Lomond water buses and Inchcailloch camping

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Helen Webster

Plans to reintroduce water buses on Loch Lomond were shown off last week during a ministerial visit, and at the same time the National Park started taking bookings for camping on Inchcailloch island. Roseanna Cunningham visited Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority to hear about their vision to boost water-based tourism, recreation and transport services. Central to the plan is the introduction of water buses which will improve community and tourism links across the loch, cut down road use and reduce harmful emissions. The water bus service was tested over six weeks last year and attracted move than…

Posted in Access issues, News

Schiehallion car park closure

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Helen Webster

Forestry Commission Scotland is advising all locals and anyone thinking of visiting Schiehallion that access to the main car park is to be severely restricted throughout February. The main car park, known as Braes of Foss, will only be open at weekends to allow essential engineering works to be carried out. Hamish Murray, for the Commission in Tayside, said, “We’re in the process of upgrading the site and will be removing the old toilet block to make way for a new composting toilet unit. “If all goes well we hope to have things back to normal by the beginning of…

Posted in Access issues, News

Three Peak cyclists raise funds for JMT

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Helen Webster

Cyclists Kevin Beck and Stuart Welsh have raised £809.53 for the John Muir Trust, by climbing Snowdon, Scafell Pike and Ben Nevis, totaling over 11,000 ft, while covering the 533 miles between the mountains by pedal power. The pair, who both work for Serco in East Kilbride, took just eight days to cover the distance, finishing in September 2010. Kevin said: “The weather to start with in North Wales was dreadful with heavy rain but as we reached Scotland we were bathed in sunshine.Most days we covered just over 90 miles but we did manage one at 101 miles.” “We…

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Amazing Kintail owl roost discovered

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Helen Webster

An unusual winter owl roost has been discovered on the National Trust for Scotland’s Kintail property in the Highlands. Short-eared Owls have been day roosting together amongst thick heather in an area of young native woodland. One of four native owl species found in Scotland, Short-eared Owls are amongst our most under-recorded birds owing to their nocturnal and nomadic habits, and remote moorland habitat. The Kintail roost was discovered by visiting Norwegian students who reported their sighting to their group leader, who just happened to be Kenny Graham of the RSPB. Every evening after sunset the owls have performed dazzling…

Posted in Nature

Trust counts cost of cold snap

Posted on February 3, 2011 by Helen Webster

Conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland has launched a fundraising appeal to repair damage at historic properties caused by this winter’s severe weather. The Trust, which cares for some of Scotland’s most loved castles and houses, is counting the cost of broken gutters, burst pipes and damaged trees and shrubs following last year’s record snowfalls and low temperatures. December was the coldest in 100 years, with plummeting temperatures, heavy snow, gale force winds and ice. Properties from all over Scotland felt the impact of the Big Freeze and the scale of the damage at some places is only now…

Posted in Nature

Valentine's star gazing planned

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Helen Webster

Forestry Commission Scotland will be hosting an evening for stargazers in Galloway Forest’s Dark Sky Park on Monday 14 February. The event is organised as one of the Commission’s Astrofest programme of activities to celebrate the first anniversary of the forest park being awarded Dark Sky Park status. The Valentine’s night event will start with a talk at Glentrool School Hall at 7pm and weather permitting, a guided tour to spot distant galaxies. Keith Muir, the Commission’s recreation and tourism manager said: “The Dark Sky Park events to date have been very popular indeed so it is great news that…

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Hill Tracks campaign disappointment

Posted on February 2, 2011 by Helen Webster

The two MSP’s behind the campaign to regulate the cutting of new tracks on Scotland’s hills and mountains have expressed disappointment at the lack of progress. The Hill Tracks campaign, supported by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and Ramblers Scotland and pursued by MSPs, Peter Peacock and Sarah Boyack, resulted in a debate in the Scottish Parliament on 9th June last year. Stewart Stevenson, the Minister responsible at the time, undertook to update the Scottish Parliament on the Scottish Government’s plans in relation to Hill Tracks “immediately after the summer recess”. The two MSPs now report as “a matter of…

Posted in Access issues, Nature, News

4600 mile coastal walk planned

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Helen Webster

This week Andreas Gschwari (34) an IT designer from Guildford, Surrey, will begin the gruelling challenge of walking the entire British coastline in a year, all to raise funds for conservation charity Trees for Life which works to restore the Caledonian Forest in the Scottish Highlands. Andreas will spend all of 2011 and early 2012 on his epic “Walking for Trees” adventure, covering over 4,600 miles (7,400 km) on foot. After setting off from Brighton on Sunday 6th February, he will walk the entire main island of the United Kingdom plus several outlying islands. If all goes to plan, he…

Posted in Nature, News

Concerns grow for missing walker

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Helen Webster

A full scale search has been resumed today (Tues 1 Feb) for missing man Haider Ali Manir who failed to return from a walk up Ben Nevis on Sunday. The 20 year-old man was reported overdue at around 6pm on Sunday 30 January. A relative reported concerns when he failed to return. Police are co-ordinating the search which includes members of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, RAF MRT, RAF Valley MRT (a Welsh mountain rescue team who stayed in the area to lend assistance following a weekend training exercise), SARDA dogs and Rescue One Seven Seven from Gannet. Searches were called…

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1st Webtogs competition winners announced

Posted on February 1, 2011 by Helen Webster

Walkhighlands’ monthly Walk Report competition is now sponsored by online gear retailer, Webtogs, and the first winner was announced today. We received a massive 197 walk reports during January, a great way to celebrate our new reports sponsor Webtogs. Many of the reports have been superb, making choosing the winners harder than ever, but… 2nd prize of £30 to spend at Webtogs goes to Kevsbald. Over the last couple of years he’s written a stack of reports, many hilarious, some moving. He finally takes a prize for his snow plod up Carn Mor Dearg on a perfect day. But this…

Posted in Walkhighlands news