Top British mountaineer, big-wall climber, winter expedition specialist, award-winning author and sometime comedian, Andy Kirkpatrick will be giving a series of talks on his new book Cold Wars. Andy has a reputation for seeking out climbing routes where the danger is real, and the return is questionable, pushing himself on some of the hardest walls and faces in the Alps and beyond. He was born and raised on a council estate in Hull, one of the flattest cities in the UK, and suffered from severe dyslexia, which went undiagnosed until he was 19. Thriving on this apparent adversity, Andy transformed…

A diverse collection of five books has made in onto the shortlist for this year’s Boardman Tasker award, with previous winner, Joe Simpson nominated again. The three judges for the coveted award said there had been were 24 entries which were generally of a very good quality and came from the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada and South Africa. The range of subject matter included biography, fiction, much historical material (Everest and K2 continue to fascinate writers), travel accounts and spiritual journeys. The judges for 2011, Barry Imeson (Chair), Bernard Newman and Lindsay Griffin, announced the following shortlist with their summary…

Mountaineer Doug Scott will again be setting out on a lecture tour this autumn and winter, raising money for his charity, Community Action Nepal. Doug’s lectures are famous for his personal and thought provoking commentary, illustrated with his stunning photography of the world’s most spectacular mountain landscapes. The lectures are usually accompanied by an auction of signed photographs and other items and there are usually posters and cards for sale. All profits from the lecture tour go to charity. The Scottish dates are as follows – for further details and dates for England and Wales see the website. Thurs 15…

Michael Anderson – a 70 year old father of three from Larbert – yesterday became the first deaf and fully blind climber to reach the summit of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. Michael completed the climb to raise funds for the charity DeafBlind Scotland – and to celebrate his 70th birthday. The gruelling ascent was completed in just under 18 hours, with every step of the way guided by a group which included Michael’s daughter Fiona and her partner Nina, Arran mountain guide Lucy Wallace and guidebook and Walkhighlands author Phil Turner. During the ascent, two of the party went…

A unique artistic opportunity is on offer for local people and visitors to Cairnsmore of Fleet National Nature Reserve, in Galloway this Saturday, 23 July. Inspired by the sights and sounds of the magnificent upland reserve near Gatehouse of Fleet, people are being invited to have a go at graffiti art, and create their own paintings. The colourful pictures will then be displayed on an external wall at the entrance to the visitor centre, for future visitors to admire. The free event is hosted by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), who manage the reserve, and renowned local wildlife artist Keith Brown,…

The coastguard stations at Stornoway on Lewis (frequently involved in mountain rescues) and in Shetland will remain open around the clock after a U-turn by UK government ministers. However, the Forth and Clyde bases are still set for closure. The plans had been to retain the 24 hour base in Aberdeen, but to close one of either Shetland or Stornoway and reduce the hours of operation of the other. All three of these northern stations will now remain in operation 24 hours a day. Scottish MSPs from both the SNH government and Labour opposition criticised the closure of the Forth…

Conservation charity, the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) has confirmed that a family of four take up residence on the island of Canna from Friday 24 June. The Spence family, who currently live in Laggan in Inverness-shire, will move into MacIssacs cottage which has recently been renovated thanks to support from generous donors keen to support the Trust’s work on the Inner Hebridean island. Alison, Duncan and their children, two and a half year old Savourna and 5 month old Fergus and their two collies will play an important role in the community when they move to the island this…

It’s puffins galore on the Isle of May at the moment. Scottish Natural Heritage’s special seabird event on Sunday 19 June is sure to be awash with these colourful characters, as well as other birds. The organisation says it’s now the last chance to book tickets and free child places. The trip will involve seeing the spectacular seabird colonies on the island and learning more about the lives of the birds. Puffins can be seen incredibly close up on the island and the huge cliffs hold guillemots, kittiwakes, razorbills, fulmars and shags, which can be seen from the boat and…

The deadline for Scotland’s best nature pictures is looming. Photographers only have until Friday, June 17 to enter the Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) contest. The fifth annual Nature Photography Competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers. First prize is a one-to-one tutorial with a professional photographer; second prize is an Olympus E-450 Digital SLR camera; and third prize is a Panasonic Lumix F245 Digital Camera and a Hama Star tripod. This year’s theme is “the gifts which nature gives to us all”. SNH is looking for pictures which show these gifts, whether they are practical gifts like oxygen,…