There are many useful apps that will aid your enjoyment and safety when spending time outdoors.
While it is refreshing to get outdoors and away from the computer screen, Statista reports that 95% of households own a mobile phone and even when you’re out hiking, climbing or running, it is likely that you have the gadget with you.
A mobile is a great safety net if you’re out alone and have a fall, or worse. In that event, technology is a great thing to have by your side, but a mobile phone use goes well beyond a simple safeguard. As Gala Casino explains, a mobile device can also have thousands of apps on it, making all aspects of our life easier.
Yes, you can buy groceries, make video calls, play games, read books, play an online casino or browse Amazon on your mobile phone but when you are out hiking there are other apps that are far more useful.
What Three Words
What Three Words is useful if you need to send someone directions to a location but also very helpful if you find yourself in an emergency situation when outdoors in the hills and mountains.
Sometimes, a hill in the Lake District or a remote Highland mountain can be hard to find. With What Three Words, an instant location is generated using a simple algorithm.
Every three by three-metre space in the UK is allocated a unique set of three words, allowing emergency services to pinpoint anybody, anywhere.
The BBC reveal more than 100 emergency services use the app, and it has been credited with saving lives. This is essential if you go out alone, running or walking in places that might be hard to describe.
OS Maps
Ordnance Survey is the method the government use to map the whole of the UK. Formed in 1791, they have mapped every inch of the British Isles and produced paper maps for years, a staple of the walker’s backpack.
In 2021, you don’t need to invest in paper. Instead you can download the OS Maps app. It isn’t just a mapping app; that would be old hat with Google Maps also popular. Instead, it is a walker’s guide to the UK, allowing you to map your routes across footpaths and keep a record of where you’ve been.
You can also tap into walks other people have done and follow their routes if you’re in a new area.
Strava
Strava is a performance monitoring app popular with runners and cyclists, but it is essential for anyone wanting to monitor their fitness. It will track your performance, whether on the roads on a bike or on foot.
It can be used by anyone, from dog walkers and casual outdoor hikers to professional athletes.
Strava tracks your routes and fitness activities and offers a wealth of statistical information about performance. If you pay for the premium version, you have access to further information including discovering what and where other people run, walk, cycle or go skiing. It is a great addition to your fitness and outdoor activities.
