The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) is offering the chance for walkers to brush up on their navigation skills in a series of one day courses being held in Strathspey and Braemar. Whilst the £25 courses to be held in September, are already booked up in Edinburgh and Glasgow, a few places remain on the days in Strathspey (11th and 12th September) and Braemar (25th and 26th September). Open to all, the courses will be run by Heather Morning, the Mountain Safety Adviser and will give a gentle introduction to navigation theory followed by a practical session on the hill.…

A new two-day challenge involving running, cycling and kayaking 109 miles across the Highlands is set to take place this September. The Nokia Coast to Coast will take competitors from Nairn in the east to Ballachulish in the west of Scotland. The race, which will take place on 18 and 19 September, will feature stages around Loch Ness and Ben Nevis. It is open to individuals and pairs of racers. Double Olympic gold medal rower James Cracknell has reviewed the route on the organisers’ behalf. He said: “The natural assets of the region, coupled with its fascinating human history and…

BBC Radio Scotland is devoting this week’s Conversation Zone to the subject of mountains. Over five and half hours of broadcasting, the marathon radio session will see contributions from Stephen Venables, Chris Bonnington, Joe Simpson, Mark Beaument and Jamie Andrew. There will also be a special feature on mountain rescue dogs, and programmes about Dave Whalley’s 37 years involvement with mountain rescue and Geoff Monk on mountain weather. The programmes start at midnight on Thursday 10 June, but for non-night owls it is also available on the BBC I Player. For more information and a running order see the website.

Following its closure earlier in the year, the Chain Walk at Elie has now been re-opened. The via-ferrata type route, which is maintained by Fife Council, has been repaired following the extensive damage it sustained in April. Around two thirds of the chains were cut and stolen, leaving much of the walk out of action for the majority of visitors to the area. Bill Wilson, Team Leader Countryside, Leisure & Cultural Services said: “I am pleased to be able to confirm that the work on repairing the Chain Walk is now complete. “I would like to thank all those who…