I consider myself very lucky. I live in a city that is surrounded on all sides by hills and moor land and some of the best rambling to be had in the country. And so, regardless of weather, most weekends will find me packing up the family and the dog and heading out into the Peak District to exercise the legs, lose a few calories and free the mind from the stresses and strains of the rest of the week.

No matter how old or physically fit you are, whether you’re a walker, a rambler or a fully fledged hiker, the must have piece of equipment these days is a good hiking stick. Whenever you are out walking you’ll see all manner of people carrying all manner of sticks. This is because the hiking stick is very useful in all manner of situations. The stick can be a godsend when hiking hills or climbing as it provides that extra point of contact with the ground and offers a further degree of leverage as you work your way upwards. And once at the summit or the end of a good walk your stick provides a welcome rest and support for tired limbs and sore backs.

So you can see that the advantages to owning a hiking stick are clear, but just what stick to by? It seems the popular trend at the moment is towards the cheap, mass manufactured skiing poles, simple aluminium pipes with plastic handles. As a cheap and easy option this is certainly the way to go, and there is no doubt that they do an adequate job, but if I may state a personal opinion, in this arena (as in many others) I think traditional is best.

A simple carved or patterned wooden hiking stick can be not only functional but extremely attractive. Praise unlikely to be heaped upon your skiing pole. Opportunities abound to personalise your stick in all manner of ways while at the same maintaining a closer relationship to the land and environment your stick is aiding you to enjoy. Wooden sticks can provide just as much support as their man made counterparts and with the addition of an alpine spike to the end can be just as useful to the hill climber and adventurer. A wooden hiking stick, handmade by a craftsman, is a unique item that with a little care and attention will last a lifetime, and what’s more will provide a talking point for your friends and fellow walkers.

I’ve had my wooden hiking stick with me for a lot of years and as the seasons and terrains have changed my stick has changed with me. It may be looking a little weathered and beaten now, but then so am I.

By Phillip J. Morledge
P J Morledge has been a professional stickmaker for a number of years, producing original, handcrafted walking sticks. His site, provides a wealth of information as well as many of his unique sticks for sale.