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Matthew T
iD Mobile Employee
iD Mobile Employee
July 16, 2025
Blog

Win a Garmin watch with our top hiking app tips.

  • July 16, 2025
  • 505 replies
  • 35742 views
Win a Garmin watch with our top hiking app tips.

With the sun shining, there’s no better time to head out into nature and explore the UK's breathtaking trails. But there’s no need to stuff your backpack with massive OS (Ordnance Survey) maps. The most powerful navigation tool you own is already in your pocket!

Forget the old-school maps and pricey GPS devices. Today’s smartphones, with the right apps, can be your guide, safety net, and personal trainer all rolled into one. We’ve rounded up the essential apps that turn your phone into the ultimate hiking companion. Plus, to help you get kitted out for your next trek, we're giving one lucky reader the chance to win a Garmin Venu 3s!

Whether you're strolling through the Yorkshire Dales or summiting in Snowdonia, your trusty mobile will help you uncover new routes, stay safe, and track every step.

 

Your guide to navigation apps.

 

 

Different apps shine in different areas. Here’s our breakdown of the best navigation tools for UK walkers:

  • OS Maps: This one’s the gold standard. It taps into the official, highly detailed Ordnance Survey maps trusted by hikers for generations. If precision and reliability are non-negotiable for you, OS Maps is your go-to. But if you’re going for a stroll around the local common, it’s probably overkill.
  • AllTrails: Think of it as social media meets hiking. With thousands of user-submitted trails, reviews and photos, it’s perfect for discovering walks nearby - including hidden gems you won’t find on a printed map. When it comes to finding great walking routes, you can’t beat local knowledge!
  • Komoot: Planning something longer or more adventurous? Komoot offers turn-by-turn voice navigation, making it feel like a sat-nav for footpaths. It’s brilliant for hikes, bike rides or weekend treks into the unknown.

 

The most important app for your safety: What3Words.

 

 

If you take one safety app with you, make it What3Words.

This ingenious tool divides the world into tiny 3-metre squares and gives each one a unique three-word address. If you ever get lost, injured or stuck in a remote spot, you can use the app to share your location with emergency services - down to the exact metre. Fast, simple, potentially lifesaving.

 

The Golden Rule: Always download offline maps.

 

 

You can’t rely on mobile signal in the hills, valleys and remote paths of the UK. That’s why downloading your maps before you go is absolutely essential. That way, you’ll always have some means of finding your way if your mobile signal gives up on you.

Apps like OS Maps, AllTrails, and Komoot let you save your route directly to your device. Offline access not only gives you peace of mind, but it's also a smart move for your mobile plan. It saves your data and extends your battery life by avoiding the constant search for a signal.

 

Track your trek with a smartwatch.

 

 

Want to know how far you've walked, how high you've climbed or even how many calories you’ve burned? Pairing your phone with a fitness tracker can turn an everyday walk into a full-on wellness activity.

Wearables like the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch or Fitbit sync with hiking apps and give you real-time updates on distance, elevation gain, heart rate and steps.

Looking for a great deal on wearables? Check out the latest smartwatches at Currys.

 

Giveaway time!

 

With a few key apps - like OS Maps for navigation, What3Words for safety and the golden rule of downloading offline maps - your phone becomes the only gadget you’ll need for a successful day out on the trail.

So go on: download the apps, choose your route and set off on your next adventure. Happy trails! 

To enter our Garmin Venu 3s giveaway, let us know in the comments below: What's your favourite hike or walk? We'd love to see your adventures, so feel free to share your photos!

The competition closes on Monday, 18th August 2025 at 23:59. The winner will be picked at random, so keep an eye on your inbox or DMs for a message from us.

Happy trails!

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    505 replies

    ClawedJeeves
    Active Contributor
    Active Contributor
    August 6, 2025

    The best walk I did was to reach the top of Ano Syros the old town of Syros in the Greek islands. 

    The view and the food and the music all together was awesome!

