Avalanche Forecasts Start Friday 15 December

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Helen Webster

The SportScotland Avalanche Information Service will start publishing its detailed forecasts for the Scottish Mountains today, Friday 15 December. The six mountain areas covered are Northern Cairngorms, Southern Cairngorms, Lochaber, Creag Meagaidh, Glencoe and Torridon. Each report covers snow, avalanche, and climbing conditions. The reports are available from the website or via mobile phone. The SAIS is also asking any walkers or climbers who see an avalanche to report it to them. This can be done on line from the SAIS website. As well as the forecasts, the website also contains a wealth of information about snow and avalanches generally…

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Photographing Scotland – new book and competition

Posted on December 9, 2017 by Helen Webster

Dougie Cunningham, a 40-year old professional photographer and hill walker, has spent the last five years travelling around Scotland, researching, visiting, photographing and writing about the most beautiful places in Scotland for his book, Photographing Scotland published this week by fotoVUE at £27.95. At Walkhighlands we’ve an extract below, the chance to win one of three copies of Dougie’s book, and a discount code – WANDER – you can enter to get 20% off all fotoVUE books at their own website, with free shipping until the end of the year. This 592-page photo-location guidebook – featuring over 800 inspirational photographs…

Posted in Magazine, Photography

Review: Alt-Berg Tethera Boots

Posted on December 6, 2017 by Helen Webster

RRP: £199.99 Weight: 626g (per boot, size 5.5 wide) Fed up with wet cold feet and having long been a lightweight footwear devotee, I returned to all-leather heavier 3 season boots about 4 years ago and haven’t looked back. I still prefer the comfort of fabric shoes and boots in dry or warm conditions but with so many Scottish hillwalks featuring lengthy bog trots or wet and cold weather, the lightweight options – even if combined with waterproof socks – weren’t keeping my feet warm. To keep the chilblains at bay I opted for Alt-Berg’s Tethera boot. This is no…

Posted in Footwear, Gear reviews, Magazine

Bumper year for Hen Harrier project

Posted on November 29, 2017 by Helen Webster

As part of efforts to conserve hen harriers, 21 estates across Scotland have now joined the Heads Up for Harriers project in 2017. This year has seen a bumper number of 37 young successfully fledging from nests located on 7 of the 21 participating estates. This is the highest number of fledged birds ever for the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime Scotland (PAW) Scotland project, led by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). As in previous years, estates have agreed to have cameras installed on their land to monitor nesting hen harriers and help determine reasons affecting survival. A total of…

Posted in Nature

Clachaig Winter Lectures set for February

Posted on November 26, 2017 by Helen Webster

The Clachaig Inn in Glencoe will again be hosting its Winter Mountain Safety Lectures in February. Usually attracting a lively gathering of hill walkers, climbers and skiers and hill-goers the evenings will run each Tuesday in February 2018. These evenings have run every year since 1985, and are intended to provide a last minute reminder of some of the preparations and skills to have to hand before venturing into the Scottish winter hills. The events are free and the Inn aims to raise £2000 in total by having a weekly draw with some great prizes donated by the sponsors.

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Review: Women’s Keen Terradora Waterproof boot

Posted on November 25, 2017 by Helen Webster

Recommended Price: £120 Weight (per boot): 363g This is a lightweight fabric mid-height boot with a waterproof membrane specifically designed for women. I’ve been testing it on a wide variety of walks and all-day Munro hikes over the last few months. Founded in 2003 by Martin Keen who wanted a comfortable sandal that would protect his toes whilst sailing, the US company has grown into a footwear giant and is known amongst walkers for its high protective rands, wide toe-box and comfortable fit. This women’s Terradora model moves a little from that original image with the focus on a lightweight,…

Posted in Footwear, Gear reviews

Mend our Mountains: Make One Million campaign comes to Scotland

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Helen Webster

Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS) are leading a campaign to raise £100,000 to support two essential Scottish mountain path projects – joined by Walkhighlands as offical media partner. The path restoration projects are one in each of Scotland’s two National Parks, and are part of a GB-wide initiative, Mend Our Mountains: Make One Million, coordinated by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) in collaboration with 15 National Parks. Sponsorship is provided by Cotswold Outdoor and Snow+Rock, two of Britain’s leading outdoor retailers. In Scotland, the first target is one of the nation’s most heavily eroded mountain…

Posted in Access issues, Nature, News, Walkhighlands news

Scottish Avalanche forecasts to start 15 December

Posted on November 11, 2017 by Helen Webster

The SportScotland Avalanche Information Service will start publishing its detailed forecasts for the Scottish Mountains on Friday 15 December. The six mountain areas covered are Northern Cairngorms, Southern Cairngorms, Lochaber, Creag Meagaidh, Glencoe and Torridon. Each report covers snow, avalanche, and climbing conditions. The reports are available from the website or via mobile phone. The SAIS is also asking any walkers or climbers who see an avalanche to report it to them. This can be done on line from the SAIS website. As well as the forecasts, the website also contains a wealth of information about snow and avalanches generally…

Posted in News

Winter returns to Scotland’s mountains

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Helen Webster

Hill walkers and climbers are being urged to stay safe as they prepare to enjoy what for many is the most rewarding season of the year. With winter now starting to bite, many hillwalkers and climbers will be looking out their ice axes, crampons and headtorches. But mountaineering experts have stressed that it takes much more than this to be ready for winter. Mountaineering Scotland has highlighted the high quality of online information which can be easily accessed before heading for the hills. Mountain Safety Adviser Heather Morning said: “There are some excellent resources for mountain weather information. Check out…

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Breeding success for re-introduced red squirrels

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Helen Webster

A project by Trees for Life relocating red squirrels to their old forest homes in northwest Scotland has been boosted by evidence of breeding and natural expansion by the new populations. The conservation charity is reintroducing squirrels to suitable native woodlands in the Highlands, from which the species has been lost. Because reds travel between trees and avoid crossing large open spaces, they can’t return to these isolated forest fragments on their own. “Early indications are that this could be a real wildlife success story. The new squirrel populations are not only flourishing and breeding in their new homes, they…

Posted in Nature