How to plan a walk in the mountains

Where should I go?

How do I know whether I will be able to walk there?

How long will it take me?

Will I have phone signal?

How do I pick a route?

What about the weather?

How do I get there?

Early morning walking in the Glyders in Snowdonia

To the keen mountaineers and mountain professionals amongst you, these can often seem like ridiculous questions.  You just pick up a map and go, of course you will be able to walk there, drive to the car park, the bus runs along that road daily, if the weather is bad I'll do this instead, most people can do that in a day etc...  Just google it.  Read a book.  Ask so and so that lives there or was there last week.

To a certain degree the above is true, it is quite easy, but only once you've done it a few times successfully.  For everybody else, it's a minefield.  During this blog I am going to attempt (as many other people have) to write a list of top tips, considerations and ideas for planning a walk(s) in the mountains and hills.  On the whole, this will apply to the UK, but lots of the planning will apply overseas too.

Following a vague 'path' on a multi-day walk in the Cairngorms National Park

Where to begin...

As one of my colleagues says, go up a hill you've heard of, take the obvious route - the easy one, then look into the distance and plan a route to go up the neighbouring hills that look fun.  It's a good starting point.

And remember, don't overthink it, plan something, go and have a go, just remember that you don't have to follow your plan, you can start it, turn around and go for a cake and a coffee or beer.  Some of my best days have been days when a plan didn't go 'to plan'!  The more you do, the better you will get.

Somewhere in Assynt on a walk planned that morning, which was then readjusted during the day as the weather started to change.  It was impulsive, we had no idea what the terrain would really be like, but it was great fun.

When is your time off?

Generally speaking each month has characteristic weather associated with it.  Spring and Autumn tend to hold more stable weather, and Summer and Winter have more unstable weather.

January: Snow is usually present on the tops in Scotland, the Lakes and often Snowdonia.  A month with a lot of precipitation and wind (the type of wind that might be difficult or impossible to walk in!)

February: The most reliable month for winter conditions in the mountains.  December, January and February are statically the coldest months in the UK.

March: When you start to feel the sun on your face again.  Spring arrives, longer daylight hours, but often still wintery and windy on the tops particularly in Scotland.

April: The month when the weather starts to change.  Less windy, less precipitation, and the midges are normally not quite out yet (but the ticks will be waking up).

May: Alongside April, probably my favourite weather month!  Statistically April, May and June have the least precipitation per month in the year.  Any snow remaining is likely confined to avoidable snow patches and gullies.  The wind eases off, and midges aren't at their peak yet (according to Smidge they begin emerging in late May)  It is also the month with the most amount of sunshine during the year.

June: Sunny, not much rainfall, no winter conditions, school's aren't broken up yet, but the midges and ticks are definitely out now so Smidge up!  And the days are at their longest - good for long walks, bad for practicing night navigation!

July: The stable weather starts to end.  Whilst a hot month, July hosts more rainfall than previous months.  If it's been humid the midges will love you!  School holidays=busier mountains.

August: Still the school holiday season, busy weekends and a bank holiday.  However it remains sunny and not too wet and windy.

September: The last month before the weather begins to edge closer to winter?  Quieter in the mountains, and whilst September is a bit wetter, windier and less sunny than July, these differences are not significant.  Midges are beginning to disappear, daylight hours are still plentiful and snowfall shouldn't arrive yet.

October: Towards the end of this month it isn't unusual to have a first dusting of snow on the tops.  One of the wettest months statistically, it will also be windier and noticeably colder with the first frosts arriving.

November: Generally a month that feels stuck between Summer and Winter conditions.  As wet as it's neighbouring months, windier, shorter daylight hours and often enough snow to get in the way but not enough to be useful!  Verglas (a thin veneer of ice on the ground) may be present, particularly in the mornings after a cold night.

December: Essentially the same as November but colder, unreliable winter conditions on the tops.  Some days are amazing, others abysmal!  Noticeably windier, and longer days often involve walking in the dark.

Double checking maps and watches before we continue our mountain walk

Useful websites for recent conditions and weather forecasts are:

Met office: - Mountain weather specific forecasts for a range of upland areas across the UK

MWIS: - Mountain weather specific forecasts that seem to be a bit more descriptive than the Met Office ones and they produce excellent videos explaining why the weather is happening.

SAIS: - Scottish Avalanche Information Service for avalanche bulletins and useful blogs with photos showing snow amongst other things

UKC: - Current routes that have been done, both climbing and mountaineering, use with caution as just because something has been done and that person thought it was amazing on the day does not indicate it was a good idea!

