The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) is currently seeking a new Communications Officer and a Club Development Officer. These are full time, salaried and permanent posts with the national representative organisation for mountaineers, hill walkers, climbers and ski-tourers, which has 11,500 members. The MCofS has issued the following details: “Communications Officer / Magazine Editor (37 hours per week, based Perth) Based in our Perth office, this exciting new position will take responsibility for the coordination and editing of MCofS communications, including our award-winning members’ quarterly magazine Scottish Mountaineer. The post holder will also work with colleagues in the administration team…

Carbisdale Castle Hostel looks set to close for good because of the high cost of repair bills. The hostel, located near Invershin and housed in a spectacular castle containing a fabulous hall of marble statues, has been closed for the last two years but was previously very popular with walking groups, families and even wedding parties wanting to explore Sutherland. Owners, the Scottish Youth Hostels Association (SYHA) said the hostel may not reopen because millions of pounds worth of investment was needed and that there were no plans to open it in the foreseeable future but that the SYHA had…

Police have named the hillwalker whose body was recovered from Streap on Saturday as James Jack. Mr Jack, known as Jim, was from Airdrie in North Lanarkshire, and was found following a search by Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team and an RAF rescue helicopter in the Glenfinnan area.

The Cairngorms National Park celebrates its 10th anniversary yesterday (Friday 22 March) with the official opening of a new visitor facility at Blair Atholl. Visitors to Atholl and the Cairngorms National Park can now get all the information and inspiration they need in the new centre, which involved the refurbishment of the ranger base to also accommodate a visitor information hub and education centre. The site also contains the Atholl Museum of Country Life and a café. Local MSP and Cabinet Secretary John Swinney officially opened the new facility today – and also had the honour of cutting the Cairngorms…

Despite the snow and freezing conditions covering much of Scotland, next week sees the annual publicity awareness raising week aimed at preventing tick bites. Encouraging walkers and dog owners to be ‘tick aware’ is the message of this year’s Tick Bite Prevention week which runs from Monday 24 March. “Let’s tackle ticks together by making sure we’re all tick aware”, says Channel 4 ‘Embarrassing Bodies’ science presenter Dr James Logan, who is an expert on ticks. “A tick bite commonly leads to irritation, allergic reaction or localised infection but, in some cases, there can be more serious consequences such as…

The Angus Glens Walking Festival has launched its online booking system for the 2013 event. The four day walking festival, which is in it’s 11th year, is being held from Thursday 30 May to Sunday 2 June, and offers a programme of 27 walks suitable for different abilities. The walks are graded from ‘easy’ to ‘extremely strenuous’ so participants can choose walks best suited to their fitness and ability. There are also three all ability walks which are on level, well maintained paths which are suitable for wheelchairs. “Our walk leaders and Countryside Rangers have been working hard to put together a fantastic programme of walks for…

Police are investigating after a climber died during an operation to rescue him on Ben Nevis. Mark Phillips aged 51 from Spean Bridge, had fallen approximately 50m while climbing in the Raeburn’s Buttress area on the north face of the mountain on Monday (24 Feb). It is understood that he sustained serious injuries during the fall but was still attached to the rope and his climbing partner who was able to call the rescue services. A helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth and the Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team attended the scene and at some point during the operation to try and airlift…