News

Ben Nevis via the Arête and a Helicopter Rescue

Posted on June 2, 2024 by Helen Webster

May was a great walking month with lots of wonderful walk reports on the Walkhighlands forum as a result. Every month, two winning Walk Reports are chosen, with the winners taking £150 of vouchers to spend on outdoor gear at Highlander. The winning report is ChelseaMurray’s We done it!! an enthusiastic report of a great day on Ben Nevis tackling the summit via the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête. Congratulations – a £100 voucher for outdoor gear from Highlander Outdoor is on its way to you. A £50 voucher is also on it’s way to Alan54 for A Great Day on Stob Bàn…before a…

Posted in Features, Magazine, News

North Face car park closed on weekdays from 3 June

Posted on May 29, 2024 by Paul Webster

The access track to the popular Ben Nevis North Face car park will be closed on weekdays from 3rd June, for a period of up to 10 days, for repairs. It will not be possible even for pedestrians to pass along the track when it is closed. Forestry and Land Scotland have confirmed that access to and use of the car park will still be possible at weekends. The car park is usually used by climbers and walkers visiting the North Face of Ben Nevis, or those intending to climb the mountain via the Càrn Mòr Dearg Arête. The ‘Mountain…

Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News, Walkhighlands news

Campaign to repair Scotland’s mountain paths raises £218,000 in first year

Posted on May 28, 2024 by Paul Webster

The “It’s Up to Us” campaign to help fund repairs to Scotland’s mountain paths has raised over £218,000 of its £300,000 target to help repair 3.2km of path on An Teallach. Path contractors have so far completed 340m of path building and maintenance work on the mountain, funded by the campaign and supported by a team of enthusiastic path maintenance volunteers. The three-year campaign, run by Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland, has so far received generous donations from the Scottish Mountaineering Trust, European Outdoor Conservation Association, and other charitable trusts (£154,858), a major private donor (£25,000),…

Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News

Loch Cuaich (Quoich) road closure

Posted on May 7, 2024 by Paul Webster

Highland Council has issued a notice that the road up Glen Garry, passing Tomdoun and on to Kinloch Hourn is to be closed from Monday 13th May, until Friday 20th December. This affects a huge number of walking routes, including the Munros on either side of Loch Cuaich (formerly Quoich on maps), and road access to the Cape Wrath Trail at Kinloch Hourn. However, the closure order is only be in force between 9am and 12 noon, and 1pm to 3pm each day. We have been further been advised that SSE will only enforce on weekdays and will allow vehicles…

Posted in Access issues, Magazine, News

Epic winter days win monthly gear prizes

Posted on March 4, 2024 by Helen Webster

February’s walk report of the month winners sum up the joy of being able to make the best of the small number of great mountain weather days we’ve had last month. The winning report is an account of an epic single day by Mrandmrsod Seeking the perfect Winters day on Ladhar Bheinn. A voucher for £100 of Highlander gear is on its way to you. Congratulations also to Pointless Parasite who wins the £50 runner up prize for Three classic Snowdonia scrambles in one day. For a chance of winning just post a walk report (everything from tiny bimbles to multi-day adventures welcome) on the…

Posted in Magazine, News

Common Ground: Kirsty Pallas

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Paul Webster

In our Common Ground series, we hear from the some of the incredible variety of people who enjoy Scotland’s great outdoors. Can you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your background? I’m a mountaineering instructor based near Oban, and I work part time for Mountaineering Scotland as a Mountain Safety Advisor, and the rest of the time freelance. This means I do a whole range of work from navigation courses, guiding on the Cuillin Ridge, teaching rock climbing, training up new Mountain Leaders, and delivering winter skills courses. We moved here as a family over 20 years…

Posted in Common Ground interviews, Features, Magazine, News

Epic US hike and wonderous Assynt win monthly prizes

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Helen Webster

2024 got off to a great start with loads of people posting their trip reports and walk experiences on the Walkhighlands forum. Each month two winners share £150 Highlander vouchers to spend on outdoor gear. January’s winning report, by Eduardo, takes us back to 2008 to tackle one of the great US trails – the heat of life in the handful of dust – John Muir Trail – a fantastic write up and a great read on a driech Scottish day. The £50 runner up prize goes to Anne C for The Wonder of Ben Mor Coigach, the stunning scenery of the north…

Posted in Magazine, News

Bid for Affric & Loch Ness National Park launched

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Paul Webster

A bid to nominate Affric and Loch Ness as Scotland’s third national park has been launched, with organisers saying the area’s globally important natural and cultural heritage deserves protection and celebration. The latest nomination joins previous expressions of interest for National Park status including for the Tay Forest, Galloway, the Isle of Skye, and Lochaber. The partnership behind the proposal says the Affric and Loch Ness area is one of the world’s most beautiful places, and national park status would benefit current and future generations. It would empower local communities, and open up economic opportunities including nature-based jobs, allowing people of…

Posted in Magazine, Nature, News

Frozen summit camp wins December prize

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Helen Webster

Happy New Year everyone! It’s also time to look back at the end of 2023 and pick the winning walk reports for the Highlander monthly competition. Loads of great reports were posted on the Walkhighlands forum in December, some from wonderful hot sunny summer days and others shorter winter rambles as well as a few epic winter high level camps. One of those awesome summit camps wins the £100 Highlander prize voucher. Congratulations to Jaxter for The incredible power of awe – Sgor Gaoith winter summit camp – that dip must have been beyond chilly! The £50 runner up is Milo12 for Neist…

Posted in Magazine, News

Lee Craigie wins top mountain award

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Paul Webster

Organisers of The Fort William Mountain Festival have announced that Lee Craigie, the mountain bike adventurer and cross country mountain bike racer, nomadic storyteller, author, outdoor therapist, award winning film maker, campaigner for active travel, and champion for women in the outdoors, is the 17th recipient of the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture, sponsored by JAHAMA Highland Estates. Born in Glasgow to a sporting family, Lee Craigie has always had a passion for exploration and adventure in the outdoors and for promoting its physical and mental health benefits. It was the driving force behind her outdoor education degree and a three year Post Graduate Training in…

Posted in Magazine, News