Author Topic: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking  (Read 4190 times)

sussamb

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #45 on: 12:37:39, 10/09/19 »

To all those who eschew paper maps, unless you have a very high spec (and thus expensive) GPS receiver, which most walkers will not have, how can you always be certain which side of a wall a footpath is, if it is not clear on the ground?


Same way as with a paper map, but you look at the map on your screen.  Incidentally you don't need an expensive GPS to do that, just the correct map  :)
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sussamb

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #46 on: 12:42:12, 10/09/19 »
Not everybody has Viewranger and even those that do are at the mercy of battery exhaustion.


I use my GPS as primary nav aid with phone/ViewRanger as back up. My GPS batteries last around 18 hours and I carry spares.  I have a USB stick that will recharge my phone twice.  I reckon I'm safer now that when I just had a paper map with no backup if I'd put it down and forgotten it, or if it had been blown away, and so forth  :)
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happyhiker

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #47 on: 12:44:30, 10/09/19 »
I surrender.

sussamb

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #48 on: 13:39:38, 10/09/19 »
 ;D
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pauldawes

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #49 on: 15:16:34, 10/09/19 »
My gps has a fairly small screen, so main reason I nearly always carry a map is if I find it necessary (or desirable) to materially alter route when out on a walk...being able to take in a larger area at a glance makes re-planning easier.


And yes..I can easily see even that advantage wouldn’t apply to some one who simply takes out a tablet with them.

ninthace

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #50 on: 16:44:05, 10/09/19 »
My gps has a fairly small screen, so main reason I nearly always carry a map is if I find it necessary (or desirable) to materially alter route when out on a walk...being able to take in a larger area at a glance makes re-planning easier.


And yes..I can easily see even that advantage wouldn’t apply to some one who simply takes out a tablet with them.
  Having recently upgraded my mobile, I was pleasantly surprised how much can be accomplished with a phone screen by zooming in and out.  Last week I encountered a lady who was doing a linear walk with a companion.  They had started at opposite ends of a trail but her companion had gone off route somehow and they had missed each other.  Although I did not have the appropriate paper map with me, I was able to use my phone in conjunction with the OS mapping app to show her exactly where she was and where her friend was likely to be.
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BuzyG

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #51 on: 23:19:59, 10/09/19 »
  Having recently upgraded my mobile, I was pleasantly surprised how much can be accomplished with a phone screen by zooming in and out.  Last week I encountered a lady who was doing a linear walk with a companion.  They had started at opposite ends of a trail but her companion had gone off route somehow and they had missed each other.  Although I did not have the appropriate paper map with me, I was able to use my phone in conjunction with the OS mapping app to show her exactly where she was and where her friend was likely to be.
We will make a OS App convert out of you yet. O0

ninthace

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #52 on: 23:30:07, 10/09/19 »
We will make a OS App convert out of you yet. O0
O0  It is my go to navigation tool just after my Etrex (1st choice - dedicated device), ViewRanger (2nd choice - more versatile) and ahead of paper map and compass (4th choice - only if desperate)
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pleb

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #53 on: 11:11:59, 12/09/19 »
All you lot should be ashamed of yourselves using tech  ;D  is there only me who has to rely on paper maps?
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barewirewalker

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #54 on: 11:32:22, 12/09/19 »
Paper maps for me even if they are little scraps of A4  ;D .
I couldn't lug my PC all over the countryside, that is where I research. So I am with Pleb, not that haven't tried with GPS, but the mobile phone is a bit of kit I rather leave in my sock drawer, where it went when I retired.
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tonyk

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #55 on: 15:50:16, 12/09/19 »
All you lot should be ashamed of yourselves using tech  ;D  is there only me who has to rely on paper maps?
Paper map and compass for me.


Susamb wrote
Quote
I reckon I'm safer now that when I just had a paper map with no backup if I'd put it down and forgotten it, or if it had been blown away, and so forth
I think in your case you are right.You would probably fall down a hill looking at the map instead of where you are going.At least with GPS you can still see your feet so it does reduce the risk....a little. ;)

sussamb

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #56 on: 16:29:48, 12/09/19 »
Susamb I think in your case you are right.You would probably fall down a hill looking at the map instead of where you are going.At least with GPS you can still see your feet so it does reduce the risk....a little. ;)


 ;D  wish I could blame my fall on that but at that point my GPS was firmly in my pocket, MRT took it out when they did their full assessment so I quickly grabbed it and handed it to my walking buddy for safe keeping  O0
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ninthace

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #57 on: 16:35:42, 12/09/19 »
There are 3 things I like about my little electric map reader.
1. It is instantly accessible as it lives clipped to my shoulder harness out of the way until I need it.
2.  When I come to a navigational quandary, it shows me where I am and where I have come from straight away so it is a very quick one handed unclip, look, decide, re-stow in much less time than it takes to get the map out and fix your position.
3.  If I take a wrong turning, it warns me I am not going where I thought I was.
Most of the time it stays stowed out of the way so I can enjoy the walk.  There are other advantages such as giving me an ETA at my destination, current height and elevation profile and a trace of my actual route as a souvenir.
For these reasons, I would encourage any novice walker to learn not only the art of conventional map reading but also the art of using an electronic aid.  I know MRTs decry the use of mobile phones but I disagree.  Yes, if you set out with a half charged phone using GoogleMaps you are likely to run into trouble but much in the same way as we encourage novices to dress appropriately, to have a map and compass and know how to use them; I believe the message should include take a phone or gps, fully charged, with the right app on board and know how to use it.  Modern aids, dedicated or phone based, no longer need a data signal to work and fully charged, should last all day.
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WhitstableDave

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Re: Why I think novice walkers can benefit from group walking
« Reply #58 on: 17:09:56, 12/09/19 »
There are 3 things I like about my little electric map reader...

I agree with ninthace!  O0

And if I might add a couple of things about way-finding that I don't think have been mentioned so far...

1. Some walkers use GPS watches. These are great for recording walks, knowing distance covered, etc. but some also have a 'return to start' function. Of course not every walk is a circuit or a there-and-back, but lots are - and in my case probably 99.9%! So if all else fails, a watch such as a Garmin Vivoactive 3 can point the way back to the start (as the crow flies) as well as show the distance.

2. While the watch thing is perhaps a bit specific, this one should apply to anyone on any walk: Having worked out a route before setting off, whether on a PC or a paper map or whatever - remember the basics of the walk! For example, "I'll head roughly south for about 3 miles then go north-west for 4 miles, and so on." Or even, "The top of the big hill I'm climbing is north-east from the start, so I'll be returning south-west." I'll assume everyone carries a compass, but there are other ways to navigate too, such as using the sun or satellite dishes. Just a thought - and I'm not trying to teach anyone to suck eggs!
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