Countryside safety and emergency situations

If you are planning a walking or cycling trip in the countryside, particularly in a remote area, it makes sense to know how to keep yourself safe and what you should do in an emergency.

Staying safe

Forward planning can make all the difference:

look at several weather forecasts to allow you to choose a suitable place to visit
plan your route, making sure it is within your capabilities - considering the skills, fitness and health of each member of your group
plan several escape routes in case you need to finish early due to injury, incoming darkness or deteriorating weather
tell someone responsible where you are going and what time you expect to return (if possible give them a copy of your route)
make sure you have the right clothing and equipment - always anticipate the worst conditions and always take waterproofs
pack something extra to eat and drink along with your normal food and drink for the day
carry a first aid kit
carry a fully charged mobile phone
stick to established routes
stay together - walk at the pace of the slowest member of the group

If you plan to take long walks, hikes or bike rides regularly, learn some basic orienteering skills such as map-reading and using a compass.

In an emergency situation

The most important thing is to stay calm. You should also stay together and stay warm.

If you find yourself in an emergency situation or see others in difficulty, use your mobile phone to dial 999. You should ask for:

the police, if you are in an area that is easily reached by car or on foot
the coastguard, if you are on the coast (for example: beaches, shoreline, cliff tops, cliff path)
mountain rescue if you are in a hiking or climbing area

The person you speak to will ask for the following information:

the location of the incident - you should spell out any place names and in a remote area it will help if you can supply a national grid reference
the nature of the emergency - describe what has happened, for example: a fallen cyclist, a walker cut off by tide, and describe any injuries
the number of people involved or injured

Using mobile phones in an emergency

Mobile phones can save lives in an emergency, but coverage may be variable and batteries can run low. These tips will help you get the most out of your phone when it matters:

before you set off arrange to make calls at certain times or certain points in your journey, and switch off your phone between calls to save power
fully charge all batteries before you set off
keep your phone in a plastic bag and somewhere warm but where you can still hear it - and keep a spare battery in a separate bag
in areas with bad reception stand still with your phone once you have made a connection so you do not lose it mid-conversation
if you are trapped or injured and can't move but don't have enough network coverage to make a call, try sending an SMS text message instead
keep calls short to avoid wasting battery power
if you are in contact with emergency services they may set up a schedule to call you every 20/30 minutes, in which case you can arrange to turn off your phone between calls

If your own service provider has no coverage from where you are, your phone should automatically try other service providers if you are dialling 999. If, however, this still does not work from your phone:

try other phones in your group as some have stronger receivers
try them one at time to save batteries (or swap batteries)

If none of the phones have network coverage:

consider taking all the phones to a more prominent location if possible - but only if you can do so without getting lost or into further difficulty.

Countryside safety and emergency situations

Staying safe

In an emergency situation

Using mobile phones in an emergency

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