On a clear day Foel Eryr (Welsh for Eagle Mountain) sits overlooking our cottages (below left). Majestic against the pale blue winter sky it has watched over the Gwaun Valley (Pembrokeshire) and marked the Western end of the Preseli ridge line for millennia – but the other day ….. it disappeared (below right). In truth it has disappeared several times since we said goodbye to last summer. There is no real mystery about it – it’s simply low cloud and early morning mist.
So what does that mean for walkers?
Weather Forecasts. Well first of all its disappearance should not be a surprise and nor should its re-emergence at some time during the day. Weather forecasts are generally pretty accurate in this area and so walkers should know when the cloud base will drop and rise. Route Planning. If the cloud is set to stay low for a good portion of the day either choose a lower route and walk in better visibility or ….. get up into the cloud and use your navigation skills! Navigation Skills. Walking in low cloud can be daunting if you are inexperienced but there are simple techniques which will ensure that you stay on the right bearing. And it is important that you are tracking your progress over your map (you do have a map with you don’t you?!). Pacing and walking on a bearing are key tools for you and remember to navigate one short leg at a time. If there are a few of you, you can even practice leapfrogging which is great for ensuring that you stay on the bearing you want but if there is only two of you it can come with inherent dangers of its own making. It goes without saying that you must be confident with a compass and being able to relate ground features to the map and visa-versa. Timings. Remember that everything happens at a slower pace in poor visibility. You should be walking at a slightly reduced pace so that you don’t walk unexpectedly into danger and you will be stopping more often to check your navigation. Think about this in relation to remaining daylight hours – when was sunset? Escape. As ever, what to do if you are ‘temporarily misplaced’ – posh for lost! – is the most important issue. And as ever it really depends upon where you are walking and the circumstances. You might be happy to sit down and have a cup of tea and wait for the visibility to improve. But you should also have planned in escape routes before the walk started. Loose height (where it is safe to do so) and you will usually find better visibility or some clues to help reassure you about your position. Alternatively, if you just want to reassure yourself and then crack on, simply loose height and pop your head out of the bottom of the cloud, re-locate yourself based upon what you can see, and then climb back up and crack on.
Satisfaction Walking in poor visibility can be daunting at first but it is tremendous for boosting self-confidence that you can navigate in poor conditions. And this gives you equal satisfaction.
Safe Practice It might sound complicated to the novice walker but it is all simple stuff which just needs to be learned and practiced. The most important lesson is to start small and then build up slowly – i.e. go at your pace and don’t end up frightening yourself. Try walking in an area adjacent to the car park where there are clear paths to follow back to the car should your navigation not go too well. And slowly build up your poor visibility challenges.
Want Some Help? I’m happy to talk you through any of these individual points or why not come and learn about walking skills in general while enjoying a holiday in Pembrokeshire. Have a look at our website www.discoverwalkingpembrokeshire.co.uk, drop me a line info@discoverwalkingpembrokeshire.co.uk or give me a call 01239 821631.
Looks like Foel Eryr has reappeared!