There's nothing like spring in the air to get us excited about the warm (hopefully sunny) days to come. This is the time of year when a lot of people make their summer walking plans, getting inspired for the holidays, or those well-earned weekends away. If you haven't got much planned yet, and feel that you probably should, here are some ideas to get you going.

Climb your first peak

If you're a lowland walker who has been itching to get a bit higher, this could well be the year. Our walking weekends are perfectly suited to beginners, and we often aim for a peak during the day, especially in popular fell-walking areas like the Lake District. During the weekends, we have an easier and a harder walk, and you can choose which one you want on the day. What's more, we go to most of the great outdoors walking destinations in the country, so there'll be somewhere you've always dreamed of going!

Climb a major peak

Okay so you've been up some hills and now want to concentrate on achieving one of the bigger ones. Snowdon? Scafell Pike? Ben Nevis? Or maybe you don't mind which as long as it's higher than you've been before. Trying to reach a higher mountain is a great aim, and with a bit of preparation it's definitely within your reach. Perhaps join the harder walk next time you're on a Large Outdoors weekend, or sign up to climb one of the most popular mountains. I'm sure there's a Snowdon weekend coming up soon...

Set yourself the goal of a minimum number of walking days

Instead of a specific aim like a particular mountain, why not just try to get out as much as possible this summer? Set yourself a goal of 3...5...8...20 days, whatever you think is going to motivate you but that's still achievable. Perhaps book some weekends away with a group, or just explore the landscape near you.

Go somewhere you've never been before

Why not browse through the website for inspiration or just flick open a map of the UK. It's more than likely we run walking weekends in places you've never heard of, let alone been. Since walking is definitely the best way to get to know somewhere new, sign up immediately! You may discover something you would otherwise have missed.

Sign up for a challenge

If you already walk a lot, or suddenly have the urge to raise money for charity, which not take on one of the classic UK hillwalking challenges? We run Yorkshire Three Peaks and National Three Peaks challenges for open groups and bespoke groups. Is this the year you give it a go – there's plenty of time till autumn!