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(at Glen Shee and altitude corrected)
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Blairgowrie and District Next Steps
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Fitness Note
These notes apply to the advanced walks on days other than Wednesday.
It should be noted that all routes will require participants to be able to maintain a good pace of around 4kph (app 2.5mph). (Military marching for example is based on 6kph or 4mph).
Most of the Next Steps walks will typically be of Moderate grade, including the occasional Munro such as The Cairnwell. Some walks will be Strenuous and some may be Easy. For example the River Ericht walk (to and from Kitty Swanson's Bridge) is graded at Easy, while extending the Moderate walk The Cairnwell/Carn Aosda to include Carn a Gheoidh would be graded as Strenuous. The starting point for this example walk is over 600m above sea level so the total ascent is not as much as it appears. The amount of ascent indicated on the walk schedule is the total amount of height climbed over the whole route. It does not necessarily indicate the height above sea level of the highest point.
The distances and difficulty are for guidance only, if you have any queries about the walks or indeed any other matter please contact the organisers. Where appropriate we have tried to grade the walks to give you a good guide to the conditions and hence level of effort required for each walk. They have been based on Naismith's rule.
Easy indicates a walk on good ground for up to 3 or 4 hours, or distances up to 15km/9 miles with little ascent involved.
Moderate indicates distances up to 13km/8miles ascending a total of approx 400m or 1200ft across good ground or tracks, with a duration of between 2 to 3 hours. There may be some limited crossing of varied ground.
Strenuous indicates distances up to 16km/10miles, ascending approx 400m/1200ft across varied ground, with a duration of approx 3 to 5 hours.
Very Strenuous indicates distances over 16km/10miles ascending to 900m above sea level and higher across rough ground, with a duration of over 5 hours.
Varied ground may include some heather, peat hags, bogs, boulder fields, scree and/or river crossing (though not necessarily all). Rough ground will include significant distances in these conditions.
A further idea to help judge the degree of difficulty is to multiply the overall ascent by 7 and add it to the distance. This will give a Level Ground Equivalence, indicating what the exertion will be similar to. Therefore someone used to walking say 8km (5miles) on flat ground, will do the equivalent of 9.5km (almost 6miles) if that includes a 200m overall ascent. This is particularly important for the higher walks which may easily involve the equivalent of an extra 6km (4miles) to the stated distance.
Adequate drinks must be taken. Since Next Steps does not go into any significant remote territory availability of mountain burn water is not guaranteed. Plan on drinking up to ½litre of liquid per hour. Isotonic 'Sports' drinks are recommended as they replace vital salts and sugars as well as liquid water.
Meals are important. We will generally have a snack approx every 1½ to 2 hours or so. Therefore sufficient for 2 snack stops is recommended. You may also wish to take some nuts or chocolate/snack bars or similar to nibble along the way.
Hill walking can consume up to 500kcals per hour. This is extreme and it is unlikely that Next Steps will require more than 200 to 300kcals per hour. But while exercise is good for burning calories off, insufficient food will result in low blood sugar level and early fatigue/cramps and so on. This may exacerbate a pre-existing medical condition.
All hill walkers breathe heavily uphill. This is not necessarily a symptom of being unable to do it. The need to oxygenate the blood is a natural consequence of exercise and other exertion. Remember that climbing Mount Blair does more good than a one hour step lesson, and is far more scenic and interesting!
If at any time you feel unwell please advise the leaders. While they are not medical personnel they are first aid qualified and are familiar with the above issues.
Home Schedule Information Kit-List
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| On Carn Aosda for Children in Need |
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| Near Auchallater on Jock's Road |
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| Falls of Unich, Glen Lee |
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| Meikleour Wood for the first walk |
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| Corrie Fee |
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| Caenlochan Glen and source of the River Isla |
