Can I drink the water? What’s Lyme disease? What are clegs? How do I cope with midges? Where’s the toilet?
Heading to the hills is great for your health, both physically and mentally. However, as these very common questions above indicate, there are also risks to our health.
With a little knowledge and common sense, none of these should spoil your enjoyment of the outdoors, but we do have to take responsibility for looking after ourselves in terms of hygiene as well as skills and safety.
There are some basic common-sense rules to follow if you want to ensure you don't have your camping trip cut short by illness
There is growing awareness of the health risks associated with ticks in the countryside. Read more about how to deal with them.
What's best about Scotland? Our mountains. What's worst? The midges you find in those mountains. Learn the best way to deal with the wee pests.
Can you drink the water? In most cases it's the finest water you'll ever drink, but there are a few do's and don'ts you should be aware of.
There's more to bracken than just being difficult to walk through. Read more about the health risks associated with this hazardous plant
There are few toilets amongst the mountains, but sometimes we still need to 'go'. Find out the practicalities and the etiquette.
Sunburn is also an important issue. A sunny day on the hill makes most of us feel good, but too much sunlight can be hard on the skin. Check out this Health and Safety Executive document for advice on good practice while enjoying a great day out on the hill.