Yearly Archives: 2017

Nan Shepherd biography to launch in Cairngorms

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Helen Webster

Best known for her masterpiece of mountain literature The Living Mountain, (first published in 1977) Nan Shepherd, who died in 1981 has been in the news recently. Her image now graces the new Scottish £5 note; The Living Mountain (about her experiences in the Cairngorms) has become a classic and sells in its thousands. Nan Shepherd lived all her life in Deeside, yet few people, even in Scotland, seem to have heard of her until recently. Now a new biography “Into the Mountain” by Charlotte Peacock unravels some of the mysteries, dispels some of the rumours and gives insight into…

Posted in Magazine, News

Aviemore Adventure Festival 2018

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Helen Webster

The organisers of the Aviemore Adventure Festival have announced the dates for next year’s festival as well as a crowdfunding appeal to set the Festival on a sustainable footing and expand the charitable aims of the event. The Festival has been run successfully for the past 3 years by a group of committed local volunteers who love the outdoors and are keen to share that passion. However they are looking to expand the festival and are seeking support to fund a new part-time worker who will help support the existing team to develop the festival over the coming years, attracting…

Posted in News

Mountaineering Scotland Winter Safety talks announced

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Helen Webster

As the first snows are forecast for the high tops this weekend, its time to think about winter skills. Mountaineering Scotland will again be hosting a series of safety evenings this winter. Heather Morning, Mountaineering Scotland’s Safety Advisor, will share her beautiful photography, videos, personal anecdotes and adventures, while discussing essential skills for winter navigation, avalanche awareness, route choice, equipment, mountain weather and much more. With a lifetime’s experience in the mountains, Heather has been a professional mountaineer for 25 years and was a member of Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team for 16 years. These entertaining and informative evenings will be…

Posted in News

The Hidden Ways

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Helen Webster

Today ‘The Hidden Ways: Scotland’s forgotten Drove Roads’ – a new book by Scottish historian Alistair Moffat – is published by Canongate Press, and we have an exclusive extract below. The Hidden Ways wanders Scotland’s forgotten paths to tell an alternative history of Scotland and our place within its landscape. The Hidden Ways will spearhead Alistair Moffat’s campaign to reopen Scotland’s forgotten roads, starting in 2017 and culminating in 2020. The project will be the largestcommunity enterprise ever undertaken in Scotland, and has the support of Creative Scotland, VisitScotland, BBC Radio Scotland and DC Thomson. Born in Kelso in 1950,…

Posted in Magazine, News

28 strong boost for Knapdale beavers

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Helen Webster

More beavers will soon be arriving at the Scottish Beaver Trial site in Knapdale Forest, mid-Argyll. The Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), the lead partners in the project have been granted a species licence to reinforce the population of Eurasian beavers at the Trial site. Up to 28 beavers will be released into lochans on land managed by Forest Enterprise Scotland at Knapdale over the next three years. The idea behind the project is to give the small Knapdale beaver population the best possible chance of thriving in the long-term and to increase the…

Posted in Nature

Exploring Ullapool

Posted on October 3, 2017 by Fiona Russell

Sitting on a low wall edging the shoreline of beautiful Loch Broom in the Ross-shire town of Ullapool, a takeaway container of delicious crab cakes and salad on my knee and a day of mountain walking in my legs, I indulge in a little people watching. My chosen spot is located on one side of Ullapool’s bustling main street and is the perfect place to take in a vast array of outdoorsy folks. In a short space of time, I am passed by young backpackers; day hikers in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s; cyclists, some on lightweight racer bikes…

Posted in Features, Magazine

Mountaineers object to Kings House plans

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Helen Webster

Plans to extend one of the most historic hotels in the Highlands with an ‘industrial style building’ which will dwarf the original have been condemned by Mountaineering Scotland. The Kings House Hotel, on Rannoch Moor, near Glen Coe, has long been a favourite of mountaineers, dating back to the pioneering climbers in the first half of the last century. But now Mountaineering Scotland wants to call time on plans for a major extension which they argue would be completely out of character both with the original building and the surrounding landscape, which is part of a much-loved National Scenic Area.…

Posted in Nature, News

Bird control licences restricted in light of wildlife crimes

Posted on September 27, 2017 by Helen Webster

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has restricted the use of licences to control birds in two separate cases this week. The decision was made on the basis of evidence provided by Police Scotland of wildlife crime against birds. These are the third and fourth such restrictions imposed by SNH. Edradynate Estate in Perthshire and an unamed individual in Aberdeenshire will have their licences restricted. They may still apply for individual licences, but these will be closely monitored. General licences allow landowners or land managers to carry out actions which would otherwise be illegal. This includes controlling common species of wild birds,…

Posted in Nature

Hikers light up Ben Lomond on fundraising walk

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Helen Webster

The summit of Ben Lomond was illuminated on the evening of Saturday 16 September as dozens of hikers ascended the 974m peak in aid of the National Trust for Scotland and Lomond Mountain Rescue. Seventy-five intrepid walkers – and one canine companion – took part in the Ben Lomond Torchlight Challenge, completing the twilight hike and raising £5000 (so far) for the two charities. Under the expert guidance of National Trust for Scotland ranger staff and Mountain Rescue volunteers, the walkers reached the summit at 9pm, with torches and flames sending a signal out to the surrounding area. The challenge…

Posted in Nature, News

Shooting the Breeze – Nick Hanson Interview

Posted on September 20, 2017 by David Lintern

Nick Hanson is the current holder of the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year Award. David Lintern finds out more. Tell us a little about yourself – where’s home, is photography your full time job, and so on? I am originally from Dumfries in south west Scotland, however my family moved down to Cambridgeshire back in 1989 when I was 17. Dumfries and Galloway is a beautiful place to live, with rolling hills, forests and lots of lovely coastline. As a youngster, although I loved to be outdoors, it was more about my enjoyment of being out there rather than…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Photography