walkhighlands



Welcome back – but be responsible

It’s going to be great to once again have freedom to travel around Scotland more than 5 miles from home, from Friday 3rd July. But we need to all think carefully when planning where we head out beyond our local area this weekend. On the one hand, it’s going to be a good idea to pick somewhere not too obvious, off the beaten track, to avoid overcrowding. On the other hand, Mountain Rescue teams are going to be stretched with slower response times and fewer team members available than normal – so it is a good idea to stay well

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Posted in Access issues, Magazine, Nature, News, Walkhighlands news

Scotland leisure travel limit to be lifted on 3th July

The Scottish Government announced today that they are planning to remove the 5 mile limit on leisure travel on the 3rd July. This means that day trips to the hills will be possible for all at last. Self-catering accommodation which has its own private facilities can also reopen from that date. The indicative dates announced today include: Travel distance restriction relaxed – 3 July Self-catering accommodation and second homes (without shared facilities) permitted – 3 July Outdoor hospitality (subject to physical distancing rules and public health advice) – 6 July People can meet in extended groups outdoors (with physical distancing) – 10 July Households can meet indoors with up

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Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News, Walkhighlands news

Scotland’s mountain hares gain protected status

The unlicensed mass culling of mountain hares has been outlawed, in a landmark amendment passed at Holyrood last night. The rural affairs minister Mairi Gougeon announced that the Scottish Government would back the amendment, which was proposed by Green parliamentary co-leader Alison Johnstone. Ms Johnstone said “I’m delighted the Scottish Government has finally given in to pressure to protect this iconic native species. This has come about because of the overwhelming public support for my amendment, for which I am very grateful.” In the debate, she paid tribute to the work of the legendary ecologist Adam Watson, who died last

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Posted in Magazine, Nature

Scottish tourism asked to prepare to reopen from July 15

Scotland’s tourism minister Fergus Ewing has told Scotland’s tourism businesses to prepare to reopen on July 15th, conditional on Scotland reaching stage 3 of its lockdown easing plan. The final decision on whether to go ahead will be made at the 9th July review. Restrictions on travel outside of people’s local area are expected to lift from the 15th July, which will see a return to hillwalking for people who live some distance from the mountains. However, he also wanted that “absolutely nothing can be guaranteed” and the date could be changed if infection rates do not continue to fall.

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Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News, Walkhighlands news

Legal killing of 1-in-5 Scottish beavers spotlights need for fresh approach

The killing of 87 beavers in Scotland – one fifth of the country’s population – proves there is an urgent need for humans to live more sympathetically alongside beavers across Britain, the Beaver Trust has said. The Trust said lethal control of the animals for agricultural reasons should only ever be a last resort, and that options such as relocating beavers to areas where they could benefit the landscape and be welcomed by local people should be considered. The scale of the officially sanctioned lethal control of beavers in Scotland in 2019 was revealed in a report released by Scottish

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Posted in Magazine, Nature

Life under lockdown: Stories from those working in rural tourism and the outdoors

Scotland has been in lockdown now for more than eight weeks, and many of us have been missing getting out in the hills or visiting our favourite places. But how is this affecting the businesses that serve us all? Tourism is Scotland’s biggest employer, providing more jobs than oil, food and drink, financial services or manufacturing, across the whole country. But it’s even more crucial to communities in remoter areas like the Highlands and Islands. Not only do so many people here work directly in tourism, but other rural businesses such as retail and construction also depend on money from

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Posted in Magazine, News

Coronavirus message in Scotland to remain “Stay Home”

Walkhighlands usual role is to promote and celebrate exploring Scotland on foot. Since restrictions on travel were first imposed from Coronavirus, we have kept our messaging across the website and our social media to reflect the latest government advice and the lockdown legal restrictions. The above box is shown across Walkhighlands. This is the message from the Scottish Government, and relates to the advice that applies in Scotland. It will be updated when the advice changes. The Scottish Government has stated that the slogan ‘Stay Home – Save Lives’ will stay in place tonight. We are aware we have users

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Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News, Walkhighlands news

Book review – Wild Light

I know from our social media pages – and my own experience – that looking at photographs of nature, and of wild landscapes and well-loved places that are currently out of reach are a comfort for many of us in trying to get through these testing times. So I was delighted when this stunning book of Scottish panoramas – taken by Craig Aitchison – dropped through the letterbox for review. Craig was the inaugural winner of the Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year competition, and this is his second book – following on from the successful The Highlands: Land &

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Posted in Books, Gear reviews, Magazine

Coronavirus advice for walkers

We have deleted this post of advice from March 18 as the advice has been superceded. Click on the green box above for current advice. Stay at Home.

Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News

Coronavirus Update from Scottish Mountain Rescue

Please note this story was published on 19th March and has been superseded by the ‘Stay at home’ message and advice as shown above. Scottish Mountain Rescue have issued the following statement: “Following recent reporting around the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, we want to take this opportunity to provide some updates on our current situation. Scottish Mountain Rescue teams are continually reviewing their action plans to ensure they can provide a continuous service within Search & Rescue to safeguard both teams and the service to the general public. Being in the outdoors has many benefits and we are usually very happy

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Posted in Access issues, News


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You should always carry a backup means of navigation and not rely on a single phone, app or map. Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Information is provided free of charge; it is every walker's responsibility to check it and to navigate safely.