On holiday in the Lakes and want to go on one of those amazing walks people keep talking about? You could even be a local who wants to go out and explore your (metaphorical) back garden! Either way, you need to know a couple of things before you go for a good old ramble in the hills. That’s why we have made a list of the top five apps you will need when embarking on your Lake District journey.
The Lake District is home to some of the most amazing hiking spots in the UK. Plus, the tallest mountain in England, Scafell Pike, is located here! For generations, walkers have been enjoying the scenic routes, trying out challenging hikes and ticking off Wainwrights. But now, with the development of technology, we have apps – literally, at our fingertips – which allow us to find out whatever we need!
what3words
The newest location sensation is the navigation app what3words. This app allows you to find any place in the world by a combination of three words. It pinpoints places by 3m squares, which makes for an accurate location finder. To top it off, it works offline!
All you need to do is search a location (town, city, postcode etc) and the app will give you three words which you can share with others when out and about. Even more, it allows you to go onto Google Maps, Citymapper, Bing Maps or Waze to find directions to your desired destination.
For example, if you’re on holiday in the Lake District and need to find your way back to one of our hotels, you can simply copy the following codes into the what3words search bar… and hey presto!
- ///thatched.action.poem – Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa
- ///completed.speeches.winner – Inn on the Square
- ///manager.riches.deeds – Inn on the Lake
- ///comply.bunch.oils – Skiddaw Hotel
- ///barn.secret.registers – Borrowdale Hotel
- ///improvise.fixture.users – The Kings Arms Hotel
Ordnance Survey Maps
Yes, this is real folks! The infamous OS Maps have moved online. You can now access any OS Explorer or Landranger map and download them for offline use. The app is free to download and a Premium Subscription is only £4.99 monthly or £28.99 yearly!
For planning out walks, you can use this app to plot a route (using grid references if you’re a proper hiker) and print out your own custom routes as a backup. To see what land features you need to look out for on your journey, you can use the AR (Augmented Reality) Viewer to pan across the landscape.
Hill Lists
For those of you who like your Wainwrights, this app is for you!
Hill Lists allows you to make your own walking wish-list. It includes data for 20,000 hills in the UK and Ireland and route information for some of the most famous trails: Munros, Corbetts, Grahams, Hewitts, Donalds, Furths, Marilyns, Wainwrights and many more.
It has many useful features, such as tracking the hills you have climbed, seeing your ascent, sharing your location and sorting your walks into categories based on height, location, name etc…
Abvio Inc. (Walkmeter)
This one’s for the casual walker who also wants to get fit and track their exercise. As well as logging in your cycle rides and runs, you can use Walkmeter to track your hikes out on the fells.
If you want to see your speed, heart rate, cadence, distance and more, download Walkmeter onto your iPhone, iPad or sync with your AppleWatch. It can measure ascent and descent, along with detecting stops automatically, so that you can take the occasional break to take in the stunning Lake District views.
As a fitness app, this one is great for tracking your hikes around Cumbria, as well as supplying other features that every exercise-addict will want!
Met Office
Of course, you can’t go walking without first knowing what the weather will be doing. Like the Scouts say, “always be prepared!”
The Met Office app is great because you can find weather data for anywhere in the world. If needs be, you can also download locations that you often go to, so that, when you’re out on the hills, you can still see whether it will rain!
