You want to explore the trails and hills around you, but the guidebook routes feel limiting. You want to carve your own path, discover hidden spots, and create a hike that matches your pace and interests. The problem is you don't know where to start. How do you map a safe route? How do you check if streams will be crossable or if the terrain is manageable? What tools do you actually need?

Planning your own hiking route is simpler than you think. You don't need expensive software or specialist cartography skills. Free online tools and apps let you plot routes, check elevation profiles, measure distances, and assess terrain in minutes. You can create circular walks, plan multi-day treks, or link together your favourite spots.

This guide walks you through the entire process. You'll learn how to choose the right maps, plot safe routes that match your fitness level, check for hazards and access restrictions, calculate timings, and prepare proper alternatives. By the end, you'll have everything you need to design brilliant hiking routes across the UK.

What you need before you start planning

You don't need a mountain of gear to learn how to plan a hiking route. The essentials fit in your pocket or can be accessed from your laptop. Before you start plotting waypoints and measuring distances, gather a few key items that will make the planning process straightforward. These tools work together to give you accurate terrain data, reliable navigation, and backup options if technology fails on the trail.

Physical essentials

Start with a paper map of your chosen area at 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 scale. Ordnance Survey Explorer maps show footpaths, rights of way, and terrain features in detail. You'll also need a basic compass for understanding bearings and directions, even if you're planning digitally. Paper maps never run out of battery and serve as your backup if your phone dies mid-hike. Keep a pencil and ruler handy for marking potential routes, measuring distances, and noting key waypoints directly on the map.

Digital planning tools

Your smartphone or computer becomes your route-planning hub. Download a free route planner app such as OS Maps, Maps.me, or Komoot before you start. These apps let you plot routes, check elevation profiles, and calculate distances in real time. You'll need a stable internet connection for initial planning, though most apps let you download offline maps for later use. Create a free account so you can save routes, export GPX files, and share plans with hiking partners.

Having both digital and paper options means you can cross-reference terrain features and never lose your route information.

Keep a notebook or spreadsheet ready to record important details as you plan. You'll want to note water sources, escape routes, estimated timings, and resupply points. This documentation becomes your hiking bible when you're actually on the trail.

Step 1. Define your objective and limits

The first step when you learn how to plan a hiking route is deciding what you actually want to achieve. A clear objective keeps you focused when you're staring at a map with hundreds of paths and options. Your objective might be reaching a specific summit, completing a circular walk from your doorstep, or linking three favourite viewpoints together. Without this anchor point, you'll waste hours plotting routes that don't serve your actual purpose.

Set your starting point and distance

Pick a definite starting location before you touch any planning tools. This could be your front door, a free car park, a train station, or a specific trailhead. Your start point determines which areas you can realistically reach and influences your entire route design. Once you've fixed your start point, decide on total distance based on your available time and fitness level. A comfortable walking pace averages 5 kilometres per hour on flat, easy paths, but this drops significantly with elevation gain, rough terrain, or poor weather.

Calculate distance limits by working backwards from your finish time. If you have six hours available and want time for breaks, aim for 20 to 25 kilometres maximum on moderate terrain. Add an extra 10 minutes for every 100 metres of elevation gain using Naismith's Rule. This planning method prevents you from creating routes that look manageable on paper but leave you exhausted halfway through.

Match difficulty to your fitness

Be honest about your current fitness level and hiking experience. A route that climbs 800 metres over rough moorland demands different capabilities than a gentle riverside path. Consider the weakest or least experienced person in your group when planning, not the strongest. Your route should challenge without overwhelming.

Your safest route matches your actual abilities, not your aspirations.

Rate yourself on three key factors: endurance for distance, strength for elevation, and technical skill for scrambles or difficult terrain. New hikers should stick to well-marked paths under 15 kilometres with minimal elevation. Experienced walkers can tackle rougher ground, steeper climbs, and longer distances. Check recent trip reports to understand what "moderate" or "difficult" means for specific routes in your area.

