Frequently Asked Questions

What does the Walkhighlands app do?

The app brings all the features of Walkhighlands to your phone, but allows you to download individual walking routes – and their associated mapping – so that you can use them when out on a walk – even if you have no phone signal. The route map can show your current position and direction faced using the GPS and compass in your device (if available) as well as the line of the route.

It is best to download walks close to when you intend doing them in order to ensure you download the latest version. You can have up to 10 walks downloaded on your device at one time.

What are the icons across the bottom of the screen?

The app will largely by familiar to users of the Walkhighlands website. The main difference is the six control buttons across the foot of the screen.

From left to right, these are:

When you don’t have phone signal, you can access Walkhighlands routes (both their descriptions and maps) that you have downloaded, via the homepage of the app.

Where is the back button?

Swipe in from the left edge of the screen to go back, and from the right edge of the screen to go forward again.

I can't login or remember my username / password

You can request a new password by entering your username and email address here.

If your username and email combination isn't found, you can request a username reminder using just your email address here.

If your email isn't found (but you can't create a new account with it) - your account hasn't yet been activated. You can request a new activation link here.

Please note that Walkhighlands staff have no access to passwords - you must follow the steps described above.

How do I stay safe when using a phone to navigate?

The following graphic issued by Mountaineering Scotland shows the basic safety advice you should consider when using a smartphone for navigation - especially if heading to the mountains or remoter areas.

Why does the mapping looks different to Ordnance Survey Landranger / Explorer?

The mapping was specifically designed by Walkhighlands, combining Ordnance Survey topography with further sources of data (more details). All the Walkhighlands route lines shown on the maps in blue are described in the accompanying detailed route description.

The little compass arrow seems to be out on my phone - what can I do?

The heading arrow shown is taken direct from your phone's magnetometer - basically a compass sensor. If you are using a phone case that contains a magnet - as many do on their closure - this will greatly affect the compass in your phone just as it would any compass. On some phones, the compass can sometimes require calibration, which is done by rotating your phone about all three axes, or moving it in a swooping figure-of-8.

I can't download a walk - the download button is greyed out - what can I do?

If on Android - hold your finger on the app icon, and open 'App info'. Choose storage, and delete both stored data and cache. Note that any already downloaded walks will be deleted.

Why does the app need permission to access my location?

You need to give permission to use your location for the app to work. This enables the 'here' button to find when searching for walks, your current OS grid reference to be shown on the homepage, and for the location button (top left) on the walk maps to show your current position on the map as a blue circle, together with a small arrow which indicates the direction you are facing.

Your position is only used for this purpose, on your phone itself; it is not send to Walkhighlands servers.

What about battery life?

The Walkhighlands app does not run in the background and only detects your location whilst you are looking at the screen. This should lead to much better battery life than other navigation apps which continue to run and use the GPS on your device in the background.

We recommend always starting walks with your battery fully charged. Consider carrying an external power bank to recharge your phone if necessary. On longer walks it is worth putting your phone into airline mode. This means you won’t be able to receive calls (unless you turn airline mode off) – but as finding signal when intermittent is one of the biggest battery drains, it can greatly extend battery life.

Why doesn’t the app use GPX files? How does it compare to subscription mapping apps?

This app has been designed with simplicity of use and battery life in mind. It automatically stores the gpx data for the route for showing on the map, without you needing to do anything.

We know that many people also use subscription apps such as OS Maps or OutdoorActive, to which GPX files of routes from websites like Walkhighlands can be loaded.

This app is different. It is intended to provide easy offline access to Walkhighlands routes, with both our detailed route descriptions and detailed mapping to help people to follow these routes or variants of them. This means that there is no need to download or handle GPX files which can be confusing and which some apps make difficult; it also means you get the full route description as well as the map.

If you do like to also record GPX tracks when out walking, you would need to use another app to do this – a simple GPS tracking app is ideal. Recording GPX tracks requires the app to run in the background whilst your phone screen is turned off, and leads to much faster drain of battery life. Most smartwatches can record GPX tracks and using them instead of your phone to record any tracks will help preserve your phone’s battery life.

None of these options help.

The above questions cover all of the problems people have experienced with the app. If your problem isn't listed above, contact support via email on [email protected].