Staying Safe in the Mountains

1. Check the Weather Before You Go

Mountain weather is not the same as the forecast for the town at the bottom. It's colder, windier, and changes faster the higher you go — so use forecasts written specifically for the hills:

• Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) — free forecasts for 10 UK upland regions (Lake District, Snowdonia, Peak District, Scottish Highlands, etc.), written in plain language for walkers and climbers.
• Mountain-Forecast.com — hill-specific detail including freezing level and wind speed at summit height.

What to actually look at:

• Wind speed — anything over ~40mph on an exposed ridge can knock you off your feet.
• Freezing level / wind chill — tells you whether it'll feel far colder up high than it does at the car park.
• Visibility / cloud base — if the cloud is sitting on the summits, navigation gets much harder.
• Rain and thunder risk — heavy rain raises river crossings and makes descents slippery; lightning on an exposed ridge is genuinely dangerous.

If the forecast looks bad, it's not embarrasing to change your route or turn back early (the mountain will always be there!)

2. How to Call Mountain Rescue

If someone is injured, lost, or in serious trouble on the hill:

1. Dial 999 or 112 (both work identically in the UK).
2. Ask for Police, then ask for Mountain Rescue.
3. Give them:
   • Your location — a 6-figure grid reference if you can, or a clear landmark (e.g. "summit cairn, Scafell Pike").
   • Number of people involved and what's wrong with them.
   • Your phone number and battery level.
4. If you have signal and location services on, Mountain Rescue may text you a link (SARLOC) that pinpoints your GPS location automatically — click it if you get it.
5. Don't move from your location once you've called, unless told to.
6. If you can't get a voice signal, you can text 999 — but you must register your phone for emergency SMS in advance. Text "register" to 999 now, before you ever need it. Learn more about texting 999.

3. Learn Basic Navigation

Your phone’s GPS is great until dies, loses signal, decides to just not work, or it gets damaged. Traditional navigation skills with a map and compass will always be useful to have (and looks kinda cool). Here’s a couple of short videos to learn the basics:

Watching a video is a decent starting point, but nav is a hands-on skill. Come to a club hike and ask one of the committee or experienced members to show you on the actual map. It sticks a lot better that way.

4. Leave No Trace

We're lucky to have incredible access to hills and open country in the UK — let's keep it that way:

• Take your litter home - including fruit peel and food waste, which isn't native to mountain environments and can take years to break down.
• Stick to paths where they exist, and walk through the middle of muddy sections rather than around them (going around widens the path and damages the verge).
• Leave what you find - rocks, plants, wildlife, and any historic features should stay where they are.
• Respect wildlife and livestock - keep dogs under control and give animals plenty of space.
• Be considerate of other people enjoying the hills - keep noise down and give way where it's tight.

5. Got Questions?

You don't need to be signed up to a club trip to ask us something. If you're planning your own walk, unsure about kit, want a second opinion on a route, or just have a "is this a stupid question" question about hillwalking — it isn't. Message the committee or drop it in the WhatsApp group chat. Everyone on this committee started out not knowing where north was on a map, and we'd rather you asked than guessed.

You can also learn plenty more with the BMC’s collection of video guides