July’s winning reports are all about the animals. Mountain Dog wins the £100 outdoor gear voucher from Highlander for “Alfie’s Penultimate with a high camp and Bothy first“. Congratulations – the judges loved reading about this Highland adventure. The £50 runner up Highlander voucher goes to KatTai for “Eriskay – In search of unicorns.” Ok, so no actual unicorns but plenty of beautiful ponies, seals, dogs and a cuckoo. Every month £150 of Highlander vouchers are up for grabs, just post a walk report for a chance of winning – see details here.
Common Ground: Nick Gardner
In our Common Ground series of short interviews, we aim to find out what makes our fellow outdoor enthusiasts tick, the experiences they share and their hopes for the future. Our latest interviewee is Nick Gardner who after turning 80 challenged himself to climb all 282 Munros, succeeding in just over 2 years and raising thousands of pounds for dementia and osteoporosis charities after his wife Janet was diagnosed with both conditions. Can you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your background? I come from a working class background in Leicester, England and was educated at one…
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Posted in Common Ground interviews, Magazine
Walks from Edinburgh by public transport
This is the second in our series of articles on a selection of walks you can reach by public transport from Scotland’s cities – check out the previous piece for public transport walks from Glasgow. We also have many walks within the city of Edinburgh itself – including each of Edinburgh’s Seven Hills. Tips for using Walkhighlands Whether you are using the free Walkhighlands app that lets you download our detailed route descriptions and GPS mapping for use offline, or just using the website, when doing any walk search you can specify if you are looking for walks that are accessible by public transport…
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Contrasting walk reports win Highlander gear prizes
Every month, the winner of our walk report of the month competition, sponsored by Highlander Outdoor, wins £100 of vouchers to spend on their outdoor gear, with £50 of vouchers for the runner up. It’s been a real joy to read the reports from June, lots of mini and epic adventures here and abroad. Choosing winners was really hard though with quite a few just missing out. However in the end Click here for Inspiration by Claire_jane9 won through. Congratulations – a £100 voucher is on its way to you. And for giving us a proper belly laugh the runner up prize…
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Gear review: Trail and walking shoes
All these trail shoes have been tested by over the last few months in a range of Scottish locations and conditions. Weight is per pair and for the size tested – note that we tested half in women’s and half in men’s. As usual on Walkhighlands, we don’t sell gear ourselves and so the prices stated are RRP – you will often find them on sale for less. Salewa Mountain Trainer 2 GTX RRP: £200Weight: 938g (Women’s UK 6)Upper: Leather/textile with Gore-Tex membraneSole: Vibram A heavier, stiffer shoe than most on test, these will be suitable for three season use as…
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New shuttle bus service to launch in the Trossachs
Popular walking destinations in the Trossachs including Ben A’an and Ben Ledi will have a shuttle bus service this summer. In a bid to help reduce emissions, congestion and parking issues, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority is introducing the Trossachs Explorer. The bus will run between Aberfoyle and Callander during the peak summer months and will stop at several popular visitor locations on the route, including Loch Katrine, Ben A’an and Ben Venue. The seven day a week service has been planned to tie in with bus services from Stirling and Glasgow to allow visitors from those…
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Our pick: 10 walks to tidal islands
Islands. For many people, there’s a special feeling when you leave the mainland behind. Usually this means taking a boat – but there are also many islands to which you can walk across the sands, a causeway, or stony shores at low tide. Look at the map and spot all those Isle Ornsays and Oronsays – the name comes from the old Norse Örfirisey meaning “tidal” or “ebb island”. The walks below require a little more planning than most – so make sure you check those tide tables carefully if you want to avoid becoming stranded. Vallay, North Uist, Outer…
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Ben Nevis via the Arête and a Helicopter Rescue
May was a great walking month with lots of wonderful walk reports on the Walkhighlands forum as a result. Every month, two winning Walk Reports are chosen, with the winners taking £150 of vouchers to spend on outdoor gear at Highlander. The winning report is ChelseaMurray’s We done it!! an enthusiastic report of a great day on Ben Nevis tackling the summit via the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête. Congratulations – a £100 voucher for outdoor gear from Highlander Outdoor is on its way to you. A £50 voucher is also on it’s way to Alan54 for A Great Day on Stob Bàn…before a…
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Gear review: Day packs – 2024
With so many packs on the market it can be hard to choose. One of the main differences between them is the back system. Either a suspended system (sometimes called a trampoline system), which is cooler as it holds the pack away from the body but can feel less stable and have less packable space, or a contact back which does what it says on the tin and feels more stable but is sweatier, or some hybrid combination of the two. Design and comfort of shoulder and hip and chest belts as well as back length are important, especially if…
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Common Ground: Linda Cracknell
Our latest Common Ground interviewee is Linda Cracknell, a Perthshire-based writer of both fiction and non-fiction. Linda was a columnist on Walkhighlands for several years, and also teaches creative writing. Her moving account of her walks retracing the footsteps of others – Doubling Back – is being republished by Saraband on Thursday 16th May; there will be a launch event in Aberfeldy on 23rd May. Can you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your background? I grew up in Surrey and spent my teenage years escaping suburbia by pedalling out towards open heathland. While studying English literature…
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