By Michael Knaggs
When planning a walk in the countryside you always imagine it will be in good weather; however when the day arrives you may be faced with 12 hours of constant rain and grey, overcast skies. At this point it may be very tempting to cancel the walk and wait for another day, but that doesn’t necessarily have to happen.
Obviously, torrential rain for many hours is not going to be fun for anyone and you have to be careful about lightning. Nevertheless, a rainy day doesn’t necessarily make a bad walk, so here are some tips on how to make the most of a wet day.
There are two important aspects you have to address when walking in the rain: firstly, the practical aspects of keeping everyone dry, warm and comfortable as well as correct navigation and safe, accident-free walking along the route. Secondly, the psychological side, keeping people interested, motivated and providing them with good memories that will encourage them to do similar walks in the future. So what can you do?
Wear good waterproof clothing.
This is an obvious one, but it makes all the difference. Your jacket must be waterproof, but also have a good hood that keeps the rain off and gives you a good wide field of vision. Too many waterproof jackets have hoods which hang down over your face in front of your eyes, obscuring your view. A hood with a small peak is good; otherwise wearing a baseball cap under your hood can work well.
Waterproof trousers are also important. Think about where the water will go after it has run down your coat as these areas of run-off are important.
Waterproof boots are also essential. They allow you to walk anywhere, through all the puddles you will encounter and even through streams. Additionally, they have a good grip on surfaces which will be much more slippery in wet weather.
You also need a waterproof rucksack to keep all your equipment, including spare clothing, dry. Your rucksack, as it is, is not totally waterproof on its own. Many rucksacks now come with a waterproof rain cover. If it doesn’t have one, place a plastic bag inside your rucksack and put all your equipment inside the bag.
If you have really good waterproof clothing and boots it can give you a feeling of impermeability and invincibility which is great fun as you will go anywhere with no fear.
Plan your route carefully
Your map or guide-book should be kept in a waterproof holder. You don’t want to be stopping too often to look at your map, so it is a good idea to do a walk that you have done before.
You should have a good, sheltered start and finish point.
Make sure the route is safe to walk in wet weather. Any steep climbs, narrow ridges and scrambling are probably best avoided and left to a day with kinder weather. Boggy areas and swamps are also to be avoided as they will be much worse. Small slow-flowing streams will be large, fast-flowing torrents in wet weather. Also, if visibility is poor, it is not good to walk long sections across trackless moorland, where navigation would be difficult, even in clear weather.
Avoid high, unexposed ground if you can help it. A route with plenty of shelter is the best, so walks under trees, under a number of bridges or walks that go through small settlements are highly recommended. Also a route with good underfoot conditions such as a surfaced path, is much better. Therefore, walks by canals, in parkland, along well-maintained popular paths or through nature reserves are good ideas.
If it is windy it is best to walk with the rain blowing onto your back rather than into your face.
Pace is important.
Don’t hang around too long at the start. When walking in the rain, walk at a good fast pace to keep things moving and create a good feeling of progress.
When you do stop, however, have a good long rest. Make the most of places where there is plenty of shelter and enjoy the views around you.
Use the natural water around you
Make the most of any streams, bridges and waterfalls by observing them very closely. The wet weather will make them look more spectacular and help create a very different sensory experience. Enjoy the fast-flowing streams, noisy, bubbly tumbling of water over rocks, full and spectacular waterfalls and marvel at any overflowing streams or rivers. Listen to the sounds as well as watching the movement of the water.
Plan some welcome distractions
Make the most of any spectacular views, interesting objects to look at, or interesting wildlife along the way. They can be a welcome distraction from the weather and give you the opportunity for a nice rest.
Take hot drinks with you
They are very uplifting, emotionally and temperature-wise. Cold drinks can exaggerate the cold, wet, conditions.
Umbrellas are great.
They give you a nice airy feeling as they take the rain away from you. They are better than wearing a hood where the rain drills onto your skull and runs down the front of your face, giving you a very enclosed feeling.
Don’t forget your camera
You have to be careful with your camera in the rain, but taking photos is another welcome distraction from the weather and actually provides an interesting challenge too. You can switch your focus from the weather onto getting a good picture. Also, think about which pictures will illustrate the day the best. You can even consider how to exaggerate the wetness and drama of the weather you’ve been walking through.
Have a reward at the end
Rewarding everyone who took part is a good way of lifting spirits and making people more likely to do a similar walk in the future. It can also be very motivating for people who are feeling rather tired half-way through the walk. A nice meal or hot drink in a warm café or tea-room, a pint in a pub by a log fire or some favourite sweets or chocolates are some suggestions for saying thank you for accompanying you on the walk and saying well done for getting to the end.
Michael Knaggs is an experienced and enthusiastic hiker who has been walking in the countryside since he was 12 years old. He has successfully completed a number of long distance walks including the Dales Way, Three Peaks of Yorkshire, Teesdale Way and Calderdale Way. He has led many groups on walks in the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Lake District in Northern England. Although he has enjoyed many walks to the highest peaks, such as Scafell Pike, he now enjoys shorter walks taking in the wildlife and geology of North Yorkshire.