PYB: - Live weather feed and view of the Snowdon Horseshoe 

Google webcams of the area you are intending to walk in - there are lots for all around the UK

Facebook: - Scrambling & Mountaineering UK, Conditions in UK Mountain Areas, these are popular ones to get started with, but remember you don't know the background and risk awareness of the people you are talking to on these groups

Instagram: - search for the location of the mountain you wish to go to and have a look at the recent photos tagged with that location.  Again, use with caution as you don't know the background and risk awareness of the user or the date the photo was taken.

Now you know when you are planning a walk, and what the characteristic weather is likely to be, a key question is: do I want Summer or Winter type conditions?  I am presuming that as someone learning (or improving or teaching etc...) how to plan a walk that you would start in summer conditions so the majority of the following will be relevant to summer.  And of course the key with avoiding winter conditions is to either walk between the start of May and end of October, to be very flexible in your planning (down to the last minute), or to plan a walk further South where winter conditions occur less often.

Sunrise at a wild camp in the UK.  I had never camped here before, couldn't find out much online, but it looked flat on the map and as though it would have stunning views, perfect for a good weather forecast.  The gamble paid off, but only because some planning went into it.

Where to go and how to get there?

Pick somewhere you have heard of, inspired by, or already own a map and or guidebook for.  This makes the initial planning easier.

Imagine you have narrowed it down to Snowdonia.  If you can drive, great, this will pose almost no problem (other than parking at the start of the walk if you arrive on a busy weekend in summer with a good weather forecast!).  If you need public transport then find out where you can get the train to, what bus services connect with the train and head into the mountains.  Once you know the mountainous valleys the buses go down (regularly - in case you miss one!) you have an area to start and end your walk.

Next: buy the Ordnance Survey 1:25000 map of the area you want to go to - and if you can afford the extra few pounds get a waterproof copy (it lasts longer even if you use a map case and you can draw on it with permanent pen to mark you route, timings and other planning information).  These cover a huge area so you will likely use it again and are invaluable in the planning stage in addition to during your walk.  Their website has a really useful map selector page: 

Taken from the Ordnance Survey shop website

The newer OS (Ordnance Survey) maps also come with a free phone download so you can look at a digital copy of the map on your phone / computer too.  Whilst their app is not as user friendly as Viewranger it is great at planning a route.

Top tip: you can often get a good discount on maps by searching around or using you BMC or MCofS membership etc... in some outdoor shops.

Taken from Cicerone's website

For your first walks in an unfamiliar area I would highly recommend buying a walking guidebook.  Cicerone have a range for the UK, the Cordee website list a huge range of publisher's books, and nothing quite beats Ralph Storer's Munro books if you are heading to Scotland.  Having said that, when in Fort William a browse in the Highland Bookshop will soon have your arms full of new and 2nd hand guidebooks!

If you go down the guidebook route, then, pick a route, read the description and see if it sounds suitable for you.  Then go and do it, reflect on it, and repeat.

But what if you don't want to follow a guidebook route and want to do your own thing?

You have a map of the area you want to visit, now you need to pick a start, middle (the mountain you wish to walk up or near) and end.  Here is a good time to get a permanent marker pen out and draw a circle around the bus stops / carparking points in the area(s) you wish to start and end in.  If car parking isn't clearly marked, look at Google street view to check there are lay-bys and parking areas that aren't passing spaces.  In the case that this is still proving problematic a web search for parking in ... valley will often arrive with some useful answers.

Screenshot of Google street view

Let's imagine you want to go up Yr Aran and Snowdon in a long summer's day.  To make planning easier you start and finish in the same place, that way you don't have to make a transport connection during your day.  Yr Aran hasn't got a footpath up it on the map, but the closest one to the summit it at Bwlch Cwm Llan.

Screenshot of OS maps online

How can you tell from the map that you will be able to get to Yr Aran if there is no path on the map?

It's not guaranteed is my first answer.  However there are some keys to deciding if it is possible or not.

How close are the contours (the brown lines of equal height on the map)?  If they are so close that they begin to merge together and are difficult to see individually then it will be unpleasantly, possibly dangerously steep, even on grassy terrain.  You will probably need your hands to help you up the slope.  If the contours are merging and one or more of them disappear then you will most likely not be able to make progress.

From the OS map key

Is it rocky or not?  The presence of scree or boulders will make it challenging, unpleasant and possibly dangerous.  Cliffs will be the same.  The odd rock here and there will most likely be fine if you can navigate and route find.  If it is not rocky then you don't have to worry about rocks but steep or wet vegetation can be just as hazardous.  If you imagine terrain in terms of slope angles then FATMAP is an amazing tool to see the gradient of a particular place, and I use it loads in winter when slope angle becomes more important.  In the screenshot below You can see the summit of Yr Aran in the bottom third, and the col with all of the dotty tracks passing through it in the middle.  Often, open source mapping contains more paths than OS mapping does.

