Walking at night is something that everyone should experience at some time in their life, and is highly recommended. On our night walks we always try to complete the walk without using any torches unless absolutely necessary. We always recommend walking the route during the day prior to your night walk, so that you know where any hazards are an can remove any branches etc that may be blocking the path.

Check the weather

Ideally you want a clear night with little to no cloud cover so you can see the stars, use a free app such as Clear Outside. Foul weather may be more challenging, but can still provide an entertaining walk. A good head torch is essential but in thick mist the light can reflect back off the millions of tiny water droplets in the air and can dazzle you. Instead hold your head torch in your hand keeping it as low as possible, ideally below waist height, and it will make it easier to see through the mist, just like the fog lights on a car.

Have a plan

Let someone know where you are going, leave them a route card or description of your route and have an agreed protocol if you’ve not returned by a certain time. Make sure your phone is fully charged as it will be your best friend in an emergency. Use a map and compass rather than mapping apps on your phone and don’t rely just on the torch on your phone as a substitute for a good head torch. If leading a group, take spare torches and spare batteries as there is always someone that turns up planning to use their mobile phone torch, or on one of my guided night walks someone turned up with a wind up hand held torch. 

Stay Safe

Go with someone else or in a group, this way to get to share any wildlife encounters you may have and it is also reassuring when you hear that rustling in the long grass. Have a decent torch, and a fully charged phone. Put some some reflective tape on the back of your rucksack. If walking on a road, walk on the right, or the outside of any bends, so that you can see any traffic approaching and are able to take evasive action if needed. The temperature drops at night, so wrap up warm with plenty of layers, hats and a nice pair of warm gloves.

Try and keep it dark

Have a torch in your pocket or a head torch on ready to go, but try and keep them turned off. You will find that there is usually enough natural light from the stars, moon, etc to be able to see in the dark, and once your ‘night sight’ has kicked in you’ll no longer need a torch. Under a full moon on a clear night and there is more than enough light for you to see where you’re walking. If you come to any uneven sections or obstacles then you can put your torch on for a moment, but warn others in your group before you turn the torch on. There is also the temptation to look at someone directly when talking to them, and head torches can dazzle and blind that person for a few seconds. So if you’re wearing a head torch, make sure it’s angled down and not straight ahead. If you’re on a road section, have a torch handy so that if you hear a car coming you can turn it on and shine it in the direction of the car, but not straight at the drivers face, just enough so that they know you are there. 

Night Sight

In darkness, your eyesight changes from using its cone cells in the middle of eyes to using its rod cells around the sides. It takes about 30 - 45 minutes for your rod cells to adapt to the darkness, and this is known as ‘night sight’. In night sight mode everything will appear as black and white, and if you look at an object trying to use your normal sight it will be blurred because your cone cells in the middle of your eyes aren't working. Instead look slightly to one side of the object and you should be able to focus on it. Once you have your ‘night sight’ try and protect it, so if you know that someone is putting a torch on, or there is a passing car, then close one eye and at least you will have full night vision in one eye rather than having to wait another half hour for your night sight to kick in again. Wait for passing cars to completely disappear before you open your protected eye, they have a habit of touching the brakes and even the brake lights can blind you. As your eyes change to night sight, you will find that your other senses become heightened. So you will hear all sorts of weird noises that you probably wouldn't have heard during the day. 

Wildlife 

Nearly 70% of wildlife in the UK is nocturnal, these include Moths, Owls, Bats, Foxes, Badgers and Hedgehogs. There are many plants that open at night time to attract moths and other pollinators, and one of the most impressive of the night time moths is the Elephant Hawk Moth. The noise of a Tawny Owl is unmistakable and reassuring at the same time, the hissing of a barn owl not so reassuring, and the screeching of a female fox has had many a Police Officer called out to a potential emergency. Try and embrace these night time noises, there is nothing to be afraid of, and there are no wild animals in the UK that will harm you. 

Navigating at night

Night nav, is a subject that any Mountain Leader will be familiar with, and it is always worth practising these skills. I generally try to get out once every couple of months onto the moors to practise some night nav, and I’m out every full moon for what I class as a normal night walk. You will find that in darkness you are less confident to stride out, so your normal pace length is shorter. So if you’re pacing over 100 metres you may need to add on, anything up to 10% of your normal step count, so timing may be preferred over pacing. Practise makes perfect, have a chart and fill in the timing/pacing for various terrains for daytime and also for night time. Using a torch with a red filter on makes it more difficult to see the brown contour lines on an OS map, and if you’re using maps on a mobile phone app, then turn the background brightness down as far as reasonably possible to help keep your night sight. An altimeter can also be a useful tool to have if navigating over undulating terrain. Try and take the safer route, it may be slightly longer, but that land rover track that zig zags across the moorlands will be a lot easier to walk on than the peat bogs and ankle breaking knee high heather.

Know your stars 

One of the best parts of any night walk is being able to identify the constellations, and identify the brighter stars within these constellations. Many of these stars have myths and stories going back to the Greek ages. So if you’re leading a group, having some knowledge of these constellations will help keep your group entertained. There are also some groups of stars that you can actually use to navigate, such as The Big Dipper and Polaris.

Light pollution

Some knowledge of light pollution, and the effect it has on wildlife is another useful string to have in your bow. For millions of years we have had day and night, but since the invention of the light bulb there are places that never see true darkness. Scientific evidence suggests that artificial light at night has negative and deadly effects on many creatures including amphibians, birds, mammals, insects and plants. Discuss the problems with your group and offer advice on what people can do to help.

Book onto one of our walks 

Over the winter months, and with the winter constellations in full view we run a series of night walks on a full moon. We don’t always get the clear skies we want, but we still have an entertaining walk. Our charity of choice is ‘Trees for Life’, and we plant a tree in our corporate grove in Scotland for anyone booking onto one of our paid walks or navigation courses. For more details. https://www.bootroutes.com/trees-for-life

Stay safe and enjoy.