Many of Scotland’s most popular natural sites are receiving a staffing boost this summer, with Scottish Government funding of £900,000 to support better visitor management and help safeguard the environment for visitors and local communities. The NatureScot Better Places funding will go directly to 24 countryside, coast and island projects across Scotland, enabling an additional 62 staff to be employed this summer across Scotland. The extra ‘boots on the ground’ will promote the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) and help manage visitor pressure in Shetland, Glencoe, the Pentlands, the Cairngorms, Loch Lomond, Arran, NC500, and various locations around East Lothian,…

A campaign has been launched warning drivers to look out for deer along Scotland’s trunk road network. NatureScot is working with Transport Scotland and Traffic Scotland to display warning messages on electronic variable message signs (VMS) in the areas of the highest risk between May 24 and June 14. In recent decades, deer populations in Scotland have both increased in number and spread in range, particularly in urban areas and the central belt. Alongside growth in road traffic this has inevitably led to an increased risk of collisions between deer and vehicles, with almost 24,000 recorded since 2003. May and…

An Edinburgh adventurer who promotes diversity in the outdoors has been named as the Overall Champion of the Scottish Walking Awards. Joshua Adeyemi wowed judges with his work to improve representation within the walking community, particularly by sharing walking inspiration via his influential “@talesbyjosh” Instagram account.  Joshua scooped the Media/Online Walking Champion award as well as the Overall Champion title, beating many dozens of entries to the awards run by Paths for All, Ramblers Scotland and Living Streets Scotland. Nominations included everything from businesses, councils and land managers to the journalists, staff and local volunteers who are inspiring others to step out. Joshua,…