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Question: How do you plan a walk There are many ways to plan a walk. You could buy a guide from the Tourist Information or National Trust or use the internet to printout walks which people have written up for different areas For this excercise we will use a map to plan a walk. To read a map you first have to understand some of the main features on the map. We will use ordnance survey explorer 181 (Chiltern Hills North). This map covers all the example walks I have been on. When you open this map you will visualise lots of grey areas such as Aylesbury, Tring, Albury. These indicate buildings. You will see lots of white areas which tell you that it is low lying and green areas which tell you this is wood/forest. Question: How do I know the white bits are low lying? Look on the map and you will see red wavy lines. These are called ‘Contours’. They show you the steepness of the slope. The further the red lines are away from each other
Question How do you recognise a hill? Look for the place called Waddesdon which is to the North west corner from Aylesbury. To the left of Waddesdon you have lodge Hill. You will notice very compact contour lines. This is an indication that it is a hill. To the left of the Hill you will notice two contour lines one having a height of 90 metres and another having a height of 100 metres. The difference in height between these two contour lines is 10 metres. If you move right from the 100 metres contour line you will notice that the contours are getting closer until you get to the top of the hill. This would indicate a steep slope to walk up. Contours are useful because when you plan a route, you must be aware of the steepness of the climb you intend to make. It may prove exhausting for beginners to be walking up steep slopes. Question How do you recognise a valley? On the map find the village of ‘Aldbury’ . From Aldbury move your finger down the map to an area called ‘Bottom Spring’, ‘High Spring’. Between these two places you will see many contours shaped like a V . This indicates the direction of the slope. You will see a blue line – Stream – touching the apex of each contour V. If you move along the contours you will see the height of 175, 185 metres. The V shape indicates the direction of the slope. It also tells you the slope(Contours) the height you would walk. Another indicator is the wooded area on either side of slope. This is also in a V shape which again tells you the direction of slope.
Look on the map for Tring. To the North West of Tring you will see an expanse of water named 'Wilstone Reservoir' and 'Marsworth Reservoir'. All lakes and reservoirs are shown as blue, Rivers on the map are also shown in blue. Question How do you read a map using Latitude and Longitute? Spread the map on a table or floor. You will see vertically on the far right and left 01 to 20 which is Latitude. Horizontally on the top and bottom you will see longitude 72 to 02. To find the centre of 'Wilstone Reservoir' you first look at the latitude 13 and longitude 90. You find the intersection of these two lines. You will notice the map is broken into light blue lined squares. Each square will be segmented 10 by 10. Move your finger right from the intersection and you will see that the then 13059002. You will always read the Latitude and then the longitude to find a place. Question How do I measure the distance and calculate the time for a walk For every three miles you walk equates to 1 hour in time. For every 1000 feet(304.8 metres) you climb equates to 1 hour in time. I would also add 30 minutes for safety. If you intend to stop for breaks, lunches then make sure you add 15 minutes for tea break and 30 minutes for lunch. If you stop at a pub you may have to add an hour to your walk. It is a rough guide but has worked well for me over the years. Remember to calculate height you deduct the hightest contour from the lowest contour. I suggest you buy a map measure to calculate distance walked. You place the map measure on the map at the start of the walk and move the disc along the route you are taking until you come to your destination. You then read the measurement - Miles or Metres -. This will give you the distanced walked. You must then review the map to where you have walked and take into account the height climbed. As already mentioned, every 1000ft(304.8 metres) will equate to 1 hour walked. Question When planning a walk should I plan for safety Yes, especially if you are walking in the mountains. Be aware that the UK has very changeable weather. One moment it could be bright sunshine the next it is howling gales. Always check the weather before setting off. When I plan a route I always plan a circular one. I make sure I know what the escape routes are. Escape routes are paths/tracks down mountains/hills. If no path exists on a stretch of mountain you intend to walk on, work out the quickest and safest route down the mountain e.g were contours are widest.. Be aware of the nearest shelter(grey feature). This shelter could be a farmhouse, disused dwelling, villages, towns etc. Be aware of where the nearest road is. A road you know will lead you to safety. Safety is very important when climbing mountains but it also important when you are close to built up areas. It doesn't take much to sprain an ankle or break a bone. Remember, the idea is to enjoy you walk. Don't take risks. Question What do you do when someone is a slow walker Someone has to be responsible for the walk you are on e.g a leader. When walking you should always walk at the pace of the slowest. This becomes even more important when you are in mountains or in difficult terrain. Someone has to take responsiblity. The group of walkers you are with need to be confident that you will get them back to safety. Question How do you place a compass on the map? All longitude lines point to 'MAGNETIC NORTH. Place you compass on any longitude blue line. Move the map so the red arrow in the compass points to North. You will then know the direction you need to walk by looking at the compass. Now you know some of the main features on the map, you can now go walking. I have a good example of a short walk which brings together the above features. See BridgewaterMonument and I would highly recommend going on a walking holiday or an adventure / long weekend walking holiday where you can meet like minded individuals
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