Why wind changes the plan

On a calm day a ridge is the finest place in Britain. In a hoolie it is a different proposition altogether. Sustained winds of 40 mph are enough to make walking hard work and to push you off your line on a narrow path; add gusts 20 or 30 mph above that and you are stumbling sideways on ground where a stumble matters. Wind chill does the rest: 4°C air moving at 40 mph feels closer to -4°C, and horizontal rain finds its way into every gap in your clothing.

The good news is that wind is rarely uniform. A forecast showing 45 mph over summits often shows 15–20 mph in the valley below, with the worst of it on ridges, cols and tops. That gap is your opportunity. A lower route through a valley, a wood or a sheltered pass can be a superb day out while the tops are best left for another week.

Reading the forecast and choosing your side of the valley

Look at two figures — mean wind speed and gusts — and check them for summit level as well as valley level. Note the direction, because it tells you where the shelter sits. In a westerly, the eastern side of a north–south valley lies in the lee; in a north-westerly, look for south-east-facing slopes and woodland. Lee slopes are not windless — wind spills over ridges and tumbles down them — but they are usually a good deal calmer than the windward side.

Timing matters too. Winds often build through the morning, peak in the early afternoon and ease towards evening, so walk in the calmer window and pitch early if you are camping.

Two caveats. Narrow gaps and low cols funnel wind, so a tight gorge can be far windier than you would expect. And shelter from wind is not shelter from falling branches, so keep an eye on what is above you.

Choosing a low-level line

• Favour broad valleys over narrow ones, and low passes over high cols.
• Forest tracks, old drovers' roads, riverside paths and canal towpaths all make rewarding days when the tops are out of bounds.
• Woodland gives shelter and interest, but avoid loitering beneath mature ash or any tree with dead limbs — ash dieback has left a lot of brittle timber standing.
• Do not be tempted by a short exposed link between two valleys if it means a mile of bare ridge at 500 metres.
• Low-level routes are often longer in distance than they look, so allow generous time and check fords that may be in spate after rain.
• Keep an escape plan: a road, a bus stop, a bothy or a lower alternative line you can drop onto if the wind strengthens.

Camping in shelter

The difference between a good night and a miserable one often comes down to twenty metres of ground. Look for a pitch behind a drystone wall, in a shallow hollow or on the lee side of a wood, and orient the tent so its lowest edge faces the wind, presenting the smallest possible profile.

Pitch low and taut, use every guy line, and weight pegs with stones where the ground is thin — then put the stones back rather than scattering them. Avoid the obvious traps: the floor of a narrow gorge, where wind is funnelled and water gathers; exposed knolls and shoulders; and the immediate lee of a ridge crest, where wind curls over and accelerates downwards. Under trees, look up before you commit.

Bothies and tarns when the wind howls

A bothy is a gift on a wild night — four walls, a roof, sometimes a fire — but it should never be the whole plan. They fill up at weekends and school holidays, they can sit a long way from a safe route out, and reaching one in a storm still leaves you with the walk back. Carry your tent anyway, arrive early if you can, and follow the usual courtesies: leave the place cleaner than you found it, carry all rubbish out, and do not burn green wood or dismantle the furniture for fuel.

Upland tarns are beautiful, but a tarn at 600 metres sits squarely in the wind's path, often in a hollow that channels it. If you want water beside your pitch, look for a lower tarn or llyn tucked into a sheltered cwm, or a valley tarn on the lee side of a wood. Pitch well back from the shore — 30 metres or so where the ground allows — to avoid trampling fragile edges, and never camp on eroded banks or in an outflow channel, which can rise quickly after rain. Treat any lowland water; upland tarns are cleaner but still not sterile.

Kit, timing and knowing when to turn back

Windy days ask more of your kit. A tent that shrugs off a summer breeze can flatten in a 50 mph gust, so take something sturdy, low-profile and generously guyed. Add a bothy bag for lunch stops, waterproof over-trousers even for a short day, and a map and compass you can genuinely use — in deep woodland and steep valleys, reception is patchy and visibility can close in fast.

Finally, be honest about the day. The aim is not to conquer anything; it is to come home having enjoyed yourself, with a route you would happily repeat. If the wind is stronger than forecast, the crossing looks grim, or someone in the group is struggling, drop the plan and take the low road. The ridge will still be there next week.