Guide to Walking Gear, Skills and Safety in Scotland
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Shopping for Walking Gear (c) Robin McKelvie
With all adventure sports the correct skills and experience can make the difference between having a thoroughly enjoyable day out and one that ends up being life threatening. This is especially true of walking given how quickly Scotland’s weather can change from shorts and t-shirt weather into a bitter storm with a high wind chill factor that also totally obscures visual navigation.
Walking Skills
Being armed with the right skills can make all the difference so if you are one of those walkers who carries a map and a compass, but don’t really know how to use them, think seriously about signing up for a navigation course. Torridon Outdoors, who operate from The Torridon hotel and stablesin the shadow of the eponymous mountain range, are one company who offer mountaineering skills courses. These include classroom based theory before heading out on to the hills fleshing out what the details of a map actually look like on real terrain. The courses also include how to use a map and compass in conjunction, as well as more complex areas such as night navigation and pacing.
Warning: The Scottish outdoors should be taken very seriously as the weather can change in an instant and hypothermia is a danger at any time of year. Always take the necessary equipment including a compass, map and GPS too with someone who can use them and check conditions locally, telling wherever you are staying an approximate return time.
Essential Gear
Whether it is the right boots or waterproofs having the correct gear is essential to enjoying walking and also to being safe. Make sure to read up in walking magazines and websites on all the different types of gear and also don’t be afraid to walk into an outdoor clothing shop and ask them for advice. Getting the right boots is crucial as making do will just lead to a world of pain later.
