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4 essential apps for hikes and walks.

Forum|Forum|4 years ago
July 29, 2022
79 replies
11519 views

With all the helpful mobile apps to help guide your way, there’s never been a better time to go for a walk. And whether you’re finding your way around a new city or lacing up your boots and heading into the hills, you’ll find a great range of free and paid for apps to get you started.

Here’s 4 of our faves that you won’t want to leave home without. Make sure you read to the end, as there’s a chance to win a brilliant prize too!

Google Maps

What it’s best for: Casual walks around cities or parks.

The chances are that you’re already using this app. It often comes installed on android phones and has a variety of uses – from checking train times to looking for somewhere to eat.

But it has some features that are just made for walking. Want to get off the roads when walking around towns or country parks? Pick walking mode and it’ll usually take you down some quiet paths that are a little off the beaten track.

For another thing, you can download maps and use them offline. That means that you can go for walks where mobile reception is a bit patchy and, because you still get GPS, you’ll know where you are in relation to your downloaded map.

You can also find reviews of nice places to stop on your walk. It’s a great app for a casual walk, but if you’re going for a more serious hike, you might want to try AllTrails. Keep reading!

Available on: iOS & Android

Price: Free

Met Office

What it’s best for: Making sure you don’t get caught in the rain!

If you’re heading out in the UK, make sure you keep half an eye on the weather. Download the Met Office app for daily and even hourly weather updates. You can search by location and you’ll get alerts if there’s extreme weather on the way. It’s also a great tool for people who suffer from allergies – since you’ll also get pollen alerts too.

If you prefer a portable weather forecaster, you can watch Met Office videos giving you UK summaries. And if you’re tackling a mountain, the Met Office provides detailed mountain weather forecasts.

There are interactive rainfall maps too, so you can plan your holiday walks the day before. So, you’ll know whether to strap on your walking boots or have a longer lie in.

Available on: iOS & Android

Price: Free

AllTrails

What it’s best for: Serious rambling in the countryside.

Fancy a hike in the middle of nowhere? AllTrails features 300,000 – so you’ll never get lost. Maps are detailed and clearly mark footpaths – even telling you which land is private and where you have right of way. It’s a great feature if you’re hiking cross country.

If you’re stuck for inspiration, it’s also packed with suggested walks. You can search by difficulty level, length and even whether it’s dog-friendly or if there are waterfalls on the route.

The base app is free, but Pro (£29.99 per year) lets you download maps, unlocks more map details and sends you alerts when you’ve taken a wrong turn. Great for when you can’t find a signpost.

Available on: iOS & Android

Price: Free with premium features

Fitbit App

What it’s best for: Monitoring your progress and health on a walk.

The Fitbit app can be used to track your route, distance walked, pace and a lot more – all via GPS. You can also use it for daily steps using the motion sensor on your phone.

While you don’t need a Fitbit to use the app, it will open up a whole load more features - so you can keep an eye on your heart rate, weight and calories burned. You can also challenge your friends to get active.

Available on: iOS & Android

Price: Free with premium features

Giveaway Time - Closed

To be in with a chance of winning, we want to know where your favourite place to go for a walk/hike is? And feel free to add a pic! It could be your local park, a walk along the river, or even a leisurely hike up Ben Nevis.

Those who share their thoughts will be in with the chance to win... a FITBIT Charge 5!

The giveaway ends at 23:59 on 22nd August 2022, and we'll announce one lucky iD community winner shortly after.

Good luck!

IMPORTANT INFO: The Winner will be notified by Private message on the Community. The message will come from the official iD Mobile account or from on of our Community mods (Our mods can be identified by a small ‘iD’ badge on by their profile picture. You can check your private messages by clicking on your icon on the top left of the screen, and selecting ‘Private messages’. When you receive a private message on the Community, you’ll also receive an email informing you that you’ve received a message on the Community - this email will be sent to the email address you registered on the community with, if you signed up with Facebook, the email will be sent to the address registered on your Facebook account. So, keep an eye out!

