Once
an understanding of maps, grids, and scales
This usually involves measurement on a map
then multiplying this by the required millimetre’s |
Distance
 |
Once this is understood at the planning stage, we need to practice distance measurement on the hills.
Amongst the methods of doing this are timings, average speed, Naismiths rule, and pace counting. |
| Timing and Average Speed
|
By knowing how long
it takes to cover a certain distance, it is possible to work out an average speed walked.
This can be taken one stage further to work out how far is walked in a certain number of
minutes. This is a rough estimate as a number of factors affect speed. These include : different terrain (slower on boggy ground), fitness level (slower at the end of the day), weight carried (slower when backpacking). walking at 3 Km. per hour produces the following average speed and timing table : |
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| Time | 2 1/2 mins | 5 mins | 10 mins | 20 mins | 40 mins | 1 hour | |
| Distance | 100 Metres | 250 Metres | 500 Metres | 1 Kilometre | 2 Kilometres | 3 Kilometres | |
| Naismith’s rule
|
Naismith was a
prominent mountaineer walking in Scotland in the late 1800’s he was aware that a
method to estimate the time taken to walk was needed. He established a formula based on the "timing and average speed" information above. He also added a formula to work out a time allowance for height gain. This formula has been in use for many years, but remains the standard way of calculating how long a route will take you. Naismith’s original rule was 3 M.P.H. + 1/2 hour for every 1000 ft. climbed. For ease with modern maps this has been converted to metric and is shown below : |
| Distance | Allow between 2 and 5 Km.
per hour (using timing information such as in the example above) |
| Height Gain | Add 1 minute for each 10
metres climbed (count the number of 10 metre contours climbed and add 1 min. for each) |
| Height Loss | Some people a also add time for descent (although this is a matter of personal choice) the formula often used is 1 minute for each 20 metres of descent of average descent |
| Example | At 3 Km. per hour : a
distance of 1500 metres with 200 metres of height climbed = 30 mins (distance) + 20 mins (height gain) = 50 minutes total. |
Pace
|
Once out on the
hill in addition to the above skills "Pacing" can be used to accurately measure
distance covered. With practice this is an extremely accurate measurement.By knowing how many paces (either single or double) you take
per 100 Metres you can accurately measure distance travelled
see
example of pace counting chart in following page |
what information would you put on a route card
 |
