Introduction
Every UK hiker has read the standard advice: “break in your boots,” “layer your clothing,” “carry a map and compass.” All solid guidance, but after years of walking Britain’s trails, I’ve learned that the most useful lessons come from the small, real-life experiences that you only pick up on the trail. These are the little tricks that make life easier, safer, and more enjoyable when you’re deep in the Lake District fells, wild camping on Dartmoor, or trekking across the Pennines.
This post collects 12 practical, hard-earned hiking and backpacking tips that you won’t find in most glossy guidebooks — with a few personal anecdotes from the trail — so you can set out better prepared to enjoy the unique character of hiking in the UK.
Background: Lessons Learned on UK Trails
After decades of walking routes like the West Highland Way, Wales Coast Trail, and Summiting the UK’s highest peaks, I’ve noticed that the difference between a good day out hiking and a miserable one often comes down to the smallest details.
Sometimes it’s learning that your tent footprint doubles as a picnic blanket. Other times, it’s discovering how sheep can help you navigate on boggy ground. These are the sorts of tips shared around bothies, at trailheads, or when swapping stories in a pub after a long day on the hills.
1. Save Power with ‘Airplane Mode + GPS’
Today, carrying a mobile phone with you on a hike is essential, and this tip will help extend battery life when you’re in remote areas or on a multi-day hike. Simply put your phone in airplane mode but leave GPS on. Apps like OS Maps will still track where you are, but your battery will last for days instead of hours.
👉 The reason is simple: Wi-Fi, Mobile Data, and Bluetooth are among the most power-hungry functions on a smartphone. When active, they constantly search for connections, and background applications such as email or social media attempt regular updates. Airplane mode shuts all that down, preserving energy for GPS tracking.
➕ Bonus Tip: Use a waterproof phone pouche (or a zip-lock bag), even on “dry days”. In Britain, weather turns fast. A cheap clear pouch keeps your phone usable in the rain, protects against river splashes, and even helps stop condensation damage in damp tents.
2. Carry a ‘Sacrificial’ Pair of Socks
It sounds odd, but having a dedicated pair of clean, dry socks just for camp is a game changer. Even if every other item is damp from rain, you’ll sleep warmer and wake up more refreshed. I keep a pair of ‘hiking’ style socks, but my wife carries a pair of the warm ‘fluffy’ type. Both are good choices.
🧦👉 Keep them in a zip-lock bag at the bottom of your pack.
3. Treat Your Map Like a Notebook
Instead of carrying a bulky journal, jot quick notes on your OS Map or Harvey Map in pencil. Include information such as route choices, camp spots, water sources, weather and even wildlife sightings.
It makes the map more personal — and when you revisit the trail years later, not only will you relive those moments, you’ll also have ‘first hand, reliable info’ for your hike!
4. Take the Right Water Bottle for Your Filter
If you are using a Sawyer Water Filter on trail in the UK, then the Actiph 600ml or 1L (BPA Free Bottles) from Tesco or Sainsbury’s have the same thread as the Sawyer, so you can attach it directly to the bottle. Plus they only weigh 30g and 45g respectively.
👉 Note: You may read elsewhere that ‘Smart’ water bottles are also compatible, but here in the UK they’re not! In the UK they have a different thread to the American version.
➕ Bonus Tip: Filling a water bottle with hot water and putting in the bottom of your sleeping bag makes for nice warm feet overnight.
5. Pitch with the Wind in Mind
It seems obvious — and it is!— but out on a ridge or windswept moor, tent orientation can make or break your night or your whole trip. Always try to point the narrow end into the wind, even if it costs you that perfect sunrise or sunset view from the doorway.
Better still, glance at the forecast—winds have a habit of changing direction once the sun goes down — this often catches out, even the most experienced hikers!
Over the years, I can’t count how many times I’ve walked past collapsed or battered tents in the morning, all victims of this one simple oversight. A little planning keeps your shelter standing, and your night’s sleep intact.
💬 “This is exactly how I was able to camp on Conic Hill in Scotland, despite gusting winds!” See the video here.
6. Plan “Wet Weather Bailouts” in Advance
Don’t just plan your route — plan your escape too. Occasionally you may have to abandon your trip, perhaps because of severe weather or an injury. Knowing where you can safely get off the trail removes huge amounts of stress.
Try to mark villages, bus stops or train stations along your route in case you need to ‘bailout’. Also check timetables as in some remote areas like the Scottish Highland there may only be one or two buses or trains per day.
💬 When we left the Highlands in 2021, I asked a local in the village when the next bus was due? He replied “Tuesday!”
➕ Bonus Tip: Take advantage of UK public rights of way. England and Wales’ public footpaths and bridleways (mapped on OS Explorer maps) are unique worldwide. Plan detours or shortcuts using them — they often cut through farmland or woods where you’d least expect access. (Reference: Ordnance Survey – Rights of Way)
The Ramblers route guides are also excellent for identifying access points and exit options.
7. Repackage Your Food and Night Time Snacks
Instead of carrying heavy shop packaging, re-bag food into small ziplock bags. This saves space, cuts weight, and keeps your rucksack organised. Write cooking times or instructions on the bag with a marker.
Also carry a few spare bags for when you buy that ‘obligatory pot noodle‘ or similar on route (you know you will), so you can transfer the contents and continue to save weight.
