How to Plan a Hill or Moorland Walk
Planning a walk well is a proper thrill. Don’t get us wrong, we love pulling on the boots and heading into the hills without any preparation. But when you spend time poring over maps, getting excited about the new places you will explore and taking the time to create something unique, it can lead to some magical experiences.
In this quick guide to preparing for hill and moorland walks, we provide several top tips on how best to approach planning. Whether you want help crafting better group walks or are getting ready to complete your Hill and Moorland Leader course, we provide some valuable advice on making the most of your planning time.
Gather your planning resources
The first step in the planning process involves gathering all the resources you need to plan your hill or moorland walk. That means it’s time to unfold your OS (or Harvey!) maps, open up your weather apps and look back at any notes you made on previous trips.
Making sure you have a wide range of planning resources can provide inspiration for your next walk while providing a more thorough overview of where you will be walking and what you will be doing. The better informed you are, the more likely you are to make good planning decisions. So get researching.
We are big fans of keeping notes on previous walks and adventures. A few comments on key features or things you would like to explore further can provide plenty of ideas for future expeditions.
Think about what you want to achieve
When discussing the factors that most affect our hill or moorland walks, we usually jump straight to physical, tangible things, like the terrain or the weather. However, one of the most critical variables is your intention.
Thinking about what you want to achieve on your walk is a fantastic way of giving it shape and purpose. For instance, you may want to plan a walk based on travelling as far as possible. Or you may want to incorporate time for bird watching as you’re visiting a particularly exciting ecosystem. Or you might want to stay somewhere overnight and make it a multi-day walk.
What you want to achieve will determine the type of walk you go on and how you approach the planning process, so take your time to consider your aims.
Planning to participants’ levels
When planning a walk, always consider each participant’s ability level. Nothing is worse than planning an excursion that is too hard for some of those involved. When things get too difficult, the fun stops for most people. So try to establish limits. How far are people used to walking? Do they have experience in the hills or on the moorland?
Striking a balance between too short and easy and too long and difficult can be tricky. Calculating a group’s ability requires experience. Your capacity for reading groups and gauging ability will improve with time. If you know the participants well, you probably have a good understanding of what they can and cannot do. But don’t let this stop you from discussing your plans or asking your fellow walkers questions. The extra information you gather can be invaluable.
Understanding terrain
Map reading skills are a core aspect of planning. Being able to plot routes by referring to contour lines and OS symbols is essential and will help you plan a great trip. Developing your map reading skills is a major part of the Hill and Moorland Leader course. It is a great place to start if you want to hone your map and compass technique.
However, understanding the terrain is not just about familiarity with the OS map legend. You also need to think about what that terrain means for your walk. How is it likely to impact the weather? Where can you expect high winds? Will the terrain be rocky or boggy? This is much easier if you already know the area you are walking in. But that won’t always be the case.
Checking the weather
While not as volatile as mountain weather, hill and moorland weather is still changeable. You need to take that into consideration when planning. Keep an eye on trusted weather reports and prioritise local or specialist mountain forecasts. The Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) is a RAW favourite. If you’re not in an area covered by MWIS, try the Met Office instead, as they have summit forecasts for most hills, as well as the village at the bottom.
On a bigger scale, think about seasonal variations in weather. If you have all year to plan your walk, choose the season where favourable weather conditions are most likely.
Organising equipment
The equipment you choose to take with you will depend on the type of walk you are doing. For instance, if you know you will be fording rivers, you may require gaiters or waterproof boots. If you are staying somewhere overnight, don’t forget your kit for that and if you want to cook a hot lunch or dinner, a stove, gas and food supplies are necessary.
We always recommend making sure you are prepared for any eventuality when walking. That means taking additional warm layers, even if it is pretty warm when you set off. Or carrying a waterproof, even though there is only the tiniest chance of rain. Of course, the more you carry, the heavier your bag and the harder the going. So be sensible about what you can bring without leaving yourself exposed if there is a sudden change in conditions. Check out the RAW Guide to Serious Walking Kit for our top tips.
Identify any key risks and build in flexibility
You can never eliminate all risks from a walk. But you can mitigate the worst and ensure you are prepared should things not go to plan. You can achieve this in two ways:
- Identify key risks during planning – Are there any potentially risky sections of the route? Exposed higher ground or sections that require scrambling, for instance. Do you cross bodies of water? Identifying the riskier aspects of your route during planning enables you to implement adequate safety measures.
- Build-in flexibility – Even the best plans can go wrong. Consequently, we recommend leaving a little wiggle room when planning. If you aren’t as far as you wanted to be by midday, is there a way you can cut the second half short? What emergency transportation options do you have at your disposal? Could a local train station help you out in a pinch?
RAW Adventures Hill and Moorland Leader course
At RAW Adventures, we run an accredited Hill and Moorland Leader course for outdoor enthusiasts who want to develop their skills or are considering working professionally in the outdoor sector. It is part of a series of qualifications offered by Mountain Training, the UK’s awarding body for walking, climbing and mountaineering certifications.
To learn more about the course, visit our Hill and Moorland Leader page or get in touch with the RAW Adventures team.
Instagram
#QuitTalkingStartDoing