David Lintern investigates the beaches and forests of Culbin Sands, a perfect place for family adventures with a fascinating past. Unsurprisingly perhaps, Walkhighlands spends a fair amount of time in Scotland’s high lands, but you can’t be in the mountains every day of the year, and the Highlands is about far more than hills. Our nearest coastline stretches out from Inverness along the Moray firth, somewhere my family and I are slowly learning more about. My other half loves the wide horizons and the sound of the sea, especially. There’s a quiet and curious mix of fishing villages, heavy industry,…

Islay resident Katie Featherstone takes readers on a long and rugged walk to discover both the wild nature and the harsh human history of the Oa peninsula. A curiously round protrusion, the Oa forms the most southerly part of Islay. Far from the gentle hills and long sandy beaches for which the rest of the island is known, this peninsula towers above the sea with eroding, rocky cliffs, dramatic sea stacks, and hidden coves. With half the landmass run by the RSPB as a nature reserve, it’s known for its birdlife, particularly choughs, hen harriers, and nesting golden eagles. Only…

As something of a winter enthusiast I have a hard time letting go of the coldest season, even when…as this winter has been…..it’s the warmest, least frosty and most snow-starved winter I’ve experienced since moving to the Lomond Hills in 2010. Under those trying circumstances I stubbornly ignore the exit signs for as long as possible, not least the big patch of snowdrops that appears outside the house. For weeks I have to pass it every morning, but I make a point of looking in the opposite direction as I do so because I’ve no interest in looking at flowers…

Agitated is how I feel when I can’t get out onto the hills. I find it unbearable therefore I am unbearable and a bit of a nightmare to live with for most of January and February (though my partner Paul may argue I’m a pain most of the year round). I swear the skin on the tips of my forefinger and thumb have virtually worn away from the constant swiping as I check and re-check forecast updates. One storm system after the other has swept in over Scotland from the Atlantic. Conditions on the mountains have been fairly grim, and…

The Beaches of Scotland is a new guidebook by Dr Stacey McGowan Holloway, a guide to over 150 hand-picked beaches around Scotland’s coast, stretching from the mainland to the Outer Hebrides before sweeping north to Orkney and Shetland. Here Stacey explains why she loves to swim in the sea, and picks some personal favourites. The Scottish coastline extends nearly 19,000 kilometres in length including some 900 islands, several of which were formed and shaped by volcanoes, and is scattered with beaches. I currently live on the coast, and being able to look out daily to the sea and the Isle…

Heavy Whalley has spent a life in love with the hills and in the service of others, holding key roles in Mountain Search and Rescue over several decades. David Lintern met up for a chat. Please introduce yourself. My name is David ‘Heavy’ Whalley. I was born in Ayr and brought up to love the mountains and wild places. I was a bit of a wild kid and there were very few jobs about in Ayrshire at that time. I joined the RAF in 1971. Where did your passion for the mountains start? My Dad and Mum gave me a huge love…

If any four words can make me spill my mug of tea on my legs as I leap up from the sofa, it’s these. If any four words can, in so doing, make me scald my delicates without stopping to check they’re okay, it’s these. If any four words can have me tripping over the death-trap of boots at the front door as I stumble blindly outside into the darkness whilst screwing my camera to its tripod with one hand, tying my laces with the other and simultaneously trying to pull a woolly hat down over my head…..yep, it’s these.…

We’re working with Scottish Mountain Rescue to bring you some of the human stories behind the rescue headlines, hopefully giving more insight into what and how things can go wrong in the mountains and the people who volunteer to help. Here Niall tells of his experience after falling through a cornice in poor visibility on Beinn an Dothaidh. Tell us a little bit more about yourself? I am a tour guide based in Edinburgh and a keen hill wallker. I am currently building up my experience on the hills with a view to taking the Mountain Leader course in the…