At High Point Ireland, we welcome and encourage young people to become part of our community. As the governing body for Sport Hillwalking in Ireland, we recognise that the future success of our sport relies on getting young people actively involved. Hillwalking is a great way for children and teenagers to discover the Irish great outdoors with their parents as part of the family "sports team".
Hillwalking is also useful for outdoorsy parents who have been taking a "break" from the hills to focus on their children's early years development. Through our youth initiatives, parents can get back into the hills with their children from a young age in a way that is safe and enjoyable for all.
Hillwalking is also useful for outdoorsy parents who have been taking a "break" from the hills to focus on their children's early years development. Through our youth initiatives, parents can get back into the hills with their children from a young age in a way that is safe and enjoyable for all.
Special notes for parents with young children
Parents can encourage their children to get involved in hillwalking by introducing the sport as a family adventure activity. To facilitate this, we have created the Accessible High Points (Level 1) list: the perfect mini-challenge for walkers under the age of 12 years old.
Parents can accommodate their children’s progress by integrating the Accessible High Points (Level 1) challenge into family travel plans. The list comprises 10 summits which can be ascended along well-surfaced access tracks. These buggy-friendly routes can accommodate younger siblings who are not walking yet themselves.
Participant safety is our top priority. The locations we have included in the Accessible High Points (Level 1) list all have well-surfaced access routes. The following recommendations apply to these particular routes:
- In your group, the number of children under the age of 12 years old should not be more than the number of adults. In other words, every child under 12 should be closely supervised by at least 1 adult at all times.
- Be aware of cross-slopes where the ground falls off to the side of the access route. An alert adult should always be positioned between a child and adjacent downslopes.
- If bringing a child in a buggy, always strap him / her in. We strongly advise you to connect yourself securely to the buggy using a strong tether. Even on a gentle slope, a freewheeling buggy can accelerate away from you very quickly. Always have an alert adult on the downslope side of the buggy. On ascent, this will be the pusher. On descent, a second adult should walk a short distance in front.
- Check the start point for each Accessible High Point (Level 1) walk on Google Streetview. This will give you a better idea of any potential obstacles which may need to be negotiated. If bringing a child in a buggy, please be aware that it may be necessary for 2 adults to lift a buggy over such obstacles.
- Please note that the access road may end short of the High Point location itself. In these cases, depending on the terrain, it may be necessary to remove your child from their pushchair and carry him / her the final short distance to the top. Alternatively, one adult could stay behind to mind the child who is in the pushchair while the other adult(s) in the group accompany the older walking child(ren) to the top.
- The above notes are only recommendations. Parents must make their own risk assessments on site and use their own judgement to ensure their own safety and the safety of their children.
