Pacing and estimating distance

Knowing how far you have walked helps you find where you are on the map, especially in fog, forest or darkness. Counting your steps, called pacing, is simple and surprisingly accurate with a little practice.

Find your pace count

Everyone's stride is different, so measure your own before you need it.

Find a measured 100 metres: a sports track, or two points on a map you can be sure of.
Walk it at your normal pace and count every time your left foot (or right foot) hits the ground. This is a "double pace".
Do it two or three times and take the average.

Many adults take roughly 60 to 70 double paces per 100 metres on flat ground, but use your own figure. Write it down somewhere you'll find it.

Adjusting for the ground

Your pace shortens when things get harder, so expect a higher count:

uphill, and steep downhill
rough ground, heather, sand, snow or mud
carrying a heavy pack
in the dark, or when tired

Practise on a hill and on rough ground too, so you know roughly how much to add.

Keeping count

Counting to large numbers is easy to lose. Instead:

Move a small stone or knot a cord each time you reach 100 metres.
Use beads on a cord, sometimes called pacing beads.
Note each 100 metres in a notebook.

Timing as a backup

You can also estimate distance from time. A steady walker covers roughly 4 to 5 km per hour on good flat paths, and much less on rough or hilly ground. Note the time when you leave a known point and check your map against the clock as you go.

Estimating distance by eye

Judging distance across open ground is tricky. Things often look closer than they are in clear air, bright light or across water and snow. They look further away in fog, dusk or rain. Practise by guessing the distance to a landmark, then checking it on the map or by pacing.

Putting it together

When walking on a compass bearing, combine direction and distance. If the map says a stream crossing is 400 metres away and you've paced 600 without finding it, stop and think before carrying on.

The app counts steps between position fixes to estimate distance, which is a useful cross-check. Your own pace count still works when the battery doesn't.

This article is in the Grid Survivor app, searchable with no signal. Get the app · £4.99