Monthly Archives: November 2014

The snow that survived summer

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Ben Dolphin

Come autumn, the hills in Scotland look as empty of snow as anywhere else in Great Britain. And yet, there are some special places hidden from view where winter stubbornly hangs on despite the passage of summer. And, quite unexpectedly, the snow that falls in those places only rarely melts. These long-lasting ghosts of winter, which vary in size from mere pin pricks to enormous things the size and volume of buses, are Scotland’s famous snow patches. They’re a source of fascination and curiosity for most folk who wander the hills during the warmer months, and I’m no exception. I’ll…

Posted in Features, Magazine

Landscape Photographer of the Year won by Glencoe image

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Paul Webster

A photograph of a small, transient stream created by heavy rain and dwarfed by the might of Glencoe’s mountains wins top prize in this year’s search for the UK’s ‘Landscape Photographer of the Year’. Cumbrian-based photographer, Mark Littlejohn becomes the eighth person to win the overall title and the £10,000 prize. His picture was chosen, by the judges, from the thousands of entries that showcase the richly diverse landscape of the UK. From the evening sun slanting across the greenest of fields to ruined castles and starry skies, the winning photographs in the ‘Take a view – Landscape Photographer of…

Posted in News

Strathfarrar car access tightened

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Helen Webster

Hillwalkers wishing to take vehicles beyond the locked gate in Strathfarrar should be aware that the Estate has recently tightened up the criteria used to grant permission. The access arrangements were originally negotiated by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) and during the winter (Nov-Mar) walkers who wanted to take vehicles up the glen had to phone the MCofS to request the combination for the padlock. The MCofS says that following “recent incidents”, vehicular access will now only be given to MCofS members for the purpose of hillwalking or climbing and that walkers need to give details of their objectives…

Posted in Access issues

Replacement Skye bothy being built

Posted on November 7, 2014 by Helen Webster

A basic, open shelter will continue to be available for walkers and climbers at Camasunary, in Skye when the existing bothy is taken back by its owner, probably in late 2015, thanks to a new building project currently underway. 59 Commando Squadron Royal Engineers have completed the building of a new bothy which will now be fitted out by volunteer members of the Mountain Bothies Association. The driving force behind the project was Alan Johnson, the owner of the present Camasunary bothy, who was concerned that when he resumed his own use of the building, there would be no basic…

Posted in Access issues, News

Winter Safety evenings kick off next week

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Helen Webster

With the first snows of winter now settling on the Scottish mountains the timing is perfect for the first MCofS Winter Safety Talks set for next week. The first event will held on Wednesday 12 November at the Cotswold store in Aberdeen with further dates around the country well into February next year. In addition to the MCofS evenings, the well established Winter Safety Lectures at the Clachaig in Glencoe will run every Tuesday in February. These evenings are always entertaining as well as informative and if you’re lucky enough to bag a seat at the Aviemore Mountain Cafe nights…

Posted in News

Winter Waterproof jackets group test

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Peter Macfarlane

Winter’s here, if you’ve been on the hills recently the wind, the rain and the recently arrived snow will have you pulling your hood up and leaning into the gusts on the ascent before running for cover behind the cairn. I suppose we’d all like crunchy snow underfoot and clear blue skies above until Easter next year but the reality of a Scottish winter sees us as likely to be battling horizontal rain as much as happily walking across a Christmas card scene. It’s nice to know that we can shut it all out if we’ve got a jacket that’s…

Posted in Gear reviews, Jackets, Magazine

Injury? Deal with it now!

Posted on November 3, 2014 by Cameron McNeish

IT began as a minor irritant at the end of a great day on Bidean nam Bian. It was the beginning of summer as I wandered down through Coire an Lochan and became aware of an irritating pain on the inside of my knee. Within a couple of days the pain had reduced to a dull ache. A couple of weeks later I was filming with the BBC on the Isle of Arran. As part of the programme we climbed Goat Fell and such is the nature of filming that we took our time, stopping every so often to position…

Posted in Features, Magazine