The summer access arrangements for Strathfarrar have now begun. Strathfarrar has a locked gate and only a certain number of cars are allowed into the Glen each day. There are no restrictions on pedestrian access or taking a pushbike beyond the locked gate and wild camping is allowed within the terms of the Scottish Access Code but you cannot park overnight in the Glen. There will be no vehicular access all day on Tuesdays and on Wednesday mornings. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) negotiates access along the private road with the landowner on behalf of walkers and climbers and…

As the general election draws closer, Britain’s mountaineering councils are issuing a unified call to protect and support the countryside and people’s access to it. Ahead of 7 May, the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) and the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) are challenging politicians to recognise the huge value of outdoor recreation in their manifestos and policies, while also understanding the need to protect the special qualities of the outdoors for the benefit of all. The two councils together cover England, Wales and Scotland and represent 90,000 members. Both organisations are campaigning for greater protection for our natural landscapes and…

Ten years after statutory rights of access were secured to most of Scotland’s land and water, Ramblers Scotland Convener, David Thomson, has called on the Sottish Parliament to resolve the long running confusion over the public’s right to use level crossings on Scotland’s railway lines. David Thomson, said: “Today Scotland can rightly celebrate 10 years of world-class access legislation, and there is a widespread acceptance that the right to roam is working well. But there is one outstanding issue in the lack of clarity over public rights to cross railway lines, which affects around 70% of Scotland’s 600 level crossings.…

Flumes installed at the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s (SEPA) river gauging station at Eas Daimh will give walkers a safer way to access Ben Lui from the nearby Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) car park. The project, which was conducted in collaboration with both FCS and Network Rail, and with input from British Transport Police, means that there is now an alternative to trespassing on the mainline railway. A weir was originally installed at this location by the River Purification Board in the 1980s as a control for the gauging station at Eas Daimh. The weir raised the water levels under…

A basic, open shelter will continue to be available for walkers and climbers at Camasunary, in Skye when the existing bothy is taken back by its owner, probably in late 2015, thanks to a new building project currently underway. 59 Commando Squadron Royal Engineers have completed the building of a new bothy which will now be fitted out by volunteer members of the Mountain Bothies Association. The driving force behind the project was Alan Johnson, the owner of the present Camasunary bothy, who was concerned that when he resumed his own use of the building, there would be no basic…