At Hillwalk Tours, we know that identifying mountain features and landscape features is a very important and useful skill to have when out in the hills.
The ability to identify your physical surroundings to mountain features on the map will go a long way to prevent you from getting lost or disoriented.
Identifying Mountain Features
Firstly, it’s important to understand what a mountain feature looks like in both the real world and on your map.
Below are some definitions to help you identify these landscape features.
Summit, Top or Spot Height
Stand still and look around you. When every direction around you slopes downwards, it means you at the top or summit of a hill/mountain.
The highest summit in Ireland is Carrauntoohil (which can be found in Kerry), standing at 1,038 metres (3,406 foot).
Physical Landscape Feature
A spot height on a map is usually surrounded by the smallest ring contour on the mountain.
Map Landscape Feature
Valley
A valley is characterised by rising up on three side and sloping down on one. Looking down a valley, the land behind and to each side of you will be sloping up and in front of you will be sloping down.
Glendalough Valley on the Wicklow Way is a great example of this.
Physical Landscape Feature
This is what a valley looks like on a map.
Map Landscape Feature
Re-entrant
A re-entrant has identical features to a valley – just on a smaller scale. A re-entrant will have three sides sloping upwards with one side sloping downwards.
Physical Landscape Feature
Map Landscape Feature
Spur
A spur is like an inverted valley – it is sloping down on three sides and uphill on one.
Physical Landscape Feature
Map Landscape Feature
Ridge
The ridge is also called the backbone off a mountain. It is a line feature which connect summits of a mountain range.
Physical Landscape Feature
Saddle or Col
The saddle of a mountain literally looks like a big saddle. It slopes down on two sides and up on two sides.
If you were a giant, you could literally sit on this mountain feature like a saddle.
Physical Landscape Feature
Self-Location
Knowing the above feature will help you greatly when locating yourself on the map.
Use landscape features from your physical surroundings and locate them on your map, and vice versa.
This will allow you to know where you are on the map at all times.
We hope that you found this guide helpful – at Hillwalk Tours, we provide maps, detailed route notes and 24/7 support on waymarked trails in Ireland, the UK and on the Camino in Spain.
