Not planned anything for Easter? Don't get left behind. Sarah Stirling's here with a quick reminder of seven last-minute Easter escape ideas. Eggsellent.

1. Pack up your bivy gear and escape to Skye for a two-day ridge walk

The Red Cuillin, Skye. Photo: Shutterstock. 

It’s a great time to head to Scotland: the midges won’t be out in full force yet and the weather looks set to be good. Is the long Easter weekend your chance to tick off the Cuillin Ridge? The 12km route involves 3,000m of ascent, 11 Munros, over 30 summits and V Diff climbing.

If you don't feel ready to leap on Britain's most challenging mountaineering journey, even if it does get you away from all the easter fuss, how about Skye's Trotternish Ridge, a 36-mile ridge walk? Though challenging, the route involves no scrambling or climbing. Many people walk it over two days and bivy on the ridge.

Other ideas? There are many, many walks on Skye, from rambles to scrambles. Otherwise you could spot sea eagles, wild swim in the Fairy Pools, take a boat trip to Rona, and then sample the island’s own malt whisky at the Carbost distillery.

How to do it:

Tips on traversing the Cuillin Ridge
Tips on walking the Trotternish Ridge
More ideas for walks on Skye
A range of guidebooks and maps for Skye in the BMC Shop
Tips on travel to Skye
 

2. Head to remote, rugged Lundy and climb England’s biggest sea stack

Experience the wild climbing and walking on Lundy. Photo: Alex Messenger.

Lundy lies just a dozen miles from the Devon coast, but the pace of island life makes you feel much further away. No cars, one shop and only one pub; luckily it’s a good one, serving locally-sourced meals at reasonable prices. There's not much to do - apart from explore, walk and climb.

Routes range from Diff up to impossibly-hard adventurous trad on wave-pounded, granite cliffs. Lundy is home to England's biggest sea stack, which can be climbed by a number of routes: the original is The Devil’s Chimney, VS. Families: between Easter and October the warden leads walks, talks, snorkelling safaris and ‘Rocky Shore Rambles’ to explore life in the rock pools of the Devil’s Kitchen.

After a day of climbing or hiking, get yourself a jar of Wet and Windy Ale and a plate of Lundy lamb or pork at the pub, then switch your phone off. There’s a strict ban on mobiles and electronic gadgets here, and a £1 fine for every beep. Bah humbug, Easter.

How to do it:

Sailing timetable, booking and prices
Walking guidebook: Lundy Walks by Simon Dell
Climbing guidebook: Lundy (Climbers' Club)
Camping is available for £7-£10, booking essential via Lundy Shore Office: 01271 863636.

3. Sport climbing on Costa del Portland

Head to the south for some sun. Photo: Shutterstock. 

It may be a bit late notice to plan a sport climbing trip to Spain, but there's still time to escape to Dorset's most southern tip, the Isle of Portland. Portland may not quite be the Costa Blanca, but there is a vast array of seaside sport routes, and it's a great place to be in April: not too cold, nor too warm and not as wet as the rest of the country. “It's always sunny on Portland”, as the saying goes. This may not be quite true, but you can often smugly climb there in a T-shirt while the rest of the country shivers.

To get away from the busy areas try Coastguard South, where there's a seaside ambience and wide spread of routes. Xavier Wall has some of the Isle's best best lower 6s, as well as a few steep lines through overhangs.

You could also stay down for the following weekend and join us at the BMC Portland Festival, featuring free walks and masterclasses with top climbers.

How to do it:

Guidebooks: Portland (Climbers' Club)
More info on routes
Portland YHA offers bargain-rate camping with 24 access to YHA facilities.
 

4. Letterboxing with the kids on Dartmoor

The wilderness of Dartmoor. Photo: Shutterstock.

Dartmoor is the largest and wildest area of open country in Southern England, and a good place to lose the crowds (but hopefully not the kids) on over 450 miles of public rights of way. You can keep little ones on track by introducing them to letterboxing: an ancient Dartmoor tradition. All over the moor, ink-stamps and visitor books are hidden in containers. If you find one, you stamp your Letterboxing notepad and stamp the visitor book in the box. It's just like treasure hunting! (But without the treasure).

