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

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

New series of Paul Murton’s Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs starts tonight

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Helen Webster

A new series of Paul Murton’s Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs starts on BBC1 Scotland at 7.30pm tonight (available on iplayer in the rest of the UK following broadcast). Paul Murton’s Grand Tours series have been running for many years now, exploring Scotland’s lochs, islands, landscapes and history. In this new series of Grand Tours, Paul explores a choice selection of lochs from the 31, 000 that adorn Scotland. Travelling from the wilds of the west coast to the Grampian Mountains, Paul discovers the secrets of these iconic features of the Scottish landscape, which are deep enough in places to…

Posted in News

Gear review: Mammut Runbold Light shorts

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Helen Webster

Recommended Price: £69 (currently £49 on Mammut’s website) Weight: 148g When is lightweight gear too light? I’ve been trying out the light version of Mammut’s Runbold shorts both in the fine summer weather we had in Scotland, and through an Alpine heatwave. With a modern, athletic cut these shorts would need to be made from a very stretchy fabric in order to give the full freedom of movement needed for hiking and climbing in the outdoors – and they are. The super light bi-elastic material makes them extremely comfortable to wear – and so light you almost don’t notice them.…

Posted in Gear reviews, Trousers

Gear Review: Berghaus Womens Fast Hike Waterproof Jacket

Posted on September 6, 2018 by Helen Webster

RRP: £150 Weight: 200g (UK size 10) Mens version available I received this lightweight waterproof jacket just at the start of the longest rain-free period that the Scottish Highlands has experienced in my lifetime. So it sat in my rucksack walk after walk with only minimal use as a windproof layer, proving its worth in terms of being very lightweight and packable – it packs down into one of the mesh pockets and could be easily clipped to a belt for very minimal walks or runs. Scottish weather has now resumed more normal service and I’ve had the chance to…

Posted in Gear reviews, Jackets, Magazine

Child cancer patients brave the elements at Schiehallion

Posted on August 21, 2018 by Helen Webster

Patients, families and staff from Glasgow Children’s Hospital in high spirits on the Fairy Hill despite the dreich conditions. For the fourth year in a row, patients, family and staff from the Schiehallion Unit of the Royal Children’s Hospital in Glasgow visited the mountain which inspired its name. The annual family day – a collaboration between the Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and the John Muir Trust – took place this year under dreich, grey skies and relentless rain. Despite the conditions, over 60 attended, with half the group climbing the mountain while the rest participated in other activities at the…

Posted in News