The older I get the Faster I was
Not much help to Kate and aimed at visitors, but George Fisher in Keswick used to do route plan notes, you wrote out your proposed route and timings, tick off the kit list what you are carrying and how many in the party. This would be left with someone at the accommodation where you were staying, easy to pass on to MRT if you were overdue. Afterwards each route plan could be posted into the shop, a monthly draw was made from the submissions for a small prize. I'm sure many of us already adapt versions of this for our days out. Lots of sound advice above, what a helpful bunch of folk we can be!
A circular route mostly downhill
When I was running/waking YHA to YHA solo in the lakes a few years back I dropped an email to the hostel outlining a rough planned route and latest predicted arrival time. A few replied but others mentioned they had it when I arrived.
Nic Barber. Downhill Dandy
If you have a mobile,and use WhatsApp, there is a faculty to share live location. You can set the time that people can watch your journey.
iPhones ( and others? ) you can use “findmyfriends” so that your friends can see where your phone is
Bloody hell, he must be right hard. I was worried about attacks when running trails solo in British Columbia.
Just thought I'd add an update on the app I mentioned earlier in this thread - Life 360. After using this app for a month, I can't sing its praises enough. It provides real time location data for other people linked to your 'group' (you both/all install the app and link it with a code), showing it on a map, and providing alerts if you want when they are at certain points i.e. home. The app even reports on the battery status of linked accounts. Doesn't seem to be a resource hog either.
Obviously you need to have a signal but, for example, the wife tracked me round the recent Hope Fell Race and then turned up at the finish with a drink and flapjack just before I did!
Last edited by mountainsloth; 07-03-2019 at 01:48 PM.
I'm late to the party on this one but one I use is called Viewranger (it's free in standard form) . This has a free function called Buddy beacon. It periodically pings your location. You set it up with a pin and then your chosen person can track you with this. If you stop moving then they know there is an issue and know exactly where you are (grid ref etc) . You can upgrade to OS grade maps but I just use the standard free ones which doesn't include every footpath but its good enough.
I also do a lot of my running alone and have a WhatsApp with a group of friends that we use to let each other know if we're heading out somewhere remote and then check back in when we're safely home.
Having a few people in the group is useful because it doesn't rely on just one person seeing the messages and/or checking up on you and they don't need to live locally. Helps if they can understand a route map/description though!