The proposed super resort at Dall Estate in Rannoch, Perthshire could cause significant damage to an internationally important nature site, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has warned.

In its response to Perth and Kinross Council, SNH says the development would have a negative impact on Scotland’s ancient Caledonian pine woodlands and will significantly detract from the quality and character of the nationally important landscape of Loch Rannoch.

The proposed development includes a luxury hotel with health spa, clinic, leisure and retail facilities, two 18-hole golf courses, a clubhouse, over 100 houses, staff accommodation, and a restaurant within Loch Rannoch.

It would be very close to a number of special areas of nature conservation, including the fourth largest Caledonian pine wood in Scotland, the Black Wood of Rannoch. In Europe, this type of forest occurs only in Scotland and only on an estimated 12,000 to 16,000 hectares.

At over 1100 hectares in size, the Black Wood of Rannoch is recognised as one of the top wildlife sites in Europe. The proposal to convert 382 hectares of pine forest which border the Black Wood of Rannoch to create two golf courses is likely to affect the long-term vitality of the forest as whole, as well as the animals and plants it supports.

The long glen, with the distant backdrop of mountains in the Glen Coe and Rannoch Moor areas together with Loch Rannoch and the pine forests, all combine to make this a spectacular Scottish landscape – so special that it is designated as a National Scenic Area.

SNH is of the view that the proposal – including converting 382 hectares of existing pine forest and replacing it with golf courses, constructing a large restaurant within the loch, and building loch-side houses – will significantly detract from the quality and character of the landscape of Loch Rannoch. The organisation says that the scale, site and design of the proposal are inappropriate in this sensitive location.

Denise Reed, SNH area manager, said, “The design and scale of this development would be out of place in its surroundings and could have far-reaching and harmful impacts on a part of Scotland renowned for its iconic and dramatic scenery. Ancient Caledonian pine woods are only present in Scotland, and it is crucial for SNH and others to ensure their long-term future. We are very concerned that this proposal could compromise this protected and unique area.”

More information about the proposal and the local campaign against it can be found at the local community website, Rannochforall.

Next January, the MCofS will be running a series of one-day “Avalanche Awareness” courses. Aimed at the general winter hill-walker, the courses are non-certificated and will be suitable for anyone wishing to increase their knowledge of snow and avalanches, learn which areas to avoid and improve their understanding of reports and forecasts. Each course will consist of an indoor introduction to avalanche theory followed by a practical session on the hill.

The courses will be delivered by qualified and experienced instructors at a ratio of 1 tutor to 4 participants. Basic winter skills will NOT be covered. It is essential that course participants are comfortable and competent in winter conditions and have their own winter hill walking equipment.

The course costs £35 per person and the dates are:-

Saturday 9th January 2010 (Cairngorms/Glenmore Lodge)

Sunday 10th January 2010 (Cairngorms/Glenmore Lodge)

Saturday 30th January 2010 (Aonach Mor/Nevis Range)

Sunday 31st January 2010 (Aonach Mor/Nevis Range)

For more information please contact the MCofS Office on 01738-493942 or book your place now by sending a £35 cheque along with your address and telephone number to the MCofS Office (The Mountaineering Council of Scotland, The Old Granary, West Mill Street, Perth, PH1 5QP). Alternatively you can telephone the office on the number above to book and pay by card.

The search for a hill walker reported missing after a day walk in the Monadhliath range, near Newtonmore, has successfully found the missing woman.  The alarm was raised shortly after 10pm on Saturday night and the Cairngorms Mountain Rescue Team, search and rescue dog handlers and an RAF helicopter had been searching the area until the walker was found shortly after midday on Sunday. The woman in her 30’s had been forced to camp out having got lost in poor weather conditions. The search team said that she was well-equipped and it is understood that she was well and did not require medical treatment.

In a separate incident, the BBC reports that a badly injured walker was airlifted for treatment following a fall in Kintail. It is reported that a policeman saw the injured walker’s distress signal from a torch while driving along the road and was able to summon help.

Winter 2010 sees the introduction of a new expanded MCofS Winter Lecture Series. Following on from the success at the Clachaig Inn each winter, the free lectures will now run from three different locations.

The Clachaig Inn, Glencoe (Tuesday evenings)

The Mountain Cafe, Aviemore (Wednesday evenings)

The Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team Base (Thursday evenings)

The focus of the lectures is to entertain and educate on winter mountain safety. The MCofS has chosen an inspiring array of who are guaranteed to provide an entertaining night out. All the speakers have spent many years in the mountains and will draw upon their own experiences to illustrate hard lessons learnt. Each presentation will last approx 45 minutes and there will be opportunity at the end of each evening for any questions. Whether you are a hardened climber, or up in the Highlands for your first winter experience, you can ensure a good night out and learn something new.

The MCofS Winter Lecture Series is free of charge and open to all.

The Clachaig Inn, Glencoe
The Clachaig is the birthplace of the Winter Lecture Series. Tuesday evenings from the 2nd February see the return of the series for a six week period. The evening talks will begin promptly at 20.00, however feel free to arrive well in advance to enjoy a bar meal and a pint or two. This winter’s speakers are:

2nd February & 9th February Roger Wild, IFMGA mountain guide and ex Mountain Safety Advisor with the MCofS. Roger has a wealth of Scottish mountaineering experience to draw upon. Roger will be talking about Winter Mountain Navigation.

16th February & 23rd February Nick Carter.  Nick has climbed extensively around the world since the early 80’s, but is probably most well known for his hard winter ascents. Nick climbs up to grade VIII in Scotland including the first winter ascent of Hung, Drawn and Quartered (VIII,8) and the second winter ascent of Sidewinder (VII,8) on Ben Nevis and Genesis (VII,7) on Beinn Bhan. As we all know, to be successful and safe climbing in Scottish Winter you need to be much more than a ‘hot shot’ climber. Getting to and from the routes can be a challenge in itself. Nick will share some of his experiences with us.

