This August will see some disruption for walkers planning routes or bothy trips from Loch Arkaig as the road will be closed during the evening and night for the duration of the month. The 6pm to 6am closure is to allow contractors to carry out essential works relating to connecting the new hydro electric scheme. The closure will commence at the junction of the C1153, the Loch Arkaig road, travelling in a westerly direction for 2km to Achnasaul. The closure will start from Monday 3rd August 2015 until Friday 28th August 2015. The road will close each night at 6pm…

Ramblers Scotland and the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) are urging the public to oppose the ban on wild camping proposed for large areas of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. Last October, the National Park held a public consultation on proposals to introduce byelaws to ban camping in response to over-crowding and incidents of antisocial behaviour in the national park. Just over half of all respondents said they didn’t want this restriction to their rights. However the National Park wants to go ahead with this part of the proposals and has asked the Environment Minister, Aileen McLeod,…

Hill walkers heading for the Glenfinnan area are being warned by the MCofS about access difficulties due to a bridge replacement scheme on the A830 to Mallaig, affecting the normal route up the Corbett Sgurr an Utha. Work is due to begin to replace Utha Bridge, about 2 ½ km west of Glenfinnan village, this month and is likely to take about nine months until well into 2016. The project will involve closing the existing carriageway and diverting traffic over a temporary bridge while demolition and construction takes place – a traffic light system will be put in place. Unfortunately…

The Ring of Breadalbane Explorer mini bus service has started running for the 2015 summer season. It will operate on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Sundays until Sunday 18th October and is a useful service for walkers and cyclists wanting to do linear routes or those without their own transport. The “hop-on hop-off” service connects Crieff, Comrie, St Fillans, Lochearnhead, Killin, Kenmore, Acharn and Aberfeldy on a circular route, providing easy access to the area’s top tourist attractions including the Birks Cinema, Auchingarrich Wildlife Centre, Dewar’s Aberfeldy Distillery, the Scottish Crannog Centre and Highland Safaris. Running both clockwise and anti-clockwise four-times daily…

A temporary footbridge across the Derry Burn at the foot of Glen Derry has now been put in place by Mar Lodge Estate workers with the bridge funded by ScotWays. The original bridge was torn from its foundations and swept downstream during spate conditions last August. The temporary bridge is likely to be in place for a couple of years until the Estate is able to build a permanent crossing in the area. The bridge provides an essential link in the most commonly-used route through the famous Lairig Ghru Pass as well as accessing a number of mountain routes.

The board of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority has today approved plans including a large extension to the current East Lochlomondside summer wild camping ban. The plans which received more than 300 responses from the public, including objections from Ramblers Scotland and the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, will now go to the Scottish Government for a final decision by a minister. If approved, the National Park hopes to bring in the new rules in time for the summer of 2016. The Park Authority say the recommendations, approved by their board, include the creation of four camping management…

Over 10 miles of new or upgraded footpaths and cycleway have been provided as Scotland’s first National Park’s £8.7 million Outdoor Recreation Plan reaches its halfway point. Visitors and local residents are now able to reach more of Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park following extensive restoration work on miles of new paths, cycle routes and bridges, as well as the launch of an extended waterbus service. The major development work by the National Park Authority and its partners is part of its Outdoor Recreation Plan which supports 32 different outdoor activities including kayaking, canoeing, fishing, horse riding, mountain…

Scotland’s latest long distance walk has today been officially opened by Cameron McNeish. The Affric Kintail Way runs from Drumnadrochit in the east to Morvich in Kintail, just a stone’s throw from the sea on the west coast. The starting point at Drumnadrochit means it can easily be extended with a first day’s walk along the Great Glen Way from Inverness creating a satisfying coast to coast, cross-Scotland route. The 71km route is traditionally walked east to west and split into 4 days, but there are any number of options for walkers willing to be flexible in terms of transport…