UKH

I’m looking at extending my walking through the winter this year, what are some good routes to begin getting used to snow/colder conditions?

I’m based on the south coast so ideally the more southern the better

I'm fairly sure the concensus here will be: any good summer route, but when it's colder. 

South coast..? You’re not making it easy on yourself!

lakes and snowdonia your nearest semi reliable options I think; but even then vulnerable to thaws at any point over the winter, brilliant conditions on a Wednesday can have been washed away by the weekend 

Id recommend a week based in or around ft William. The extra 200-300m of lochaber peaks gives a much better chance you’ll find some snow when you get there. CMD arête on the Ben is the best winter hill walk in Britain. The grey corries another classic, lots of options in the mamores and glencoe, and a little bit further glen shiel ridges, creag meaghaidh and even the northern Cairngorms are all in reach. You’d have to be very unlucky not to find something in condition somewhere. 

And if your lucky to get a real cold spell, the ferry to ardgour brings in some lower hills like Ben resipol and Garbh bheinn with amazing coastal views 

Do you think I’ll need crampons/ice axe for those or will my hiking boots be alright?

Yes, ice axe, crampons and importantly 4 season boots would be recommended. And the knowledge of how to use them eg ice axe arrest of a slip. A substantial investment, but they will last a long time- 14 years an counting for mine, so the cost ‘per season of use’ is far more reasonable looked at that way.

Also, the confidence in navigating in potentially adverse weather and in assessing avalanche risk.

i think a course would be useful for you- there are a number of providers do introductory winter hillwalking or mountaineering courses over 5 days  based out of ft William. If you are a keen summer hill walker looking to extend your skills to winter conditions, they are well worth it- speaking from personal experience. 

Also get hold of a copy of ‘Scotland’s winter mountains’ by Martin Moran- packed with information and an enjoyable read as it has various anecdotes from history and his own experiences that make it much more than just a reference book.

lakes and snowdonia and even the Brecon Beacons do get winter conditions every year, a I’ve had numerous brilliant days in each- but conditions much more fickle, and if your investing the effort of travelling a long way, then the options and reliability in Scotland much better 

I think the better reliability of snow in Scotland outweighs the distance you'd need to travel and that is before considering just how wonderful Scotland is.

If you fancy a course have a look at Snowgoose Mountain Centre at Corpach (a few miles from Fort William)  - https://highland-mountain-guides.co.uk/

It is many years since I was there and haven't done any winter courses (summer climbing and canoeing) but it was an excellent place. They also have accommodation on site.

Dave

To state the obvious, any hill with snow is a good hill for getting used to walking in the snow... But (exceptional cold snaps aside) as others have said, you're unlikely to find anything genuinely wintry south of the Brecon Beacons and the further north/higher you go from there the better. Fort william or Aviemore would be your obvious best bets for bases.

But winter hills are serious, so the best advice is to ease in gradually, and to be particularly vigilant with weather forecasts and avalanche reports. 

This old article is a good jumping-off point for winter skills articles, route suggestions etc: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/features/welcome_to_winter-5089 (the format's got a bit messed up - i'll try to deal with that when I habve time)

This piece has some ideas of things to do in winter as well/other than snowy summits: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/features/five_winter_weekenders-4481

Also see this one, on six of the more reliable places for snow seekers: https://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/features/six_top_peaks_for_festive_s...

Brecon Beacons are the closest to you. Not as reliable as the Northern Hills for true winter conditions, but in a cold snap you well encounter sub zero temperatures, icy paths, frozen streams, frozen earth and if you are lucky, snow. Otherwise, as others have said you will have to go north for North Wales - generally hit or miss for true winter conditions, the same for the Lakes. The Scottish Mountains are more likely to get true winter conditions. But the British weather is so fickle, that you are more likely to encounter miserable wet winters than a prolonged spell of good winter climbing conditions, and this can vary from week to week.

Extremely difficult for us Southerners to plan leave in advance, whereas those who live further north can make quick decisions to grab a day or two when conditions are good.

If you are on the South Coat it may be more practicable, and cheaper, to head to Alpine regions to get some snow walking routes in - even in warmer "summer" weather there are plenty of snowy walking routes on the bigger alpine hills.

Practice with crampons, and a walking axe, only takes a morning then take it gently to begin with - don't push the comfort zone too soon.

Assume you are already able to navigate, winter just takes a bit more time / more checks.

If you do go to Scotland be flexible as the weather can change significantly between areas.

And, contrary to current thinking it is possible to get out into the hills, in both summer and winter without going on a course.

Enjoy yourself and keep safe.

Yes, course absolutely optional. 

Building up skills and experience takes time though. If OP is travelling from the south of England, they’re going to do well to get more than a week and maybe a couple of weekends in per year. A course can ‘fast forward’ getting the knowledge and skills. And perhaps pick up contacts for future unguided trips.  

Worth considering, that’s all

^^ This. I live in Guernsey which is even worse for snow than the south coast, and have recently started winter walking & snowshoeing in the Ammergauer and Estergebirge alps south of Munich (as I have relatives near there).  Most of this is below or just above the treeline (1300-1800m) and has a) minimal avalanche risk b) beautiful 'winter wonderland' scenery in the trees and great views above them c) hardly any wind to make things unpleasant. No worries about altitude sickness, and lift access is unnecessary or reasonably priced outside the big resorts.  Some places have the ability to rent a toboggan to get you down to the villages from the top of the lifts.  It's almost certainly quicker, easier (and cheaper?) for you to jump on a cheap flight from Bournemouth or Gatwick to the Alps than it is to drive all the way up to Scotland.  Nice weather weekends can be 'busy' in ski season with skitourers, but midweek is often dead, especially if it's early in the season (xmas) and huts aren't open. I bloody love it.

Quick fag packet calcs - Bournemouth -> Fort William is 10.5hours drive and £60 in fuel (each way), Bournemouth -> Geneva is £82 or Gatwick -> Munich is £70 (plus 30euro train to Garmisch) (all returns). Gotta be seriously worth considering. The other option would be Norway - cheap flight to Oslo then train up to Otta for walking in the Rondane mountains which are more like the UK ones.