Mountains with Emma

04/08/2024

🆘Registering for 999 Text Service🆘

Are you registered for 999 text service?
If not, get signed up for it today.

In an emergency, what to include in a emergencySMS to callout 999:
◾ Which service do you need? Mountain Rescue, Police, Ambulance, Fire or Coastguard.
◾ What is the emergency? Decribe briefly what the emergency is.
◾ Where? Where is the emergency, provide grid references, nearby landmarks, road names.

An example SMS text message might read:
“Mountain Rescue. Man with lower leg injury. On the summit of Ben Lomond.

For more information on EmergencySMS, click here:
https://www.scottishmountainrescue.org/registering-for-999-text-services/

19/06/2024

Golden eagle, seals, otters, dolphin, heron, oyster catchers, cormorants and red deer were just some of the wildlife seen this weekend on Arran. Think it has to be one of the best, most accessible places to get to for those of us coming up from Yorkshire. Photos not the best but you get the gist!

11/06/2024

04/06/2024

Did someone say it was National Map Reading Week?!

Get your course booked today. Be safe and get savvy for the hills. Learn a new skill that seems to have become a lost art. Various dates to choose from below https://mountainemma.com/NNAS-navigation-courses/

28/05/2024

If you're out on the hills during half term, this might be of interest. Graphic taken from our latest Annual Review (see link below) seems to indicate that later in the day and on the descent tends to be when people need us.

https://online.flippingbook.com/view/559138736/

22/05/2024

The Wasdale Shuttle will be running in 2024! It will run from Saturday 25 May and run Saturdays, Sundays, and Bank Holidays until Sunday 15 September.

Take the Wasdale Shuttlebus and make your visit to Wasdale easier and better for the climate, the community, and the landscape. Parking in the valley is very limited, but you can catch the shuttlebus to Wasdale Head. Wasdale Head is the starting point for walks to Scawfell, Scafell Pike, Great Gable, and other fells as well as Wastwater. In the summer the bus will be running to Muncaster Castle and Gardens, providing links to this great historic house. They've included more journeys that link up with Ravenglass train station, where there's lots of parking and you can travel along the scenic Cumbria Coast railway line.

For further information visit the Lake District National Park website at https://www.lakedistrict.gov.uk/visiting/getting-to-the-lake-district/wasdale-shuttlebus

Cumberland Council
Western Lake District & Coast
Official Allerdale Tourism
The Lake District, Cumbria
Cumbria Guide
Community Rail Cumbria

20/05/2024

Weekend fun with my local Search team Yorkshire Lowland Search & Rescue delivering a navigation course (Bronze NNAS) to seven of their search technicians.

Couldn't have asked for better weather and the candidates did superb, all passing with flying colours ✅. If you are looking to start your navigation journey, head over to the navigation pages on the website to find the best course for you https://mountainemma.com/navigation-courses-uk/

𝐀 𝐛𝐢𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 & 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐞

A charity, funded entirely by your generosity.

Yorkshire Lowland Search and Rescue (yorksar.co.uk) do amazing work. The team is made up of highly trained professional volunteers who have a specialist skill set to search for high-risk vulnerable missing persons 24/7 365 days a year.

Lowland Search and Rescue is one arm of the United Kingdoms’ Search and Rescue (UK SAR) provision comprising many other capabilities such as the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Mountain Rescue, Cave Rescue, and more. All of which share similar features under a charitable structure. YLSAR operational members are trained to national standards and fully equipped to assist the Police in SAR operations for missing and vulnerable persons in lowland areas (including inland water rescue and civil contingency operations).

If you feel you could help and either become part of the team or make a donation, you can do so here www.yorksar.co.uk/support-us Charity number 1184506

19/05/2024

When you ask your NNAS course participants to create contour models with playdough 😅

10/05/2024

Two night hikes coming up in the next few months, book your place if you fancy something different. Both night events are listed on Eventbrite here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/mountains-with-emma-75805136323

06/05/2024

When your mate gets stuck in a stile!

02/05/2024

𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐒 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐙𝐄 & 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐒

A few course dates have been added along with links for booking onto each set of dates and descriptions of what each course entails https://mountainemma.com/NNAS-navigation-courses/

What is NNAS?
The National Navigation Award Scheme (NNAS) is a personal performance program designed for individuals of all ages to enhance their navigation skills and boost their confidence in exploring the outdoors. The Navigator Awards cater to outdoor enthusiasts, regardless of their activity, age, or fitness level, granting them the freedom to discover the paths, trails, hills, and mountains of the British countryside. By advancing through the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards, participants can transition from being a complete novice in map reading and compass use to becoming a proficient navigator.

NOTE: you don't have to start at bronze and can enter at silver level if you already understand and can navigate to the bronze standard

30/04/2024

A grand 24km walk over the weekend from Matlock Baths, part of the White Peaks area. Spring is certainly in full swing with abundants of wild garlic and bluebell carpeted woodland floors. The mud was less desirable but you just can't beat the outdoors!

22/04/2024

One of the most common questions we get on hiking routes is, how long will take?

We can give a very rough idea but there are so many variables to this and much of it will depend on how that day goes. Some of the factors that will be taken into account are:

1) People in the group, their fitness and ability
2) Weather, is it hot or very windy impeding travel?
3) Navigational decisions on the day could change dependant on route, group, weather etc...
4) Terrain, are we crossing over boggy, steep or rocky ground?
5) Time it takes for the group to have food and drink breaks, photographs, interest points along the way

As leaders we try our best to judge "how long it will take us" but there has to be some give on the day. What could take 5 hours one day might take 6 or more another day. Flexibility is key in mountains ⛰

21/04/2024

Worth a read

Crouching on a sleeping pad won't help you, a cave isn't a safe place to wait out a storm, and metal doesn't attract lightning: Here's what you should know about lightning safety.

14/04/2024

One day introduction course to navigation in the Lincolnshire Wolds today. Treated to some fine weather, views and great candidates 👌

14/04/2024

A one day introduction course to Navigation for Ann and Martin in the Lincolnshire Wolds. We have been treated to some fine weather and views 👌

19/03/2024

1 day Introduction to Navigation in the Lincolnshire Wolds
14th April 2024
£85 per person

To book your place https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/introduction-to-navigation-course-lincolnshire-wolds-tickets-770940382437?aff=oddtdtcreator

Learn the very basics of hill navigation with this one day introduction to map reading and finding your way using a map and compass. Full details on website here https://mountainemma.com/beginner-navigation-course/

Get ready to explore the stunning Lincolnshire Wolds as we dive into the basics of navigation in this hands-on course