walkhighlands

Features

Locations from Roads Less Travelled: The West Highlands Part 1

Many of you will have watched the Adventure Show Special programmes, Roads Less Travelled: The West Highlands, presented by Cameron McNeish. The programmes are currently still available on the BBC iplayer. If you wanted to explore some of the locations in the programmes yourself, then have a look at the gallery below. Isle of Luing Cameron’s journey started at the picturesque former quarrying village of Cullipool on the Isle of Luing. He followed a walk around the coastline of the island past the quarries – this route is featured on Walkhighlands as our Isle of Luing and the Slate Quarries

Read more ›

Posted in Features, Magazine, Our picks

The road to the western lands

Slioch and Loch Maree

David Lintern embarks on a voyage of discovery to 3 of the smaller ‘sacred’ isles. “Your body is a boat to lay aside when you reach the far shore” – William Burroughs There’s something about islands, an irresistible draw. They loom large in our imagination… or at least they do in mine. In particular, there are countless ‘holy’ islands, dotted along the west coast and festooning the lochs that are particularly beguiling, not least because they play a huge part in our cultural history. My first visit was to an A-lister – Isle Maree, situated in the wooded archipelago that

Read more ›

Posted in Features, Magazine

Our pick – Boxing Day walks

With Christmas upon us, here’s our pick of Boxing Day walks that may help you digest all that over indulgence – or perhaps escape your least favourite relative! Allermuir Hill and Swanson, Pentland Hills, Edinburgh At the time of writing a white Christmas doesn’t look very likely, but whatever the temperature Allermuir Hill offers the most stunning views over Edinburgh. The nearest of the Pentland Hills to the city, Allermuir is within easy reach for a great many people for their Boxing Day jaunt. Benarty Hill, Fife Though it may be smaller than its neighbours amongst the Lomonds, Benarty Hill

Read more ›

Posted in Features, Magazine, Our picks

Clearing up some of the confusion around rewilding

lynx

By Mike Daniels, Head of Land Management, John Muir Trust and Trustee at Rewilding Britain. Cameron McNeish’s piece for Walkhighlands, ‘Confused about rewilding – so am I?’, has raised some interesting questions and sparked off a well-informed debate about the issues. It is understandable that when a new movement arises, people might be concerned and will seek to clarify what exactly is being proposed. And rewilding is an emerging and a growing grass-roots movement based on a realisation by many people that the way we have managed much of our land has been damaging, and that it doesn’t have to

Read more ›

Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature

Not Fit For Purpose

It’s not camping byelaws that are needed on Loch Lomondside but a complete shake-up of the National Park management structure, says Cameron McNeish. LIKE many others I was hugely heartened when the delegates at the Scottish National Party autumn conference voiced their concern at the Government’s proposals for Land Reform. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had promised a radical land reform agenda would be a key objective of the Scottish Government, but it would appear that civil servants had watered down the government’s proposals to such an extent they were barely recognisable. I sincerely hope, especially with the SNP’s political dominance

Read more ›

Posted in Access issues, Features, Magazine

A knee, a boulder, and a geologist

As a result of a pesky knee injury at the hands of Bidean nam Bian, my forays north have been few and far between lately. It’s five months since I last climbed a highland hill and because such trips form the mainstay of my articles for Walkhighlands, I admit I started to worry where my next piece would come from. Thankfully, there is a wonderful phenomenon in the writing world where inspiration hits you when you least expect it. Usually when you need it most, and often it’s from the most unlikely of places. In this instance….the cold, clinical, rain-soaked

Read more ›

Posted in Features, Magazine

Confused about re-wilding? So am I!

I guess website columnists are paid to inspire and inform, provide solutions to problems or to offer a sensible analysis of events and trends. I therefore apologise unreservedly, because what I am about to write offers no positive or constructive discourse at all. In effect it exposes me as a confused and disordered soul still seeking answers to some very important questions. You see when it comes to the issue of ‘re-wilding’ I am as undecided as anyone. So please be patient with me as I attempt to separate ambition from dreams, optimism from reality and pragmatism from desire. Several

Read more ›

Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature

Shooting the breeze – Shooting People (Part 2)

In the second of his 2 part series, David Lintern looks at photographing people in the outdoors. Last time we concentrated on settings, position and lighting to make the composition work. This time is about the more ephemeral end of the photographic equation – trying to illustrate how it feels, tell a story and so on. Let’s look at another style of shot, but one that’s also very familiar. I find I catch alot of this when people are taking a break and looking around. I have hundreds of examples, and I can’t stop taking them. Let’s get the important

Read more ›

Posted in Features, Magazine, Photography

Surprised by a seal pup

As both a wildlife enthusiast and snap-happy photographer I confess I have an innate desire of wanting to get as close to wildlife as possible. Or more accurately, as close as wildlife will allow me to get. I’m certainly not alone in wanting to do so either. How many of us have tried creeping up on a butterfly or have gone to a pond in search of tadpoles? How many of us have simply tried to edge closer to a hare, ptarmigan, golden plover or some either iconic species out on the hill, only to fail miserably as it scurries

Read more ›

Posted in Features, Magazine

Mother Nature’s Recipes

I chose the autumn equinox when everything is held in balance; when light and dark are of equal length. I thought of this walk as a deep breath before the winter: a good time to look back, then accept the receding light and look forward without foreboding. Walking the track upstream along the Almond from Newton Bridge, I was at first between some of my familiar, round Perthshire hills, climbing gradually west towards Loch Tay. But then at the head of the valley I planned to leave familiar territory and turn south over the westerly flanks of Ben Chonzie to

Read more ›

Posted in Features, Magazine


Share on 

Share  

You should always carry a backup means of navigation and not rely on a single phone, app or map. Walking can be dangerous and is done entirely at your own risk. Information is provided free of charge; it is every walker's responsibility to check it and to navigate safely.