• Approval from County Commissioner/County Walking Adviser.
• An adult who is CRB'd with Guiding and with Level 1 experience/competence or above is out on the night to at least supervise the girls.
• Level 1 countryside only? Otherwise need to have several Level 2 qualified marshalls.
• Road walking: size of groups. See The Guiding Manual.
• Road walking dusk/night-time: lights (white at front and red at back).
• Guides/Senior Section walking without an adult: See The Guiding Manual.  Note that it starts with 'after training and practical experience.....'
• Overnight hikes and expeditions: see The Guiding Manual.

[Click on the Read more... link below to read on and to download a fact sheet of this article]

Considerations include:

1. Starting point and parking capacity.
2. Actual route itself:  stiles c/f gates, terrain from a safety point of view, access through farmyards/residential areas, alongside water courses, craggy/rough ground, roads etc.
3. Time of year: terrain conditions and consideration not to cause erosion or disturbance to livestock or ground nesting birds.
4. Who to consult on the ground? e.g. local police, local search & rescue team (and if possible landowners/occupiers as they may be concerned re livestock disturbance at night).
5. No of Marshalls and check points: ? vehicles near check points.

6 No of and location of First Aiders c/f Marshalls (same people in some cases)

7 Communication between check points.

8 Need a control/first aid base with landline link or definite mobile links/walkie talkies?

9. Vehicle and driver.  Full list of participants and their leaders mobile no plus home contact list (check in and out times).

11. Consider temporary waymarking of route for the night.

12. Appoint a sweeper up team of 2 to remove the waymarks and check for stragglers

13. Perhaps need to stagger groups: to help reduce risks in 2 above.

Night Hike Group Leader Notes (i.e. groups of Guides booking on a County organized night hike)

Each Group leader to:

1. Organise back up leader plus ensure ratio of 2:12 max (Guides).
2. Arrange for a consent form for each Guide.
3. Produce 2 No Home contact lists for group: 1 copy to be carried ,2^nd copy to be left with control base.
4. Organise and check kit for their group (see kit list)
5. Ensure that the route finder is capable of map reading: strongly recommend the route is walked by this route finder in daylight before the event.
6. Ensure one of the leaders is a First Aider with First Aid kit.

Attachments:

File	Description	File size
RunningLargeScaleNightHikes.doc		32 Kb