    New Contributor
    August 6, 2025

    Walk from Wellow to Stoney Littleton Long Barrow, a 5500 year old Neolithic burial mound you can crawl inside and see the burial chambers. Incredible. Followed by a walk back along the stream and a pub lunch. Bliss. 

    JamBer
    New Contributor
    New Contributor
    August 6, 2025

    Favourite walk/hike: Gigondas in the Vaucluse department of France. Start at the car park then through the pretty village and, just by the school, instead of taking a left to follow the road, keep straight on and follow the path through the back of the St Cosme winery and onto the road/track leading up to the Dentelles de Montmirail, a jagged rock formation that comes out of the hill like a set of teeth from your worst nightmares. Once you get to the foot of these, you can either climb up the side of the hill and walk along the Dentelles (rock climber heaven) or follow the path round back towards the village , enjoying fantastic views either way. After half a kilometre or so, there is a small hill on the right with a lookout spot at the top. Immediately past that is a rough track down the wooded hillside (or you can follow the path round) and from there, follow the track round, first to the right, then to the left to join a rarely used road overlooking Gigondas, then back into the village. Before returning to your car, visit one of the several wineries or the Caveau, taste a couple of excellent wines and buy some to enjoy at home later. The whole walk is around 3.5 miles and takes a little over an hour plus stops to rest and/or enjoy the spectacular views.

    Active Contributor
    August 6, 2025

    The Wirral Way and Bidston Hill, an ancient route and a disused mill, one side Liverpool, the other is Wales, views like this are off all scales.    

    New Contributor
    August 6, 2025

    Definitely the 5 peaks of the Pentland Hills with my friends 

    Larry Murray
    New Contributor
    New Contributor
    August 6, 2025

    My favourite walk:

    leave the house via the front door @ 17:30 on a Friday, walk 800 metres in west north west direction, threading between the parked cars to a narrow snickelway that leads to the inner ring road. Waiting at the pedestrian crossing marvel at the medieval sandstone walls that surround York as they bask in the afternoon sunlight and glow like with an inner warmth that reminds me of a hob nob biscuit.
     

    Upon crossing head due north 100 metres with the walls on your left, magnificent and reassuringly secure, full of untold history, until you reach the old gate or “bar” with its splendid city heraldry above the centre arch. Turn left through the walls, notice their construction, huge stones, several metres wide at the base, see the steep staircase to the top of the walls, its steep steps worn smooth by a million feet, and carry on past 15 more metres to the pub door.

    “A pint of landlord and a bag of pork scratchings for me please”

    New Contributor
    August 6, 2025

    South Downs:

    Start and finish at the "Fox goes Free" pub in Charlton, W. Sussex. A footpath takes one up to the Goodwood Race course, then one follows around the course, you can keep off the road with footpaths and walking through the carparks, then one crosses the road beyond the Grandstands and walk-up to the Trundle for wonderful views over the South Downs and Chichester Harbour + Isle of Wight,on a clear day!. Then walk down by the Trundle Car Park and follow the path to Singleton, then through the village, past the School up hill to the Levin Down Nature Reserve and then back down to Charlton and the pub one started at. You can shorten the walk by taking the footpath direct from Singleton to Charlton through the meadows.

    New Contributor
    August 6, 2025

    So many options, but I'll say the Cuckmere Pilgrim Path.

    New Contributor
    August 6, 2025

    My favourite hike is around Bestwood park in Nottingham. Lovely woods and paths on a reclaimed coal mine.

    New Contributor
    August 6, 2025

    It’s hard to choose just one, so I’ll cheat a little and share my two all-time favourites, each unforgettable in its own way.

    The first is Helvellyn via Striding Edge in the Lake District. It’s dramatic, exposed, and breath-taking from start to finish. Reaching the summit after scrambling across the ridge feels like conquering a wild and ancient place and the views are simply unbeatable (weather permitting!).

    The second is the 5-Lake Hike in Zermatt, Switzerland. There’s something magical about following a trail where each lake reflects the Matterhorn like a postcard come to life. It's peaceful, scenic and pure alpine bliss.

    I’d love to share a few photos from both, each one brings those memories back to life. If there’s a way to upload them, just let me know!