Yearly Archives: 2018

Increase in Tayside beavers leads to call for greater protection

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Helen Webster

Beaver numbers across Tayside have increased in the past six years, according to a new Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) survey. Whilst welcoming the expansion of the species, the Scottish Wildlife Trust is warning that without legal protection these beavers are at risk of unregulated, and possibly inhumane killing. The SNH report estimates that around 430 beavers live in over 100 active beaver territories in Tayside. A 2012 survey estimated beaver numbers across the region at about 150 beavers in 40 territories. Nick Halfhide, SNH’s Director of Sustainable Growth, said, “By building dams, beavers improve local water quality and help nurture…

Posted in Nature

Signs, sticks and stones

Posted on October 9, 2018 by David Lintern

When is a pile of stones a work of art, a historical monument or an act of vandalism, and how much signage do we want in the Scottish Hills? David Lintern considers cairns, signposts, interpretation and other human interventions, both seen and unseen. A pile of rocks Cairns are perhaps the oldest marks in our landscape, but their existence is complex – they have different forms and functions. Some designate a summit or an ancient site, waymark a route, others seem to be more about mark making or decoration. Recently, Skye locals clubbed together to remove rock stacks made by…

Posted in Access issues, Features, Magazine, Nature

Votes needed to help secure the future of Scotland’s red squirrels

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Helen Webster

An innovative Highlands project offering hope for the long-term survival of Scotland’s red squirrels will be stepped up if conservation charity Trees for Life wins an online vote for a major European funding award. With the UK’s red squirrels at risk of extinction, the charity’s pioneering Reds Return project has been shortlisted to receive more than £25,000 in the European Outdoor Conservation Association’s funding scheme. The winner will be determined by online voting between 8-19 October, and anyone can vote for Trees for Life at www.treesforlife.org.uk/voteTFL. Winning would allow Trees for Life to reintroduce red squirrels to four carefully chosen…

Posted in Magazine, Nature

Winter Safety Talks

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Helen Webster

As we approach the winter season, both Mountain Aid and Mountaineering Scotland are offering a series of winter mountain safety talks across the country. The free Mountain Aid evenings will take place from 12 to 16 November and will be presented by mountain rescue legend Dave “Heavy” Whalley. Heavy’s talks will provide essential safety tips for hillwalkers venturing out into the Scottish mountains during the winter months. From choosing the right boots to interpreting weather and avalanche forecasts. From what to eat/drink to how to maximise your chances of surviving a rescue incident. Mountain Safety Advisor, Heather Morning, will host…

Posted in Magazine, News

Gear Review: Womens Mammut Ultimate V softshell hooded jacket

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Helen Webster

Recommended Price: £229 Weight: 350g (Womens S) Sizes: XS-XL (Womens) S-XXL (Mens) Mens version available My usual layers of choice for cooler, windy days in Scotland are either baselayer, microfleece and wind shirt or baselayer with a primaloft insulated jacket on top. However I often tend to feel cold in the wind when not ascending, only to overheat quickly once I start climbing. Recently I’ve been testing Mammut’s revamped Ultimate V softshell jacket and it seems to fit the bill as an outer layer for dry, windy Scottish conditions. The first thing you notice is that the fabric is softer,…

Posted in Gear reviews, Jackets, Magazine

Gear review: Osprey Levity 60L backpack

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Paul Webster

Recommended Price: £240 Weight: 0.9kg Capacity: 60 litres When backpacking, excessive weight on your back can easily destroy your enjoyment. It’s obvious you need to minimise the weight whilst still carrying all the things you really need and when you’re trying to save every gram, it’s rather galling to see that the weight of many larger backpacks exceed 2kg. One of my favourite items amongst all the kit I’ve ever owned was the original GoLite Gust minimalist pack, based on Ray Jardine’s designs. This radical piece of kit really reduced design features to an absolute minimum, cutting the weight of…

Posted in Gear reviews, Magazine, Rucksacks

New Horizons

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Karen Thorburn

Karen Thorburn shares her personal perspective on St Kilda – Scotland’s ultima thule. Half my lifetime ago, in 2002, I found myself on holiday with my parents, standing atop huge sand dunes overlooking a magnificent beach on the west coast of the island of Berneray in the Sound of Harris. Pristine golden sand stretched in either direction as far as the eye could see, and turquoise water broke in waves on the shore. The little island of Pabbay lay to the north and, to the west, we looked beyond the Outer Hebrides to a vast expanse of open sea, or…

Posted in Features, Magazine

Report finds Scotland failing to protect against damaging hill tracks

Posted on September 18, 2018 by Helen Webster

A new report has found that current Scottish law is failing to protect Scotland’s landscape from damage caused by the building of vehicle tracks in the countryside. A coalition of nine leading Scottish environmental organisations is now calling for stronger laws to protect the country’s most iconic landscapes from these tracks. Scottish Environment LINK Hilltracks sub-group has today (Tues 18 Sept) published its Changing Tracks report – following three years of gathering evidence into whether planning legislation is effectively managing the development of the highly-visible tracks. The group argues that the proliferation of controversial upland tracks is ‘out of control’…

Posted in Access issues, Nature

Delay for Carnach Bridge replacement

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Helen Webster

Early this year we updated our Cape Wrath Trail route description to reflect that Carnach Bridge near Sourlies had been condemned as unsafe to cross and removed. The river is frequently impossible to cross in spate conditions. Camusory Estate has been working to replace the bridge and had hoped to have the new bridge in place by the end of 2018. However there have been several delays in the planning process and constructing the bridge on site requires a helicopter and suitable weather conditions. As a result, the bridge will now be built over the winter months and installed in…

Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News

New Corrour Bothy toilets open

Posted on September 12, 2018 by Helen Webster

One of Scotland’s most remote but busiest bothies has just upgraded its much used toilet facilities, the Mountain Bothies Association tells the story here: “The toilet at Corrour Bothy was built by the MBA and opened in 2007, since when it has prevented literally tons of human waste from polluting the area around the bothy. However the volume of use has meant that maintaining and servicing the toilet has been very labour intensive and necessitated monthly visits from a dedicated but very small group of volunteers. In an effort to ease their workload, it was decided to completely redesign the…

Posted in Magazine, News