If you're an old hand in the hills, you'll be aware about the importance of checking the weather before venturing out.

But with new walkers discovering the joys of jaunting all the time, we thought it might be a good idea to share a couple of our favourite online weather resources. (Not least because we all do like a natter about the weather don't we? And checking it out throughly is a good habit for every walker to get into.)

So if you're a first-timer, one link we'd like to point you to is the good old Met Office.

Forecasts cover daylight hours and contain the following information.

• Hazards list.
• A brief summary of the weather on the hills.
• An indication of height and extent of the lower cloud.
• Visibility.
• Wind and temperatures on the hills.
• Freezing level at or below summit level.
• A general outlook for the next few days.

The forecasts are issued daily.

The Mountain Weather Information Service is also worth a look, as are your local BBC weather forecasts.