Start with the essentials: navigation you actually trust

Moorland is deceptive. A path that looks obvious from the car park can dissolve into a smear of peat and heather within twenty minutes, and the horizon has a habit of shifting under low cloud. Your phone is a useful backup, but it should never be your primary tool. Battery life tumbles in the cold, signal vanishes in the hollows, and a cracked screen is no help at all when the mist comes down.

So the first things into your pack are a laminated Ordnance Survey map of the area at 1:25,000 or 1:50,000 scale, and a baseplate compass you know how to use. Add a small protractor if your navigation is rusty, and a pencil and waterproof notepad for noting bearings or grid references. If you use a GPS device or a watch with mapping, treat it as a supplement. Keep it in a warm inner pocket and carry spare batteries.

Before you leave, check the local access arrangements. Much moorland sits on open access land, but some areas close seasonally for nesting birds or shooting. A quick look at the relevant authority's website will tell you what is open and where the restrictions apply.

Layers that cope with four seasons in one afternoon

Moorland weather does not do moderation. You can set off in sunshine, walk into a hail shower, and finish in still, humid warmth. The answer is layering, and it starts in the pack rather than on your back.

• A spare insulating layer, such as a lightweight fleece or synthetic jacket, kept dry in a stuff sack
• A waterproof and windproof shell with taped seams and a hood that survives a gust
• Waterproof overtrousers, because wet legs drain heat fast on an exposed ridge
• Spare socks and, in winter, spare gloves and a warm hat
• A sun hat and high-factor sunscreen for the long, unshaded summer days

Wear quick-drying trousers rather than jeans, and boots with a decent tread and ankle support. Peat hags and wet flushes are slippery even in dry weather, and a turned ankle miles from the road is a genuine problem.

Water, food, and fuelling a long day out

Dehydration creeps up on you when the wind is cool and you barely notice you are sweating. Carry at least one and a half to two litres of water per person for a full day, more in summer or if you are covering serious distance. A flask of hot tea or soup is a small luxury that lifts morale enormously on a cold, drizzly walk.

Food should be easy to eat with cold hands and without stopping for long. Oatcakes, malt loaf, flapjack, nuts, cheese, and a couple of sandwiches all work well. Pack something with salt in it as well as sugar, and bring more than you think you need. If plans change and the walk takes longer than expected, the extra food matters more than the extra weight.

If you are walking with a dog, remember that livestock, ground-nesting birds, and adders all deserve a wide berth. Keep dogs on a short lead during the nesting season, roughly March to July, and always near sheep.

Safety kit for exposed ground

Moorland can turn from pleasant to serious with little warning. A small, well-chosen safety kit earns its place in the pack:

• Head torch with fresh batteries, plus a spare set
• Whistle on a lanyard, because six short blasts is the international distress signal and carries further than a shout
• Emergency shelter or lightweight bivvy bag, which can turn a shivering stop into a survivable wait
• First aid kit with plasters, blister dressings, painkillers, antiseptic wipes, and any personal medication
• Emergency foil blanket and a small roll of gaffer tape, endlessly useful
• Charged mobile phone in a waterproof pouch, with a power bank

Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. Write down your route and the car registration if you have driven somewhere remote. If something goes wrong, call 999 and ask for the police, then ask for mountain rescue. Give them a grid reference, not a vague description.

Small extras that make the day better

Binoculars reward anyone walking the moors. Curlew, golden plover, merlin, and red grouse are all possible, and a pair of compact 8x42s lets you watch without disturbing. Keep your distance, especially around breeding birds, and never leave a nest or young to be flushed by your approach.

Take a rubbish bag, and carry out everything you bring in. That includes fruit peelings and tea bags, which look natural but are not part of a moorland ecosystem. Stick to established paths where they exist, especially on fragile peat and blanket bog, and leave gates as you find them.

Finally, weigh the pack before you go. Aim for something you can walk all day in comfortably, roughly under ten kilos. The best kit is the kit you actually carry, so trim ruthlessly, keep the essentials, and check everything the night before. Moorland rewards preparation with quiet, wide, unforgettable days.