Choose circular or linear routes

Circular routes bring you back to your start point without retracing steps, making them more interesting and practical for solo hikers or single-vehicle groups. They work best in areas with good footpath networks where you can loop through varied terrain. Linear routes walk from point A to point B and require transport at both ends or a willingness to walk the same path back. Use linear routes when a specific destination justifies the logistics, such as walking coast to coast or following a river from source to sea. Plan circular routes whenever possible to simplify logistics and maximize variety.

Step 2. Choose maps and free planning tools

The right combination of maps and digital tools transforms how to plan a hiking route from guesswork into precision. You need accurate terrain data and reliable navigation software that show footpaths, elevation changes, and landscape features clearly. Start with physical Ordnance Survey maps as your foundation, then layer in free digital tools that speed up the planning process and let you test different route options quickly.

Select your Ordnance Survey maps

Ordnance Survey Explorer maps at 1:25,000 scale provide the most detail for hillwalking and route planning across the UK. These maps show individual walls, streams, footpaths, and contour lines every 5 metres, giving you a complete picture of the terrain. You can purchase paper maps for around £10 per sheet from outdoor retailers, or access digital versions through OS Maps with a free account that includes limited features. The 1:50,000 Landranger maps work well for longer distance planning when you need to see a wider area, though they sacrifice some detail on smaller footpaths and terrain features.

Paper maps give you the complete picture without battery anxiety or signal worries.

Check which map sheets cover your planned hiking area by using the OS Maps website. Many popular walking areas span multiple sheets, so note the sheet numbers you'll need before you buy. Download or screenshot the coverage map so you know exactly which maps to order or download offline.

Access free digital route planning tools

Several free apps let you plot routes, measure distances, and check elevation profiles without spending money. OS Maps offers free route planning with detailed OS mapping, though you'll need a paid subscription to download full offline maps. Maps.me provides completely free offline mapping with hiking trails marked as dashed lines, though it lacks the detail of OS mapping. Komoot gives you one free region map and excellent route suggestions based on your chosen activity type, while Outdooractive combines detailed mapping with a huge database of existing routes you can adapt.

Install at least two different apps on your phone to cross-reference routes and terrain features. Each tool displays information differently, and checking multiple sources reduces the chance of errors. Create accounts so you can save routes, export GPX files, and access your plans from both phone and computer. Most apps let you switch between standard, satellite, and terrain views, which helps you understand what the landscape actually looks like beyond the abstract lines on a map.

Compare tool features for your needs

Different planning tools excel at different tasks. OS Maps provides the most accurate UK footpath data and rights of way information, making it essential for checking legal access. Satellite imagery in Google Earth helps you assess vegetation density, identify landmarks, and spot features that paper maps miss. Use basic online calculators to verify walking times based on distance and elevation, cross-checking against your app's estimates. Keep a spreadsheet or document open to record coordinates, waypoints, and any notes about specific sections of your planned route as you work through different tools.

Step 3. Plot the route and check the terrain

Open your chosen planning tool and zoom into your start point on the map. This stage transforms your objective into an actual line on a map, connecting your desired destinations through the safest and most interesting terrain. You'll test multiple options, check elevation profiles, and verify that every section of your route uses legal rights of way or accessible paths. The goal is to create a route that flows naturally through the landscape rather than fighting against it.

Mark your key waypoints

Begin by dropping pins or markers on your digital map at important locations you identified in step one. These waypoints include your start point, any summits or viewpoints you want to visit, potential water sources, and your intended finish point. Add markers at obvious navigation points such as trail junctions, river crossings, or distinctive landscape features you'll use to track progress. Most planning apps let you label these markers, so note the name, grid reference, or any specific detail that helps you identify each spot on the trail.

Working from start to finish, draw connecting lines between your waypoints using your app's route plotting tool. The software will usually snap your line to visible paths and tracks automatically. Watch the running distance total as you plot each section, checking it against your planned daily distance. Apps like OS Maps and Komoot display elevation profiles beneath your route as you draw it, showing climbs and descents graphically. This immediate feedback tells you whether your route is realistic or needs adjustment before you've wasted time on detailed planning.

Follow contour lines to assess difficulty

Contour lines on your map show elevation changes across the landscape. The closer together these brown lines appear, the steeper the slope. Study your route carefully where contours bunch together, as these sections demand more time and energy than the mileage suggests. A path that crosses contours at right angles means you'll be climbing or descending directly up or down the slope. Routes that follow contour lines stay at roughly the same elevation and avoid unnecessary height gain.

