A day out on the hills all by yourself can be a fulfilling and mind-freeing experience. Not speaking to other human beings for a few hours can give your brain the space it needs to think away problems, make plans and come up with new ideas while exercising your body in the beautiful great outdoors. Solo hillwalking, however, does come with risks. Before venturing into the hills by yourself, it is important that you have all the necessary walking kit, food, hydration and skills. You will be depending entirely on yourself, what you are wearing and what you are carrying. Always recognise what your limits are, and don’t put yourself at risk by trying to exceed those limits. A Mountain Skills course is a worthwhile investment if you do not have the confidence to head out onto the hills by yourself. We list some skills training services in our Community section.
Always carry a fully charged mobile phone and conserve its battery as much as possible by not running apps continuously during your walk. For this reason, we strongly encourage you to navigate using a hardcopy map and traditional magnetic compass rather than draining your phone’s battery. Avoid listening to music through your phone. Immerse yourself instead in the sounds of nature. Time in the hills is time to disconnect from technology. A power bank is also a useful piece of kit to bring, just in case the phone battery mysteriously looses its charge. We also recommend using a GPS-enabled watch if you want to record activity data throughout your walk rather than a phone app.
Plan your route in advance before you leave home by spreading the map out on a table. This should be the map you bring with you on the walk. Study your route on the map. If your route is described in a guide book, read over that chapter while comparing it to the map spread out in front of you. Tell a responsible person what your route will be before you leave. If it’s a long route, draw them a diagram or write down a list of waypoints with times you expect to be at each. When out on the hills, update that person on your progress or of any changes you make to your route. This could be a simple text message while you are stopped to take a photo (e.g. “2:15pm. At Carrauntoohil summit now. Heading to Beenkeragh next.”). These updates could provide vital information if you get into difficulty and are relying on that person to initiate a rescue, so please do bear this in mind.
If you want to go hillwalking with other people but your family, friends and colleagues aren't so keen, we recommend joining a local walking club. We list walking clubs in our Community section. Clubs who are actively seeking new members have completed their profile page on this website. Club profile pages contain helpful information for potential new members, including maps showing membership catchment areas and where the clubs regularly walk. Most clubs allow potential new members to walk with them a few times to get a feel for the club. To continue with the club after those sample walks, you would be required to join. Annual club membership fees include insurance cover.
If you visit mountain summits and High Points in Ireland on a regular basis, we strongly encourage you to take part in the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships. The format of this eight-month-long competition (March to October) has been designed to accommodate the solo hillwalker. As well as the Individuals category, there are also team categories for Clubs, Counties and Provinces. Even if you walk exclusively by yourself, you can represent your county and province. To represent a club, you must be a member of a club who has a completed profile page on our website..
Always carry a fully charged mobile phone and conserve its battery as much as possible by not running apps continuously during your walk. For this reason, we strongly encourage you to navigate using a hardcopy map and traditional magnetic compass rather than draining your phone’s battery. Avoid listening to music through your phone. Immerse yourself instead in the sounds of nature. Time in the hills is time to disconnect from technology. A power bank is also a useful piece of kit to bring, just in case the phone battery mysteriously looses its charge. We also recommend using a GPS-enabled watch if you want to record activity data throughout your walk rather than a phone app.
Plan your route in advance before you leave home by spreading the map out on a table. This should be the map you bring with you on the walk. Study your route on the map. If your route is described in a guide book, read over that chapter while comparing it to the map spread out in front of you. Tell a responsible person what your route will be before you leave. If it’s a long route, draw them a diagram or write down a list of waypoints with times you expect to be at each. When out on the hills, update that person on your progress or of any changes you make to your route. This could be a simple text message while you are stopped to take a photo (e.g. “2:15pm. At Carrauntoohil summit now. Heading to Beenkeragh next.”). These updates could provide vital information if you get into difficulty and are relying on that person to initiate a rescue, so please do bear this in mind.
If you want to go hillwalking with other people but your family, friends and colleagues aren't so keen, we recommend joining a local walking club. We list walking clubs in our Community section. Clubs who are actively seeking new members have completed their profile page on this website. Club profile pages contain helpful information for potential new members, including maps showing membership catchment areas and where the clubs regularly walk. Most clubs allow potential new members to walk with them a few times to get a feel for the club. To continue with the club after those sample walks, you would be required to join. Annual club membership fees include insurance cover.
If you visit mountain summits and High Points in Ireland on a regular basis, we strongly encourage you to take part in the All-Ireland Hillwalking Championships. The format of this eight-month-long competition (March to October) has been designed to accommodate the solo hillwalker. As well as the Individuals category, there are also team categories for Clubs, Counties and Provinces. Even if you walk exclusively by yourself, you can represent your county and province. To represent a club, you must be a member of a club who has a completed profile page on our website..
Hillwalking in Ireland
