The Stornoway Coastguard helicopter guided rescuers to a lost walker

British Summer Time may start tomorrow morning, but police in Scotland are warning walkers that it’s still winter on the nation’s mountains.

Tayside Police appealed to climbers and hillwalkers to make sure they have the appropriate skills and equipment as conditions on the high ground of the region are still challenging. The warning came after  rescues this week.

Two men were rescued on Monday by the Tayside Police search-and-rescue unit and Tayside Mountain Rescue Team from the Minigaig Pass between Kingussie and Blair Atholl after they got lost. A spokesperson for the force said: “The men who are both in their 20s, didn’t have the requisite navigation skills in what were snowy conditions and spent an extra night on the hills as a result.

“Both were traced and assisted off the hills none the worse for the incident.”

The same evening, both teams were involved in the rescue of a woman who got lost while walking without a map on Sgor Gaibhre, the 955m (3,133ft) munro near Rannoch Station.

Stornoway Coastguard helicopter found the walker using its infrared camera and guided rescuers to her, though it was unable to land due to severe weather conditions. The rescue teams found the woman safe and well at 2am on Tuesday morning.

The spokesperson said the force’s search-and-rescue unit, and the mountain rescue teams it works with, had had the busiest year since it was set up in the early 1970s, reflecting the growing popularity of hillwalking and other outdoor pursuits.

But complacency can have tragic consequences for those who go out on the hills unprepared: there has been one fatality and seven injuries on Tayside’s mountains since January 2008.

One walker was found 27km (17 miles) off his intended route after heading up Glendoll in fine weather. This, said the police spokesperson, demonstrated a complete lack of navigation skill.

Other cases involved two walkers setting off to attempt Ben Vorlich without map, compass and torch at a time of the year when darkness falls at 4pm. There had also been severe weather warnings.

Two other walkers continued their ascent of 928m (3,044ft) Mayar after realising they had forgotten their map. They were caught out by blizzard conditions near the summit and had to be rescued.

The police issued the following advice to walkers:

• Be prepared; check weather forecasts and avalanche reports; expect unpredictable extremes of weather; take appropriate equipment
• Tell a friend or relative where you are going and what time you expect to be back
• Learn navigation skills and hillcraft. Practise them and be aware of your position at all times. Carry a map and compass as well as a GPS receiver, and know how to use them.

Tayside Police say they want walkers to enjoy the spectacular mountain scenery of the region, but anyone venturing on to the hills should not jeopardise their own safety or that of others.