Steep ground combined with poor weather turns a manageable walk into a serious challenge.

Count the contour lines your route crosses and multiply by the contour interval (usually 5 metres on 1:25,000 maps) to calculate total elevation gain. Add 10 minutes per 100 metres gained to your basic walking time estimate. Check for cliff symbols (small black tick marks on the downhill side of contours) and scree markings (small circles scattered on slopes) that indicate hazardous terrain requiring experience or alternative routes.

Test different route options

Plot at least two complete routes between your start and finish points before settling on a final version. Your alternative route serves as your backup plan if conditions make your first choice unsafe or impractical. Try routing along different valleys, over different ridges, or using parallel paths to see which option gives you the best balance of distance, terrain, and interesting features. Most digital planning tools let you save multiple routes so you can compare them side by side.

Check your route against the satellite or terrain view to understand what the ground actually looks like. Dense forestry plantations (marked as green areas on OS maps) can slow progress dramatically and make navigation difficult even on marked paths. Moorland and rough grassland offer easier visibility but harder walking than maintained trails. Switch between map views to build a complete picture of each route option before committing to one as your main plan.

Step 4. Check access, hazards and conditions

You've plotted a route that looks perfect on the map, but your planning isn't complete until you've verified that you can legally walk it and that conditions won't trap you in dangerous situations. This step separates wishful thinking from realistic hiking plans. You need to check legal access rights, identify potential hazards along your route, and research current trail conditions before you commit to any route. Skipping these checks can land you on private land, facing impassable rivers, or walking into closed sections of trail that force you to turn back.

Verify rights of way and access restrictions

Check that your entire route follows public rights of way or designated access land. In England and Wales, you must stick to marked footpaths, bridleways, or open access land shown on OS maps as orange-shaded areas. Green dotted lines indicate legal rights of way, while black dotted lines show paths that may not be public. Scotland's right to roam legislation lets you walk almost anywhere responsibly, but you still need to respect privacy near homes and avoid certain areas during lambing season or deer stalking.

Zoom into any national park or nature reserve sections of your route and check their specific rules. Some parks restrict camping to designated sites only, require permits for entry, or close certain trails during nesting seasons. Visit official national park websites to confirm current regulations rather than relying on outdated guidebook information. Note any sections where your route crosses farmland, as these areas often have seasonal restrictions during crop growing or lambing periods from March to May.

Research hazards and seasonal dangers

Study your route for natural hazards that could cause problems. Mark every river crossing on your map and research whether they require fording or have footbridges (marked as 'FB' on OS maps). Rivers can become impassable within hours after heavy rain, so check recent weather history and avoid routes with multiple unbridged crossings after wet periods. Look for cliff symbols and steep contour lines that indicate exposed terrain where slips could have serious consequences.

Weather conditions transform moderate walks into survival situations, so checking forecasts isn't optional.

Check the Mountain Weather Information Service or Met Office mountain forecasts for your hiking area at least two days before your walk and again on the morning you set out. Pay special attention to wind speeds above 500 metres, temperature, and precipitation forecasts. Winds above 40mph make exposed ridges dangerous, while temperatures below 5°C combined with rain create [hypothermia risks](https://takeahike.uk/blogs/news/how-to-layer-for-hiking). Note the forecast carefully in your planning document so you can make informed decisions about whether to proceed or postpone.

Check trail conditions and closures

Search for recent trip reports from other walkers who've completed your route in the past few weeks. Blogs, hiking forums, and social media posts often mention current trail conditions such as mud depth, snow patches, fallen trees, or temporary diversions that won't appear on maps. OS Maps includes a hazard reporting tool that shows user-submitted warnings about specific route problems. Read at least three recent reports if available to identify any persistent issues along your route.

Contact local visitor centres or ranger services if your route crosses areas that experience seasonal closures or restrictions. Some coastal paths close during high tides, mountain routes become impassable in winter without specialist equipment, and forestry tracks close during logging operations. Record any closure information and the dates it applies to in your planning notes. If you discover sections of your route are currently closed or hazardous, switch to your alternative route rather than hoping conditions will improve.

