2 minute read
Route planning
from Sea Scout Book
Route Card Before setting out on any hill walk or expedition, you should always fill out a route card. They look a bit complicated at first, but are important:
To estimate the length of time for the expedition, and see if it’s suitable for the age and ability of those involved.
To act as a checklist during planning.
To have on hand, during the route, a set of carefully calculated times and bearings for accurate navigation in rough terrain or in bad visibility.
To have on hand information regarding group members, gear, weather etc.
To leave a copy with a responsible person for use in an emergency
To make a route card Break your intended route into logical stages or “legs”. For each location get its grid reference and work out the magnetic bearing for each leg. Then work out the time it will take to walk. This will depend on 3 things:1. The height climbed (you can work this out from the contour detail on your map). Each contour represents 10m. For every 10 metres climbed, allow 1 minute. 2. The distance to be walked. You can figure this out from the map. Each grid square is 1km wide on the 1:50,000 OS maps (2cm = 1km 2mm = 100m).
3. You need to estimate the speed you walk at. You can only guess this from experience as it depends on your fitness, age, weight of pack, type of terrain etc.
Estimate your walking speed 2km/hr, then 1km = 30 minutes (100 metres = 3 mins) 3km/hr then 1km = 20 minutes (100 metres = 2 mins) 4km/hr then 1km = 15 minutes (100 metres = 1.5 mins) 5km/hr then 1km = 12 minutes (100 metres = 1.2 mins) 3 km/hr is a good average for a beginners group carrying packs
Example Allow about 10 minutes per hour for rests and some time for lunch.
Route Planning
Work out these calculations on a piece of card in the comfort of your own home before the hike. Then take the route card with your, placing it in a waterproof map case.
If the leg of your route is 1km long and has a height gain of 150m it will take you 20mins for the distance if you walk at 3km per hour and 15 mins for the height climbed. Total time 35 mins.
In case of emergencies Work out suitable escape routes in case of bad weather or if you have a incident en route. Keep them simple and easy to understand in case of an emergency, e.g.. head east to farm house.
