Cattle are key to new Trossachs woodland

Posted on August 16, 2014 by Helen Webster

A herd of Luing cattle is helping to speed up natural regeneration of woodland in the Trossachs. The cattle have been given access to a large area of newly established native woodland on the Woodland Trust’s Glen Finglas estate for the first time since it was planted fifteen years ago. They cause minimal damage to the young trees and their hooves are perfect for breaking up ground, allowing seeds to take root. They also help maintain healthy ground flora by grazing on coarse grasses and trampling bracken to keep them in check. This process can help to reduce the risk…

Posted in Nature

Gear Test – Haglöfs L.I.M system

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Peter Macfarlane

Usually a gear test takes the best contenders from various brands and weighs them up against each other, but for my first Walkhighlands gear feature I’m going to test a familiar claim made by many of the manufacturers – that they’ve created a clothing system that works perfectly from base layer to shell layer meaning you don’t need to shop elsewhere. I like lighter weight kit, but never at the expense of performance. I want comfort, protection, usability and also durability if I can get it. Haglöfs’ new L.I.M. series seemed to tick all the boxes and they sent through…

Posted in Baselayers, Gear reviews, Jackets, Magazine

Final appeal made to John Swinney over Monadhliath

Posted on August 15, 2014 by Paul Webster

Wind farm developers and power companies are on the verge of completely strangling a celebrated area of Highland beauty, according to the Mountaineering Council of Scotland, which represents Scotland’s mountaineers and hillwalkers. “The Scottish Government has now given permission to so many huge commercial developments in the Monadhliath Mountains that the quality of their landscape and value as a destination for walkers, climbers and other visitors will be destroyed.” If consented by the Highland Council, Coriolis Energy’s recent application for the Dell wind farm at Whitebridge would place a further 13 turbines along the western side of the Monadhliath. Together…

Posted in Nature

Deadline looms for mountain writing competition

Posted on August 14, 2014 by Helen Webster

Writers with a taste for the high life are being sought by the Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) for its long-running literary competition. The competition was announced earlier this year, and now the August 31st deadline is looming. The MCofS Mountain Writing Competition 2014 (formerly the Mountain Article Competition) seeks out the best in mountain writing, whether fact or fiction, prose or poetry. Entries should have some connection with mountains and mountaineering, rock or ice climbing, walking or ski-mountaineering, and winners will receive a cash prize and the chance to see their entries in print in the Scottish Mountaineer, the…

Posted in News

A guide to Scottish heathers

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Ben Dolphin

If you’ve been out in the hills lately you’ll hopefully have noticed shades of purple and pink standing out against the otherwise green landscape. Certainly that’s been my experience on two recent walks, one up Beinn a’ Bhuird via The Sneck in the Cairngorms and one along Loch Turret in Perthshire. The different shades I saw on those walks are the ones that accompany summer’s inevitable slide towards autumn, as the heathers burst into flower. I say heathers with an ‘s’, using the plural, because there are many species and it’s a name used quite widely (and loosely) to describe…

Posted in Features, Magazine

Rockfall in Northern Corries leaves Cairngorms ‘Goat track’ path unsafe

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Paul Webster

A large area of rock fall caused by Monday’s torrential rain has left a popular Cairngorm footpath in an unstable and dangerous state. Slabs from the cliffs above the Goat Track path in Coire an t-Sneachda – one of Cairngorm’s famous and iconic Northern Corries which help form the classic view from Loch Morlich – have fallen across the track and surrounding area. The rock fall was discovered by path builders heading into Coire an t-Sneachda on Tuesday morning. They carried out an initial examination, which showed the area to be very unstable and dangerous. The situation is currently being…

Posted in Access issues, News

Safety warning as Derry footbridge swept away in Cairngorms

Posted on August 12, 2014 by Paul Webster

An important footbridge for walkers in the Cairngorms has been washed away in the torrential rain and flooding. The footbridge across the Derry Burn at the foot of Glen Derry – an essential link in the most commonly-used route through the famous Lairig Ghru Pass – was lifted from its foundations and swept downstream. This now means that, until the rivers fall back to normal levels, the Lairig Ghru is impassable by the main Luibeg branch of the track. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland has warned that for the foreseeable future anyone considering using this route should assess the situation…

Posted in Access issues, News

Get Outdoors Weekend inspired by Commonwealth Games

Posted on August 8, 2014 by Helen Webster

Ramblers Scotland is hoping that the inspiration of seeing Team Scotland in action, along with other athletes, will motivate everyone in the country to be a bit more active themselves. The first ever ‘Get Outdoors Weekend’, being held on the weekend following the close of the Games, aims to help everyone across Scotland discover the fun of getting active outdoors, as well as enjoying the health benefits. All Scots are being invited to make a pledge to get outdoors and get active on the weekend of 9-10 August, once the Games are over, and help kick-start the physical activity legacy…

Posted in News, Uncategorized

Black Isle bird of prey death toll rises

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Helen Webster

The number of legally protected birds of prey killed as a result of the mass poisoning on the Black Isle, near Inverness, has risen to 16. Police have also confirmed that they were illegally poisoned using a banned substance which the Police are not naming at the moment. Toxicology tests on the remaining six birds, four red kites and two buzzards, found dead in and around the Conon Bridge area are continuing. The total reward being offered for information on one of Scotland’s worst raptor poisoning incidents has now risen to over £32,000, including a £12,000 donation from a group…

Posted in Nature

Isle of Harris Mountain Festival programme announced

Posted on August 6, 2014 by Helen Webster

The Isle of Harris Mountain Festival is taking place this year between Saturday 13th and Saturday 20th September 2014. Billed as “a week-long celebration of the mountains of Harris,” this is the fourth annual event run by the North Harris Trust. Organisers are promising that this year's festival will be bigger and more ambitious than ever. Last year’s festival was a big success, despite some unsettled weather. Events included a varied guided walks programme including a couple of superb hill walks and a golden eagle walk, culminating in an eleven mile hike through the heart of North Harris with great…

Posted in News