Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Team is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and to mark the occasion a number of events are being planned across Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire to give the public in Grampian an insight into the team's work in 2014 and to help raise vital funds for the charity. The first event is their annual sponsored 23 km walk from Glen Tanar Estate on Saturday 7th June.   Places are still available for those who wish to join the walk or members of the public can sponsor people through Just Giving at www.justgiving.com/aberdeenmountainrescue/raisemoney. Every walker will get a free beanie hat,…

Dan Duxbury is currently on track to complete a continuous self-propelled round of the Munros in 44 days and is due to finish next Tuesday. If successful, this will be the 2nd fastest round of Munros after Stephen Pyke’s 40-day round in 2010. He is tracking his progress on Walkhighlands where you can watch the remaining red balloons on his Munro map quickly turning to blue as he summits each one. Dan is also fund-raising for John Muir Trust and Cumbrian Wildlife Trust via his challenge. Today (Friday 23 May) Dan is tackling Slioch and then heading 7 miles further…

Walkers have been asked to look out for a missing woman who may be hill walking in the Scottish Highlands. Linda Good was last seen on camera heading north on the M74 near Lockerbie on Mon 19th. Police say she may have been heading to the Cairngorms or Glen Nevis. Linda is a 37 year old white woman, 5ft 8in tall with dark brown shoulder length hair. She may have been wearing a sporty, white fleece top and has connections in the Strathaven area. She is driving a sky blue Ford Fiesta, registration number YG59 UGW. Anyone with information is…

The Moray Walking Festival is planning over 40 walks, events and activities for all ages and abilities and runs from 19 to 23 June. From the foothills of the Cairngorms to Moray’s award winning coastline you can enjoy long summer days exploring, coastal, hill, forest, river and town walks. One of the highlights will be a talk by Cameron McNeish on Saturday 21 June 2014. The festival organisers say, “have a look at our guided walks with a flavour of whisky, shortbread and seafood, awe-inspiring sights of osprey, dolphins and red squirrels and a real feel of Moray’s cultural and…

Based on reports from walkers on Walkhighlands, 2014 seems to be gearing up to be a bumper year for ticks. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) is therefore urging walkers and climbers to make sure that a Munro or other summit, is the only tick you come home with from your trip. Heather Morning the Mountain Safety Advisor with the MCofS is advising hill-goers to check themselves carefully after a day on the hill to ensure they haven’t picked up any unwanted guests. Ticks are small arthropods (related to spiders & scorpions) and are common in vegetated areas in the…