Busy year for mountaineering body

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Helen Webster

For the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (the MCofS) the last year has been spent safeguarding Scotland's mountains and supporting the people who use them. The 2013 Annual Report from the MCofS, the representative body for mountaineering in Scotland, has been published and highlights a year which has seen membership and the range of activities increase, with particular emphasis on safety, and the protection of Scotland’s remaining unspoilt mountain landscape, as well as encouraging the next generation of mountaineers. Chief Officer David Gibson said: “We have been active in opposing some of the increasing threats to Scotland’s mountains and wild land…

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Heatstroke warning to walkers and climbers

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Helen Webster

Climbers and walkers are being warned to be careful of overheating and dehydration. More accustomed to coping with the cold and wet, people taking to the hills during the hot weather will have a different set of problems to face. “Even experienced climbers can be caught out by the heat,” said Heather Morning, Mountain Safety Adviser with the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS). “Dehydration, heat exhaustion and heatstroke, which is potentially fatal, are all possibilities in this weather. Climbers and walkers should be aware of the signs to look out for in themselves and in their companions.” The MCofS says…

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Fire warning for Highlands heatwave

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Helen Webster

A large wildlife has already burnt a large area of heath and plantation near Laggan and the current tinderbox conditions have lead the Cairngorms National Park Authority (CPNA) to issue a special warning as part of a wider message to people enjoying the outdoors. The CNPA's Tread Lightly campaign focuses on five key areas of responsible outdoor access covering camping and litter, outdoor cooking, toilets, fires, and dogs but with prolonged dry spells and breezy conditions, it’s the issue of lighting fires that is of the utmost concern at the moment. Fran Pothecary, the CNPA’s Outdoor Access Officer explained: “The…

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Beavers to be considered for Cairngorms

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Helen Webster

The Cairngorms National Park Authority is to look into the potential for reintroducing beavers to the area next year. A trial reintroduction project at Knapdale in Argyll is due to end in 2014 and beavers are also living wild in the River Tay catchment area. The National Park has published a Cairngorms Nature Action Plan which includes a range of measures to ensure the area continues to be home to creatures such as red squirrels, Scottish wildcats, capercaillie, freshwater pearl mussels as well as looking into the possibility of reintroducing beavers and the Eurasian crane, which were once native to…

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Friends of Nevis summer events

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Helen Webster

Friends of Nevis have the following events planned for this summer. A Path Maintenance weekend on Friday 26 and Saturday 27th July. We hope (weather permitting) to work both higher up on Ben Nevis up by the zig-zags and then on the Mamore Grazing path along by the Lower Falls in the Glen. For the higher work you’ll need a good level of hill walking fitness but the for the work lower down you just need to be reasonably fit as the path is relatively level. With notice we can assist those travelling with accommodation. Please note that booking for…

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Braemar and Loch Tay bus services will help walkers

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Helen Webster

Two summer bus services are now operating which may help hillwalkers who rely on public transport or encourage some to leave the car at home for the day. A new bus service now links Braemar with Blairgowrie and is likely to be useful to walkers. The service will run over the summer months until 28 September and also links to Aberdeen in the north. You can check out the timetable here. Also operating for the second year running is the Ring of Breadalbane Explorer. This hop-on hop-off circular service runs in both directions on the Killin-Aberfeldy-Crieff-Comrie ‘Ring’ which is home…

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Save Monadhliath Mountains calls for policy consistency

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Helen Webster

The Save Monadhliath Mountains (SMM) campaign is calling on the Government to maintain policy consistency when deciding the fate of the 31-turbine Allt Duine wind farm in the Monadhliath Mountains after the recent decision by the Scottish Government to reject the Glenkirk application on both wild land grounds and on the basis of the significant adverse effects on the Cairngorms National Park (CNP or the Park). Just a few days after the Allt Duine public local inquiry report was passed by the Reporter to the Energy Consents and Deployment Unit for civil servants to consider and deliver a recommendation to…

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Wildfires, camping and being caught short on the hills

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Helen Webster

Camping and campfires go together in many people's minds. But the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) is warning against that tradition in the current hot spell as well as highlighting the potential danger of burning toilet paper on the hills. Warm temperatures and lack of rain dry out vegetation and the ground itself and greatly increase the danger of even the smallest of fires getting out of control. Heather Morning, MCofS Mountain Safety Adviser, warned: “The idea of sitting around a campfire is a romantic one but it can all too quickly turn into a nightmare. “Dry grass catches fire…

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Battle of the beasties now that summer's here

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Helen Webster

The scourge of walkers, climbers and tourists alike, clouds of biting midges are one of Scotland's less attractive attractions. Ticks, too, have earned the enmity of anyone who has had to take the tweezers to remove that charming beast that loves to burrow its head in our skin and suck our lifeblood. But in the interests of fairness, Heather Morning, Mountain Safety Advisor with the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, has been doing some research to see if there is a positive side to these wee beasties. She asks, “In a ‘head to head’ battle, does the midge or the tick…

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Conservation charities' land management boosts economy

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Helen Webster

A study by the Centre for Mountain Studies at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) has found that Scotland's five main landowning conservation charities, contribute significantly, to the Scottish economy, even though they own just 2.6 per cent of land. The report, which was submitted to the Scottish Land Reform Review Group, focuses on the socio-economic benefits that flow from the ownership and management of land by the John Muir Trust, the National Trust for Scotland, RSPB Scotland, the Scottish Wildlife Trust and Woodland Trust Scotland. Among the key findings, the report found that as well as protecting…

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