My daughter has just done a D of E weekend, hiking around an area 12 - 20 miles from where we live. I joined a group on todays hike for about 8km until I was satisfied they knew what they were doing and then dropped out and came home. It got me rather enthused about walking and learning the landscape so when I got home, I dug out a map of our area which includes where she was hiking, and chatted to hubby about how fab it was and how much I enjoyed myself. He promptly went out to try and buy some hiking boots and is going to change his day off in the week to the same one as me and we are going to get to know our local area better. Rather than the normal places we walked when the kids were little we are going to follow footpaths and route all over the place.
Why mention all this? Well part of prepping is getting fit as I am sure people have talked about before on these forums, and also it is understanding the lay of your local land. Just coz you live there doesn't mean you really know the surrounding landscape that well! There is so much to take in and explore - old Victorian brick quarries, ancient Tumuli marked on trackways that criss cross the local wood lands and fields. Its good to know where all the local water ways/ponds are - which ones are brackish and which ones flow clear etc.
Map reading, walking and discovering
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PreppingPingu
- Posts: 953
- Joined: Thu Jan 19, 2012 5:10 pm
- Location: Surrey/Hampshire
Map reading, walking and discovering
"Today is the tomorrow that you worrried about yesterday" - unknown
"Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast" - Red Dwarf
(Area 3)
"Smoke me a kipper, I'll be back for breakfast" - Red Dwarf
(Area 3)
Re: Map reading, walking and discovering
Great isn't it? 
Get some thin plastic, to lay over your map and mark areas of interest on that.
That way only you and your family know where they are on the map.
Get some thin plastic, to lay over your map and mark areas of interest on that.
That way only you and your family know where they are on the map.
Two is one and one is none, but three is even better.
Re: Map reading, walking and discovering
Thats brilliant, Pingu, I'm glad you had such a great time.
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Le Mouse
Re: Map reading, walking and discovering
Congratulations on catching the walking bug! 
Since moving back home, I've been doing the same kind of thing. I bought a local A-Z which is *amazingly* detailed so I can use that in conjunction with the OS map for the area. At present I've been linking it to finding where the supermarkets are, so my granny trolley has been coming with me on these walks
, but this week I've walked about 12 miles in total and found odd little waterways, numerous woods, the local waterworks reservoir (open to the elements - wonder how clean that water is?) and countless places that I need to go back to and investigate further. Next will be making sure my pushbike is still roadworthy and going out on it further afield. There is so much to discover and most people don't take any notice of what's around them in their own areas.
Since moving back home, I've been doing the same kind of thing. I bought a local A-Z which is *amazingly* detailed so I can use that in conjunction with the OS map for the area. At present I've been linking it to finding where the supermarkets are, so my granny trolley has been coming with me on these walks
, but this week I've walked about 12 miles in total and found odd little waterways, numerous woods, the local waterworks reservoir (open to the elements - wonder how clean that water is?) and countless places that I need to go back to and investigate further. Next will be making sure my pushbike is still roadworthy and going out on it further afield. There is so much to discover and most people don't take any notice of what's around them in their own areas.
Re: Map reading, walking and discovering
I did a navigation course in the lakes a few years back and it was amazing how accurate the OS maps are but it does take a bit of practice to make the most of them . There are plenty of crumbling buildings well away from roads and well used paths that could be made use of if you needed to get away from busy places/people. Also take note of the wildlife and cattle nearby. Some places are well stocked with rabbits come dusk but you need to look into techniques for trapping/preparing them. Something else to take note of is wood/timber, I've come across large pieces of the stuff in areas not accesible by road. A decent tree saw would be useful to make it more manageable, especially if on a bike or on foot. A vital resource for heating and cooking - and free too!
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iceprep
Re: Map reading, walking and discovering
I did the Duke of Edinburgh award many years ago when I was doing my A-Levels. Thoroughly enjoyed it, so much so, I think any outward bound activity of this type should be compulsory at school.
In all we did about 8 different hikes, each increasing in distance, difficultly and duration - I think the last hike I did was about 70 miles over 4 days and 3 nights. Everything we needed we had to carry -Tent, clothes, wash gear and food.
We had to pre-plan our walking route in advance. Arrange as a group how far we would walk each day taking into account terrain, climb, where possible weather predictions and available camping facilities. It was a challenge and very tiring but very enjoyable.
Some of the areas we did our hikes were:
Kettlewell to Aysgarth and Kettlewell to Horton in Ribblesdale in the Yorkshire Dales
Appleby in Westmoorland to Middleton in Teesdale.
We also did some hikes in the Lakes, but our main area was Weardale and Teesdale.
I would go as far as to say that what I learned and how I developed during my time doing the DoE was more influential that any of my days at school and it put me in good stead moving into adulthood and going to university and standing on my own.
If any of you have children approaching their teen years, I would say that it is one of the most rewarding experiences they will ever do.
Nearly half a life-time later (I am quickly approaching 40!) I can still remember the skills I picked up doing the DoE and particularly the hiking, camping and survival aspects - Given a Bug Out scenario, I think I still have the knowledge to protect my family should I need to walk over 70 miles in 4 days!
My Daughter is 9, so she is getting to be about the right age to introduce to a short hike and a overnight camp. Can't wait.
In all we did about 8 different hikes, each increasing in distance, difficultly and duration - I think the last hike I did was about 70 miles over 4 days and 3 nights. Everything we needed we had to carry -Tent, clothes, wash gear and food.
We had to pre-plan our walking route in advance. Arrange as a group how far we would walk each day taking into account terrain, climb, where possible weather predictions and available camping facilities. It was a challenge and very tiring but very enjoyable.
Some of the areas we did our hikes were:
Kettlewell to Aysgarth and Kettlewell to Horton in Ribblesdale in the Yorkshire Dales
Appleby in Westmoorland to Middleton in Teesdale.
We also did some hikes in the Lakes, but our main area was Weardale and Teesdale.
I would go as far as to say that what I learned and how I developed during my time doing the DoE was more influential that any of my days at school and it put me in good stead moving into adulthood and going to university and standing on my own.
If any of you have children approaching their teen years, I would say that it is one of the most rewarding experiences they will ever do.
Nearly half a life-time later (I am quickly approaching 40!) I can still remember the skills I picked up doing the DoE and particularly the hiking, camping and survival aspects - Given a Bug Out scenario, I think I still have the knowledge to protect my family should I need to walk over 70 miles in 4 days!
My Daughter is 9, so she is getting to be about the right age to introduce to a short hike and a overnight camp. Can't wait.