy/Moderate.' This grading indicates that most of the walk falls into the first category, but there are short sections that may be classified in the second category.

Clear as mud? Please let me know if you have any questions about a particular walk. I will provide additional information to help you decide.