Magazine

Gear review – Keen Venture mid hiking boots

Posted on May 12, 2019 by Paul Webster

Recommended Price: £129.99Weight: 550g per boot (mens’ size 10) I’ve usually found boots and shoes from Keen to be a good match for my relatively wide feet, with a roomy toe-box. So I was interested to try out the new Venture model – available as both a low hiking shoe and as a mid boot, as seen here. They represent a move into lighter weight footwear for Keen. The Venture mids were comfy from the first outing, requiring next to no breaking in, which is as I’ve come to expect from the brand; the lighter weight of these is a…

Posted in Footwear, Gear reviews, Magazine

Access the authority

Posted on May 7, 2019 by David Clyne

David Clyne, Recreation and Access Manager with the Cairngorms National Park Authority, discusses his role – and the rights and responsibilities of walkers in Scotland.

Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News

Gear Review: Osprey Lumina 45 women’s backpack

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Helen Webster

RRP: £220Weight: 0.77g (M) The last thing you need when backpacking is pack that’s heavy before you even start loading up all your equipment, food and water. The Lumina is a women’s specific backpack from Osprey that is ultralight – so light that it is hard to believe it has a full frame or will stand up to the rigours of multi-day camping trips. I like to backpack as light as possible and usually use a frameless pack that requires careful packing to give it some structure; it still has a tendency to take the weight on the shoulders and…

Posted in Gear reviews, Magazine, Rucksacks

The John o’ Groats Trail – Filling the Gap north of Inverness

Posted on April 27, 2019 by Jim Bunting

Jim Bunting, the ranger for the John o’ Groats Trail, looks at the development of this new walking route that has captured his heart. In 2014 Jay Wilson, a US citizen then living in Hertfordshire, decided to take on the well-travelled trek from Lands’ End to John o’ Groats. Having grown up alongside the Appalachian Trail, he was a keen long distance walker and this was the biggest and most diverse route he could find in the UK. He never finished the route; instead, ending up living in a cottage in Berriedale overlooking the two towers, shaped like the bishop…

Posted in Access issues, Magazine

Some lessons from Glen Etive

Posted on April 23, 2019 by David Lintern

“Fruitful glen of pools and fishes, Glen of hawks, blue eyed, crying” – Gleann Measach Iasgach Linneach – Deirdre of the Sorrows According to Irish mythology, Deirdre and her love Naoise founded Glen Etive after fleeing Ulster. What was a place of refuge has become a place of conflict, where environmental priorities are weighed against each other and land justice issues play out. David Lintern looks at the context and wonders what can be learnt. First, a recap. Last year, developer Dickens Hydro Resources put in planning applications for seven run of river hydro schemes, off every main tributary feeding…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature

Gear Review: Vaude Trail Spacer 18 rucksack

Posted on April 16, 2019 by Helen Webster

Recommended Retail Price: £130Weight: 550g This running vest/rucksack hybrid from Vaude hasn’t so much grown on me as clung to me. Incredibly form-fitting and stretchy in places where packs are usually rigid, once secured by the narrow chest and waist straps and with shoulder straps adjusted it really moves with your body, making it good for running, scrambling and mountain biking as well as general hiking. It’s also very, very comfortable. With a capacity of 18 litres, including the stretchy pockets at the sides and front, the actual body of the pack is just big enough for Scottish summer walking…

Posted in Gear reviews, Magazine, Rucksacks

Gear Review: Bridgedale Mid Weight Stormsock waterproof sock

Posted on April 5, 2019 by Helen Webster

RRP: £32 Available in 2 colours (black and khaki) and 4 unisex UK shoes sizes (3 – 5.5, 6 – 8.5, 9 – 11.5, 12+) I’ve worn waterproof socks regularly for winter running for the last few years, for comfort with unlined footwear and to stop chilblains from being in cold and wet footwear. More recently I’ve also started using them for walking in lightweight boots and trail shoes when I know I’ll end up with wet feet but don’t want the added weight of my waterproof boots. Despite keeping toenails short and taking care to rinse and dry the…

Posted in Accessories, Gear reviews, Magazine

Gear review: Rab Cirrus Flex hoody

Posted on April 3, 2019 by Paul Webster

Recommended Price: £125Weight: 404g (large) This reasonably lightweight synthetic insulated jacket is filled with Cirrus 3M Featherless insulation – which Rab reckon is equivalent to 600 fill power down. That’s a little way short of the the warmth and loft properties of the very best quality down – but then synthetics are also easier to wash, perform better when wet, and are cheaper. There are thinner fleece panels down the sides of the jacket, along the bottom of the arms and the sides of the hood. When working hard in an insulated jacket I often find the surface fabric ends…

Posted in Gear reviews, Jackets, Magazine, Midlayers

Monarch or Menace?

Posted on March 29, 2019 by Peter Cairns

Scotland’s largest land mammal is also one of its most contentious. Photographer and Director of SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, Peter Cairns, explores the ecological and cultural divide over the Monarch of the Glen.

Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature, Photography

Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year winners announced

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Paul Webster

A summer spent focusing on a single subject has secured the title of Scottish Nature Photographer of the Year 2018 for Edinburgh photographer Phil Johnston. Phil’s winning image Roe Kid Flower was captured during the summer of 2018 while he worked solely on photographing a family of Roe Deer close to his home. Phil said: “I love nothing more than being out in the sticks with my camera, seeing all the beauty that surrounds me and trying my best to capture those moments in time. “On this particular evening in early July, I had already spent several hours with the…

Posted in Magazine, Photography