Caeder Idris, Dolgellau, Mountain Navigation

Peter Cliff wrote a book called Mountain Navigation. In it he has a chapter called, "If Lost".
He writes, "The really bad one is where you don't even know which mountain you are on. In this case work your way downhill following streams, as these tend to lead eventually to habitation; and read this book again!" I have done that, but streams tend to follow the shortest route down. There is nothing worse than following a stream in icy conditions, only to find that it drops over a frozen precipice.
Normally you are temporarily not sure exactly where you are; well that happens to me sometimes. Here is some advice. Before you start look at your compass and lay it on your map. One of the scales will fit the map. It might even say 1:50000 or 1:25000. That tells you how many kilometres you intend to walk. If you are with others try Naismith's group rule. You will walk at 4 km and hour or 1 km in 15 minutes, plus 40 minutes for every 1,000 feet (300 metres) that you climb. Make the downhill sections 4 km an hour unless you are a fell runner. If you are really fit you might walk at 5 km an hour plus 30 minutes for every 300 metres climbed. Keep your breaks fairly short and take your compass bearings when you are somewhere sheltered, not when you are hanging onto your ice axe to avoid being blasted off your feet.

If you are not quite sure where you are take a compass bearing straight down a slope. Ask yourself, Where could this slope be on the map. Does the compass bearing fit the slope that we are on? In our case the bearing I wanted us to walk on went straight over a cliff. That indicated we were not quite in the right place.

Walk back to where you last knew you were. Have a close look at the features to see if you recognise them. Grazing sheep might just move. My daughter Zoe was not convinced by the assertion that the sheep were below us when we came across a slope.

Wear enough clothes especially a hat and gloves. I tried walking Caeder Idris in a gale and pouring rain wearing socks and sandals. That worked OK but the trousers did not work. most Rohan trousers are made of polamide which is nylon. It doesn't keep any heat in at all when it is wet. Goretex jackets need your body heat to push the moisture out through the fabric. If your hands are blue and your body heat has gone the Goretex doesn't work and you get wetter. It's best to wear a bit more. Many cases of hypothermia happen because people are dehydrated, and don't eat soon enough. We sometimes forget to drink enough when it is cold and wet.