Step 5. Finalise timings, logistics and plan B

Your route exists on paper, but you need to translate it into realistic time estimates and practical logistics before you can walk it confidently. This step ensures you finish before dark, know where to find food and water, and have backup plans when conditions force you to change course. Calculate your walking pace based on actual terrain rather than ideal conditions, plan your resupply points if you're hiking multiple days, and identify at least two escape routes at key points along your journey. These preparations separate successful hikes from miserable experiences where you're racing daylight or stranded without options.

Calculate realistic walking times

Work through your route section by section, applying 5 kilometres per hour as your base walking pace on flat, easy terrain. Add 10 minutes for every 100 metres of elevation gain and subtract speed for difficult ground like moorland, scree, or overgrown paths. Include at least 30 minutes for lunch and 10 minutes for every shorter break you'll take. Your total time estimate should feel generous rather than optimistic, allowing buffer time for navigation checks, photos, or unexpected delays. Check sunset times for your hiking date and ensure you'll finish with at least one hour of daylight remaining as a safety margin.

Arrange resupply and transport

Plot every location where you can access drinking water along your route, marking taps, streams, and reliable springs on your map. If water sources are more than three hours apart, plan to carry extra capacity or adjust your route to pass more frequent sources. For multi-day hikes, identify shops, visitor centres, or accommodation where you can resupply food within every five to seven days of walking. Note their opening hours and distances from your trail to avoid arriving at closed facilities. Book any required transport at both ends of linear routes, confirming times with bus or train operators rather than relying on online timetables that may be outdated.

Create escape routes and contingency plans

Identify at least three points along your route where you can safely abandon your original plan and descend to roads, villages, or transport links. Mark these escape routes clearly on your map and calculate how long each one takes to reach safety. Your escape routes should avoid steep terrain, river crossings, and technical sections wherever possible.

Your escape route gets you down safely when weather, injury, or exhaustion make continuing dangerous.

Write down your alternative route from step 3 with full details including distance, timing, and any different logistics it requires. Share both your main route and alternatives with someone who isn't hiking with you, including your expected return time and emergency contact instructions.

Step 6. Save your route and prepare to hike

Your digital route planning becomes useless if your phone dies halfway up a mountain or you lose mobile signal. This final step ensures you have multiple copies of your route in different formats and all the physical gear you need to navigate confidently. Export your route, create printed backups, and pack the essentials that turn a well-planned route into a successful day on the trails.

Export and backup your route files

Save your route in your planning app's native format first, then export it as a GPX file so you can open it in other apps if needed. Most route planners have an export or share button that creates a GPX file you can email to yourself or save to cloud storage. Send a copy of this GPX file to at least one hiking partner and save another copy on a different device. Take a screenshot of your full route on the map and save it to your phone's photo library as a quick visual reference you can access without opening apps or using data.

Multiple backup formats mean navigation problems become minor inconveniences rather than hike-ending disasters.

Write down your route summary with key details in a simple table format:

Print your safety backup

Print your route on paper using your planning app's print function or by taking screenshots of the map sections. Mark your escape routes, water sources, and key decision points with a highlighter or coloured pen. Fold this printed copy and seal it in a waterproof bag or map case. Print a second copy to leave with your emergency contact along with your expected return time and mobile number.

Check your navigation kit

Pack your compass, paper map, printed route, and a fully charged phone with offline maps downloaded. Bring a portable battery pack that can recharge your phone at least once. Add a basic first aid kit, emergency shelter, and head torch even for day walks. Test that you can access your saved route offline by switching your phone to aeroplane mode before you leave home.

Ready to map your next hike

You now have everything you need to create safe, exciting routes across the UK's trails and hills. The process of learning how to plan a hiking route becomes faster and more intuitive each time you do it. Start with shorter walks close to home while you build confidence with maps and planning tools, then gradually expand your ambitions to longer distances and more challenging terrain. Your first few planned routes might take hours to prepare, but soon you'll be plotting weekend adventures in minutes.

Before you head out on your planned route, make sure you've got the right gear to keep you comfortable and safe on the trail. Browse hiking essentials to find everything from navigation tools to weatherproof clothing that matches the terrain you're planning to explore.