A lengthy mountain rescue search ended yesterday (Saturday 15 October) with the recovery of the body of a climber from the Glen Shiel mountains above the the Cluanie Inn. The dead man has now been named by Police as 65 year old Tom Clark, a graphic designer from Aberdeen. Kintail Mountain Rescue Team, SARDA Search Dogs along with Police and Rescue 137 from RAF Lossiemouth attended following an emergency call was received around 5:30 pm stating that a man had fallen a considerable distance. Eventually the fallen climber was located and found to have suffered fatal injuries.

Over 700 people attended Scotland’s Mountain Safety Day held in Stirling on Saturday 8 October. The day, organised by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland and Mountain Aid, was a mixture of talks, information stands, and demonstrations including a climbing wall for children. The Walkhighlands team was there and had fun meeting users of website of all ages, and introducing the site to others as well as distributing safety and access information. David Gibson, Chief Officer at the MCofS, believes the day was a great success. He commented: “I want to say a big thank you to everyone who made Scotland’s…

Police have revealed that the remains of a London man who went missing in 2009 was found by members of the public in on Sron Mhic Gille-Mhartainn in the Monadhliath Mountains, near Laggan on Friday 7 October. A Police spokesman said the missing man’s identity would not be revealed until next of kin have been informed. A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal which is normal practice in these cases.

For all those facing the dilemma of what present to buy the mountaineer who has everything this Xmas, the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) has come up with a new option, the Gift of Membership. The Gift of Membership is the new MCofS initiative that enables you to buy a year’s membership of the MCofS for someone else. MCofS Chief Officer David Gibson said: “The Gift of Membership could be of interest to parents looking for a gift for their children (including grown up children), husbands, wives, boyfriends and girlfriends seeking out a gift for their mountaineering partner, or perhaps…

A wildlife festival, which returns to Perthshire for the second year, is celebrating news that it will be bringing an internationally famous film festival to the area direct from the UN’s headquarters in New York. Wild Connections, founded in 2010 to showcase Highland Perthshire’s potential as a wildlife tourism destination, will run from 8th – 16th October, offering around 30 events to enthusiasts. Organisers are hailing the inclusion of nine award‐winning short films, brought here by Forestry Commission Scotland as part of the UN’s International Year of the Forests celebrations, as a major coup. They expect visitors will travel from…

With the weather forecast looking a bit dreich for much of Scotland, why not abandon any walking plans and head for Stirling? A whole day dedicated to mountain safety and open to all will be at the Albert Halls in the centre of Stirling this Saturday, 8 October. The day promises a fun mixture of interactive events, presentations and displays – a real one stop shop for information on the Scottish hills and how to enjoy them safely. Entry is FREE and the day should appeal to hill walkers and climbers of all abilities, particularly those wishing to find out…

In 2010 Chris Townsend, outdoor writer, photogrpaher and Gear Editor for TGO magazine, hiked the Pacific Northwest Trail, which runs for 1250 miles from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean through the states of Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. This is a wilderness route with much challenging terrain and remote country inhabited by bears and wolves. Chris, who was until recently President of mountaineers and climbers organisation the MCofS, will be giving an illustrated talk about the walk on 20 October in Inverness. The talk, to be illustrated with spectacular images of the mountains, is organised by TISO and held…

Northern Constabulary Police have named the hillwalker who died last week following a fall in Glencoe as 58 year old Patricia Hutchison from Glasgow. A search and rescue operation was launched on 29th September following reports that a female hillwalker had fallen in the Lost Valley in Glencoe.