The Dartmoor Letterboxing 100 Club sell a catalogue of clues, but traditionally you should find 100 letterboxes by patiently hunting under boulders before you can join the club and buy the catalogue! Good places to begin hunting are Cox Tor, Staple Tor and Brai Tor. Another good way to begin is to buy a Charity Walk clue sheet (around £3). Produced in aid of charity, these guide you on a walk, and contain clues to find letterboxes.

How to do it:

You will need: walking equipment, Dartmoor Explorer Map 1:25,000, inkpad, notebook, pen and patience.
More info about Letterboxing
Info on Charity Walk clue sheets
 

5. Wild West Wales

Pembroke: wild climbng and wonderful walks. Photo: Alex Messenger.

The edge of Wales can be a great place to escape the crowds. It's a long drive from anywhere, but worth it. South Pembrokeshire is the classic venue for Pembrokeshire climbing, but the North coast has some fun slab climbing on red sandstone and - shh - it's much quieter and they don't close any of it for the MoD! Porth Clais is a good place to begin, with routes from Diff to E1, or Carreg y Barcud, which has excellent technical slab climbing in a beautiful setting, with routes from easy to E7.

St David's Head is a top spot with lots of routes on excellent rock – beautiful on a summer evening at low tide. South Buttress has good gear, easy belay set-ups and routes that are ideal for everyone, including nervous leaders. Every bit of the coastline here is stunning for walking. Park anywhere and go! And for something different, book a day-trip to Skomer – it's a four-mile walk round the island, which is stuffed with puffins and other birds and wildlife.

How to do it:

Climbing guidebook: Pembroke Vol 1 - North Pembroke (Climbers' Club)
More info on routes
Boat trips to Skomer
 

6. Escape the crowds in the Peak on a long walk-in

Escape the crowds with a long Peak walk in. Photo: Alex Messenger.

Dovestone Tor has the longest walk-in of any crags in Eastern Grit, and its bleak, high moorland setting makes it feel very remote. It's a great place to escape the crowds of Froggatt and Stanage and sample Peak climbing as it was in the olden days.

Dovestone Tor is the most significant edge in a series known as Derwent Edge, which overlook Derwent Reservoir. Getting there involves a pleasant walk, 40-minutes by the shortest route, across heather-clad moors with panoramic views over the Derwent Valley reservoirs, Bleaklow, Kinder and Mam Tor. Great Buttress is a moorland classic (though high in the grade) at HVS 5a.

This may go against everything some climbers believe in, but you could actually EXTEND your walk-in to a 10-mile circuit, taking in Ladybower Reservoir, Lost Lad, Back Tor, Dovestone Tor and returning via White Tor and Wheelstones.

How to do it:

40 min walk-in: Park just north of the Strines Inn at a bend in the road and follow a well-used path across the moor.
50 min walk-in: Park in layby east of Cutthroat Bridge on the A55 Sheffield - Glossop road. Follow the footpath from the bridge, initially north then west.
10-mile walk circuit
Guidebook: BMC Burbage, Millstone and Beyond
More info on routes
 

7. Escape the Lake District crowds

Easter in the Lakes: not the time for Striding Edge. Photo: Shutterstock.

Easter is not the time to be tackling classics like Striding Edge or Scafell Pike. Most visitors will converge on the popular fells and walks around Keswick and Windermere, so make for the more difficult to get to areas in the west, north and east of the National Park.

If you stay in Borrowdale, head for the Newlands Valley and peaks off it to find solitude – but NOT Catbells, which is usually very busy.

How to do it:

Lake District guidebooks in the BMC Shop
 

Other ideas

• Climb the Old Man of Hoy in the Orkneys
• Walk the West Highland Way in four days
• Head for the beautiful Somerset Mendips – many will be driving straight past to the coast
• Run or walk the Welsh 3,000ers
• Last-minute ski break? Chamonix's Grand Montets is still open until 3 May, and you could also go running, hiking, climbing and paragliding perhaps...

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