A memorial is to be placed near the graves of the aircrew of a plane which crashed on the slopes of Ben More in Assynt in April 1941. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is hoping to trace the relatives of the six crew members before a granite memorial slab is put in place. At the moment a small cairn marks the crash site and some wreckage can still be seen on the remote Munro. The crew were flying the twin-engined aircraft on a night navigation exercise from RAF Kinloss in Moray on 13 April. The plane crashed at 701 metres…

Adventurer Alastair Humphreys will be hosting a Night of Adventure in Edinburgh on 18 June in aid of charity, Hope and Homes for Children. The organisers promise this will be an exciting, adventure filled evening where an eclectic collection of ordinary people come together to share their extraordinary achievements with a live audience. Each speaker is limited to just 20 slides to accompany their tales, displayed on a huge cinema screen. The challenge is that each slide will automatically scroll forward after just 20 seconds. With this unusual and challenging presentation format, once the talks begin there is no stopping…

BBC Breakfast is planning to show the first live broadcast from the summit of Everest on Friday 25 May. Kenton Cool, accompanied by cameraman, Keith Partridge, hopes to be on the summit as part of his quest to complete the Olympic Games Pledge. The original pledge was made 88 years ago by mountaineer Lt Col Strutt. He and his fellow team received 21 gold medals in 1924 for famously attempting to climb Mount Everest, and he pledged that he would take one of the gold medals back to the summit. The pledge was never fulfilled and this year Kenton Cool,…

The Police have issued a warning to motorists visiting the Outer Hebrides following a rise in visitor numbers in recent years. Northern Constabulary say that some drivers may may not have come across single track roads and they have issued some tips for drivers: * Use passing places properly – you stop on your nearside (passenger side) please do not cross over to the other side of the road. * Don’t be distracted – you may be enjoying the scenery but please let traffic flow freely. Check your mirrors regularly and allow vehicles past. * Speed – don’t drive too…

Car accidents involving deer are at their highest at this time of year as young roe deer search for their own territories, warns Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Deer-vehicle collisions often peak in May, as juvenile deer are out on their own for the first time. Because of this, SNH, in conjunction with Transport Scotland, are placing warning messages on variable messaging signs on high-risk trunk roads across Scotland from Monday, 14 May to Friday, 1 June. The signs are targeted on roads with higher rates of deer-vehicle collisions, covering areas of the Central Belt around Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well…

Booking is well underway for next month' Mountain Festival based on the Isle of Arran. The four day event, running from 18 May, offers a huge variety of guided walks and scrambles throughout Arran's stunning hills and mountains. There is a wide choice of routes ranging from wildlife-watching walks along the island’s coastline to airy scrambles on towering granite ridges. Festival organisers say, “The Festival is an opportunity to meet like-minded people, discover a fascinating island and have unforgettable days in the safe hands of experienced local guides. With names to inspire the imagination, such as Ceum na Caillich (Witch’s…

Simon Yates is bringing his The Wild Within tour to Inverness on 27 April. Tying in with the release of his third book in March, The Wild Within covers the last ten years of Simon's expeditions to unclimbed peaks in the Cordillera Darwin in Tierra del Fuego, the Wrangell St-Elias ranges on the Alaskan-Yukon border, and Eastern Greenland. Laced with dry humour, he relates his own experience of the rapid commercialisation of mountain wilderness, while grappling with his new-found commitments as a family man. At the same time he must endure his role in the film adaptation of Joe Simpson’s…

The National Trust for Scotland is hoping to revive the ancient art of charcoal making by offering one of Scotland's few charcoal making courses in 2012. Those interested in learning the skill to create this sustainable fuel source can do so in the stunning surroundings of Ben Lomond, Scotland’s most Southerly Munro. Inspired by the need to tackle the spread of invasive Rhododendron ponticum in the area, the dedicated and inventive ranger team onsite came up with the idea of turning the pest to profit. Using an onsite kiln, the team turn rhododendrons into charcoal which they have been selling…

A photogrpahic exhibition is currently open at Taynish national nature reserve in Argyll, taking visitors on a trip through some of Scotland’s best natural spectacles. The Magical Places exhibition opens today at the Piggery at Taynish and features images from national nature reserves from across Scotland by the people who know them best, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) reserve staff and SNH photographer Lorne Gill. Caroline Anderson, the SNH unit administrator who runs the project, said: “This exhibition is a real must see. If you live nearby or are in the area over Easter, I really recommend making the trip to…

The old railway bridge to Ballindalloch on the popular Speyside Way long distance path is currently closed for repair. It is expected that works on the bridge will continue until June 1st. There is no official or signed detour available, and avoiding the bridge would add many miles of roadwalking as well as omitting Ballindalloch from the route. A free taxi service is being provided by Moray Council, enabling walkers to leave the way at Blacksboat old station car park and rejoin it at Ballindalloch. The service will be available from 9am to 8pm daily whilst the bridge is closed.…