Going further
4 minute read
River crossings and pathless ground
When to cross, how to cross and when to turn round; and moving well where there is no path.
Away from the popular hills, much of upland Britain has no path and few bridges. Two skills matter most: judging a river, and moving efficiently over rough ground.
Rivers: decide before you get wet
Highland burns rise fast in rain and snowmelt and fall almost as fast. A stream you stepped over in the morning can be impassable by afternoon.
- Plan for it. If your route crosses an unbridged river, know where the nearest bridge is and what you'll do if the crossing won't go, including coming back the same way.
- Don't cross if the water is fast and above your knees, you can hear boulders moving, or there is a waterfall or gorge downstream.
- Waiting works. Rivers often drop within hours of the rain stopping. A long detour upstream or a cold wait is better than a swim.
If you do cross
- Look for the widest stretch: wide usually means shallow and slow. Avoid bends, where the outside is deep.
- Undo your rucksack's hip belt and chest strap so you can shed it if you fall.
- Keep your boots on. Take socks off and trousers up if you like dry feet afterwards.
- Face upstream, lean on poles, and shuffle sideways, moving one foot or pole at a time.
- In a group, cross together: link arms in a line, or huddle in a ring of three, strongest person upstream.
Pathless ground
- Read the map for the ground, not the line. A ridge or the bank of a burn is usually easier than a straight line across peat hags and tussocks.
- Expect to be slower. Deep heather, bog and boulders can halve your pace. Allow for it in your timing.
- Go round bogs. Bright green moss and cotton grass mark the wettest ground. Heather and rushes mean something firmer.
- Contour with care. Traversing steep grass is tiring and slippery when wet: often better to gain the ridge and walk along the top.
- Scree and boulders: test before you trust, keep the group close together so a dislodged rock can't gather speed, and avoid walking directly below one another.
Bagging routes on TRXO often leave the path for the last part of the climb. The route description says where, and the bog rating tells you how wet the ground usually is; the walk's page adds the last week's rain.
General guidance from the TRXO team, last read through on . It is no substitute for training or for your own judgement on the day.