The Year of Natural Scotland is well underway and, as part of a year of exciting projects, the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh (RBGE) has launched the search for Scotland's favourite native plants and trees. The public is being asked to vote for their favourite native species to reveal the nation's most popular plants and trees. RBGE’s scientists and horticultural experts will be revealing their favourite but the RBGE wants to hear from members of the public to build up a real picture of the Scottish plants and trees that we all hold dear. The RBGE said, “So what might the…

The winners of this year's MCofS Mountain Literacy Competition have been announced, with the judges stating that the standard was high with entries including a variety of stories, styles and settings, ranging from romantic and adventurous to quietly informative. Second place in the prose compeition went to James Cassidy’s piece Acceptance. An “autobiographical account of a hillwalker’s carreer in the mountains and some of the reasons why he goes there“. A “beautifully written, wistful, retrospective and evocative” piece. James was praised for writing a “Good story about a life’s companionships and the transition to the present is gracefully done.” In…

Myrtle Simpson, who pioneered skiing and guiding in Scotland, has been announced as the sixth recipient of The Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture. The award was presented at the Fort William Mountain Festival. Myrtle was selected for this award for her massive contribution and devotion to mountain culture in Scotland and throughout the world and her involvement in the development of skiing in Scotland; having had a key role in the setting up of Glencoe, Cairngorm and Nevis Range Ski centres. As a climber, skier, canoeist, explorer and adventurer she has travelled all over the world to pursue…

Thursday sees Fort William host its annual Mountain Festival, a four day party packed full of inspiration and entertainment during the best winter walking and climbing conditions of the year. The full programme for the 2013 festival features an impressive and diverse line up of inspirational speakers made up of top climbers, mountaineers and extreme sports men and women, together with adventure film screenings and mountain workshops. This year’s festival will be staged in and around the bustling Highland town of Fort William, in the heart of Lochaber, The Outdoor Capital of the UK, from Thursday 21 to Sunday 24…

Police have named the male climber who died on Saturday 26th January after a fall from Tower Ridge, Ben Nevis as 22 year old Ben St Joseph, from Essex. Rescue services were called out after a report that a male climber had fallen at about 11am on Saturday from Tower Ridge into Tower Gully, Ben Nevis. Lochaber Mountain Rescue were contacted and with the assistance of Royal Navy Search and Rescue the male was rescued from Tower Gully, however, he had sustained fatal injuries. He is believed to have fallen a distance of about 100 metres. As is usual in…

We would like wish all visitors to Walkhighlands a very Merry Christmas, and a happy year of Scottish walking in 2013!

As the number of road accidents involving deer peak during the winter months, motorists in Scotland are being urged to report deer collisions. The DeerAware campaign undertakes research into such accidents and has also compiled the following tips to help motorists avoid a collision. Do take note of deer warning signs Such signs are positioned only where animal crossings are very likely – They could happen anywhere Drive with caution During danger periods or on roads where hitting a deer is a possibility, drive with caution at or below the posted speed limit. Beware during peak danger periods Peaks in…

Cold Wars by Andy Kirkpatrick has won this year’s Boardman Tasker prize for mountain literature. Ironically the prize came the day after Andy announced on Twitter that he was giving up trying to write for a living. The winner was announced on Friday 16 November at the Kendal Mountain Festival by Bernard Newman, chair of the judging panel who described Cold Wars as, “A second autobiographical volume, describing epic winter ascents in the Alps and Patagonia and the conflicts of the lifestyle with family life.” Writing on his blog before winning the prize, Andy Kirkpatrick said, “The problem for me…

Two summits in the Northwest Highlands whose heights had been recorded as identical have been resurveyed. Buidhe Bheinn – above Kinloch Hourn – and Sgurr a’ Bhac Chaolais which overlooks Glen Shiel had both been measured by the Ordnance Survey to be 885 metres, but modern surveying equipment has been used to provide more accurate measurements. Previously both summits were collectively given twin Corbett status, but the new, more accurate measurements have found the more southerly of the two shown to be 29 centimetres higher than its neighbour. Buidhe Bheinn was found to be 885.50 metres, compared to 885.21 metres…

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is warning motorists that collisions between deer and vehicles soar at this time of year, with the risk of a collision almost twice as high in Scotland as in England. As the nights get longer and the clocks turn back, red deer are moving down from the hills at the same time as commuters head home. It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 deer-related motor vehicle accidents every year in Scotland, on average causing about 70 serious human injuries. The economic value of these accidents is £5 million. Across the UK, it’s estimated there…