(Image: Supplied)
A Scottish runner and skier has launched a free app bringing mountain weather forecasts, walking routes and parking information together to help people plan trips to the UK’s hills and mountains.
Hillcast, created by Matt Burrows, provides information for more than 2,000 summits across the UK, including 1,395 in Scotland, 462 in England and 293 in Wales.
Hillcast app example. (Image: Supplied)
Available on the App Store and Google Play, the app gives each summit a weather forecast score out of 100, with predictions available up to seven days ahead.
The score takes account of visibility, cloud cover at the summit, snow, wind, rainfall and temperature, helping users compare conditions when deciding where to go.
Hillcast also provides links to walking routes and practical parking information, including laybys and forestry tracks.
Mr Burrows developed the platform after repeatedly having to consult multiple websites to check weather conditions, find routes and work out where to park before heading into the hills.
He said the aim was to make planning easier by bringing the information together in one place.
The app uses a weather forecasting source that draws on several models and selects the most suitable available forecast for each location.
Hillcast is free to use and will remain free for early adopters and mountain rescue teams. The platform is updated regularly, with users encouraged to report inaccuracies and suggest improvements, including alternative parking locations.
Hillcast app example. (Image: Supplied)
The app also directs users to specialist resources such as the Mountain Weather Information Service and the Scottish Avalanche Information Service for more detailed safety information.
Mr Burrows is developing further features, including a ski touring profile for winter. This would adapt the current forecast scoring system so that deeper snow, which can be a disadvantage for walkers, would count positively for ski tourers.
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Matt Burrows, founder of Hillcast, said: "Like everyone else who enjoys being in the UK hills and mountains, I would often spend many hours checking a variety of different resources for weather forecasts, as well as route guides and then trying to work out the best place to park for each outing.
"It would require a lot of cross-referencing—and even after all that I was still not always sure if it would be worth the drive.
"Then, one day I was running in the hills, and I suddenly thought, 'What if there was a platform where I could see all this information in one place?'
"The idea grew from there and I’m now the founder of Hillcast, which I believe offers the most definitive app for planning days of hill walking or running in the UK.
"My chosen tried-and-tested weather forecast source draws on a number of models and picks the best available for each location.
"The Hillcast forecast score is for every summit and takes in visibility, summit cloud and snow, as well as wind, rain and temperature."
Colin Watson, a hill walker who has been testing the app, said: "I particularly like having all of the information for a walk in one place, as opposed to having to consult a variety of sources when planning a day out.
"It's certainly much easier checking Hillcast than trawling through weather forecast sites.
"Each day I’ve been out, I’ve found the forecast to be very accurate."