Win one of three 60 litre Mammut Cargon holdalls

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Paul Webster

We have three 60 litre Mammut Cargons to win in this exclusive Walkhighlands competition. Simply answer the following question using the form below: How many sizes is the Mammut Cargon holdall available in? Mammut also have ten Baby Mammuts up for grabs, for a chance to win these go to their Facebook page. Product Details The Mammut Cargon is a heavy duty holdall perfect for expedition and travel use. Available in 5 sizes from a weekend-away 40 litres through to a whopping 140 litres, there is a Cargon for whatever trip you have planned. Anatomically shaped backpack straps make carrying…

Posted in Uncategorized

Our pick: Standing Stones and circles

Posted on August 30, 2015 by Paul Webster

Scotland’s first settlers arrived over 10,000 years ago, and even today there are incredible monuments to the peoples of long ago. Burial cairns, brochs, hut circles and other remains are abundant across much of the mainland and islands, but it is standing stones that perhaps draw the strongest reactions from visitors. For standing stones and circles the mystery is often around their purpose – something that has been subject to speculation by archaeologists for many years. Here’s a few of Scotland’s finest: Callanish, Isle of Lewis One of the most spectacular and celebrated monuments in the country, Callanish – set…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Our picks

Two more red kites illegally killed in Highlands

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Paul Webster

Two more red kites have been confirmed by Scottish Government testing to have been illegally killed in north Scotland. Both of these incidents took place in 2014 and are now being made public as the Police have concluded their enquiries. The first victim was found last June near Beauly, and was subsequently confirmed by post-mortem, at the SAC Veterinary laboratory in Inverness, to have been shot. The second red kite was found in September 2014, some 5 kilometres south-east of Cawdor village in Nairnshire. It was confirmed by Scottish Government testing to have been illegally poisoned with a banned pesticide.…

Posted in Nature

Walkers urged to check for deer stalking info as season under way

Posted on August 20, 2015 by Paul Webster

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) has launched a revamped version of the Heading for the Scottish Hills service, which allows walkers to check ahead for possible deer stalking taking place on estates. This helps reduce the chance of disturbing stag stalking during the peak season from late summer to 20th October. The new service covers more hills and is now accessible from mobiles and tablets. The information – which has also been built into each of the relevant Walkhighlands route descriptions for the 2015 season, as well as pdfs on the Heading for the Scottish Hills website – includes details on…

Posted in Access issues

Glen Coe Skyline race ‘unlikely to inconvenience hillwalkers’

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Paul Webster

This Saturday (22nd August) will see the Salomon Skyline race held in Glencoe. One of six races in the 2015 Skyrunning UK calendar, the ‘SGCS’ has been one of the most anticipated races in the UK in recent years. Shane Ohly from Ourea Events and course planner Gary Tompsett have come up with a very difficult route, that has turned the heads of not only the running world but also the media, with plans for the race attracting some controversy. The race begins up Curved Ridge, a grade 3 scramble on Buachaille Etive Mor, before dropping down to the Lairig…

Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News

Our pick: Scotland’s mountains from the roadside

Posted on August 5, 2015 by Paul Webster

For our latest gallery we’ve picked out some of Scotland’s most dramatic mountain landscapes that can be seen from the roadside. Inevitably this means many of these mountains rank amongst the country’s best known… but we’ve hopefully included a few surprises too! An Teallach, Dundonnell near Ullapool Many hillwalkers rank mighty An Teallach as Scotland’s finest mountain. Its two Munros and the Corrag Bhuidhe pinnacles are well seen from several roadside viewpoints; one classic view is a distant one from Loch Droma on the A835 Ullapool road, but the photo above is more up close and imtimate, from the ‘Destitution…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Our picks

Wild land protected as Allt Duine windfarm refused

Posted on July 30, 2015 by Paul Webster

One of Scotland’s most controversial proposed wind farms – on officially designated ‘wild land’ in the Monadhliath – has been rejected by Scottish Government ministers following a public enquiry and lengthy delays. Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “The Scottish Government’s policy on wind farms strikes a careful balance between maximising Scotland’s huge green energy potential and protecting some of our most scenic landscape and wild areas. We have been clear that wind farms can only be built in the right places and Scottish Planning Policy sets out rigorous steps to ensure wind farms are sited appropriately and sensitively. “I…

Posted in Nature, News

Trust hails rejection of Flow Country wind farm due to wild land impact

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Paul Webster

The John Muir Trust today welcomed the decision by Scotland’s Energy Minister Fergus Ewing to reject an application for a major wind farm adjacent to the East Halladale Flows Wild Land Area in Caithness. The development would have led to the erection of 24 turbines up to 456 feet high, as well as foundations roads, tracks, transmission lines and other infrastructure in an area renowned for its unique landscape and ecosystem. But following a Public Local Inquiry, the scheme has been rejected because of its potential impact on the Wild Land Areas map, which was developed by Scottish Natural Heritage…

Posted in Nature

Police Appeal: Missing Person

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Paul Webster

Police Scotland have asked us to help share an appeal for information on the whereabouts of Jackson Alexander Kennedy Reid. Jackson, 42, of Pollokshaws Road, Glasgow, has been missing since 26 June 2015. He is described as 6ft, white, with short dark brown hair. He was last seen wearing a dark grey hooded fleece top and dark grey bottoms. He was also carrying a grey backpack with black panels and is believed to be in possession of camping equipment. Jackson was possibly last sighted up in the Aviemore area on 4 July. There is no guarantee that Jackson is still…

Posted in News

Humpback whale in the Clyde

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Paul Webster

An adult humpback whale, possibly greater than 12 metres in length, has been sighted in the Firth of Clyde this week – the fifth such whale to be seen off western Scotland in the past month, compared with a usual total of just one or two per year. The whale was sighted off Tighnabruaich in the Kyles of Bute on 6 July. On 8 July it surfaced alongside the Scottish Ocean Youth Trust’s yacht, spouting and swimmingly strongly in a northward direction into Loch Fyne. The whale was observed breaching out of the water and lob-tailing – a dramatic manoeuvre…

Posted in Nature