Andrea Britton an ecologist at The James Hutton Institute asks hillwalkers to help with important research. Everyone who enjoys Scotland’s Munros already knows that our spectacular mountain landscapes are home to some amazing wildlife: from majestic Golden Eagles and enigmatic Mountain Hares through to the multi-coloured carpets of lichen and moss that thrive in what – to us as least – appear to be sometimes hostile habitats. But how much do we actually know about the life beneath our walking boots as we bag our next Munro? It’s a question that we ecologists at The James Hutton Institute have been…

A share of the car parking fees from the new Beinn a’ Ghlo car park at Loch Moraig are to be invested in Outdoor Access Trust’s annual mountain path maintenance volunteer programme. John Swinney, MSP for Perthshire North, has today opened a new 60 space car park for hill walkers on Beinn a’ Ghlo and its three Munros, near Blair Atholl on the southern edge of the Cairngorms National Park. The £172,000 partnership building project was spearheaded by the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS), a leading environmental charity promoting sustainable public access, and funded by both the Cairngorms National…

The title of last month’s winning Walk Report says it all. Foil Blanket, Mobile Phones, Helicopter Rescue, Broken Bones is gld73’s gripping tale of how easy a relatively straightforward hillwalk can go horribly wrong. The guys at Highlander who sponsor the competition said they were speechless reading this report, describing it as an incredible (and lucky) story shared with the community – well worthy of the £100 voucher prize. May’s runner up was tomyboy73’s account The Aonach Eagach at last. A great mix of fear, fun, atmospheric photos and great memories is described as a group of friends tackle this…

Many of Scotland’s most popular natural sites are receiving a staffing boost this summer, with Scottish Government funding of £900,000 to support better visitor management and help safeguard the environment for visitors and local communities. The NatureScot Better Places funding will go directly to 24 countryside, coast and island projects across Scotland, enabling an additional 62 staff to be employed this summer across Scotland. The extra ‘boots on the ground’ will promote the Scottish Outdoor Access Code (SOAC) and help manage visitor pressure in Shetland, Glencoe, the Pentlands, the Cairngorms, Loch Lomond, Arran, NC500, and various locations around East Lothian,…

A campaign has been launched warning drivers to look out for deer along Scotland’s trunk road network. NatureScot is working with Transport Scotland and Traffic Scotland to display warning messages on electronic variable message signs (VMS) in the areas of the highest risk between May 24 and June 14. In recent decades, deer populations in Scotland have both increased in number and spread in range, particularly in urban areas and the central belt. Alongside growth in road traffic this has inevitably led to an increased risk of collisions between deer and vehicles, with almost 24,000 recorded since 2003. May and…

An Edinburgh adventurer who promotes diversity in the outdoors has been named as the Overall Champion of the Scottish Walking Awards. Joshua Adeyemi wowed judges with his work to improve representation within the walking community, particularly by sharing walking inspiration via his influential “@talesbyjosh” Instagram account.  Joshua scooped the Media/Online Walking Champion award as well as the Overall Champion title, beating many dozens of entries to the awards run by Paths for All, Ramblers Scotland and Living Streets Scotland. Nominations included everything from businesses, councils and land managers to the journalists, staff and local volunteers who are inspiring others to step out. Joshua,…