Deadline near for hill walking detectives

Posted on August 30, 2013 by Helen Webster

This weekend is the last chance for hill walkers to submit photos of any bulldozed tracks they have encountered. Walkers were asked to turn detective and send in evidence which will be used by campaigners who want to show the damage done to the environment by these unregulated tracks with the aim of persuading the Planning Minister to change the law so these tracks would need planning permission before they could be constructed. Helen Todd of Ramblers Scotland and co-convener of the campaign group said: “We have long been convinced that unregulated hill tracks needed to be brought into the planning…

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Plans for new Trossachs long distance path unveiled

Posted on August 26, 2013 by Helen Webster

A new long distance route in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park that will link the West Highland Way and the Rob Roy Way has been officially named. Bruce Crawford MSP helped children from Trossachs Primary School to christen The Great Trossachs Path. The 35 mile long route is aimed at walkers and cyclists, and is due to be completed in 2015. The Great Trossachs Path will form the spine of a wider network of trails throughout The Great Trossachs Forest, a large scale woodland restoration project which extends from Inversnaid on the edge of Loch Lomond to Kilmahog…

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Swallows success and puffins static on St Kilda

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Helen Webster

Swallows and Leach's Storm Petrels are the successes from St Kilda's bird breeding season this summer, the National Trust for Scotland reports, whilst numbers of puffins have remained the same. For the first time, a pair of migrating swallows have raised three chicks on the Hebridean island of Hirta. The nest was established in a garage operated by defence contractor, Qinetiq, who agreed to leave the doors open for the duration of the breeding season. Swallows are regular summer visitors to St Kilda, but this is the first time that they have successfully raised young. Meanwhile, efforts to monitor the…

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West coast killer whales spotted off Scottish east coast

Posted on August 24, 2013 by Helen Webster

There has been a confirmed sighting of the West Coast Community of killer whales off Peterhead, the first time members of this small and highly unique population have been reported off Scotland's east coast. Video footage of the sighting, by Peterhead man Ian Nash on 20 August, clearly shows a male whale known as ‘John Coe’, identified by a very distinctive notch in his dorsal fin, along with another male and at least one female. HWDT has been monitoring the movements of this group since the early 1990s, with sightings recorded mainly in the Hebrides as well as off Ireland…

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3rd Night of Adventure planned for 2 September

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Helen Webster

For the third year running, the Hopes and Homes for Children charity is running its Night of Adventure in Edinburgh. The event will bring together an eclectic collection of explorers and daredevils to share the experiences of adventure with a live audience. The evening will be hosted by award-winning writer and journalist Nick Thorpe. This year's speakers include Mark Cooper, ultra runner who completed a run from Amsterdam to Barcelona, award-winning photographer Anna Henly, and outdoors writer, photographer and sometime Walkhighlands contributor, David Lintern. The Night of Adventure will be held on Monday 2 September at Vue Cinema, Omni Centre,…

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2013 Isle of Harris Mountain Festival

Posted on August 20, 2013 by Helen Webster

The programme has been finalised for this year's Isle of Harris Mountain Festival and there seems to be an intriguing mix of walks, talks, films, challenges and fun events. The Festival runs from 14 to 21 September and will include walks led by Alison O’Neill the “Barefoot Shepherdess” (footwear optional), golden eagle spotting and deer rutting walks, mountain walks, and the Harris 5 Peak Challenge. Chris Townsend will give a talk about his recent Scottish watershed walk, and there are also talks by Cameron McNeish, and photographer Laurie Campbell. Other events include a raft race, sea kayaking, paddle boarding, surfing,…

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Dunbartonshire & Stirling Outdoors Festival kicks off 31 August

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Helen Webster

A week on Saturday (31 August) will see opening of the third Great Outdoors Festival. Running from Saturday 31st August to Sunday 8th September the festival offers a programme of events across West and East Dunbartonshire and Stirling areas. Festival organisers say, “This is your chance to get out and about in some of Central Scotland's best settings: the Campsie Fells; the Kilpatrick Hills and the Trossachs and all the bits in between. “The Great Outdoors Festival offers walking, running and paddling and is a great way to explore the countryside. Experienced leaders guide all of the Festival’s events so…

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Wild land charity takes legal action against Highland Council

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Helen Webster

The John Muir Trust (JMT) has lodged a petition to the Court of Session for a judicial review of the decision of the Highland Council South Planning Application Committee to conditionally raise no objection to a proposed 83-turbine wind farm at Stronelairg in the heart of the Monadhliath Mountains. The decision went against the national interest objection from Scottish Natural Heritage, which stated that the development, spread over an area of 35 square kilometres, one and half times the size of Inverness, would destroy the character of one of Scotland’s key areas of wild land. Planning authorities are legally obliged…

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Use of bothies during stalking season

Posted on August 15, 2013 by Helen Webster

Walkers using Scottish bothies are being warned to check that the bothy is still open as some are used for deer stalking activities during the stalking season. The majority of bothies are unaffected but for any maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) walkers can check on their website. The MBA says that a small number of bothies are required by their owners at this time for estate purposes, and at others, a particular route to a building may be preferred. Advice, including a contact number which can be used to check the position, is provided in the individual bothy…

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Inverness screening for Cairngorms in Winter film

Posted on August 12, 2013 by Helen Webster

A feature length film showing the beauty and harshness of the Cairngorms during the winter months will be shown in Inverness on 28 August. Billed as a celebration of the UK’s largest and highest National Park, The Cairngorms in Winter with Chris Townsend, takes the viewer on a spectacular 96 minute journey through awe inspiring scenery in the heart of Scotlands mountains. Filmed during the winter of 2012, the film is a very personal account from experienced long distance walker, writer and photographer, Chris Townsend on why he loves the Cairngorms and always looks forward to returning despite having walked in some of…

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