Matt is an experienced outdoor photographer, and runs backpacking and wild-camping sessions in the UK’s national parks. As these come with a small element of danger, Matt needs to thoroughly know the landscape he’s working in, in order to keep his participants safe. He’s a trained Scout leader and is learning to be a mountain leader, but for those of us who aren’t, Matt recommends carrying out detailed scouting of remote locations using detailed maps. Or, if you just want to find out whether a spot is picturesque enough for a visit, without travelling there first, try Google Maps and make use of the pin feature, or head to Flickr to see if you can find out more. “Consider how the lighting, angles and accessibility all stack up,” Matt says. “You can find out a lot about a location before you go.”