Following the long spell of very dry weather, firemen have been fighting several large wildfires in Northwest Scotland and the Outer Hebrides. Flames stretching for two miles in length were at one point threatening the village of Strontian on the Ardnamurchan peninsula with over 30 firefighters working to stop the fire spreading. Fire crews have also been battling wildfires in other areas, including Lewis, Skye, Mallaig, Glenelg and Tolsta on Lewis. Despite the freezing conditions and snow and rain affecting much of the UK, many parts of the Highlands and Islands have had dry and sunny conditions for the last…

It will soon be Easter, but it’s still full on winter in Scotland’s mountains. Thats the message behind this joint statement from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) and the British Mountaineering Council (BMC). The MCofS and BMC advise that climbers and hill walkers need to be realistic about the seriousness of the Scottish mountains at this popular time of year, and of the need to match knowledge and experience to mountaineering objectives. This Easter warning is being issued because: 1. Easter in Scotland is popular with groups travelling from further afield. 2. Easter is quite early this year 3.…

The summer access arrangements for Strathfarrar will begin on Sunday 31 March. 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 on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) negotiates access along the private road with the landowner on behalf of walkers and climbers and…

The route over Conic Hill is currently closed for path upgrade work. The work will last for 8 weeks until 8 April 2013 and during this time the route of the West Highland Way over Conic Hill and other walks over the hill that use this route will be closed. A signed diversion is in place from Garadhban Forest via Milton of Buchanan then along the B837 public road to rejoin the route at Balmaha. There also will be tree felling taking place until June and a diversion through Drymen is also signed. Details of these two diversions can be…

The planned road works on the north side of Loch Arkaig will not now start until 11 February and access for hillwalkers will not be as badly affected as previously reported. Repairs will start on 11 February and run until late April and access will be maintained for all during this time although there may be short delays (the contractor estimates about 20 minutes) at specific work locations. Bridgeworks are planned to start in the week beginning 4th March and are expected to last about 10 weeks. During this time the road will be closed for periods of a few…