It’s wonderful when a place surprises you, when something you think might just make an interesting diversion actually turns out to be something extraordinary, something revelatory. Perhaps even something profound. The Bone Caves of Inchnadamph were somewhere I’d driven past innumerable times on my way to somewhere else, most likely to Kinlochbervie, the Assynt coast or some great big lump of Coigach rock. I’d certainly been aware of them both as a notable geological feature and as an important site in Scotland’s ecological history, but for some reason I’d never actually stopped to visit them until March this year. The…

THE trail climbed steeply out of the creek’s gully to follow a crest that paralleled the edge of the cliffs. Soon, it gently dropped down to the clear waters of Yosemite Creek where white granite slabs sloped down to the lip of Upper Yosemite Falls. The stream flowed gently over the smooth slabs before suddenly gathering itself to plunge over the lip of this sheer cliff to become the 1,430 foot Yosemite Falls, one of the longest waterfalls in the world. Earlier in the day I had stood at the bottom of the falls, full of admiration for John Muir…

Britain’s voluntary land-based mountain rescue teams are supported by professional helicopter search and rescue operations. David Lintern visits the new Coastguard Search and Rescue base at Prestwick. Prestwick SAR (search and rescue) became operational in Jan 2016, and in that year it was the busiest base in the UK. It’s one of ten bases across the UK, and the 6th to come online in a phased transfer from the old mix of military and civilian services. Bristow Helicopters Limited now operates the service on behalf of Her Majesty’s Coastguard. Overall, it’s a £1.9 billion operation that rescues or assists about…

Despite being Scotland’s biggest city, it is surprisingly easy to leave Glasgow behind for a remote-feeling countryside adventure. Head out of the city boundaries in almost every direction and you discover farmland, hills and mountains that seem to pop up almost instantly. Go by car, bus or train and it’s an easy and speedy transition from busy urban life to peaceful rural enjoyment. But I urge you to do as I prefer, to journey on foot or by bike on a superb network of off-road trails and paths to exit the city limits. One of my favourite routes to adventures…

IN a message on Facebook someone recently asked about finding accommodation on the West Highland Way in June. “The plan is to turn up each night along the Way and hope to get a room somewhere without booking in advance.” It didn’t take long before an avalanche of response said “forget it.” It was clear from all the comments that accommodation is extremely scarce on the West Highland Way in June. Some said they had tried to book rooms in January for a June trip but with little success. My wife tried to book accommodation on the West Highland Way…