I’ve come across a few people exploring the Goyt Valley who were struggling to follow my walk instructions – either on a phone or after printing them out. And it makes me realise that however detailed I make them, it’s always easy to miss a narrow track, or misinterpret “diagonally left” as a completely different direction.

My advice is always to use a walking app so you can immediately see if you’ve taken a wrong turning. There are quite a few available for both Apple and Android phones, and most have a free option, although paying a subscription has many benefits.

I’ve created GPX* files for all the walks featured on this website. It’s usually very easy to upload these files onto any walking app. I’ve made a nominal charge of £1.45 to download a file, which will go towards the hosting costs of this website.

This is a list of the most popular walking apps. I use the paid-for version of OutdoorActive which gives me Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 maps. 

*GPX stands for GPS Exchange Format. GPS stands for Global Positioning System. A GPX file contains GPS data, and uses satellites to track where you are on a route.

You will need an internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data) to download or import a GPX file into a walking app. Once it’s loaded, the app uses GPS satellite signals to track your position, so no internet connection is required while walking.