Tonight's Plan 9 th March

1. Tonight's Plan 9th March • Compass Bearings - review • Contours – review • Route Cards • Naismith's rule • Journey time • Escape routes • Exercise’s • Bearing examples • Complete route cards • Country code quiz • Team Names and Aim

2. Compass Bearings

3. MAP ORIENTATION • We are looking to align the map to the features in the landscape we can see. Use linear features such as rivers or roads combined with easily identifiable point features such as bridges, mountain peaks or church spires. • Alternatively a method of doing this is to use the compass. Simply place the compass on the map and rotate until the red compass north needle lines up with north on the map (having adjusted for magnetic variation). • EXPEDITION

4. COMPASS BEARINGS • Identify your starting point on the map and place your compass on the map. Make sure the direction of travel arrow is pointing in the direction of your route across the map. The easiest way to line the arrow is to place the side of the base plate so it crosses your starting point and the next destination of your journey. • EXPEDITION

5. COMPASS BEARINGS • Carefully holding the compass base plate still, you will need to turn the compass housing so the orientating lines match up with the eastings (the vertical, north–south lines) on your map. The number shown at the index line is the Grid bearing. • Correct for magnetic variation – this is now the Magnetic bearing. • EXPEDITION

6. COMPASS BEARINGS • Holding the map flat and the compass still, you need to rotate your body so that the compass needle settles in line (opposite) with the index line. To walk on the bearing follow the direction of travel arrow on the compass. • EXPEDITION

7. Contours and Relief

8. CONTOURS AND RELIEF • Understanding the shape of the landscape by looking at a map and visualising the terrain is an important skill to develop. It can make navigating easier and can help avoid making mistakes. • Contour lines are thin orange or brown line and appear on a map show to show areas of the same height. On Landranger maps these are at 10m vertical intervals with a bolder line every 50m. • It is important to note that on extremely steep slopes the 10m contour lines may be missed out. • EXPEDITION

9. CONTOURS AND RELIEF • EXPEDITION

10. CONTOURS AND RELIEF • EXPEDITION

11. CONTOURS AND RELIEF • EXPEDITION

12. CONTOURS AND RELIEF By being able to identify features on a map and interpret these on the ground will also make route planning easier. Use the contour numbers combined with features like rivers (which normally flow downhill) to understand what the landscape is doing and the direction of slopes. E.g. V-shaped contours could be a spur/ridge or a valley. By interpreting the contour numbers we can work out which is which. • EXPEDITION

13. Route Cards

14. What is a route card? • A route card is a document that is used by hill walkers as an aid to navigation and route planning. • The planned route is broken down into discrete sections termed "legs" or "stages". Whenever possible, each leg will start and finish at a clearly defined topographical feature such as a lake, path or stream junction and so on. Marked on the route card with a grid reference. In most cases the legs are defined as being the longest section that might be safely followed on a single compass bearing. The object is to split the overall route into sections that can be readily undertaken in conditions of poor visibility such as in cloud, or fog. • In addition to the compass bearing, for each leg the total distance will be measured as well as the height gained or lost and the steepness of the ground. Using this information an estimated time to complete the leg will be calculated usually using Naismith's Rule or one of its variations. These times are then added to estimate the total time needed for the expedition. • For each leg note may also be taken of potential sources of danger along the route such as cliffs, aslo handrail/collecting features to aid in confirming the route. Also an escape route in case of emergency.

15. Completed Route Card

16. Features of a route card • Expedition details – date, start time, aim, group members, etc. • Legs • Grid references • Bearings • Distance • Height gained • Journeying time • Rest/exploring time • Description • Escape route

17. Route Card • Enter the descriptor (name) and grid reference for your starting location. • Then do the same for the end point of each leg. • Descriptors examples: • Path junction • Bridge • Summit • Corner of wood • Path meets boundary

18. Bearings • The next feature to insert is a bearing for each leg. • Using a protractor it is possible to relate any direction against magnetic north to give a figure referred to as a bearing.

19. Route Card Write on the route card the bearing to the end of that leg.

20. Distance • We already know that the boxes on the map are 1km along each side. So... • On 25,000 maps 1km = 4cm, and 100m = 4mm • On 50,000 maps 1km = 2cm, and 100m = 2mm • Romers can help you measure straight line distance, but paths tend to bend, so we can use string. • Place the string along path for that leg, then holding each end take it off the map and measure the length of string against the compass or map edge. • Write the distance for that leg on the route card

21. Height gain • Next feature of the route card is height gain for each leg. This is important for determining time. • On most OS maps each contour line represents 10m of height, with a bold line every 50m.

22. Height gain • So you can either count the number of contour lines between the beginning and end of a leg, or you can subtract the height at the beginning of the leg from the height at the end of the leg. • Remember to only count contours lines when you’re going up hill, ignore them when you go down hill. • So enter the height gain in meters on to your route card.

23. Journey time • Next you need to insert the time it will take you to walk that leg based on the distance and height gain. Distance ÷ Speed = Time • Typical DoE walking speed = 3km/ph • (which = 1km in 20mins, or 500m in 10mins, and 100m in 2mins) • So a 6km leg at 3km/ph = 2hrs • Which is 6 ÷ 3 = 2 • Or a 2.5km leg at 3km/ph = 50mins • Which is 2.5 ÷ 3 = 0.83 (or five times the 10mins it takes to walk 500m) • This assumes the path is flat. Walking uphill will obviously take longer

24. Journeying time • To calculate the extra time it takes to walk uphill we use Naismith’s rule: add one minute for every 10m of height • So how long would it take to walk a leg of 2.4km with 350m of height gain, at 3kmph?

25. Answer • Well if you’re really good at maths then you could do 2.4 ÷ 3 = 0.8 • Easier though if you remember at 3kmph its 20mins for 1km, or 10mins for 500m or 2mins for 100m • So 2 ×20mins (for the 2km) + 4×2mins (for the 400m) = 48mins • Then we add the ascent. 350m = 35 contour lines. 35 ×1min = 35mins • So 48 + 35 = 83mins (1.5hrs) for that leg.

26. Extra time • Ok so the next column on the route card is time allotted to exploring and rests. • In terms of breaks you might spend on average 10mins every hour on a break, which would not include 30min lunch break. • Time for exploring will depend on your aim, and the associated activities you’ll have planned for each leg.

27. Description / Escape Routes • The last two columns are for descriptions and escape routes of the leg. • Descriptions – a few words that describe the leg, or key features to tick off, or warnings of things to be aware of like a cliff edge. • Escape routes – this is a brief description of an escape route. This would tend to be the quickest/shortest route off high ground into shelter, or civilisation in an emergency (nearest road or phone box).

28. Activities • On the back of your route card you will see a table for activities. Here you will plan out when and what things you do to complete your expedition purpose. • For example, if leg 4 takes you over a river, and your aim was to investigate water’s effect on the landscape, then you’d schedule in 1hr here for your group to take photos, draw sketches, write up, etc about the features the river has created.

29. Compass Bearings Exercise

30. Curlethney Hill (839 918) to pond (858 938) Craigneil (792 902) to Cairn-mon-earn (782 919) Little Kerloch (685 875) to Tipperweir (686 857)

31. Route Card Exercise

32. Start – Mill of Morphie (Grid 71 62) Avoid main roads Finish – Sillycoats (Grid 72 65)