All kinds of free entertainment is in store this Sunday (15 July) at St Cyrus national nature reserve. The reserve's family fun day includes face-painters, a storyteller and puppets, games, bird-box making and guided wildlife walks. Willow Lohr of Woodsmoke Bushcraft & Wilderness Survival will be on hand to teach kids how to make fishing nets and talk about the natural uses of plants on the reserve There will also be visits from the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, with their life-size inflatable whales and dolphins, and the North East Scotland Biological Recording Campaign, giving tips on how and why…

The RAF Kinloss Mountain Rescue Team will move to the neighbouring air base at Lossiemouth when the Army takes over RAF Kinloss later this month. The Mountain Rescue Team, which is regularly involved in helicopter rescues across the Highlands, is likely to change its name although the way it operates will remain much the same for the time being. By 2016 civilian contractors are due to take over search and rescue operations across the UK. RAF Kinloss is due to close as an air base on 26 July with the army due to use it as a barracks. The air…

One of the youth hostels in the Scottish Borders threatened with closure has been saved and will be run by a charity with experience in hostel management. Kirk Yetholm hostel which sits on the St Cuthbert’s Way and at the end of the Pennine Way had been earmarked for closure by the Scottish Youth Hostels Association (SYHA) alongside hostels in Melrose and Selkirk. The local community had expressed fears about loss of tourism and visitors to the area when the closure plans were announced. Responding to the news that one of the three endangered hostels would remain open, Borders MP…

The dates have been released for mountaineer, Doug Scott's 2012 lecture tour taking place this autumn. Most of the lectures are taking place during the last three months of the year, but there are a few exceptions including an event at the Isle of Harris Mountain Festival in September. The lectures, accompanied by unique photography, raise money for Community Action Nepal which was founded by Doug Scott. The aim of the mountaineers’ charity is to help mountain people to help themselves raise their standard of living and strengthen indigenous, community-based culture. The charity has been involved in over 40 projects…

A bridge on the Speyside Way which has been closed for over three months is due to re-open on Wednesday 4 July. The old railway viaduct, which crosses the River Spey at Ballindalloch on the popular long distance route, was forced to shut to allow major repairs to be undertaken. During the repairs a free taxi service was provided for walkers as any detour would have involved many miles of roadwalking as well as missing Ballindalloch from the route. A full, detailed guide to the Speyside Way, together with OS Explorer mapping, is featured on Walkhighlands.