Features

Scots pine: the sight, the sound and the smell

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Ben Dolphin

After a winter of relative dormancy while much of the natural world slumbers, our senses kick into high gear as the warmer months progress. The explosion of life and activity means there are many amazing sights, sounds and smells for us to take in. But while most species grab our attention via one or perhaps two of those senses, the scots pine manages to tantalise all three. The sight We all know what a splendid sight old scots pines are, with their scaly red bark and sprawling asymmetrical crowns, and we love them for it. Their gnarly, deep green beauty…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature

Common Ground: Grant Moir

Posted on June 6, 2024 by Paul Webster

In our Common Ground series of short interviews, we aim to find out what makes our fellow outdoor enthusiasts tick, the experiences they share and their hopes for the future. Our latest interviewee is Grant Moir, the Chief Executive of the Cairngorms National Park Authority, the UK’s largest National Park. Can you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your background? I grew up in Scone just outside Perth and went to Aberdeen University (mainly to be close to the mountains and for the Dons season ticket) to study geography and history. Having the Cairngorms within an hour…

Posted in Common Ground interviews, Features, Magazine

Ben Nevis via the Arête and a Helicopter Rescue

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Helen Webster

May was a great walking month with lots of wonderful walk reports on the Walkhighlands forum as a result. Every month, two winning Walk Reports are chosen, with the winners taking £150 of vouchers to spend on outdoor gear at Highlander. The winning report is ChelseaMurray’s We done it!! an enthusiastic report of a great day on Ben Nevis tackling the summit via the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête. Congratulations – a £100 voucher for outdoor gear from Highlander Outdoor is on its way to you. A £50 voucher is also on it’s way to Alan54 for A Great Day on Stob Bàn…before a…

Posted in Features, Magazine, News

Common Ground: Linda Cracknell

Posted on May 6, 2024 by Helen Webster

Our latest Common Ground interviewee is Linda Cracknell, a Perthshire-based writer of both fiction and non-fiction. Linda was a columnist on Walkhighlands for several years, and also teaches creative writing. Her moving account of her walks retracing the footsteps of others – Doubling Back – is being republished by Saraband on Thursday 16th May; there will be a launch event in Aberfeldy on 23rd May. Can you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your background? I grew up in Surrey and spent my teenage years escaping suburbia by pedalling out towards open heathland. While studying English literature…

Posted in Common Ground interviews, Features, Magazine

Our picks: 10 more walks you can reach by train

Posted on April 24, 2024 by Paul Webster

Whether you have no car, are trying to minimise your impact on the environment, or are just looking to save the stress of driving and instead enjoy the comfort of relaxing on a train rather than face driving home with tired legs, Scotland’s railways can help you reach some truly superb walks in comfort. Following on from last year’s article, we’ve selected another ten great walks you can reach using our railways, scattered all around the country. This article was sponsored by ScotRail, Scotland’s rail operator. Plockton Explorer, Plockton Walk the walk This short walk explores what is one of Scotland’s…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Our picks

Ants are, quite simply, amazing

Posted on April 9, 2024 by Ben Dolphin

There’s a big, dome-shaped mound on my regular walk through the local pine forest. Light brown, it’s seemingly made of soil but, on closer inspection, it’s covered in a thatch of heather, pine needles, moss and dirt. Although its summit stands higher than my waist, it makes for a surprisingly inconspicuous feature because, even a few metres away, it’s well hidden behind the heather that flanks it. You could therefore be forgiven for not really noticing mounds like this, huge as they are. For the past five months, the mound has been still and lifeless. But today is that rarest…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature

Common Ground: Caitlin McCollum-Martinez

Posted on April 3, 2024 by Paul Webster

Our latest Common Ground interviewee is Caitlin McCollum Martinez, who moved to the UK last year. She was a participant in Ramblers Scotland’s ‘Out There Award’, and is now one of the scheme’s ambassadors. This year, Ramblers Scotland will run more than 30 Out There Award weekends at ten locations across Scotland. It’s a unique chance for 18 to 26-year-olds to kick-start their journeys into the outdoors. Participants learn entry-level skills, meet new friends and enjoy fun walks together. Details and registration at www.ramblers.org.uk/outthereaward Can you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your background? I’m originally from Southern…

Posted in Common Ground interviews, Features, Magazine

Our picks: 12 walks in Aberdeenshire

Posted on April 2, 2024 by Helen Webster

Taking in a huge swathe of Northeast Scotland, Aberdeenshire has remarkable variety. There’s the Granite City itself, set on a dramatic coastline of towering cliffs and perfect sandy beaches. Inland is a rural hinterland of rich farmland, dotted with castles and iconic smaller hills, rising in stature to the west into the high mountains of the Cairngorms National Park. Local residents know that it’s a real paradise for walking, but there are many secrets to discover for those from further afield. When you’ve finished your hike you’ll have built up an appetite to enjoy the fabulous local produce and world-famous…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Our picks

Common Ground: Kevin Woods

Posted on March 21, 2024 by Paul Webster

Our Common Ground interview this month is with mountaineer, film-maker and musician Kevin Woods. Anna Wells’ round of the Munros in a single winter season has made recent headlines; Kevin was the previous person to complete a winter Munro round, back in 2019-2020. He’s made a great film about his experience, Winter282 – you can catch upcoming showings in Glasgow, Aberdeen and Yorkshire over on his website. Can you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your background? I’m a creative type at heart. I spent my twenties playing drums in various bands which gave a lot of…

Posted in Common Ground interviews, Features, Magazine

Our picks: 10 walks on Scotland’s west coast islands

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Paul Webster

Every Journey Starts a Story There’s little that can match the magic of visiting an island. Places are transformed by the feeling you get when you have to board a ferry and cross the water to reach them. Nowhere is this more true than with the Scottish islands, which have some of the finest mountain and maritime landscapes in Europe, teeming with wildlife including whales, dolphins, otters and spectacular seabird colonies. There are endless layers of human history to uncover too, from the prehistoric remains such as the standing stones at Callanish, evidence of the long era of Norse rule,…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Our picks