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Ellasm

Active Contributor

Balmoral Scotland has to be my favourite place to walk ,you can walk for miles in the beautiful woodland with majestic stags and rare animals such as red squirrels, birds of prey and capercaillie for company,if your lucky enough to visit the area then it is well worth a stop at Loch Muick which is also a part of the Balmoral estate , it's unrivalled scenery nestled between the snowcapped hills.

Daviegardens

New Contributor

Hello hello fellow ramblers!.

Our favourite meanders are at St George's playing fields in Watford, 'The Cowfields'... A remarkably serene SSSI area intersected by a tranquil clear stream and visiting herd of friendly cows who keep the shrubbery low so nature and diversity flourishes...

Richiewyn

Active Contributor

Ohhh, this is a tough one. I've been lucky living in North Wales most of my life. Love walks up different routes in Snowdonia, Model Siabod is great. The Great Orme has beautiful views at the top. The coastal path by Rhos-on-sea has great sunrises & sunsets. But for relaxation, getting some quality mindfulness time I like a walk up Bidston Hill in Birkenhead. It quick and easy, has a variety of wildlife, views of North Wales, the Wirral & Liverpool.

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ant1234

Active Contributor

I love to walk near the river Bug when I'm on holiday in Poland.

M

MarieLH

New Contributor

I like to keep my step count up walking round Swanholme lakes and Hartsholme park in Lincoln.

J

jenavin53

New Contributor

Hi my name is Billy, i am 69 yrs young, and my weekly walk takes me on a 12 mile nature ramble, without having to drive too far from home.

This is on part of the C2C walk that goes from Ebchester to Rowlands Gill, in North East England in the County of Gateshead.

The walk takes me along the old railway line, following route from Consett to Gateshead.

On this walk, i see the forests, farms, small villages, the river Derwent, which if you explore the riverside in certain places, you will see old foundations of the homes that the river dwellers lived in over the centuries. halfway along my walk i come into the kingdom of the Red Kites. beautiful birds especially in flight. getting into the area known as Gibside (part of the N.T.) were a short detour takes you to an 18th century chapel with landscaped gardens, and stately house ruins, these were owned by the Bowes family (The late Queen mother’s family) here you can escape into the walled gardens and woodlands. Later a lovely short break in the tearoom is recommended.

Carrying back onto the C2C, the walkway widens, where sometimes you can come across the fox hounds being taken out on a run (No foxes involved). with some nice areas to sit after about 6 miles, you can have your packed lunch, (Ham and Pease Pudding sandwiches with a flavoured drink). then after a nice rest into the park at Rowlands Gill, with the River Derwent running through, and a reed lake with it’s what seems is the resident Crane and sometimes the odd Cormorant milling about by the river.

After that, it’s back on the track homeward bound to the start, where i jump in my car for the short journey home.

This walk makes me feel rejuvenated for the task of seeing the week out, would recommend it to anyone.

And if you desire it, there’s a nice old public house not 70yrds from the start carpark.

saraheliza

New Contributor

I love finding trails around the city centre to get away from the busy roads and crowded streets. The Meanwood Valley Trail is a personal favourite. There are some amazing views and loads of hidden gems along the way.

Jasonmurray1985

Active Contributor

Snowdonia

andewhite

Platinum  Contributor

Love hiking in the Lake District, especially when the weather is good!

Forum member (non-iD).

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Floss88

Active Contributor

My favourite walk has to be Newlands Valley and Cat Bells in the Lake District.
There are various circular routes around the valley and over the high fells. The view from the summit of Catbells is fantastic. The best way to arrive is by taking the Keswick launch from the boat landings at the top of Derwentwater, disembarking at the foot of Catbells and returning by the same route. The launches run both clockwise and anti-clockwise around the lake, calling at several landing stages.

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