Here you’ll find answers to the most common questions we receive about BaldHiker, our guided walks and retreats, and our website.
If you can’t find the answer you’re looking for, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via our contact page.
About BaldHiker & Our Mission
The answer is simple. When I was looking for a name for the blog and someone on Social Media called me the bald hiker. I am bald, I hike, so I thought why not.
Paul was travelling and hiking the UK and the world and started to turn his journeys into short stories. The travel and hiking blog began. Zoe has now joined and added wellness and creativity. Together we love to share our passions and places.
Paul and Zoe are the two halves of BaldHiker’s shared mission to blend invigorating adventure with creative wellbeing.
Paul Steele is the founder of BaldHiker. He started the site in 2010 to share his lifelong passion for the outdoors with the world. Paul brings an unparalleled level of expertise to every walk and retreat, drawing on 17 years of service in the British Army, which gave him a deep understanding of navigation, leadership, and safety in the world’s great landscapes.
Zoe Potter is the Creative & Wellbeing Lead. Zoe is a mindful creative who discovered the powerful connection between nature, art, and personal wellbeing on her own healing journey. She brings her expertise in mindful creativity, yoga, and wild swimming to help create experiences that are restorative and transformative.
Together, their individual paths and passions converged to transform BaldHiker from a personal blog into a shared mission. They combine Paul’s expertise in adventure with Zoe’s unique ability to guide mindful, creative experiences, creating the unforgettable guided walks and retreats you see today.
This all depends on for what. For hiking I do love Iceland and New Zealand along with the UK of course.
For adventures I like the USA, it is so vast and full of a variety of adventure and a whole range people types.
For culture I am always amazed when I visit Azerbaijan and Italy.
Guided Walks, Retreats & Adventures
While both of our offerings are designed to help you connect with nature and like-minded people, the main difference is their duration and scope. Think of our Guided Walks as a fantastic day out, and our Retreats and dventures as a complete getaway.
Guided Walks:
- Duration: These are typically single-day hikes focused on a specific route, challenge, or summit in the UK.
- The Experience: We take all the strain of navigation away, allowing you to simply enjoy the walk, the scenery, and the company. They are social, friendly, and a great way to achieve a walking goal or discover a new area with an expert guide.
- Perfect for: Anyone looking for a memorable day in the great outdoors, whether you’re a seasoned hiker or just starting out.
Retreats & Adventures:
- Duration: These are multi-day getaways and holidays in the UK and around the world.
- The Experience: A retreat is a more immersive adventure. It often combines walking or trekking with other elements like history, culture, art, or yoga. These trips include accommodation and are designed to be a transformative experience where you can fully disconnect and restore your sense of wellbeing.
- Perfect for: Anyone looking for a complete holiday, a deeper cultural immersion, or a challenging multi-day trek.
We pride ourselves on making the outdoors accessible to as many people as possible, so we offer a wide range of experiences designed to suit various fitness levels. Our goal is to ensure our adventures are not just for the elite or mountain hardy, but for everyone who wants to enjoy the great outdoors.
The fitness level required depends entirely on the specific walk or retreat you choose. Here’s a general guide:
- Guided Walks: Our day walks in the UK can range from gentle, accessible paths perfect for families and beginners to strenuous, full-day mountain hikes on challenging terrain.
- Retreats & Adventures: These also vary greatly. Some of our UK retreats focus on gentle walking and wellbeing, while some of our international adventures can be either relaxing or involve demanding, multi-day treks at high altitudes.
How to find the right level for you: To ensure you choose an experience you’ll love, every single walk and retreat on our website has a detailed description that includes the distance, terrain, and a clear difficulty rating (e.g., easy, moderate, or strenuous).
We strongly recommend reading the specific event page carefully before booking. If you’re ever unsure or have any questions about a particular trip, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
We’re always happy to help you find the perfect adventure for your fitness level.
Lots of information on kit required will be given to you prior to any guided walk. We will always recommend however that you have waterproof clothing, good boots, layers, water and snacks.
Some of our retreats and walks are dog friendly and these will be stated in the walk or retreat descriptions.
Some of the overseas retreats and adventures are not suitable for dogs as well as some of the more technical UK Guided Walks.
Each guided walk, or retreat & adventure page has a prominent booking button placed within so you can easily book.
The Website & Our Content
Every article on BaldHiker is born from a genuine, first-hand experience. We believe that the best travel and hiking advice comes from people who have actually laced up their boots and walked the trails themselves.
Our content comes from two main sources:
- Our Core Team: Paul, Zoe, and our regular team of writers personally travel to and explore the destinations you read about. We take our own photos, make our own notes, and share the real, authentic story of our journey—including the highlights, the challenges, and the hidden gems we discover along the way.
- Our Global Community: Over the years, BaldHiker has grown from a personal blog into a vibrant community. We are proud to feature articles from a trusted circle of friends and fellow adventurers from around the world who share our passion for authentic storytelling and a love for the outdoors.
Our guiding principle is simple: we only write about what we know and what we love. We don’t just research places online; we go there. This commitment to personal experience is what allows us to provide the detailed, trustworthy, and inspiring guides that we hope will help you plan your own unforgettable adventures.
We’ve designed the new site to make this as easy as possible! The best way to find all of our content for a specific county is by using our main “Explore” menu.
Here’s a simple step-by-step guide:
- Start by clicking on “Explore” in the main navigation menu at the top of any page.
- In the menu that appears, look for the “Destinations” column and click on “UK and Ireland.”
- This will take you to our new, dedicated hub page for the UK and Ireland. Here you will see our “Explore Our Top Regions” section, which has a beautiful visual grid of all the main counties we cover, including Yorkshire and Cumbria.
- Simply click on the county you’re interested in, and you’ll be taken to its own dedicated page. There you’ll find all of our walks, accommodation guides, and other articles for that specific area, all in one place.
My top tip would be never find a hole in the market, you will get more enjoyment and last longer if you write about something you love and enjoy.
Let the content flow consistently and enjoy sharing your words and pictures.
Currently as my main camera I use a Leica DLux7 and also use my phone, a Google Pixel 10 Pro.
I also use an Insta 360 X4 for immersive shots on the go as well as a GoPro action camera.