The person behind the research
About Trailstrider
Trailstrider is researched and written by Simon, a long-distance hiker and qualified Mountain Leader. It is independent and ad-free: no sponsored placements, no data sales, no advertising budget. The site exists because planning a long trail should start from facts somebody checked, not from copy nobody stands behind.
How the research works
Every rated fact on a trail page carries its source and the date it was checked. Distances and ascent come from the route geometry itself, so the parts always add up to the whole. Where something is not known, the page says unknown rather than guessing. Accommodation, transport and seasonal advice are researched trail by trail, and safety guidance from official sources travels word for word, never paraphrased.
Honesty about coverage matters too. Not every trail here has been walked end to end by Simon; the research authorship is his, and where a trail has been walked first-hand it says so on the trail page.
On the hill
The photographs below are Simon's own, from the seasons and places the research draws on: winter rounds in the Lake District, the Welsh mountains in all conditions, and long days in the Cairngorms.
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Above a cloud inversion on the Glyderau, Eryri, October 2025 -
Blencathra's summit ridge under full winter cover, Lake District, January 2025 -
Frozen falls in the Helvellyn range, Lake District, January 2025 -
Map in hand below Helvellyn's edges, Lake District -
Winter conditions high on the Helvellyn range, January 2025 -
A high camp in Eryri, March 2026 -
The Glyderau above the clouds, Eryri, October 2025 -
The Cairngorms in June 2026, with the best summit dog
Keeping it going
Trailstrider is free to use. If it has saved you research and faff, you can support it from the planner with a one-off tip, share it with a walking friend, or link to it from your own corner of the internet. All three genuinely help.