Storm Eunice left a trail of devastation across the UK with church spires falling, train roofs being ripped off with the 120+ mile an hour winds, and multiple trees falling causing power cuts and disruption. Storm Eunice was proceeded by Storm Dudley and followed by Storm Franklin causing impacts across the UK with strong gusts.

At Muddy Feet we encourage everyone to get out into nature as much as possible in all weathers, having the correct clothing makes being out in the cold and wet a far more enjoyable experience. However, we do also know that there is such a thing as bad weather! When taking groups out into the woods we undergo a risk-benefit analysis as a standard process, and when presented with strong winds or heavy snow our health and safety alarms go off.

So how strong does the wind need to be for us to judge activities in the woods as unsafe?

Here at Muddy Feet, we use the Beaufort Wind Force Scale. This handy scale shows us wind gusts and impacts the wind may have. When wind gusts get to 30mph branches are in motion, and we start to take stock. When the wind gusts hit this level we head down to the site and assess safety, each site is different some sites are sheltered, some exposed. At this point, we may decide to cancel the session. If this happens we think it’s unsafe to take groups into the woods as the threat of branches or trees falling is too great.  If the met office issues a wind warning we cancel sessions. Heavy snow also brings down branches so again we cancel the sessions. We know that canceling sessions is disappointing and not a decision we take lightly. But rest assured we have your safety and wellbeing at the heart of the decision-making process.

So there you have it, there is such a thing as bad weather!