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…

David Lintern rounds out the weirdest of years with a quiet walk through a multi-storied landscape. Today, I’m hitting the pause button. There’s a brief lull in my schedule that coincides with a break in the weather, a benign day between early winter storms, with slowly clearing skies and a thaw after the first big dump of snow. Maybe even a glimpse of sun? After the year we’ve had, I’ll take it. I’ve long had an eye on a giant cleft on the map, a sort of secret doorway to the plateau of the central highlands. Given the recent access…

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 Fiona Bennett tells of her experience following a serious accident in the Cuillin. Tell me a little bit more about yourself? I am 31 years old, from Glasgow and work as an Accountant for the Scottish Government. My accident happened in 2014 when I was 25. I am a keen hill walker and have been since I was very…