The scourge of walkers, climbers and tourists alike, clouds of biting midges are one of Scotland's less attractive attractions. Ticks, too, have earned the enmity of anyone who has had to take the tweezers to remove that charming beast that loves to burrow its head in our skin and suck our lifeblood. But in the interests of fairness, Heather Morning, Mountain Safety Advisor with the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, has been doing some research to see if there is a positive side to these wee beasties. She asks, “In a ‘head to head’ battle, does the midge or the tick…

Walkers, mountain bikers and the local community are all being urged to give their views on how Forestry Commission Scotland could improve recreation development at Glentress Forest. Two drop-in events are planned to be held at the Glentress Cafe on Friday 12th (5pm – 8.30pm) and on Saturday 13th July (9am to 2pm). The two drop-in days are the last in a series of stakeholder and public feedback sessions to be held, with all the information being used to develop a ‘masterplan’ for the area. Leona Wilkie of Forestry Commission Scotland is managing the masterplan process. She said: “The drop-in…

A new survey suggests that a majority of hillwalkers, climber and mountain bikers don’t know the correct procedure to summon help. Only 5%, of the 256 mountain users surveyed knew the correct procedure for calling out mountain rescue and of the remainder, 61% would have asked for an ambulance on phoning which the researchers say may lead to delays or an inappropriate response. The study was undertaken in Wales by Julia Kramer who believes the results are likely to be similar for other areas of the UK. She said: “Ambulances can’t get up mountains, and air ambulances can’t land on…

The organisers of the Harris Mountain Festival are pleased to announce that this year' festival will run from Saturday 14th to Saturday 21st of September. This will be the third annual event, organised by the North Harris Trust, and they hope to build on the successes of the previous two years. Matt Watts, Ranger for the North Harris Trust says, “Harris is a spectacular place where seas and mountains meet, hosting some of the most spectacular and rugged mountain scenery in the world. It is hoped that the mountain festival will bring visitors and locals together to enjoy what Harris…

Tomintoul Hostel was officially reopened this week by Cameron McNeish, having been taken over from the SYHA by the Tomintoul and Glenlivet Development Trust. It will be known as the Smugglers Hostel, a nod to the whisky smuggling past that the area is well known for. With a long established affinity with hostelling Cameron McNeish, a former Hostel Warden, has previously spoken about his passion for hostelling and his belief in maintaining the Scottish hostelling product. He said: “It is with great pleasure that I am able to officially reopen The Smugglers Hostel. It is great that the community was…

Gleann Dubh-Lighe bothy, which was destroyed by fire in 2011, has been rebuilt and is once again available to walkers. With considerable assistance from the owners, Fassfern estate, volunteers from the Mountain Bothies Association (MBA) have spent the last few weeks bringing the building back to life. Only the walls were left standing following the blaze. Now, the building has been re-roofed and windows, doors and a timber floor installed. It has been sub-divided into two rooms and a sleeping platform is being built. The bothy has been rebuilt in memory of Nicholas Randall, a keen hillwalker who was found…