Walking time calculator
Put in the distance and the climb, drop in a GPX file, or pick one of our route guides. You'll see how long it should take, and how we got there.
Naismith's rule
William Naismith, a Scottish climber, wrote it down in 1892: an hour for every three miles on the map, plus an hour for every 2,000 feet of climb. In metric that's 5 km an hour plus an hour for every 600 m up, which is a minute for every 10 m.
It's still in use: Britain's licensing rules for adventure activities measure how remote a place is in walking time at 5 km/h plus a minute for every 10 m up. It suits a fit walker on paths in fair weather, and most of us find it a bit quick once there's a pack, a group or a lot of photo stops.
The way down, and rough ground
Naismith doesn't count the way down. Eric Langmuir's corrections do: on a gentle descent (5 to 12 degrees) take off 10 minutes for every 300 m, and on a steep one (over 12 degrees) add 10 minutes for every 300 m, because steep ground is slow on the knees. From a GPX file we work out which parts are which from the heights, 100 m at a time.
Off the paths it's slower. Aitken's version of the rule uses 4 km an hour instead of 5 on rough ground, which is the 4 marked on the speed slider.
Tranter's corrections
Tranter's table turns Naismith's time into your time, by how fit you are. You time yourself climbing 300 m over 800 m at a steady pace (the table was made with 1,000 feet over half a mile). At 25 minutes, a 9 hour Naismith day comes out at 11 and a half hours.
The less fit lines stop early, which is the table's way of saying don't try that in one day. We use the table as it's usually printed. We couldn't find where it first appeared, so treat it as a rule of thumb.
The German signpost rule
The walking times on German signposts come from a standard, DIN 33466: 4 km an hour on the flat, 300 m an hour up and 500 m an hour down. You work out the flat time and the up-and-down time, then add half the smaller one to the larger. The German Alpine Club's own example is 8 km with 1,200 m of climb: 4 hours up plus half of 2 hours, so 5 hours.
Long-distance paths
Pick one of our route guides and we put in its distance. Where the guide lists its stages, we join them into days that fit the hours you want to walk, and only stop where a stage ends. The West Highland Way's seven stages at Naismith's pace and six hours a day come out as seven days, with the 30.5 km day into Kinlochleven a little over six hours.
Our guides don't give the climb for each stage yet. Add the route's total climb and we share it out by distance, which will be too kind to a stage with one big hill in it.
Questions people ask
What is Naismith's rule?
An hour for every 5 km (3 miles), plus an hour for every 600 m (2,000 ft) of climb. William Naismith wrote it down in 1892, in the Scottish Mountaineering Club Journal.
How long does it take to walk 10 km?
About 2 hours on the flat at Naismith's 5 km an hour. Each 100 m of climb adds 10 minutes, so 10 km with 300 m up is about 2 and a half hours, before any breaks.
How far can I walk in a day?
At Naismith's pace, 6 hours of walking covers 30 km on the flat, or 25 km with 600 m of climb. Set the hours you want under Over several days and we'll split the route to fit.
Which rule should I use?
Naismith's rule with your own speed is the simplest. Tranter's table is better for a long hill day, because it allows for getting tired. In Germany, DIN 33466 gives the same times as the signposts.
Is my GPX file uploaded?
No. It's read on your device and stays there. If it has no heights, we look them up from free map height tiles, which only asks for the map squares, not your route. The one thing that sends your route anywhere is the film button, and only if you press it.
Can I use miles and feet?
Yes. Switch to mi at the top of the calculator and every distance, climb and speed changes over.