Walking on Harris and Lewis. Richard Barrett

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       Unless you are entirely confident in your navigation skills, think twice before venturing into the higher hills alone. Going as a pair is better, but being a party of three or more is preferable so that one person can remain with any casualty while the other raises help.

       Check the weather forecast before you set out. As the Outer Hebrides are essentially a small landmass in a large maritime environment, it pays to check shipping forecasts and coastal waters forecasts as they will give you the outlook for wind speeds and visibility. These can be heard on BBC Radio 4 at 198 kHz on long wave at 0048, 0520, 1201 and 1754, accessed through the BBC Weather pages on the Web or obtained from the local tourist information offices in Tarbert and Stornoway. If you do you will lessen the risk of getting caught out in a gale or having to test your navigation skills in the mist. The wind deserves respect in the Western Isles. In January 2005 the islands experienced the worst gales for 50 years with a lorry driver in Lewis reporting a sheep being blown across his windscreen! Sadly a family of five was killed during the same storm when their car was blown off the South Ford causeway that links Benbecula and South Uist. If in doubt, put the walk off until the next day and find something else to do!

       A whistle, watch, torch, survival shelter, first-aid kit and emergency food rations are all essential when venturing into high or remote terrain.

       With a scale of 1:25,000 the Ordnance Survey Explorer series gives much more information than the 1:50,000 Landranger series and will make it easier to navigate this potentially difficult terrain. Purists will be happy to navigate with a map and compass, but having a hand-held GPS (global positioning system) will be an added safeguard and will certainly help you move more confidently, and therefore faster, over the often bleak moorland. Whatever you chose, it pays to be diligent, frequently checking your exact location and looking backwards so as to familiarise yourself with what may become a much-needed exit route.

       Being exposed to wind and sun, the effects of which are intensified by the surrounding sea, it is always worthwhile during the summer months to include lip balm, sun hat and a high-factor suncream in your pack. Since the weather can change rapidly, and what starts out as a warm sunny day can quickly deteriorate into an unpleasant squall, it is always worth carrying a warm hat and gloves at any time of year.

       Although some of the mobile phone networks give remarkably good reception in parts of the Outer Hebrides, it would be foolhardy to rely on a mobile to raise a distress call in the mountains. It is far better to leave your itinerary and estimated time of return with someone before you set out into the hills – remembering to let them know of your safe return lest they alert the support services.