This useful advice was published by the Fell & rock Climbing Club:-

Mobile phone reception in the Mountains can often be intermittent or non-existent. If you are involved in an incident on the hill and need to call assistance but cannot make voice calls, you may now contact the 999 emergency services using a short messaging service (SMS) text from your
mobile phone.

The service was originally set up in 2009 for people who are hard of hearing or who have a speech impediment. The service has been successful in helping identify crime and enabling emergency calls to be made when otherwise contact would have been difficult or impossible for the people involved.

The service will now assist those needing emergency assistance in the hills when mobile reception is poor and there is not enough signal to make a voice call. The benefit is that a text message can be composed and sent in a single operation. You should specify 'Police-Mountain Rescue' when sending the text, and include information about your location, nature of the incident and those involved.

You will only be able to use this service if you have registered with emergency SMS first. Register now: don't wait for an emergency. To register, text the word 'register' to 999. You will get a reply - then follow the instructions you are sent. This will only take approx two minutes of your time and could save your life!

Emergency SMS Website http://www.emergencysms.org.uk

Look at this little beauty...

And you get to hear it on this web site... 21st century marketing eh...!

However, research suggests that the current recommendation is for three blasts on the whistle as a distress call - with three as a return signal.

Others say 6 blasts - with three as a return signal - continuing until the contact is made.

When I started stumbling around the fells and caves, it was 6 blasts, with 6 as a return signal.

My thoughts are that my ears will always prick up if I hear a whistle, however many times it might be blown, assuming that someone needs help.

Part of the thinking also is that the 'victim' doesn't feel helpless if they need help. They are at least doing something to attract attention.

I hope your ankle recovers soon.

I've always carried a whistle. Six blasts 10 seconds apart (i.e.within a minute) I was always told.

I always carry a whistle. An Acme Thunderer no less!!!

Six long blasts.

Worth a try?

The only thing you could have had,would have been a locating beacon.
Which you could have turned on

What happened once you got back to the car? Was there a mobile phone signal there or did you flag somebody down or did you drive home?

In dire straits it would be worth trying 112 on your mobile phone even if it shows no reception from your network. If another network is within range it would use that.

I was out walking recently on my own in the simonside hills near Rothbury. As I stepped down off a ladder siles, I hit some rough ground, went over on my ankle and broke it. At the point I did this, I had no mobile phone reception and had not passed anyone for at least an hour.

I think I'd taken reasonable precautions and my wife knew the exact route I was taking and what time I expected to be back, so in time, I would have been missed.

As it happens, the break was on the side of my ankle and with the help of a walking pole, painkillers and anti-inflamatories, I managed to hobble the 3 miles back to my car.

My question is, is there anything else I could have done and is there something I could have carried with me to either aid me walking or getting help?