2nd March & 9th March Rosie Goolden. Rosie is a well known face in the Scottish winter mountaineering/climbing scene and one of only a handful of female MIC’s. She has spent the last 10 years guiding in Scottish Winter and was the founder of the hugely successful initiative ‘Chicks Unleashed’.

The Mountain Cafe, Aviemore
This famous cafe must be the perfect venue to spend a winters evening after a day on the hill. The cafe will be open from 18.30 onwards – use the entrance around the left hand side of the building. Food is available at 19.00; there will be a choice of meat or veggie at an excellent price of £8. The evening talk will begin promptly at 20.00. The Mountain Cafe winter lecture series will run on Wednesday evenings for eight consecutive weeks from 20th January 2010. This winter’s speakers are:

20th January & 27th January Ian Sherrington, IFMGA Mountain Guide and Senior Instructor at Glenmore Lodge. Ian has extensive experience of mountaineering, climbing and skiing in Scotland and is looking forward to sharing some of his adventures with you.

3rd February, 17th February & 3rd March Simon Steer, Simon combines his day job in the Scottish Government with the role of Deputy Team Leader of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team. He relaxes by climbing hills slowly; making easy rock or ice routes look hard; falling off his mountain bike and posing as a ski patroller on Cairngorm. He also lectures on wilderness emergency care to anyone willing to listen. In his 14 years in the rescue team, Simon has been involved in a great many incidents (some funny, some not) and will be sharing some of those tales with you.

10th February & 10th March David (Heavy) Whalley – this is Mr Mountain Rescue! What Heavy hasn’t been involved with in his 37 years in mountain rescue isn’t worth knowing about. Heavy spent his working life in the RAF and rose to the dizzy heights of Team Leader for both the Kinloss and Leuchars Mountain Rescue Teams. He is now retired from the RAF and spends his spare time collating the Scottish Accident Statistics for the Mountain Rescue Committee of Scotland and is still active in mountain rescue as a member of the Torridon Team. Heavy is a larger than life character and guaranteed to provide an entertaining evening.

Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team Base, Fort William
This venue is the fantastic, new purpose built facility for the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, located on the Ben Nevis Industrial Estate on the north side of the town. The LMRT have kindly opened their doors to the public to host the Thursday evening lectures. The lectures will run for eight consecutive weeks from Thursday 21st January, starting at 20.00. The lectures are free, but visitors may wish to make a donation to the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team.This winter’s speakers are:
21st Jan & 25th Feb Cameron McNeish. Cameron is well known for his work with media, he regularly appears on our TV screens with classics such as his walk through the Far North West of Scotland. Cameron manages to juggle his day job (editing TGO Magazine) with an active and enthusiastic love of the Scottish Hills.

28th Jan & 11th Feb Stuart Johnston. Stuart has been an MIC for many years and now runs his own successful mountain training business ‘Stuart Johnston Mountaineering’. He balances this with his commitment as a member of the Tayside Mountain Rescue Team and Training Officer for the Mountain Rescue Committee for Scotland.

18th Feb & 11th Mar Di Gilbert. Di is another one of those rare female MIC’s. Alongside her many years experience climbing in the Scottish Mountains, Di has made many ascents in the greater ranges including Denali and Everest. Her vibrant personality and enthusiasm for the Scottish Mountains will ensure an entertaining and informative evening.

4th Feb & 4th Mar Richard Bentley.  A well known MIC, Richard has been running his own mountaineering business for many years from the foot of Ben Nevis. Richard has climbed throughout the world but is probably best known around Scotland for his coaching and teaching of winter climbing, his love of hard mixed climbing and his knowledge of Ben Nevis in Winter. He is a member of the Lochaber Mountain rescue team and occasionally masquerades as a Ski Patroller on Aonach Mor!

In the past, these events have been fun evenings, often with a chance to chat with like-minded souls and enjoy a drink before or after. In the meantime, if you want to prepare for the winter conditions later on, why not have a look at the great winter safety information from the MCofS which can be found on this page of  Walkhighlands.

A man has died after falling on Beinn Eighe in Torridon. It is understood that the party of 4 spent the night on the mountain and that one man fell, sustaining head injuries, and two female companions became stuck on a ledge. A fourth man managed to raise the alarm and the Torridon Mountain Rescue Team and the Stornaway Coastguard helicopter were sent to the scene early this morning. Sadly it was found that the man had died of his injuries and the helicopter recovered his body along with the two women who are understood not to be badly injured.

The identity of the dead man has now been confirmed by Police as James Turner, 75, from Buxton in Derbyshire.

The Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy has announced the scrapping of Ministry of Defence plans to close bases on St Kilda, South Uist and Benbecula in the Western Isles.

The range’s command and control centre, which is run by the private company, QinetiQ on behalf of the MoD, was to close and rocket tests run remotely from South Wales. This was to have resulted in the loss of 125 jobs.

Mr Murphy, speaking to BBC Scotland, said, “The firing range and control station will remain, these 125 jobs will stay, because ultimately while the MoD may have made some savings, the cost to the islands, the islands’ families and the economy would have been too great.”

The National Trust for Scotland, which owns St Kilda, and leases the base on Hirta to the MoD, had previously said it would be unable to manage the island properly without the resources provided by the base.

National Trust for Scotland, which owns St Kilda, previously expressed concerns that the withdrawal of test range staff from Hirta would seriously harm its ability to manage the remote island archipelago.