SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 16: Practise the Stop-and-Think Routine

When you’re walking outdoors, it’s easy to keep moving even when you know that something doesn’t feel quite right. Perhaps a path doesn’t match your map, you’ve missed a turning, or you’re no longer certain which direction you should be heading. Continuing without checking can turn a small mistake into a much bigger problem.

The Stop-and-Think Routine gives you a simple habit to practise whenever you’re uncertain. Rather than rushing into a decision, you pause somewhere safe, assess what’s happening and decide on your next move before setting off again.

Your Challenge

Practise the Stop-and-Think Routine using a realistic outdoor scenario or during a short, familiar walk. You must be able to explain when to stop, what to check, how to choose your next action and why continuing without a clear plan can be risky.

What You’ll Need

• A map of a familiar walking area
• A compass, if appropriate
• A notebook and pen
• A realistic navigation scenario to work through
• Suitable clothing and footwear if practising outdoors

Take the Challenge

Step 1: Learn the routine

Use these five actions to remember what to do when you’re unsure:

• Stop: Pause in a safe place. Don’t keep walking simply because you’re worried about being behind schedule.
• Think: Stay calm and consider what has happened. When did you last know your position for certain? Did you miss a turning or notice something that didn’t match your plan?
• Observe: Look around carefully. Check paths, junctions, landmarks, the terrain and any other useful features. Notice the weather, daylight and any immediate hazards.
• Plan: Use your map, compass and other reliable information to work out your position and decide what to do next. If you’re not confident, consider returning to a known point only if the route back is clear and safe.
• Act: Follow your chosen plan carefully and check your position again as you go. If you still cannot establish where you are, don’t guess or continue into unfamiliar or hazardous terrain.

Different organisations teach slightly different versions of this routine. The important habit is to pause, assess the situation, make a sensible plan and review your decision.

Step 2: Work through a scenario

Imagine you’re following a countryside path and reach a junction that isn’t where you expected it to be. You’re not sure whether you took a wrong turn earlier.

Write down what you would do at each stage of the routine. Where would you stop safely? What information would you check? Which landmarks or map features might help? What would you do if you still couldn’t confirm your position?

Step 3: Practise with a map

Choose a short, familiar route and identify a few checkpoints before setting off. During your walk, stop at a safe point and imagine that one feature doesn’t match your map. Practise working through the routine before continuing.

You don’t need to deliberately get lost or leave the path to complete this challenge. The aim is to build a habit you can use if a real navigation problem arises.

Step 4: Know when to ask for help

Sometimes the safest decision is not to continue independently. If visibility deteriorates, conditions become dangerous, someone is injured or you cannot establish your position, contact a responsible person or emergency services as appropriate. In the UK, call 999 in an emergency and explain your location as accurately as possible.

Safety

Always stop somewhere safe, away from traffic, cliff edges, unstable ground, fast-flowing water and other hazards. Don’t stand in the middle of a path where you could cause an obstruction, and don’t let the exercise distract you from changing conditions around you.

If you become genuinely lost, avoid wandering randomly or taking shortcuts through unfamiliar terrain. Use reliable information, conserve your energy and seek help if necessary. Never deliberately put yourself in danger to demonstrate the routine.

Check Your Results

Before completing the challenge, make sure you can answer these questions:

• What should you do first when you realise something is wrong?
• How can you use your last known position to help work out where you are?
• What information should you observe before choosing a route?
• Why is guessing your position risky?
• When should you stop trying to solve the problem alone and seek help?

You should be able to explain each stage in your own words and describe how it could prevent a minor navigation error from becoming a serious situation.

Complete the Challenge

To complete Challenge 16, work through the Stop-and-Think Routine using the scenario or a safe practice walk. Record the five stages and explain what you would do at each one.

You can submit a photograph of your notes or your completed routine. If you take evidence outdoors, stay in a safe place and don’t photograph yourself near hazards just to make the activity look more adventurous.

How to Submit Your Challenge

1. Go to your SGUK member profile.
2. Open the Social Activity area.
3. Upload a photograph of your evidence to your activity wall.
4. Add the hashtag #SGUKChallenge16.
5. Share your post for evidence verification.

Once you’ve shared your evidence and it has been verified, the SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 16 is complete and the completed challenges figure will be updated on your profile.

Challenge 16 Checklist

Want to Push Yourself?

Create a second scenario in which the weather changes or daylight is fading while you’re unsure of your position. Work through the routine again and explain how the new conditions might affect your decisions.

Consider whether continuing is still sensible, whether returning to a known point is safe, or whether you should contact someone for help. Good navigation isn’t about always finding the answer yourself; it’s about recognising when a decision needs to change.

What’s Next?

You’ve practised a valuable habit for making safer decisions outdoors. Revisit SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge 15: Learn the Five Ds of Navigation to reinforce your route-planning skills, then explore the other SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenges and choose another skill to master.

Learn. Practise. Master.

That’s what the SGUK Outdoor Skills Challenge is all about.