When the Mist Closes In

The cloud drops, the path fades and every grassy hummock looks the same. This is when many hillwalkers reach for their phone, only to find a wet screen and a weak signal. A map and compass do not need batteries, but they do need practice. In mist, your job is not to walk fast. It is to walk accurately. Slow down, confirm each step, and treat every hundred metres as a small victory.

First, Stop and Set the Map

Stop. Put your rucksack down, get out of the wind if you can, and give yourself time. Set the map by placing your compass flat on it and rotating the map until the red needle points to the grid north lines. Now the map matches the ground. Keep your thumb on your current location and move it as you go. This simple habit, called thumbing, stops you from losing your place. Check the contour lines around you: are you on a spur, in a re-entrant, beside a stream? If you cannot match the shapes, you are not where you think you are.

Taking and Walking a Bearing

A bearing is simply a direction in degrees. To take one, lay the compass edge along the line from your position to your destination. Rotate the bezel until the orienting lines line up with the map's grid lines and the orienting arrow points to the top of the map. That is your grid bearing. Add magnetic variation if needed. To walk on it, hold the compass flat in front of you, turn your whole body until the red needle sits inside the orienting arrow, and look up at a feature in the distance. Walk to that feature, then take another bearing. In poor visibility, pick an intermediate point, such as a boulder or a patch of heather, and walk to it before checking again.

• Keep the compass level. Tilting it makes the needle stick.
• Aim off deliberately. If your target is a small feature like a cairn, aim 100 metres to one side. When you hit a handrail, you know which way to turn.
• Take a back bearing. To check you are on line, turn around and take a bearing back to your start. It should be 180 degrees different. If not, you have drifted.

Pacing, Timing and the Numbers That Save You

Counting paces is the most reliable way to measure distance in mist. A pace is two steps, counted every time your left foot lands. On average, an adult takes about 60 to 70 double paces to walk 100 metres on flat ground. Measure your own pace count on a known 100-metre stretch, then use it. Count in blocks of 100, moving a pebble or a toggle on your compass for each block. Naismith's rule suggests 3 miles per hour on flat ground, plus 1 minute for every 10 metres of ascent. In mist, add 25 per cent to your time. Trust your pacing over timing if they disagree. It is easy to slow down without noticing when you are cold, tired or worried.

Handrails, Catching Features and Aiming Off

Handrails are linear features that run in the direction you want to go: a stream, a wall, a fence, a path, a ridge line. If you can find a handrail, you can follow it with far less compass work. A handrail crossing your path is a catching feature you cannot miss. For example, if you are heading for a bridge over a stream, aim for the stream itself, then turn left or right along it until you reach the bridge. This is aiming off: it turns a small target into a large one. Contours are handrails too. If you follow a contour line, you stay at the same height. If you follow a spur, you stay on a ridge.

• Streams and walls are the most common handrails in the UK hills.
• Paths can be misleading in mist. They may not be on the map, or they may fork unexpectedly.
• Contours help you know if you are climbing or descending. Count them to confirm your position.

Keeping It Together in Poor Visibility

Navigation in mist is a team effort. Keep your group close. Agree on a leader and a back marker. If someone has a compass, let them check your work. If you become unsure, stop immediately. Do not walk on and hope. If you are truly lost, use your back bearing to return to your last known point. If that is not possible, find a safe place to shelter and wait for the mist to lift. Finally, practise these skills on clear days. Set a bearing, walk 200 metres and see if you hit your target. Then, when the mist comes down for real, you will have the confidence to slow down, set a bearing, count your paces and trust your map.