The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) has clarified the procedure that mountaineers need to follow if they wish to travel with ice tools on Eurostar trains. Eurostar has a policy of not allowing certain items that could be used as weapons within the cabin baggage carried by passengers. The following section is from the “Prohibited Items” section of their website: “Any article which is inherently dangerous or which could be used to commit an act of violence or threat will also not be allowed. For example items such as imitation, replica or toy guns, ice axes, household cutlery, camping tools,…

Gordon Brown announced in a major speech this morning that he is going to make “a wide range of Ordnance Survey mapping data free for commercial reuse from 1 April”. This follows a consultation carried out by the OS over the last few months on whether mapping data, including their 1:50 000 and 1:25 000 maps, should be made available for free use. The government response to the consultation will be published shortly. All these maps, both 1:25 000 and 1:50 000 for the whole of the UK, have already been made available free on Walkhighlands GPS route planner system…

The number of Scottish birds of prey being killed with poison in has increased. Last year 22 poisoning incidents were recorded by Police resulting in 27 dead birds of prey, including 19 buzzards, four red kites and two golden eagles. Scotland’s Environment Minister Rosanna Cunningham said the figures were a “wake-up call” to those who thought such poisonings were on the wane. The highest number of incidents were Tayside, where nine poisonings recorded. Five birds were killed in Lothian and Borders, three in Strathclyde and three in the Highlands. The most common type of poison used to kill the animals…

Visitors to Ben Nevis summit may be surprised to learn that some of the newly erected 1.8m high cairns constructed to aid navigation have been virtually buried in snow. The MCofS Mountain Safety Advisor Heather Morning, warns hillwalkers and climbers visiting the summit of Ben Nevis to be extra vigilant. The three cairns which mark the change in bearing around the top of Gardyloo Gully are now virtually buried in snow. Careful attention should be paid to judging distance by pacing and walking on a bearing in poor visibility to descend off the summit plateau safely. More details regarding navigating…