Peace of mind in the Highlands.
Peace of mind in the Highlands.
The Highlands are beautiful but remote. A few minutes of preparation means you can enjoy them with complete peace of mind.
Mountain Rescue, Ambulance, Police, Fire, Coastguard. Ask for the service you need — the operator will connect you.
Free advice for anything urgent but not life-threatening — a bad sprain, feeling unwell in the tent, a cut that won’t settle.
Every Highland call-out routes through 999. The operator will connect you to the nearest team for your grid reference.
We’re compiling a trusted directory of local GPs and A&E departments for the areas we ride most.
How to give your location to emergency services.
When you ring 999, the calmer and clearer your location, the faster help arrives. Any one of these three works — give the operator whichever you have to hand.
OS Grid Reference
A six-figure grid reference pinpoints you to 100 metres. Read it from an Ordnance Survey map, or open a free app like OS Maps or ViewRanger — both show your live grid ref at the top of the screen.
What3Words
Every 3-metre square on earth has three unique words. Open the What3Words app or the website, tap the location arrow, and read the three words aloud to the operator.
Describe your surroundings
If tech fails, plain words win. Nearest landmark, water feature, path junction, direction of the last waymark. Anything that helps a rescue team narrow it down.
Save your campsite’s grid reference and What3Words before you lose signal. A screenshot in your camera roll is quicker than any app when the phone’s wet and the wind’s up.
See our Coming Home guide for tips on wrapping up your ride safely.
None of this is meant to worry you. The hills are for enjoying, and they’re at their best when you’ve done the boring bits beforehand. Ride well, look after each other, and come home to tell the tale.