How to Call Mountain Rescue in Scotland

Nobody sets out expecting to need mountain rescue, but every regular hillwalker should know exactly how to summon it — because in an emergency, the difference between a smooth callout and a chaotic one comes down to what you do in the first few minutes. This guide covers the precise procedure for Scotland, including the crucial text-message option that works when a voice call won't. Read it now, before you need it.

The basic procedure: dial 999

In the mountains of Scotland, mountain rescue is coordinated through the police. The sequence is:

1. Dial 999 (or 112, which works across Europe and on any network).
2. Ask for Police, then ask for Mountain Rescue.
3. Give your location as precisely as you can — ideally a grid reference — plus the nature of the emergency, the number and condition of casualties, and the weather and visibility where you are.

Mountain rescue in Scotland is provided by volunteer teams and is free — never hesitate to call because of cost. Call as early as you reasonably can: rescues take hours to mobilise, and daylight and weather may be against you.

The most important tip: register for 999 texts

On a Scottish mountain you will often have no signal for a voice call but just enough for a text. The emergencySMS service lets you text 999 — but only if you have registered your phone in advance. It takes two minutes: text the word register to 999 and follow the reply. Do it today, on the sofa, because you cannot register once you are in trouble. A text can get through on a weak signal when a call drops, and it gives the rescue team a written, accurate record of your message.

Pinpointing your location

Rescue teams need to know where you are, and "near the summit" is not enough. The best options, in order:

• An OS grid reference from your map and compass, or from a GPS app — a six-figure reference locates you to 100 metres.
• The OS Locate app (free), which shows your grid reference even with no signal, since it uses the phone's GPS.
• what3words, which rescue services in the UK can accept — a three-word address for a 3m square.
• A description of nearby features, your route, and your last known certain position, if you have nothing else.

A dedicated hill app that shows your position on an offline map — like the Munros app — means you can read off a grid reference even deep in the hills with no phone signal. Knowing your grid reference at all times is one of the most valuable habits a hillwalker can build.

While you wait for help

Once the call is made, your job is to keep everyone alive and findable:

• Stay put if it's safe — a moving casualty is far harder to find. Move only to get out of immediate danger (rockfall, rising water, dangerous ground).
• Insulate the casualty from the ground and wind. Get them into extra layers, a group shelter or survival bag; cold kills quickly on a Scottish hillside.
• Preserve phone battery — keep the phone on, but stop using it for anything else, and shelter it from the cold.
• Make yourself visible — the international distress signal is six blasts of a whistle (or six torch flashes) repeated every minute. Bright kit helps.

Prevention is the real answer

The best rescue is the one you never need. Leave word of your route and expected return with someone reliable, carry the kit to survive an unplanned night out, know how to navigate in poor visibility, and turn back when conditions demand it. This guide pairs closely with our mountain first aid essentials and solo safety guide — read all three before a big day.

Related guides

• Mountain first aid essentials
• Navigation skills for Scottish mountains
• Solo Munro bagging safety guide
• Munros tracking app — offline maps and your grid reference, anywhere