How do I plan a walk safely?

Nearly every walk that goes wrong does so for one of three reasons: it took considerably longer than expected, the weather changed, or nobody knew where the walker was. All three are addressed before setting off.

Safety

Step by step

1. Plan the route on a proper map.An Ordnance Survey map, on paper or in a mapping app, shows contours, paths and access land. A satellite view or a road map tells you nothing about how steep something is.
2. Estimate the time realistically.A common rule is about 4km an hour on the flat plus an extra minute for every 10m of ascent. Add time for stops, and for a group moving at the pace of its slowest member.
3. Check the daylight and work backwards.Note sunset time and subtract your estimate plus a margin. Being caught out by darkness is the single most common way a straightforward walk turns serious.
4. Read the forecast for the ground you will be on.A mountain or upland forecast is different from the town one — wind and temperature change substantially with height, and visibility can close in quickly. Check the day before and again on the morning.
5. Plan escape routes.Identify two or three points where you could cut the walk short and get back. Knowing these in advance makes turning back a decision rather than a failure.
6. Tell someone the plan.Route, start point, expected return time, and who is with you. Then tell them when you are back. Leaving a note in a car window is not a substitute.
7. Take a paper map and know roughly where you are.Phones run out of battery, get wet and lose signal. A paper map and a basic sense of the compass direction you should be travelling covers what a phone cannot.
8. Pack for the weather that might arrive.Waterproof jacket, a warm layer, water, more food than you need, a torch, and a small first aid kit. Cold and wet arrive together and much faster than people expect.
9. Wear footwear suited to the ground.Ankle support and grip matter far more on wet ground and descents than on the flat. Most walking injuries are ankles and knees on the way down.
10. Check access and parking before you go.Rights of way, seasonal restrictions, dogs on leads near livestock, and where you can legally leave a car. Discovering the only parking is a farmyard turns a plan into an improvisation.
11. Be willing to turn back.Set a time by which you will turn around regardless of how far you have got. Deciding this at the start is far easier than deciding it at four in the afternoon on a ridge.

Tips

• Download offline maps for the area before you leave. Signal is often absent exactly where you most want the map.
• A cheap power bank weighs very little and removes the main failure mode of relying on a phone.
• Walking poles make a real difference on descents, which is where most tired-legs injuries happen.

Questions people ask