Peter Stockwell

Five Ways to Keep Safe on Summer Walks

We all love walking in the sunshine, but without a few simple precautions we will soon wish we had taken more care. Just wear the right clothes and use the right sunscreen and enjoy the summer.

There you are, having a nice long walk in the sun when you get a headache, feel dizzy, maybe have nausea and generally feel terrible. It’s time to stop, rest, drink water and wish you hadn’t gone for a walk in the first place. It is not impossible that you will need a trip to hospital as a result. But this could have been easily avoided.

So what precautions should you have taken?

In hot weather try to walk in the morning or evening - it will be a lot more pleasant anyway. This may limit the time you spend walking, but it is better than suffering heat exhaustion. There is truth in Noel Coward’s words ‘Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun.’ Sometimes, even in England, it is not a good idea.

You must dress for hot weather.

Tops. Should be of breathable fabric designed to wick sweat away from the body. Tops made from modern fibres are better than cotton for this and easily obtainable

Shorts/trousers. Shorts are fine, but trousers may be better if you are walking through bushes or tall grass. Whatever you wear it has to be light and breathable.

Hats. Always wear a hat. Again make sure it is made of breathable cloth with vents to allow you head to breath. Also protect the back of your neck.

Drink. Have a drink every mile or so. Sports drinks are a good idea as they contain salt and will help prevent dehydration.

Sunscreen. We also need to look at sunscreens. As we will probably be sweating we should use a waterproof sunscreen. This should be applied half an hour before we go out in the sun and renewed every two hours.

The most sunburn is caused by UVB ultra violet rays, but we should use a broad spectrum sunscreen to cover all types of ultra violet radiation including UVA.

Use one of the higher SPF (sun protection factor) sunscreens.

SPF 15 blocks 93% of UVB

SPF 30 blocks 97% of UVB

SPF 50 blocks 99% of UVB

But don’t rely entirely on sunscreen. Particularly if you have fair skin cover your arms after an hour or so.

Sunglasses. Most people wear sunglasses just to cut down glare. However ultra violet light can do retinal damage to those who spend a great deal of time in the sun.

Most sunglasses do well at resisting UVB, not so well regarding other forms of ultra violet radiation. If you want full protection make sure your sunglasses also control UVA. This will not result in them being extra dark.

So, if you take these few precautions you should be able to enjoy your walk in the sunshine without regretting it afterwards.

Article Tags: Ultra Violet

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