Our Pick: walks from the Snow Roads

Posted on July 15, 2017 by Paul Webster

The Snow Roads is a 90 mile scenic route from Blairgowrie in Perthshire to Grantown-on-Spey in the Highlands. It includes the highest public road in Britain as well as several other passes which may be familiar through their regular mentions in winter traffic reports – as this is the snowiest part of the UK. The Snow Roads can be used as a superb touring route in its own right, or as an approach to the incredibly popular NC500 route around the northern Highlands. Although the distance means that the Snow Roads can easily be driven in a day, to do…

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Threat to new beaver family in the Highlands of Scotland

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Paul Webster

A family of beavers found living on a river in the Beauly area in the Scottish Highlands are to be trapped and put into captivity following a decision by Scottish Government Ministers. Trees for Life, the charity which discovered the group, says the family should either stay where they are or be relocated locally. Film from camera traps set by the conservation experts from the charity in mid-June clearly show the presence of a mother and at least two young kits swimming and playing with their mum. Trees for Life shared news of the discovery with Scottish Natural Heritage and…

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Review: AKU Alterra GTX walking boots

Posted on June 29, 2017 by Paul Webster

Recommended Price: £180 Weight: 670g AKU may be an unfamiliar brand name to UK walkers, but the Italian company has 30 years experience making boots. Although based in Treviso, Aku also have a second production base in Romania where these Alterra GTX boots are manufactured. AKU Alterra GTX boots are full-height boots that actually sit somewhere between the lightness and flexibility of trail shoes and the support of heavier boots. Much of the uppers are made from suede, with a stretchy synthetic material used for the ankle cuff and the tongue. This stretchiness means no tongue gusset is needed and…

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Review: Leki Micro Vario Carbon poles

Posted on June 6, 2017 by Paul Webster

The Micro Vario Carbon poles from Leki have a premium price tag – but are they worth it? RRP: £144.95 (pair) Weight: 229g (per pole) The first thing that strikes you about these poles is their incredibly short length when packed – just 38cm. This is possible because what initially looks like a 3 section pole is actually 5 sections – there is a single speedlock adjustable section in the handle, and another hidden section that slides inside this. To assemble them you pull out the hidden section and then – as you straighten the pole sections held together by…

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Nevis volunteers clean up the Ben to celebrate 3 Peaks Partnership

Posted on May 9, 2017 by Paul Webster

A team of volunteers and staff from the Friends of Nevis, John Muir Trust and Nevis Landscape Partnership have taken part in a triple path maintenance and clean-up operation that have taken place over the past few weeks on each of the highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales. The work parties were held to celebrate the Three Peaks Partnership, run by the organisations that manage Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon. The Partnership provides information and advice to those undertaking the Three Peaks Challenge. Every year, 30-40,000 people seek to complete the Challenge by reaching the three summits in a…

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Our pick: Walks from the NC500, Part 2

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Paul Webster

This is the second part of our pick of walks from the NC500 road-trip route around the North of Scotland. The first half can be read here. Glencanisp circuit, Lochinver The NC500 continues northwards from Ledmore junction, passing the atmospheric ruins of Ardvreck Castle before turning onto the A837 to head for Lochinver. From here the remarkable outline of Suilven dominates the landscape; there’s a great circular walk here starting up the River Inver that gives views not just of Suilven but of Quinag and Canisp too. Handa Island From Lochinver the NC500 takes the switchback B869 road, passing a…

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Appeal for information after another satellite-tagged eagle “disappears”

Posted on April 1, 2017 by Paul Webster

RSPB Scotland has today issued an appeal for information following the disappearance of a satellite tagged golden eagle near Strathdon in Aberdeenshire. The young male eagle was fitted with a transmitter by a licensed raptor study group member, before it fledged from a nest in Deeside in the summer of 2016. Data received from the tag allowed conservationists to study the movements of the bird, known as “338”, as it explored north-east Scotland’s countryside. As with most young eagles, the bird spent the first few weeks after fledging in the area around its nest, before moving further away as it…

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Mountaineering Scotland objects to Glen Etive phone mast

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Paul Webster

Mountaineers have called on Highland Council to reject a bid to site a phone mast right next to the road down Glen Etive, one of Scotland’s most famed and beautiful glens. Telecomms company EE has sought permission to site a 10m-high phone mast and ancillary structures at the roadside in the glen, at a prominent corner near the southern end of Buachaille Etive Mor. Mountaineering Scotland has objected to the planning application, arguing that the mast – and two others being considered for the glen – would be visually intrusive in a landscape that has featured in tourism publicity and…

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Beavers are back for good

Posted on November 24, 2016 by Paul Webster

The Scottish Government has announced today that the Eurasian beaver is to be formally recognised as a native species, 400 years after being hunted to extinction in the UK. The two lead partners in the Scottish Beaver Trial – the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and the Scottish Wildlife Trust – have warmly welcomed the decision. Returning beavers to Scotland’s lochs and rivers is the first formal mammal reintroduction in UK history. Today’s announcement is a major success story for conservation, and the culmination of nearly two decades’ work, said the two partners, adding that they are delighted to…

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NTS monitoring shows recovery of Beinn a’ Bhuird track

Posted on November 10, 2016 by Paul Webster

Shortly after buying Mar Lodge Estate in the late 1990’s, the National Trust for Scotland set about removing the bulldozed Land-Rover track which was a very visible scar up Beinn a’ Bhuird. The NTS ecology team have recently been out monitoring the re-vegetation which has followed the ground-breaking restoration work. These fixed point photos show that the re-vegetation is progressing nicely and you can see a huge difference between 2002 and 2016, which has greatly reduced the visual impact on the landscape.

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