Going out alone for the first time is a mix of nervy and brilliant. There is nobody to check the map with, and nobody to blame when the path disappears into bracken. But there is also no compromising on pace, no waiting at stiles, and the particular quiet you only get above the tree line on a weekday in October.

The Lake District is a forgiving place to learn. It is compact, the popular paths are obvious, and you are rarely more than a couple of miles from a road. It is also genuinely mountainous when the weather turns, and people are caught out on modest fells every year. Keep the first one small: one day, one route, a light pack, and clear rules about when to turn round.

Start smaller than you think you need to

Your first solo hike is not the day to test yourself on Sharp Edge. Choose ground where the path is clear, the distances are short and other people are about — not because you will need help, but because being able to ask a stranger "is this the way to the col?" is a useful safety valve.

The best first routes share three features: an obvious path, a low-level escape, and a road or village within a mile.

• Buttermere lake shore. About four and a half flat miles round the water, with Fleetwith Pike across the lake. Start from the village or Gatesgarth.
• Catbells from Hawse End. Short, steep in places, and busy enough that you will rarely be alone. Good practice for climbing with a pack on.
• Latrigg from Keswick. A gentle, well-signed climb out of town with views over Derwentwater. Ideal for a first afternoon.
• Elterwater to Skelwith Bridge. A low riverside wander with a café at either end — useful when the tops are in cloud.

When you want a summit with real height, Loughrigg Fell from Rydal is a sensible step up. It is popular, but the paths braid in all directions and you will need to read the map — which is exactly the sort of gentle practice a first solo day is for.

Check three things before you commit

A route that works in June can be miserable in November. Before you decide, look at:

• The mountain forecast. Use the Met Office mountain forecast or MWIS rather than a town forecast. Wind on the tops is what catches people out: if gales are forecast, pick a low-level route.
• Daylight. Sunset in the Lakes is before 4pm in midwinter and close to 10pm in June. Work out when you need to be back and leave an hour of daylight in hand.
• What is underfoot. Lakeland rock turns greasy in the wet. Snow and ice on the tops mean either crampons, an axe and the skill to use them, or a valley walk instead.

Kit that earns its place

You do not need much for a day walk, but you do need the right things. The Lakes can deliver four seasons between the car park and the summit.

• Waterproof jacket and trousers, not just a showerproof jacket
• A spare warm layer, kept dry in a dry bag
• Hat and gloves, even in July
• Map and compass, plus a phone with an offline map downloaded — and know how to read a grid reference out loud
• A headtorch with fresh batteries; the single most useful thing in your pack if the day runs long
• Food you actually want to eat, and one to one and a half litres of water
• Blister plasters, any personal medication, a foil blanket and a whistle
• A charged phone and a small power bank

Leave behind the jeans, the cotton T-shirt and the heavy glass bottle. Break boots in on short local walks, not on a fell.

Pace, breaks and the turnaround time

Set a turnaround time, not a summit goal. "I turn round at 2pm whatever happens" has kept more walkers out of trouble than any piece of kit. If you are 200 metres from the top when the clock reaches two, you still turn round.

For timings, a rough rule of thumb is around 3 km/h on the flat, plus extra for climbing and rough ground. Solo walkers tend to move faster than groups on the flat because there is nobody to chat to, and slower on the climbs because there is nobody to share the front.

Eat before you are hungry. Twenty minutes out of the wind with a sandwich is not wasted time; it is what keeps the second half steady.

If something goes wrong

Most days out go slightly wrong rather than badly wrong: a turned ankle, a soaking, a wrong turn that costs an hour. Deal with small problems immediately and they usually stay small.

1. Stop, get out of the wind, and put on your spare layer and waterproofs before you get cold.
2. Eat, drink and work out exactly where you are. A grid reference, or what3words on your phone, beats "somewhere above Buttermere".
3. Call 999 and ask for the police, then for Mountain Rescue. Give your location, what has happened, how many people are with you, and your number. The service is free and the teams are volunteers; nobody will mind that you called.
4. With no signal, text 999 instead. Texts sometimes get through where calls will not. Keep the phone warm in an inside pocket and save the battery.
5. Stay put unless where you are is unsafe. Six short whistle blasts, then a pause, is the recognised distress signal.

If you are merely late rather than hurt, text your contact so they can stand down — most callouts begin because someone was expected home and was not.

If you have a condition that could affect you on the hill, mention it to your GP before planning a bigger day, and make sure someone at home knows about it.

The night before and the morning after

Pack the bag the night before, charge everything, check the forecast twice, and leave a note with your route, where you parked and when you expect to be back. Set off earlier than feels necessary; car parks at the honeypots fill by mid-morning and roadside parking is restricted in most valleys.

When you get home, dry your kit, then write down the one thing you carried and never used, and the one thing you wished you had. That second list is what shapes your pack for the next walk.

Photo: 1854545 / Pixabay