Screenshot of FATMAP online on their gradient layer

No path on the OS map, but curious to see if there is one in real life?  Have a look at satellite imagery.

Screenshot of OS satellite imagery

Above I have marked the summit of Yr Aran with a red label.  You can see a clear path running eastwards towards the field boundary, where it looks like you can cross though it.  There also appears to be a path that weaves initially eastwards along the ridge and then in a northerly direction picking its way through the rocks and crags.

Screenshot from Viewranger OpenCycle map

Using free opensource mapping on Viewranger this confirms that there is some sort of path leading from the Bwlch to the summit of Yr Aran.

Screenshot of OS satellite mapping

Having browsed the satellite imagery and map we have also noticed that the gradual east ridge of Yr Aran also looks like a possible descent route until the field boundary heads south, whereupon we would need to head in a northeast direction to rejoin the Watkin path in the valley.  (see above satellite image)

Looking at our route up Yr Aran it would make most sense to start and finish in the Gwynant Valley at the Watkin path car park.  There also looks to be a path up and down Snowdon from here, on the map, that links in with our lesser known adventure on Yr Aran.

We decide to park there, walk up Snowdon via the Watkin path, descend down the South ridge to Bwlch Cwm Llan, up Yr Aran, and back down to the carpark.

So what next?
How long will it take me.

Using Naismith's rule (a Victorian mountaineer who came up with this widely utilised timing rule) you can roughly work out how long your walk will take.

You need to know how far it is.  Open your OSmaps site online and plan a route.  This will then tell you how far it is, how much ascent there is, and even how long it will take you.

Screenshot of Creating a new route on OS maps online

If you only have a paper map you can use a piece of string to follow the route on the map and then use this to work out how many kilometres your route is instead.

His rule says that we walk at 5km/hr plus 1 minute for every 10m of height gain.

In reality:

2km/hr if the going is incredibly arduous, the terrain is really loose, you are bushwhacking or need food!!!

3km/hr if you have a big rucksack, the ground is boggy / rocky / hard going, you are pretty tired

4km/hr if the path is in ok nick, you are feeling reasonable but it's not the start of the day, and you are having a bit of a chat with your walking partner(s)

5km/hr if you are on tarmac or a path in great condition, it's the start of the day, or you are breathing heavily, or really really hill fit!

6km/hr is power walking

Any faster and you are probably running!

On moderately steep terrain I add 1/2 minute per 10m of height gain.  In really steep terrain I add 1 minute per 10m.  In descent, if it is really steep or loose, the same might apply.

Top tip: remember what pace you planned your walk at, do your walk, and then see if it matched your estimated time.  If not, then think why not, and readjust for the next time.

After this, you need to add in time to navigate, time to have breaks for food, photos, enjoying the the view etc...

Planning the next day having taken into consideration timings from the first day

Other things to consider...

• You might have the best plan ever up your dream mountain but what about:
• Your walking partner(s) or group?
• What kit/equipment you have?
• The weather/conditions in the mountains
• You / your walking partner(s) aim for your walk in the mountains
• Will your plan work for everyone else you are going with?  Do they walk at a similar speed, have the same aspirations, kit to withstand the weather and conditions of the day?
• What type of terrain does your route cover?  Is it rocky, could it involve scrambling because of this?  Is it boggy?  Does this suit you (and your walking partner(s) skills?)
• Are there any river crossings or other hazards you need to consider?

Plan B

Having a plan B is almost more important than plan A.  During your planning phase ask yourself the following questions:

• If the weather is worse than expected where could / should / would I go instead?
• If it is taking me longer than expected at what time should I turn around, so I don't finish in the dark, storm arriving later, miss the bus etc...?
• Where is the worst place on this walk to have an emergency and what would I do?  With and without walking partners, phone signal, other people on the mountain?
• Where are the key places on the route?  Where do I need to make decisions that will impact my day?  This could be a navigational point, a route choice e.g. do I have time to go from Bwlch Cwm Llan up Yr Aran? if I wish to climb Yr Aran after Snowdon should I do an out and back from the Bwlch if I have less time and the visibility isn't as good, or do I have time and good enough navigation to complete the circular journey?

What will you do if your plan is now impossible due to adverse weather?!

Other thoughts

If you already have a map of a wide area you want to walk in, rather than plan a specific walk on a specific day, consider planning a range of walks and then going to the area that has the best weather forecast.  The Met Office provide summit forecasts for individual peaks.  Within 30 minutes drive from Capel Curig you can encounter sun and cloud or torrential rain on the same day in the mountains due to local differences.  This could make or break your day!

Finally, all of the above I have learnt from other people, books and experience.  Remember to chat through your ideas before, during and after your walk.  It's ok to change plan.  Embrace Technology.  You will probably get better at planning the more you do it.  I'm still learning and improving and I hope this never stops.