Patrick’s top tips
• Carry a mobile phone and ensure you know where you are in case you have to tell the emergency services
• Torches are inexpensive, so buy several and carry at least two
• Use your sticks to probe the depth and solidity of any ground you’re uncertain of
• Where possible, study your night ground beforehand in daylight
• Stubble: check for strips that were left unsown or where wheels have travelled – these will be much quieter to follow than over crunchy stalks
• Sheet ice: there are four basic choices: find an alternative way around; swallow hard and walk through it; go home or find somewhere else to shoot