First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced a new timetable for the lifting of Coronavirus restrictions. The instruction to ‘Stay at Home’ will end on 2nd April, subject to continued positive data, and will be replaced by an instruction to ‘Stay Local’. More significant for those interested in outdoor recreation and getting away from the cities, it is hoped that restrictions on travel within all areas of mainland Scotland will end on 26th April. It is expected that this lifting of travel restrictions will also include those from the rest of the UK coming to Scotland. Accommodation businesses are expected to…

An analysis of walkhighlands traffic data suggests that most people in Scotland are respecting the Coronavirus travel restrictions when taking their outdoor exercise. There has been a huge shift away from searches for walks in remoter parts of the Highlands, with record people searching out walks close to the cities of Glasgow and Edinburgh, and the rest of the central belt. “We all tend to get discouraged by stories on social media about people flouting the rules and travelling wherever they like,” said site co-founder Helen Webster. “Undoubtedly such people exist, and they tend to generate a lot of noise…

The snow gates on the road up to Cairngorm were closed at Glenmore on Christmas Eve, and are set to remain closed during the current Coronavirus restrictions. This means there is currently no vehicle access to the Coire Cas or Coire na Ciste car parks, nor to the Forestry and Land Scotland car parks at the Sugar Bowl and Allt Mor, even for local residents. We were informed of the closure by Forestry and Land Scotland, who pointed out that they were not involved in the decision, which was requested by Cairngorm Mountain, who have said that Highland Council and…

The Scottish Government has clarified its advice on walking and outdoor exercise for those who live in areas under Tier 3 or 4 restrictions. The new guidance states that if you live in a tier 3 or 4 area, you are permitted to travel upto 5 miles out of your local authority area in order to go for a walk or other form of outdoor exercise. Walks (and bike rides) outside your local authority area are also permitted if the walk (or bike ride) starts and ends within your local authority. The full new guidance on travel is available here.…

Some of Scotland’s best known places for walks are set to be busy again this weekend, as people continue to enjoy the eased lockdown restrictions. Last week, certain very popular locations within easy reach of a day trip from the central belt became excessively busy, with car parks overfull and excessive parking on the verges causing obstruction on narrow roads. This is likely to be the case again on some routes, especially in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park with its proximity to Glasgow. Parking and roads to Ben A’an, Conic Hill and Ben Lomond are likely to…