Route Cards

a route card is a very easy thing to produce

Correction

a route card is a very easy thing
for ME to produce

Remember
the task of filling in a route card may be a long hard process for a group of young people

they may struggle with Maths,
they may hate expeditions
it might be that this is the last requirement
of an otherwise enjoyable award

the old saying

"if a job is worth doing ~ its worth doing well"
is a very relevant way
of looking at route cards

a properly presented route card obviously shows some pride in the expedition, a well thought out route shows good expedition preparation

and some would consider most importantly a good choice of route shows the obvious safety aspects of an expedition have been assessed

I have listed below some of the main items to be considered when producing a Route Card

route cards should be well presented - remember you need to be able to read them in the pouring rain and howling winds.

if they are scrappy and illegible you'll get them sent straight back to you

route cards must have the appropriate headings i.e. distance, times etc. and use the same design of card throughout the expedition

It is often very difficult to follow a route card when the order of the columns changes each day

route fits in with the project

route is of a suitable standard - not too easy or too difficult

names of people on route cards Must be correct and must not change each day

the group should start walking at a realistic time each morning and arrive at their campsite at a reasonable time. Time must be allowed for stops, lunch etc.

realistic walking speeds must be used, they must also be consistent throughout the expedition.

use Naismith's Rule at a realistic speed and remember to allow for height gain

remember that with height gain, you count every time you cross a contour going up

you should also consider allowing some extra time if going down very steep ground (some versions of Naismiths do this) but generally you ignore any height loss.

all totals must add up

(especially times) for example - remember there are only 60 minutes in an hour
[ 1hour 40 + 1hr 30 is not 2hr 70m!! ]

use metric maps, and ensure you use metric distances. Distances should be to the nearest 0.1km, height gain 10m

escape routes are listed and are appropriate

consider adding wet weather routes

remember that a Queen Scout & DoE expeditions should go through wild country and not over it

the quoted magnetic variation should be correct, check on your map magnetic variation varies with latitude

do no use ½ deg. - no-one can take a bearing off a map to that accuracy with a standard compass

bearings are in degrees (not just N,S,E etc.)

Mistakes on a route card re access etc. - a perfect route card implies that you know the area too well or more likely it is one that has been used by another group from that unit previously

D of E Panels do keep copies of some routes and where assessors have their suspicions they can check previous routes used by that operating unit

do not try and "fudge" your distances - if a route card is consistently over estimating distances you'll have to redo it

also total distances are usually (and easily) checked from the tracing not from the route card totals

use up all of the route card rows but try not to use a 2nd page unless necessary

prior to completing your route card, draft it out and ensure the distances etc. add up to the required amount

always use an up to date map (preferably 1:25,000) as access agreements/rights of ways are always changing especially over the last couple of years and having an out of date map is no excuse for trespass

camp sites clearly marked and proof that permission obtained or at least sought where appropriate

think about where you use as a checkpoint

checkpoints should be a clearly identified point on the ground such as : river junction, hill summit

a checkpoint also provides a valuable check as to how you're doing time wise

if you arrive at a checkpoint ahead of time you may have to wait there until you get back onto the time stated on your route card.

if you're late your assessor/supervisor might be stuck there for several hours

tracings - these are a vital part of the planning cycle and enable people to check exactly how you plan to get from one checkpoint to the next where it often isn't exactly clear on the final route cards

tracings should be on tracing paper (or grease proof paper)

you can not see through to the map underneath with ordinary paper

there has also been a recent trend towards sending in photocopies of maps - as well as breaking copyright this suffers from the same problem as the ordinary paper and will usually be from a small scale map.

it is personal choice if you use 1:50000 or 1:25000

if you use a 1:25000 you have shown the assessor that you have used one, remembering that where possible route planning should be done on the largest scale map possible

if possible, get someone to check your tracing before you complete the route card

filling in a route card is a very time consuming and laborious task, and even a very minor change to the route can require you to totally rewrite the route card for that day

when you do your tracing ensure you stick it well to the map so that it does not slide around while you do the tracing and mark on it the grid intersections at each corner

it should also state on it which map you've used, scale and your groups name as assessors are notorious for checking several routes at a time and therefore getting the routes etc. from several groups all muddled up

use a separate tracing for each day as otherwise it becomes unmanageable

Route Planning

if you are not sure as to the exact needs when planning a route
then visit my link

what to consider
when planning a route

the page includes
a list of considerations you must consider such as
daylight hours
size and experience of group
fitness of party
available transport

two more pages that are concerned with factors that effect route cards are

navigation distance

height gain