Police still hopeful on Henry Moore sculpture theft

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Helen Webster

Police Scotland still hope to catch the thieves who stole a £3 million Henry Moore Sculpture, despite only receiving a slow response to an appeal made on the TV show Crimewatch. The sculpture was stolen from Glenkiln Sculpture Park in Dumfries and Galloway last October. The 7ft tall Standing Figure A police spokesperson said that – in spite of only a low number of calls – they were confident that they would be able to trace the theives. The 7ft tall Standing Figure had been on open public display, along with three further Henry Moore pieces, for many decades before…

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Doug Scott lecture dates announced

Posted on June 4, 2014 by Helen Webster

Mountaineer Doug Scott will again be setting out on a lecture tour this autumn and winter, raising money for his charity, Community Action Nepal (CAN). Doug's lectures are famous for his personal and thought provoking commentary, illustrated with his stunning photography of the world’s most spectacular mountain landscapes. The lectures are usually accompanied by an auction of signed photographs and other items and there are usually posters and cards for sale. All profits from the lecture tour go to CAN. The Scottish lectures will be, “The Three Peaks: Everest, K2 and Kangchenjunga”, described by the organisers as,”a stunningly illustrated talk,…

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Snow warning for Ben Nevis

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Helen Webster

Heather Morning, Mountain Safety Officer with the MCofS is warning that winter is still lingering on the roof of Scotland and that anyone heading to Ben Nevis should be aware of late lying snow and be cautious. Last winter Scotland experienced exceptionally high levels of snow fall in the mountains and, with mid-summer's day approaching, a surprising amount of that snow still remains. This means anyone heading up Ben Nevis will be walking on snow covered terrain, in some places up to a metre in depth still. Heather said: “Walking on snow in summer can really add to your day…

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New ambulance Land Rover for Assynt MRT

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Helen Webster

Assynt Mountain Rescue Team officially received their new ambulance Land Rover, funded by the care charity St John Scotland, today. Specially converted, this vehicle is vital for Assynt Mountain Rescue Team to continue to operate as one of the third emergency services. Providing vital support to communities in Sutherland and Caithness, Assynt Mountain Rescue can assist those in rural or mountainous areas. They were the first of the Mountain Rescue teams to receive a Land Rover Defender 110 in 1998 through St John funding. This new vehicle in 2014 continues to ensure there are ambulance resources for mountain rescue in…

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A living memorial for WW1 heroes

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Helen Webster

Scotland's First World War heroes will be commemorated with new native woodland in the Pentland Hills south of Edinburgh. The Woodland Trust Scotland is working in partnership with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO) to create Scotland's First World War Centenary Wood, one of four to be planted by the charity across the UK which will create a living memorial of the conflict. Over the next four years more than 50,000 trees including oak, birch and rowan will be planted on land that has been used by army personnel for training for more than a century on the MOD training estate…

Posted in Nature

JMT welcomes Land Reform proposals on deer numbers

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Helen Webster

The John Muir Trust has welcomed the analyses and recommendations made on deer management in Scotland by the Land Reform Review Group, published last week. Section 32 of the report, Wild Deer, recognises that “Scotland's population of native red and roe deer are important national assets that should be sustainably managed in the public interest”. The report also notes that for 50 years, despite repeated warnings by the responsible authorities (Red Deer Commission; Deer Commission Scotland; Scottish Natural Heritage), wild deer numbers have continued to rise. Consequently, there are a range of negative social, economic, animal welfare and environment impacts.…

Posted in Nature

Survey to save rare Scottish bird

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Helen Webster

One of Scotland's rarest birds will be the subject of a national survey to see how the population is faring after years of decline. In Scotland, choughs are only found in a small area of the south-west, with a remarkable 90% of the birds making their home on the island of Islay. A member of the crow, or corvid, family, choughs primarily feed on insects and larvae and in particular those that are found in the dung of cattle. A team of surveyors has now begun work to chart the fortunes of the charismatic birds, known for their striking red…

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Scottish Government rejects call for more National Parks

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Helen Webster

At a time when Scotland is celebrating the contribution of a great Scot, John Muir, to the worldwide National Park movement over 100 years ago, the Scottish Government has been criticised by some conservation bodies for placing roadblocks in the way of the creation of more National Parks. In recent weeks the Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP) and The Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS) have stepped up their calls for more National Parks to be considered as part of a push to protect more of Scotland’s outstanding landscapes and to provide an economic boost to some…

Posted in Access issues, Nature

Walker dies in Ben Alder fall

Posted on May 29, 2014 by Helen Webster

A hillwalker died on Saturday after falling more than 1000ft from Ben Alder. Daniel Leaf aged 55 from Edinburgh, fell from from The Prow on Ben Alder. Other members of the walking party he was with raised the alarm and he was taken off the mountain by a Royal Navy search and rescue helicopter. It is understood that Mr Leaf left a wife and son.

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Lower ferry fares promised for Clyde and Hebrides routes

Posted on May 28, 2014 by Helen Webster

Lower ferry fares will be introduced on the remaining routes in the Clyde and Hebrides in October 2015. Road equivalent tariffs (RET) have been operational on routes to the Outer Hebrides, Coll and Tiree since 2008. Following the success of these routes, which coincided with a boom in tourism to the Outer Hebrides the scheme was rolled out to include Islay, Colonsay and Gigha in 2012 and Arran is set to be included later this year. Announcing the roll out to the remaining Clyde and Hebrides routes, Transport Minister Keith Brown said the roll out would involve a further 14…

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