CowalFest dates announced

Posted on May 29, 2017 by Helen Webster

The organisers of this year’s Cowal-based walking and outdoor festival have announced it will run from Friday 6th October to Sunday 15th October. The Festival will feature more than thirty walks graded from gentle strolls to challenging day trails. CowalFest organisers say that the walks, which are facilitated by knowledgeable volunteers and take place amid the stunning scenery, are a perfect introduction to this often-overlooked area of Scotland. This year’s CowalFest will include walks aimed at those interested in wildlife or photography, families will be well catered for and evening events will include a ceilidh. A special feature this year…

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New bothy for Glen Kinglas

Posted on May 22, 2017 by Helen Webster

The Mountain Bothy Association has announed the opening of a new bothy in Glen Kinglas. Among the mountains that can be climbed from it are the Munros Beinn Ime, Ben Vorlich, Beinn Narnain and Ben Vane as well as Corbetts such as the Cobbler, Beinn Luibhean and Binnein an Fhidhleir. Neil Stewart from the MBA said, “Thanks to the efforts of 50 volunteers over a 3 week period, the building known as Abyssinia in Glen Kinglas in Argyll has been converted into a bothy and is now available for use. We are extremely grateful to Strone estate for allowing us…

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Trust urges public to help Northwest Highlands Geopark close funding gap

Posted on May 8, 2017 by Helen Webster

The John Muir Trust is calling on its members, supporters and the wider public to help safeguard the future of a major UNESCO site which brings geologists, students, rock climbers, hillwalkers and other visitors from all over the world to the North West Highlands. The North West Highlands Geopark won its coveted UNESCO status in 2015, a designation estimated to be worth £8.7 million a year to UK economy through its seven UNESCO Global Geoparks. The North West Highlands Geopark brings in tourism revenue and project funding directly into scattered local communities who live in the area. The Geopark has…

Posted in Nature

Environment charities call for new approach ahead of Holyrood debate on deer

Posted on May 1, 2017 by Helen Webster

In advance of a Holyrood debate on deer management, a coalition of environmental charities is urging the Scottish Government to move forward towards a modernised system that will help deliver national targets on biodiversity, climate change and woodland expansion. The Scottish Parliament debate – on Tuesday 2 May at 2pm – follows over four years of intense scrutiny of the current arrangements by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and the cross-party Holyrood committees responsible for the environment – the Environment Climate Change and Land Reform Committee (ECCLR) – and its predecessor committee. The most recent report, published on April 7…

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100,000th member joins Walkhighlands

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Helen Webster

After passing it’s tenth birthday, the Walkhighlands community has now reached the milestone of 100,000 members. To celebrate the occasion we ran a competition on the forum for people to guess exactly when the 100,000th member would join. The closest guess – just – was Sunset tripper who wins a bottle of single malt whisky. Founded in 2006, Walkhighlands is the busiest walking site in the UK and far and away the busiest outdoors website in Scotland. The site aims to encourage the enjoyment of walking through providing the best information source and social network for walkers in Scotland. Registration…

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£200k path restoration begins on Suilven

Posted on April 13, 2017 by Helen Webster

A major programme of path repairs and upgrade work has begun on Suilven, Assynt’s famous community-owned mountain. Due to increasing popularity, fragile soils and harsh climate, the most popular approach to Suilven, beginning at Glencanisp, is rapidly deteriorating. The restoration project will set out to repair an eroded 2.5km section of the route to prevent further damage and maintain public access, and protect the rare habitat of peat bog and wet heath, along with the plants and wildlife it supports. It will aim to create a high quality, but still natural-looking path. The Suilven Path Project is a partnership between the Assynt Foundation,…

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Cairngorms Nature BIG Weekend planned for 12-14 May

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Helen Webster

The Cairngorms Nature BIG Weekend 12-14 May is a celebration of the fantastic wildlife of the Cairngorms National Park. With over 50 activities taking place across the Cairngorms National Park the organisers say there will be something for everyone, from families to the more seasoned nature lover. TV naturalist Nick Baker is the special guest again in 2017 and you can join him on a ‘Minibeast safari’ or hear him talk about his life as a wildlife presenter in Blair Atholl. Take your little ones to explore the fairies and trolls at Ryvoan, enjoy a wild sleepout with the rangers…

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Walkhighlands adds its 2,000th walking route

Posted on April 10, 2017 by Helen Webster

We’ve just added the 2,000th walking route to Walkhighlands – a milestone for the site. Having recently passed its 10th birthday, Walkhighlands has long been Scotland’s busiest outdoors website and is the most popular walking routes site in the UK. Whilst new routes are still being added – with new hillwalks and also our first coverage of the Shetland Islands planned for this year – most of the work on our routes is now on updates and the mammoth task of keeping all of the free route descriptions and maps up to date. Walkhighlands already covers walks on all of…

Posted in Magazine, News, Walkhighlands news

Enjoy the mountains safely this Easter

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Helen Webster

Mountaineering Scotland and Scottish Mountain Rescue have joined forces to alert hill goers to the hazards that hang around even after warmth returns to the hills. With the Easter break already here for some, and just around the corner for others, many more people are looking forward to spending time in the mountains. Conditions are generally good, with a milder than normal winter meaning many paths are already clear of the winter’s snow. But mountaineering experts are reminding people that winter is still capable of biting well into spring. Icy snow, sudden changes in weather, and general fitness can all…

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Hillwalkers’ opinions needed for path survey

Posted on April 5, 2017 by Helen Webster

Scottish Natural Heritage is asking regular hillwalkers to share their knowledge and experience of hill footpaths in a new survey. SNH say that Scotland’s upland paths are used and enjoyed by millions of walkers, climbers and mountain bikers every year, who contribute over £110M to the rural economy. Yet there is very little funding for upland path repair and no funding for maintenance. Both types of work are crucial to protect the landscape and fragile habitats and well maintained paths can help to create great days on the hill. The survey organisers say that, “several organisations involved in upland path…

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