➕ Bonus Tip: Keep a small stash of “night snacks” — Store a flapjack, oat bar, or protein bar in your sleeping bag pocket. Waking up cold? Eat it — the calories kick-start warmth while you drift back to sleep.
8. Don’t Ignore Sheep Paths
In the hills, sheep often carve the most direct and driest routes across rough ground. If your map line or GPS route looks boggy, or you’re already up over your ankles in mud, glance around — you may find a sheep path leading the same way with firmer footing. This is especially true on trail sections with little signage or true paths such as the Cape Wrath Trail.
9. Learn the ’10-minute Rule’ & ‘Walk Dry’ after Rain
If you’re debating whether to put on your waterproofs, give it 10 minutes. If the drizzle gets heavier or you’re already damp, suit up. If not, you’ve saved yourself from sweating it out under unnecessary layers.
Some days, even with wet weather gear you may get soaked through. Rather than stopping to constantly to change your wet clothes, “Walk Dry” by keeping moving until you generate body heat. Then swap layers once you’re warm and sheltered — it avoids unnecessary faff in bad weather.
10. Carry a Simple Repair Kit
Stuff breaks and (mostly) it’s easily fixed. Here’s a simple list of what I always carry on any hike in the UK. I have a very small zipped pouch, but a Zip-lock Bag works just as well.
- Puncture repair kit for my sleep pad.
- Spare rubber seal for my Sawyer Micro Water Filter.
- Sticky-backed fabric tape or Duct Tape. Most of your gear is fabric, so this is the mainstay of the kit.
- Park Tool Super Patch Kit – Small 3M produced self adhesive square patches that will repair almost anything — from inflatable pads to down jackets or small holes in tents or backpacks etc.
- Tiny Sewing Kit—a big darning needle along with a little needle pushed into a teeny chunk of closed-cell foam, with a long length of dental floss and thin sewing thread.
- Nano Paracord —about 20 feet or so.
- Super Glue — Comes in a VERY tiny tube. This can be used for first-aid too; very helpful for dry, cracking fingertips and toes.
11. Start Hiking Early
The best time to hit the trail? Just before dawn. Pack up as soon as there’s enough light to sort your gear without a headtorch, and aim to be walking when the sun comes up. With a bit of practice, breaking camp can take under ten minutes: shoes on, kit packed, site cleared, and you’re moving.
Those predawn hours are magic. Wildlife is more active, the air feels crisp, and in busy areas you’ll have the paths almost to yourself while others are still zipped up, inside their tents. On cold mornings, your pack will even feel lighter because you’re wearing a few extra layers.
👉 Feelgood Tip: Save breakfast for later — find a sunny spot by a stream and enjoy it on the trail. Few things beat that first meal with the day already underway and a few miles under your belt.
12. Re-adjust your pack
If your hips or shoulders start aching during the first hour on the trail, chances are your pack isn’t sitting quite right. Taking ten minutes to unpack and shift things around is often all it takes to fix the problem.
With experience, you’ll learn the best way to load your backpack so the weight is balanced and comfortable. But even seasoned hikers sometimes get it wrong—especially when breaking camp in a rush or packing up in bad weather. A slightly misplaced item can throw off the balance enough to cause real discomfort.
Bonus Mini Tips…
➕ Get Your Waist Belt Right!
The waist belt on your pack is the most important connection point to your body. From experience, you’ll want to pull it tighter than you think—this shifts more of the weight onto your hips instead of pressing down on your shoulders.
Here’s a trick: When putting your pack on, put on the shoulder straps then bend forward as if you’re about to touch your toes, and then fasten the waist belt. This helps lock it into the right position without gravity pulling it downward. It might feel a little unusual, but trust me—it works.
➕ Use your Trekking Poles and Backpack to Dry Clothes
Cross your trekking poles outside your tent and hang damp socks or gloves overnight. Even if they don’t dry fully, they’ll air out and reduce odours for the next day’s hike.
Also dry your kit on your pack while you walk: A simple carabiner lets you clip socks, tops or a damp towel to your rucksack while hiking (I’ve even seen underwear hanging off packs 😳). On breezy moorland, they’ll dry faster than they ever will inside a tent.
➕ A Sit Mat is Worth it’s Weight
It’s one of the cheapest, lightest pieces of kit you can carry, but a foam sit mat makes lunch breaks warmer, drier, and more comfortable. Let’s be honest, no one likes a soggy bottom 😳. I’ve even used mine to fan a campfire, under my sleep pad to level out uneven ground, and once as an emergency splint.
➕ Keep Blister Plasters Handy.
Don’t just bury them deep in your first aid kit. Stash a few in your hip belt pocket so you can reach them the moment a hotspot appears. Too often hikers put off stopping because it feels like a hassle to dig through their pack—only to end up with a full-blown blister. On long-distance trails, prevention is worth far more than cure when it comes to your feet.
Final Thoughts
Hiking in the UK is as much about the little quirks as it is about the landscapes. These tips aren’t the sort you’ll read in every “10 Essentials” list, but they reflect the reality of life on the trail.
Next time you head out, try a few of these — whether it’s keeping a sacrificial sock pair, pencilling notes on your map, or simply ending with a pub stop. The hills will always be there, but these small rituals and tricks make the journey all the more memorable.
