A woman has died following a climbing accident in the Cuillin on the Isle of Skye yesterday (Tuesday 31 May 2011). It is understood that the woman was attempting the Cioch Direct route in the Cuillin when her climbing partner dislodged a large rock which hit her causing fatal head injuries. Her climbing partner was also injured as he fell with the falling boulder. A separate climbing pair were also injured when they were fit by the boulder and another party of three narrowly missed the rock as they were able to jump out of it’s path. One of the…

A man died yesterday (Sun 29 May) after becoming ill whilst walking on Ben Nevis. The emergency services were alerted shortly after 7:30pm and the casualty was found just above the Half Way Lochan by the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team. RAF Kinloss and a coastguard helicopter from Stornoway also took part in the operation in which the 22 year old was airlifted to the Belford Hospital in Fort William where medical staff founght to stablise his condition but unfortunately the casualty passed away later that evening. The Police say that his identity will not be released until his next of…

Applications are once more open for the North Face Explore Fund which provides grants for outdoor projects involving children and young people. This year the Fund will support non-profit organisations that encourage youth outdoor participation, focusing primarily on creating more connections between children to nature, increasing access to outdoor recreation, as well as providing education for both personal and environmental health. The European arm of the Explore Fund awards a maximum of €2,500 (approx £2150) to each project or organisation with applications to be made by the deadline of 8 August. Further information and online application details can be found…

The annual Lochalsh Dirty 30 challenge walk will be held just over two weeks away on Saturday 11 June with 5 June the deadline for applications. The Dirty 30 covers 30 miles of tough Scottish west-coast terrain taking in coast, forestry and mountain passes in some of the most spectacular Scottish scenery. Although not strictly a race, the course must be completed in 24 hours with some runners finishing in just over 5 hours although the majority choose to walk the route in considerably longer times. For details of this year’s event and how to apply see the Dirty 30…

Despite the unseasonally cold weather affecting the Highlands at the moment, the Scottish Midge Forecast has swung into action providing details of the predicted levels of the tiny, biting insects. The forecast, which is now in its sixth year provides mapping indicating the number of midges in a range from 1 (negligible levels) to 5 (nuisance level). The Forecast uses actual midge catch data recorded using midge traps and weather forecast data from the MeteoGroup. The Scottish Midge Forecast says that since it was first trialled in 2004, the midge forecasting system has proven to be as accurate as other…

A team of 70 battled hail, snow and strong winds to carry a replica Model T Ford car to the summit of Ben Nevis. The car was carried up in pieces and re-assembled on the top of Scotland’s highest peak at about 11 am yesterday (Wednesday 18 May). The car was again dismantled for the descent. The event was organised to commemorate the driving of a Model T to the summit in 1911 as a publicity stunt by a Ford selling agent in Edinburgh. The commemoration plan had courted controversy with an initial idea to airlift the car to the…

New figures show that the number of people in Scotland enjoying the outdoors is on the rise, with walking by far and away the most popular activity. The latest results from the Scottish Recreation Survey run by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) show that in 2010 48% of Scottish adults were visiting the outdoors for leisure or recreation at least once a week. This is a 2% increase from 2009 and a 4% increase from 2006. Walking is the most popular outdoor recreational activity among adults living in Scotland, it was the main activity on 73% of visits to the outdoors…