Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team say that two recent call-outs may have been caused by deer rather than hillwalkers. On both occasions the alarm was raised after sounds were heard which sounded like emergency whistles. The Rescue Team made two searches both in Glen Nevis, one of which lasted 6 hours and also involved a helicopter search. On the second search Team members also heard the whistling sounds. After the fruitless searches, wildlife experts told the Team that sika deer can make a whistling sound during the mating season, although this would usually be heard between September and November. Sika deer,…

Manny Gorman has today completed his non-stop round of the Corbetts with an ascent of Ben Loyal in Sutherland. This means Manny, who ran, cycled and sailed between the 219 peaks, took only 70 days to complete his epic round. Manny had originally hoped to finish on 26 June, but a fall from his bike at the two-thirds point meant he had to take a few days to recover from injuries. Manny set off on 25 April on Harris and used the Corbett Map on Walkhighlands to track his progress. The whole exciting story, including lots of posts by members…

Do you have a GPS and don’t know how to use it properly? Thinking about buying one, but not sure if a GPS would be useful for you on the hill? Sign up for one of the new Mountaineering Council of Scotland one day GPS training courses. These courses are running on Sat 3rd and Sun 4th October 2009, based at Glenmore Lodge. Only £25 per person including use of GPS, a full days instruction and tea/cakes to finish. Contact Heather Morning, MCofS Mountain Safety Advisor on 01479 861256 for further details.

A community group on the Isle of Skye are working closely with the John Muir Trust and Scottish Southern Electric to remove hydro poles at Sligachan. The Collie and Mackenzie Sculpture group, which is proposing to erect a sculpture of the two well known outdoor pioneers, Norman Collie and John Mackenzie, at the site, will remove the poles during the summer of 2009. The poles have blighted the view of the Cuillin from Sligachan and their removal will improve the area, as well as numerous photographs taken at this popular spot. At the same time a fundraising appeal for the…

A man has died on Friday 26 June following a fall from Am Basteir on the Skye Cuillin. The 64 year old was from the Midlands and was part of a group of four tackling the mountain when he fell approximately 100ft. The weather was good on the Cuillin on Friday, however even in good conditions Am Basteir requires scrambling to reach the summit. The Skye Mountain Rescue Team and the Stornoway Coastguard helicopter took part in the rescue operation. The man was taken to Broadford Hospital but was declared dead shortly afterwards.

A 26 year old man has died following a fall from the Aonach Eagach ridge in Glencoe on Saturday 13 June. The Mountain Rescue Team was involved in the recovery as well as a Royal Navy Helicopter. In another incident on the same day, a 79 year old man fell from a section of the Fife Chain Walk near Kincraig Point. The walk which traverses the cliff, following a line of stone carved steps, with metal chains bolted to the rock and rungs to climb on in places, has been the scene of a number of accidents in recent years.…

Hill runner Manny Gorman has reached a milestone in his quest to run all the Corbetts after finishing the summits south of the Great Glen today. Manny began his epic attempt to run all 219 Corbetts (Scottish mountains between 2,500 and 3,000 feet high with 500 foot of descent on all sides) in a continuous journey on foot, bicycle and sailboat on April 26th. Manny and his support team are using the Corbett Map on Walkhighlands to track his progress – the blue Corbetts are already bagged, the red ones still have to be run. This evening Manny has now…

Congratulations to Fraser McKie, who finished his round of the Munros on Saturday (23rd May). Well done, you might agree, is there anything remarkable about that? Well, on the very same day, Fraser also climbed his last Corbett… and his last Graham… and his last Donald. It is a rare feat indeed to complete all four lists, and unique to have contrived to have finished them all on the same day. “We started just after midnight from Loch Chiarian bothy on Saturday morning and climbed Beinn na Cloiche (my Last Graham) in fantastic conditions,” said Fraser. “The sky stayed bright…

The Cowal Way has recently been extended and now runs all the way from Portavadie to Inveruglas on Loch Lomond. As there is a ferry service from Inveruglas across to Inversnaid, making it possible to join with the West Highland Way, this new extension completes a missing link making possible Scotland’s longest official long distance walk – stretching from the Mull of Kintyre all the way to Inverness! This monster route begins with the Kintyre Way, then a ferry from Tarbert to Portavadie joins the Cowal Way. This is followed to Inveruglas before a second ferry leads to the West…