Work has started on the final section to complete the circular Loch Leven heritage trail in Kinross-shire. At the moment walkers can only get three quarters of the way round the Loch to the RSPB centre at Vane Farm. There is only a very limited bus service in the summer to return people to the start, the alternative being a dangerous walk on a busy road. Following the raising of £800,000, and after negotiations with local landowners the final 6.5km of trail is being built and is expected to open next spring. This final section, which will close the gap between…

This weekend is the last chance for hill walkers to submit photos of any bulldozed tracks they have encountered. Walkers were asked to turn detective and send in evidence which will be used by campaigners who want to show the damage done to the environment by these unregulated tracks with the aim of persuading the Planning Minister to change the law so these tracks would need planning permission before they could be constructed. Helen Todd of Ramblers Scotland and co-convener of the campaign group said: “We have long been convinced that unregulated hill tracks needed to be brought into the planning…

A new long distance route in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park that will link the West Highland Way and the Rob Roy Way has been officially named. Bruce Crawford MSP helped children from Trossachs Primary School to christen The Great Trossachs Path. The 35 mile long route is aimed at walkers and cyclists, and is due to be completed in 2015. The Great Trossachs Path will form the spine of a wider network of trails throughout The Great Trossachs Forest, a large scale woodland restoration project which extends from Inversnaid on the edge of Loch Lomond to Kilmahog…

Walkers using Scottish bothies are being warned to check that the bothy is still open as some are used for deer stalking activities during the stalking season. The majority of bothies are unaffected but for any maintained by the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) walkers can check on their website. The MBA says that a small number of bothies are required by their owners at this time for estate purposes, and at others, a particular route to a building may be preferred. Advice, including a contact number which can be used to check the position, is provided in the individual bothy…

Suileag bothy near Lochinver will be closed between 31 August and 7 September to enable MBA volunteers to undertake a number of repairs to the building. This is one of a number of work parties that will be taking place during the late summer. The Tarf Hotel (the Feith Uaine bothy) in the eastern highlands of Scotland and Dibidil on Rum are two others that will be receiving attention. Details are available on the MBA website where intending users of these and other bothies can also find information about any restrictions in use which may apply during the periods when…

Two summer bus services are now operating which may help hillwalkers who rely on public transport or encourage some to leave the car at home for the day. A new bus service now links Braemar with Blairgowrie and is likely to be useful to walkers. The service will run over the summer months until 28 September and also links to Aberdeen in the north. You can check out the timetable here. Also operating for the second year running is the Ring of Breadalbane Explorer. This hop-on hop-off circular service runs in both directions on the Killin-Aberfeldy-Crieff-Comrie ‘Ring’ which is home…

The Scottish Government has approved the community buy out application for land and buildings at Cape Wrath. This follows the decision by the Ministry of Defence not to seek to purchase the land, which had led to concerns that access to the Cape would be restricted. Commenting, the First Minister said: “The approval of the Durness Development Group application is a very welcome next step towards Scotland’s ambitious new target of a million acres in community control by 2020. “If the community is able to go ahead and successfully purchase the land, it will secure a stronger local economy for…