Police have confirmed that a man's body has been found in the search for a hillwalker missing on Skye since Tuesday evening. The Police have said they will not release his name until a formal identification has been made. The missing man, who is understood to have been in his 60's, was reported overdue by a member of his family on Tuesday. He had been walking in Coire Ghrunnda in the Skye Cuillin. The search and rescue operation, which was co-ordinated by the Police, involved the Skye Mountain Rescue Team, search and rescue dogs, and RAF and Coastguard helicopters.
News
Real Three Peaks Challenge aims to clean up
Highlighting a new initiative to make a clean sweep of Britain's three highest peaks, Ben Nevis conservation officers have called on climbers and walkers to treat the mountain with the respect it deserves. After an especially busy summer season, rangers and volunteers from the John Muir Trust, which manages Scotland's highest and most popular mountain, have had to remove a huge collection of items left behind, including tents, tarps, sleeping bags, stoves, abandoned camps, disposable barbecues and items of clothing. Now, Mountain Training Instructor Richard Pyne, with the support of the Mountain Training Association, has organised the Real Three Peaks…
Read more ›
Overwhelming public support for wild land protection
The John Muir Trust has welcomed the resounding two to one support for wild land protection expressed in responses to the Scottish Government’s planning consultation exercise launched in May. Of over 150 submissions to the Scottish Planning Policy consultation document expressing an opinion on wild land, well over 100 back the Scottish Government’s proposal to strengthen protection for 43 core areas of wild land as mapped by Scottish Natural Heritage. Those supporting wild land protection include individuals, environmental and other charities, outdoors organisations, businesses (which included Walkhighlands, some landowners, property agents, and the Federation of Small Businesses), local authorities, community…
Read more ›
Wild North Assynt Festival
The Assynt community will be hosting a varied festival this October including a number of guided walks and events giving visitors and locals the chance to explore the unique landscape. The Festival kicks off on Friday 4 October with a food tasting event, craft fair and guided walk. During the course of the festival the John Muir Trust will be showing off the work and amazing scenery of Quinag, there will be a workshops on astronomy photography and sculpture, heritage trails including a walk at Clachtoll, a torchlight parade and ceilidh to round off the festival which finishes on Tuesday…
Read more ›
Posted in News
Work starts to complete Loch Leven trail
Work has started on the final section to complete the circular Loch Leven heritage trail in Kinross-shire. At the moment walkers can only get three quarters of the way round the Loch to the RSPB centre at Vane Farm. There is only a very limited bus service in the summer to return people to the start, the alternative being a dangerous walk on a busy road. Following the raising of £800,000, and after negotiations with local landowners the final 6.5km of trail is being built and is expected to open next spring. This final section, which will close the gap between…
Read more ›
Posted in Access issues, News
Life saving advice on river crossings
The arrival of autumn provides great opportunities for stunning days out in the Scottish hills, with the gradual change of the mountain flora to its autumn colours. But autumn also heralds its own risk in the hills. The increased rainfall, especially noticeable after the dry summer, can result in some normal burn and river crossings becoming impassable. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) has issued the following warning to walkers and has reduced the price of their DVD on making safe river crossings. “Even a burn you crossed earlier in the day can have risen to dangerous levels by afternoon,…
Read more ›
Posted in News
Volunteers clock up over 1200 days working on Bothies last year
2012 saw no let-up in the amount of work undertaken by the Mountain Bothies Association to renovate and maintain unlocked shelters in the remote parts of Great Britain. Three new buildings were adopted during the year, although two others were handed back to their owners. Two well- known Scottish bothies received major refurbishment and improvements were made to many other buildings. Presenting the Report, Association Chairman John Arnott said: “2012 was a very successful year for the Association. We took on new buildings at Dryfehead in the Scottish Borders, Cruib on the Island of Jura, and Lluest Cwm Bach in the…
Read more ›
Posted in News
Deadline near for hill walking detectives
This weekend is the last chance for hill walkers to submit photos of any bulldozed tracks they have encountered. Walkers were asked to turn detective and send in evidence which will be used by campaigners who want to show the damage done to the environment by these unregulated tracks with the aim of persuading the Planning Minister to change the law so these tracks would need planning permission before they could be constructed. Helen Todd of Ramblers Scotland and co-convener of the campaign group said: “We have long been convinced that unregulated hill tracks needed to be brought into the planning…
Read more ›
Posted in Access issues, News
Scottish National Trail website launched
A new website has just been launched to help promote the Scottish National Trail. The Trail – which was devised by outdoors broadcaster and writer Cameron McNeish and launched by First Minister Alex Salmond last year – runs for the length of Scotland, 864km from Kirk Yetholm to Cape Wrath. “This trail has wonderful variety, ranging from easy but beautiful walking in the Borders and Central Scotland before becoming progressively more challenging through Perthshire and the Cairngorms to become a real backpacking adventure in the Northwest Highlands. We’re delighted to have completed a detailed guide and description to walking every…
Read more ›
Posted in News, Walkhighlands news
Plans for new Trossachs long distance path unveiled
A new long distance route in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park that will link the West Highland Way and the Rob Roy Way has been officially named. Bruce Crawford MSP helped children from Trossachs Primary School to christen The Great Trossachs Path. The 35 mile long route is aimed at walkers and cyclists, and is due to be completed in 2015. The Great Trossachs Path will form the spine of a wider network of trails throughout The Great Trossachs Forest, a large scale woodland restoration project which extends from Inversnaid on the edge of Loch Lomond to Kilmahog…
Read more ›
Posted in Access issues, News