John Muir Trust congratulates Scottish Government for upholding Wild Land map and refusing Glencassley and Sallachy windfarms

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Helen Webster

The John Muir Trust today congratulated the Scottish Government on making the right decision to refuse consent for wind farm developments at Glencassley and Sallachy in the far north of Scotland, thereby upholding the principles of the Wild Land Areas map. Stuart Brooks, Chief Executive at the John Muir Trust, said: “This is tremendous news for everyone who has worked to highlight that these developments were proposed in the wrong place. “We are particularly delighted that the Scottish Government is following through and using the Wild Land Areas map to provide protection to Scotland’s nationally important wild land areas.” Helen…

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Fort William Mountain Festival programme announced

Posted on November 17, 2015 by Helen Webster

The line up has been announced for next year’s Fort William Mountain Festival taking place from Wednesday 17 to Sunday 21 February 2016. Festival organisers say that February is the perfect time of year to experience the stunning landscape of Fort William and Lochaber first hand, with the best winter walking, climbing and snowsport conditions of the year. The Festival offers talks from top climbers and mountaineers, mountain bikers, back country skiers and mountain filmmakers, together with exhilarating film screenings from cutting edge outdoor athletes and adventurers; mountain skills workshops and exhibitions. The Scottish Awards for Excellence in Mountain Culture…

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Tree rescue appeal launched for West Affric woodlands

Posted on November 12, 2015 by Helen Webster

Conservation charity Trees for Life has launched an emergency rescue appeal to protect tens of thousands of young trees on West Affric from grazing deer. A new generation of trees, many planted by Trees for Life volunteers, has become established on West Affric over the past 20 years, after Trees for Life and the National Trust for Scotland created a series of 10 fenced areas. These areas keep large grazing animals out and were designed to boost the recovery of native woodland by preventing the pressure of browsing deer. But recent damage to the fences has left many of these…

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MCofS Winter Safety evenings announced

Posted on November 6, 2015 by Helen Webster

The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) is again offering a series of mountain safety talks this winter and has just announced the dates. In this free lecture, Heather Morning, the Mountain Safety Advisor at the MCofS will share her beautiful photography, videos, personal anecdotes and adventures, while discussing essential skills for winter navigation, avalanche awareness, route choice, equipment, mountain weather and much more. With a lifetime’s experience in the mountains, Heather has been a professional mountaineer for 25 years and for the last 12 years has been an active member of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team. Places are free but…

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TV series to showcase Loch Lomond National Park

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Helen Webster

A new four-part Channel 5 TV series is set to showcase the landscapes and wildlife of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park. The first episode of the four week series will be broadcast on Tuesday, November 10 at 8pm. “Loch Lomond: A Year in the Wild” will capture the changing seasons in the magnificent landscapes in the Loch Lomond area. The documentary features some of Scotland’s finest wildlife including golden eagles, black grouse, red deer, ospreys and mountain hares. The first episode “Spring – the season of new life”, offers a rare glimpse into the lives of secretive…

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Mountain writing competition sees capital writers take the top prizes

Posted on November 5, 2015 by Helen Webster

Edinburgh writers have almost swept the boards in an MCofS competition to find the best of mountain writing. Four out of the six winners in the Mountaineering Council of Scotland’s annual Mountain Writing Competition came from the capital. First in the prose category was Nancy Somerville, of Murieston Road, and the first second and third in the poetry category were Claire Askew, of Warriston Drive; Russell Jones, of Dalgety Street, and Marjorie Gill, of Lauder Road. The two non-Edinburgh winners were second equal in the prose section: Edward Shelley, from West Kilbride, and George Gall, from Gateside, near Cupar. The…

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Mountain Aid winter talks announced

Posted on November 2, 2015 by Helen Webster

Mountain Aid are again organising a series of free winter talks this November entitled “Walking in a Winter Wonderland”. The speaker, Mick Tighe, is a qualified mountain guide of long standing and was for many years, the Training Officer for Scottish Mountain Rescue. The talks will be based in university venues but are open to all. The organisers say that these talks are aimed at those who are used to summer hill walking and want to continue to enjoy Scottish mountains in winter conditions. Mick’s talks have many illustrations of the splendours of the hills in winter, but also include…

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Rannoch wind farm plans thrown out

Posted on October 30, 2015 by Helen Webster

Mountaineers and wild land campaigners are delighted to hear that a threat to build a wind farm on the edges of Rannoch Moor has been thrown out. The application to build the Talladh-a-bheithe wind farm, which would have seen 24 giant wind turbines, together with bulldozed access tracks, buildings and infrastructure, on an area of raised moorland between Loch Rannoch and Loch Ericht, has been ruled ‘not competent’ by Scottish Ministers. A letter issued by the Scottish Government’s Energy and Climate Change Directorate noted that the application was received on 23 June 2014, but that the applicant, Talladh-A-Bheithe Wind Farm…

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Beauly-Denny access road planning application branded “utter disgrace”

Posted on October 29, 2015 by Helen Webster

The Highland Council has been strongly urged to reject a bid by Culachy Estate to overturn planning conditions on a section of the controversial Beauly-Denny power line. The estate, near Fort Augustus, has sought permission to make permanent nearly 8 kilometres of temporary access track and two bridges, running almost parallel to the famous Wade Military Road through the Corrieyairack Pass in the Monadhliath. The track is part of the access road for construction of the power line, given approval after a long battle between developers Scottish Hydro-Electric Transmission Limited (part of SSE) and conservationists, and only granted permission on the condition…

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Cheaper ferry fares for Clyde and Inner Hebrides

Posted on October 26, 2015 by Helen Webster

Lower cost ferry fares are being rolled out today on the remaining routes in the Clyde and Hebrides ferry network. The road equivalent tariff (RET) was first introduced for non-commercial vehicles and passengers for routes to the Outer Hebrides, Coll and Tiree in 2008. The cheaper fares have since been expanded to include Islay, Colonsay and Gigha. Today (Mon 26 October) the remaining 14 routes in the Clyde and Hebrides network will join RET with the Scottish Government estimating that car fares reduce by an average of 55% and passenger fares by 44%. The reduced fares introduced today are on…

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