With its application for a zoo licence pending, Alladale Estate has come under fire with local Highland Council Access Officer Matt Dent objecting to the renewal of its current licence under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act.

According to the Press and Journal, Mr Dent’s objection concerns the obstruction of access rights by the current scheme, following a complaint sent to Mr Dent by a mountaineer who had difficulty in descending from the hills past the enclosures.

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland’s access and conservation officer Hebe Carus told the P&J “It’s an important mountaineering area as the ridge on which the enclosures are on give access to a Corbett and some very good ground for hill walkers.

“Our members are also concerned about possible future expansion and plans for ever larger enclosures which we fear could end up with an application to remove access rights to the estate.”

However the renewal of the dangerous animals consent has been recommended for approval by Highland Council’s Environmental Health manager Chris Rattar. The decision on the renewal of the existing licence will be made at a meeting on Monday in Helmsdale.

Next month top climbers Dave MacLeod and Andy Turner will attempt to recreate a legendary era of climbing on Ben Nevis, 50 years on, while making a film for the Fort William Mountain Festival. In 1960, Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smith were the first to ascend six routes on Ben Nevis in winter conditions.

These ascents, made without the aid of modern equipment, are highly respected by climbers. The following quote from Colin Wells’ Who’s Who in British Climbing says it all, “In one legendary week on Ben Nevis in 1960 Jimmy Marshall and Robin Smith advanced Scottish winter climbing a full ten years. On consecutive days they climbed six first winter ascents, including the mini Alpine-route Orion Face Direct (V, 5), while also making the second ascent of Point Five Gully (V, 5) for good measure. The fact they achieved all this by cutting steps up the snow and ice appears, from the remove of the 21st century, to be almost unbelievable. Marshall’s skill was such that he could lead routes almost faster than some of his talented seconds could follow.”

The Fort William Mountain Festival runs from 11-15 February and starts with a Ceilidh and includes workshops, talks and films. On Sunday 14 February Jimmy Marshall will be presenting a night of stories and images from Scottish climbing. See the Festival website for more details and prices.

Walkhighlands is used by many walkers for sharing their walking experiences and photos with Walk Reports. In a unique new feature we’ve now made it possible to easily illustrate where you went on your walk using Ordnance Survey mapping, both at Explorer and Landranger scales. You no longer need a GPS device – nor even to upload or download any files.

How to put a map in your reports

When adding a new trip report on the Forum there is now a link to ‘Draw route’. This opens up a new window containing an OS map. Type in the area at the start of your route into the box so that the map jumps to the right area for you to draw your walk. Now click to place markers along your route. When you’ve finished drawing it, press ‘Add to walk report’. The map window will close and you should be back at the trip report form. However the route map you drew will now be in the report as an attachment and other users will see it marked on an OS map.

The West Harris Trust has completed its purchase of more than 16,000 acres of government-owned land. The Trust raised almost £70,000 from various bodies to buy the three crofting estates – Scaristavore, Borve and Luskentyre on Harris in the Western Isles. The land had been owned by the Scottish Government. Grants were provided by Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the local authority Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, the Big Lottery Fund, and a loan from local housing organisation Tighean Innse Gall.

123 people live in the area but only one is below school age and there have been worries about maintaining the population. The Trust hopes to encourage new families to move to the area and has already received interest in the new crofts which will become available.

Environment Minister Roseanna Cunningham said, “This land transfer is the culmination of a great deal of hard work, determination and commitment on the part of the West Harris Trust. It is an exciting day for the community and a landmark day for the Scottish Government’s commitment to community ownership of land and empowerment.

Community ownership plays a very important role in the empowerment of communities. It improves self reliance and offers opportunities for employment, skill development and economic success. I hope to return one day to witness the many benefits I envisage the trust will deliver through this historic transfer.”

Trust chairman Murdo Mackay, who lives in Luskentyre, said, “We want to promote Harris as a great place to live and work and we hope to get more families into the area and create new crofts and bring currently under-used land into production. We are very excited about the fact that control of our own land will breathe new life into the community and encourage people to set up homes and raise families.”

The 200th anniversary of the publication of Sir Walter Scott’s poem Lady of the Lake, is to be celebrated in a series of outdoor events later this year, including a new walking trail around Loch Katrine.

Scott’s work transformed popular perspectives on landscape and generated the first surge of tourists to the Trossachs and Scotland. The new event, Scottsland – Celebrating the Language of the Landscape will run from June to October this year. It will include a varied programme of cultural and literary events to take place throughout the Trossachs. These include a new art and literary trail around Loch Katrine, The Chase – a running and cycling event in the Trossachs, a traditional Scottish musical event inspired by Lady of the Lake, Trossachs Doors Open Weekend, a literary conference featuring Scott and The Trossachs and a range of exhibitions and guided walks and cruises.

The Cairngorms National Park Authority is to stop funding the Heather Hopper bus service which currently runs in the summer months. The heavily-subsidised service, which runs twice a day in the summer and connects Ballater to Grantown on Spey with connecting buses to Aberdeen, only carried an average of 40 passengers a week last year.

The National Park said it would consider how best to use funds to provide transport. As well as making the Park more accessible, one aim of the Heather Hopper service was to reduce car use and lower the carbon footprint of the Park.