Staying hydrated when walking

Half litre water bottles

As we struggle with hotter and hotter temperatures it's important to know how to stay hydrated when walking in the countryside. Obviously, if the temperatures are too high and there are health warnings issued by the met office it is best to avoid walking long distances in the heat. However, for general walking in normal conditions here are a few suggestions on how much water a walker should drink in order to stay hydrated.

It's important to hydrate BEFORE you start your walk. If you set off dehydrated you might not be able to meet your body's needs during the walk.

Don't wait until you are gasping. Make a routine of drinking a small amount of water regularly rather than gulping it down when you are feeling really thirsty.

Try to drink the equivalent of half a small glass of water, about 200ml, every 20 mins. To see what that looks like see the image below.

Try to drink about 200ml of water every 20 mins

That intake works out at about a half litre container of water an hour, see image below.

A half litre water bottle

If you carry two half litre containers per person you should be good for a two-hour walk. A day pack with two easily accessible water pouches is a good idea, see image below.

A day pack with two water pouches is handy

Do not drink much more than that. If you drink more than a litre an hour it can reduce the salt content in your body.

Continue to drink water once the walk is over. The dehydration process will be continuing so you should also keep hydrating.

We have embedded the NHS hydration PDF below. If you want to view in full screen hover over the image below then click on the black pop-out icon. The Met Office has an excellent site called Weather Ready which is full of helpful tips for staying safe in the hot weather.

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