The unwritten rules of hiking

As a general rule, when two hikers meet on a steep trail and both can yield safely, should the downhill hiker give way to the uphill hiker?

Before overtaking a slower hiker, should you announce yourself and wait for a genuinely safe passing point rather than walk closely behind them?

When meeting horses, mules or other pack animals, should hikers stop, remain calm and follow the handler's instructions about where to stand?

On a shared-use trail, does a cyclist normally have priority over a hiker simply because the cyclist is moving faster?

How acceptable is it to stop for a break with your body or backpack partly blocking the trail when a durable place is available beside it?

After crossing a ladder, stile, narrow bridge or cable section, should you move clear of its exit before stopping to regroup or take photographs?

If you accidentally dislodge a rock or another object on steep ground, should you immediately shout a clear warning to anyone below?

At an unmarked or confusing junction, should the lead hiker wait until every group member has seen the chosen direction?

When people have agreed to hike as one group, should faster members remain within reliable sight or voice contact unless a separation plan has been agreed?

Before deliberately splitting a group, should hikers agree on a meeting place, latest arrival time and fallback action if someone does not appear?

Before stepping away from the trail for a private stop, water collection or a photograph, should a hiker tell at least one group member rather than disappear silently?

At a difficult river crossing or another consequential obstacle, should the group remain until every member has crossed safely?

When a marked path crosses a cultivated field, should you remain on the marked line — even if it is muddy — rather than walk through crops or widen the route across the field?

Should a farm gate normally be left exactly as you found it — open or closed — unless a sign or the landholder instructs otherwise?

When a gate, stile or designated opening is provided, should hikers use it rather than climb the adjacent fence or wall?

When a long-distance route passes through a working farmyard, should hikers remain on the signed line and avoid treating private working areas as a rest stop?

When passing grazing livestock, should hikers give them space and avoid walking between adult animals and their young when the route allows?

How acceptable is it to play music through a speaker when unrelated hikers can hear it?

How acceptable is it to take a routine phone or video call within earshot of hikers who cannot easily move away?

How acceptable is repeated shouting between companions when there is no safety, navigation or wildlife-related reason?

How acceptable is shining a bright headlamp into nearby faces or tents instead of dimming it or directing it downward?

Where drone use is legal, how acceptable is flying close enough that its noise or filming clearly intrudes on nearby hikers or campers?

At a small spring or tap where other hikers are waiting, should you fill your containers and move aside before filtering, cooking or reorganizing your equipment, when practical?

Is it acceptable to wash dishes or bathe directly in a stream or lake because the soap is labelled biodegradable?

How acceptable is pitching immediately beside an isolated camper when an equally durable and suitable site is available farther away?