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Monthly Archives: May 2019

Gear review – Tilley Hiker’s hat

Posted on May 29, 2019 by Paul Webster

Recommended Price: £85Weight: 108g Canadian brand Tilley are famed for their hats – whether you think that’s famously well-made and durable or famously expensive. For many years I baulked at the price being so much higher than alternatives, but I was bought one as a present around a decade ago – and have been a convert ever since. There are three factors which really lift Tilleys above sunhats I’d worn previously. One is that renowned construction. These are robust hats, covered by a lifetime guarantee. That’s not your usual guarantee covering faults in manufacture, but a guarantee that covers normal…

Posted in Accessories, Gear reviews, Magazine

No Permits planned for Ben Nevis

Posted on May 27, 2019 by Cameron McNeish

I really should have known better. A journalist of my acquaintance rang me to say he’d been chatting to the John Muir Trust about Ben Nevis. Clearly on the scent of a story he told me that 160,000 people had climbed Ben Nevis last year, putting an enormous amount of pressure on the mountain. We chatted a bit about the effects of so many boots on a footpath like the one that runs up the hill from Achintee and he asked me if I thought a permit system should be introduced? I suggested the tourist path on Ben Nevis was…

Posted in Magazine, Nature, News

Our picks – Scotland’s greatest glens

Posted on May 24, 2019 by Paul Webster

Scotland is as known for its glens as it for its bens. The word glen comes from the Gaelic and means a steep-sided valley – most of them were carved by glaciers during the last Ice Age; the word strath usually denotes a broader, wider valley. We pick out 16 of our favourite Highland glens, whether for their stunning landscapes, flourishing wildlife or wildness and isolation. Glen Clova, Angus Angus is a region where the glens are perhaps better known than the mountains around them. Glen Esk is the longest and a real gem with a great variety of scenery,…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Our picks

New Outdoors Award Scheme for Young People

Posted on May 21, 2019 by Helen Webster

Ramblers Scotland has launched a new award scheme to offer young adults a free and inspiring introduction to the outdoors.

Posted in Magazine, News

Path repair begins on popular Munros

Posted on May 13, 2019 by Helen Webster

A £100,000 appeal to fund much needed repairs to Scottish hill paths has reached its target and work has now started on one of two major projects. The Mend Out Mountains: Make One Million appeal, which has run over the last year, is headed by the BMC UK-wide and Mountaineering Scotland north of the border, and aims to raise up to £1 million for pathwork in each of the UK’s national parks. In Scotland the target was £100,000 for work in the Cairngorms National Park and the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. Skilled pathworkers began work in April…

Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News

Gear review – Keen Venture mid hiking boots

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Paul Webster

Recommended Price: £129.99Weight: 550g per boot (mens’ size 10) I’ve usually found boots and shoes from Keen to be a good match for my relatively wide feet, with a roomy toe-box. So I was interested to try out the new Venture model – available as both a low hiking shoe and as a mid boot, as seen here. They represent a move into lighter weight footwear for Keen. The Venture mids were comfy from the first outing, requiring next to no breaking in, which is as I’ve come to expect from the brand; the lighter weight of these is a…

Posted in Footwear, Gear reviews, Magazine

Continued appeal for missing walker Martin Rhodes

Posted on May 9, 2019 by Helen Webster

Police Scotland is continuing to appeal for information relating to missing walker Martin Rhodes, a week on from when he last seen. The 46-year-old from West Yorkshire was last seen around 8.30am on Wednesday, May 1 in Kinlochewe. He was reported missing that evening when he did not return from a walk in the area. Extensive searches were carried out by specialist police officers, mountain rescue volunteers from the Dundonnell, Torridon and RAF teams, the Search Rescue Dogs Association and the HM Coastguard helicopter with no trace of Mr Rhodes being found. Searches have been postponed this week due to…

Posted in News

Access the authority

Posted on May 7, 2019 by David Clyne

David Clyne, Recreation and Access Manager with the Cairngorms National Park Authority, discusses his role – and the rights and responsibilities of walkers in Scotland.

Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News

Gear Review: Osprey Lumina 45 women’s backpack

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Helen Webster

RRP: £220Weight: 0.77g (M) The last thing you need when backpacking is pack that’s heavy before you even start loading up all your equipment, food and water. The Lumina is a women’s specific backpack from Osprey that is ultralight – so light that it is hard to believe it has a full frame or will stand up to the rigours of multi-day camping trips. I like to backpack as light as possible and usually use a frameless pack that requires careful packing to give it some structure; it still has a tendency to take the weight on the shoulders and…

Posted in Gear reviews, Magazine, Rucksacks