The St Magnus Way on Orkney is the latest long distance route to be added to the Walkhighlands app. The 94km pilgrim route was established in 2017 to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the martydom of St Magnus and crosses the varied and peaceful landscapes of Orkney, an archipelago of islands situated off the far north coast of mainland Scotland. The route begins with a short stroll on the island of Egilsay, visiting the site where Magnus was murdered. Magnus Erlendsson shared the Earldom of Orkney with his cousin, and rival, Haakon in the early 1100s. After agreeing to meet…

Lots of great walk reports were posted on the Walkhighlands forum in September, making judging the monthly competition tricky. In the end decisions were made and the £100 voucher for outdoor gear from Highlander goes to John Doh for Going Back to St Kilda – congratulations! Another island adventure wins the runner up prize. A £50 Highlander voucher is on it’s way to Ib90 for A swim and camp at The Corryvreckan. Judging was very hard this month, so here’s a mention to a couple of trip reports that would also have been worthy winners – k traverses making the…

A new national strategy aims to restore wildcats to a level where they are thriving and expanding in Scotland. The wildcat is one of Scotland’s most elusive carnivores and the only native cat still found in the wild in Britain. This European protected species was once found throughout mainland Britain but was persecuted for centuries and, in 2019, was declared functionally extinct. More than 25 stakeholder organisations have been involved in developing Scotland’s Wildcat Strategy 2025-2045, working together to restore one of our most iconic but threatened species. The strategy was launched today (22 September) at the Eurowildcat Conference at the…

Walkers are being asked to unite to challenge attempts to close Glen Lyon hills this autumn. Ramblers Scotland has today launched a petition to challenge a Perthshire estate’s controversial 2-month ban on walkers accessing 4 popular Munros in Glen Lyon.  North Chesthill Estate, owned by Alastair Riddell, last year erected signs stating: “No Walking. We Are Stalking. September to October.” The move sparked public outcry, national media coverage and criticism in the Scottish Parliament. But now, the estate’s website is once again advising people to “walk elsewhere” from 1 September until the end of October. Ramblers Scotland says this is…