Are we sheep, or what?

It's all too easy to block out the uncomfortable truth that everyone else is thinking the same - we're all part of the mob.

A visit to the Lake District on a Bank Holiday weekend Sunday a few years ago brought the message home. The crowd milling about the Langdale Pikes would have done justice to a Second Division football match.

Hundreds of people had trickled into the Lakes from all directions and converged on that one place at that one time. And we were among them...

No doubt other well-known targets were similarly plagued. So much for the spirit of independence, the search for challenge and the craving for quiet. The words 'sheep' and 'mentality of' spring to mind.

A number of factors lead to this sort of summit swarming:

Let's face it, most over-used routes become so for a good reason - 'classics' are usually (though not always) the best.

Now if you're lucky enough to live near a mountain area, or have greater freedom in choosing your time off, it's easy to evade the main holiday rush. You can pick the best time to tackle famous routes - head off mid-week or use fine weather all year round.

If, like most people, you're not in that fortunate position a more fundamental change of approach is needed to get the most out of mountain days.

It boils down to seriously reviewing what is enjoyable about hill-walking.

Yes, it may be true that circuit X is described in a guidebook as the finest route on offer in a given area. But there must come a point when the sheer number of people traipsing along that route gravely undermines its enjoyment value.

Everyone has different tolerance levels. For some, one other person in sight is an infuriating intrusion. Most people are a little more realistic than that. For us, scattered parties are fine, a procession unacceptable.

No matter how highly rated circuit X might be, we'd opt to give it a miss in those circumstances. Less celebrated circuit Z, perhaps not as high or less obviously scenic, will zoom up in our pleasure rating if - as is almost certain - we meet fewer people.

It's worth keeping things in perspective. Although there are many popular peaks and routes which draw walking masses like magnets, there are always others, not far away, which don't get the same star treatment but are fine excursions in their own right.

On an Easter trip to Snowdonia we opted for a circuit of Cnicht and the Moelwyns from Croesor. Fifteen years ago Cnicht was a relatively unvisited mountain. No longer. We joined a steady stream of walkers sweating towards the ridge. It was vile.

Once we'd sidestepped our way through the summit scrum, however, traffic eased dramatically. By the time we started the steep haul to Moelwyn Mawr we were on our own - and so it stayed for the rest of the day.

Cnicht now joins our list to avoid on weekends and Bank Holidays. The modest but pleasing Moelwyns are likely to stay crowd-free for a while yet.

It's worth considering giving the main centres of the Lakes, Snowdonia and the Peak District a miss altogether in the busiest holiday times. Quite apart from the crowds, campsites and accommodation are full, and roads and parking spaces packed.

File away lists of popular peaks and classic walks for a while - the mountains will still be there later in the year, or next year.

Let's look further afield for unsung walks which offer a more complete escape from workaday routine.

We all want a piece of the action; peace of mind can be harder to find.