This subject of Mapping Service apps, GPS and Smartphone use stirs much debate and argument in walking and hiking communities. I live in SE Cornwall, and so I have Dartmoor and parts of Bodmin Moor where many serious hikers train. Ten Tors and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, to name two public pursuits. Also the armed forces. These schemes and disciplines demand orienteering skills with traditional paper maps and a compass.
I have fond memories of my moorland walks and the DofE award I did in my teenage years. I believe that anyone getting into adventurous walking or hiking should grasp a basic understanding of map reading and orienteering. It’s a lifesaver! There are plenty of online courses and training, like this from Ordnance Survey.
Mapping Services & GPS for Hiking
Time and technology have moved on significantly from the days of navigating by the sun, and stars, reading the land and seas, and even orienteering with paper maps. Global Position System (GPS) technology is now loaded onto pretty much all Smartphones, as well as SatNavs, DashCams and dedicated GPS tech for hikers, rescue teams, and such. It seems we can all be found – at least by brand marketing and advertising.
I wrote in another of my articles that I have used the free Locus Map app for Android for many years. I also use the Ordnance Survey mapping service (an excellent valued subscription of less than £20 per year) where I can plot my walk and export a GPX formatted file from my mapped route. Then, with a free European hiking map offered with Locus Maps, my plotted route is imported and overlayed so that I can follow my route. I can also download the area of the map that covers my route so I can use the app offline.
Ordnance Survey has its own app, which I sometimes use. It was a little too basic a few years back, but it has come on a great deal and may be the better option for those signing up for their mapping services today.
Using my Smartphone is great for me. My eyesight is typical of an older bloke, needing reading glasses to read a map, which is not great when it’s blowing and raining hard. I don’t need my glasses to see where I am and the direction of travel when reading a map on my phone. It frees me up to concentrate on looking around me to see what I can snap with the camera – which is also my phone more often nowadays.
There’s a plethora of apps, free and paid for, that do the same and it isn’t for me to recommend one over the other, as I haven’t trialled the others. Each to their own, I think. Search Google for Mapping Apps suited to the UK or your country.
Hiking Safely With Smartphone Apps
Safety is of the utmost importance when hiking and adventure walking. Anything can go wrong when you are out in the wilds, and so it pays to be prepared for such eventualities.
What I highly recommend is a location app like What Three Words or Ordnance Survey’s, OS Locate. There are many mixed views about What Three Words where it has been reported that users had conveyed the wrong word or missed the S off of plural words and such like, and so weren’t rescued in a timely manner. Well, it’s just as easy to misquote number sequences given by OS Locate.
Let me just state – it’s a damn sight easier to locate yourself with one or both of these apps than without when you are in the middle of nowhere! You could be injured or just lost in the fog with the night drawing in. You need to be found quickly. In such situations, there is no argument!
Battery Packs for Phones
Tech can break. Often, batteries run down when using the phone more than usual. So, I also recommend carrying a charged-up battery pack and leads. Battery packs come in lots of different varieties, and most are easily affordable. Here is a selection of battery packs for phones from Amazon.
Make sure it works before you set off!
Rugged Phone Case
It’s all too easy to drop or bash a phone or expose it to water ingress when out walking or hiking in all terrains. Screens may crack or water entry may damage the sensitive circuitry.
A rugged phone case with a built-in or additional screen protector will help prevent damage caused by the rigours of hiking. Here is an example list of rugged phone cases.
Many rugged cases won’t be waterproof. They can’t be because screens on Smartphones are touch-sensitive nowadays. It pays to buy a phone that is water-resistant and has an ingress protection (IP) rating. This prevents water, sand and dust from entering the phone. It also withstands water entry to a certain depth (depending on the IP rating). For example, a phone with an IP68 rating is quite popular. It should continue working if accidentally dropped in water less than 1.5 metres deep for up to 30 minutes. Note: this is for fresh water. If salt water, rinse the phone off quickly.
Fall-back Technology
When all else fails, carry some old tech in your bag. Yes, a paper map for the area you are walking and a compass.
Coastal paths are typically not far from roads or lanes, and they lead to coastal villages. In more extreme areas, it’s really important to find the best route to relative safety. That’s where a map and compass, and the knowledge to use them, become a lifesaver.
With the Ordnance Survey mapping service I mentioned above, you can print off a scaled map for the area you are walking and pop that into a weatherproof map bag. I think it’s a great service.
Thank you for reading this. I hope it has been insightful and helps with planning your next hike. Comment below if you would like to add your experiences and tips.
