One day last month at around 4pm, I spent about 10 minutes off-path, walking through heather. I got home half an hour later, flumped on the sofa with a bowl of twiglets, got the fire going, had dinner and then settled down for the evening. I was quite tired and fell asleep in front of the fire. Around 11pm, just before bed, I felt an itch on my thigh. On closer inspection I found a tiny black dot in a small, itchy red circle. Ugh, a tick! I’d been working indoors the previous few days, so this was very likely…

In January 2024 we talked to BBC Scotland’s political editor about his decision to tackle the Munros in the face of a terminal brain cancer diagnosis. Two years on, Glenn Campbell brings us up to date on those twin challenges: Ever since I was diagnosed with incurable brain cancer three years ago, Scotland’s mountains have become part of my therapy. Not an official prescription – just some self-medication that helps keep me fit and lifts my spirits.  Within weeks of emergency surgery to remove as much of my tumour as possible, I climbed my first Munro in a long time. It was…

Whilst there have been quite a few quality films about climbing and mountaineering over the years, movies about walking are few and far between. Wild, the story of Cheryl Strayed’s hike on the Pacific Crest Trail, and the Way, Emilio Estevez’ movie about hiking the Camino de Santiago, are the only ones I recall from recent years. So I was very keen to see Bart Schrijver’s film The North, which is being released in UK cinemas on 24 April after a series of preview screenings. The North tells the story of lapsed best friends Chris and Lluis, played with great…