Scotland's mountaineers call for halt to industrialisation of landscape

Posted on August 3, 2012 by Helen Webster

Representatives of Scotland's mountaineers and hill walkers have condemned a deluge of major wind farm applications which threaten to industrialise large tracts of our most beautiful landscapes. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS the 11,000 strong representative body for Scotland's mountaineers and hill walkers) has called on the Scottish Government to immediately establish a nationwide policy to prevent wind farm applications being made in Scotland’s most important and special mountain areas, for example near the Munros and Corbetts highest peaks. David Gibson, chief officer of the MCofS, said: “The sheer scale and number of recent onshore wind farm applications is…

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Cairngorms bothy to close for repairs

Posted on August 2, 2012 by Helen Webster

Walkers are being warned that a bothy in the Cairngorms is soon to shut for a fortnight of repairs. The Hutchison Memorial Hut will be closed from 31 August for two weeks while volunteers from the Mountain Bothy Association undertake a major programme of repairs. The Hutchison Hut is situated in Coire Etchachan at around 2,500 feet. It was built in 1954 with kind permission of the Trustees of the late Duke of Fife as a mountain refuge. The building was paid for by friends of the late Dr A G Hutchison of Aberdeen, who was killed in a climbing…

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West Highland Way forestry diversion

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Helen Webster

A diversion on the West Highland Way is currently in place to allow work to clear storm damaged trees. The affected route is in Garadhban Forest just a short way out of Drymen on the Drymen to Rowardennan section of the popular long distance walk. A signed diversion is in place and work may take up to a year to complete. Forestry Commission Scotland is urging local people and visitors to respect any signage they encounter during their visit, which as well as advising of diversions, aims to keep people safe and warn them of a significant public safety risk.…

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Mountain Rescue concerns over single police force

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Helen Webster

Scottish Mountain Rescue Teams have expressed concern about how the planned merger of Scottish police forces will affect mountain rescues. The Police currently co-ordinate each rescue, with actual rescue work being undertaken by individual mountain rescue teams, helicopter crews and other emergency services if necessary. The Scottish Mountain Rescue Committee is urging the police to consider how rescues will be co-ordinated after the merger in April next year and hopes that the merger can be a catalyst for improving the system rather than causing problems. At the same time, the UK Government has announced the shortlist of companies bidding to…

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Torridon Walking Festival programme announced

Posted on July 29, 2012 by Helen Webster

Events for this year's Torridon Walking Festival will include full days tackling a number of Torridon peaks, as well as a scrambling course, a boat trip to Rona, and lower level walks. The Festival takes place between 8 and 10 September, is sponsored by Tiso and run by Torridon Activities based at the Torridon Hotel and Torridon Inn. Bookings are now being taken for the events, see the Festival website for further details.

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Deer stalking info for hillwalkers online

Posted on July 27, 2012 by Helen Webster

Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is advising hill walkers to check online about deer stalking on estates before heading out for the hills. The stag stalking season (1st July to 20th October) is a popular time of year for walkers, so three years ago SNH set up the Heading for the Scottish Hills website. The web service has proved popular with walkers with 7500 visits last year. This year, in a collaboration between SNH and Walkhighlands, the detailed information from the Heading for the Scottish Hills will also be directly available on the relevant hill routes on the Walkhighlands website. The…

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Deadline looming for nature photography comp

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Helen Webster

The deadline is fast approaching for Scottish Natural Heritage's (SNH) free photo contest, which aims to find Scotland's best nature photos. SNH is encouraging Scots to enjoy nature by capturing their favourite natural places and wildlife by July 31. The sixth annual Nature Photography Competition is open to both amateur and professional photographers. First prize is a one-to-one tutorial with one of Scotland’s leading professional nature photographers, Lorne Gill; second prize is a Nikon D5100 Digital SLR camera with a tripod; and third prize is a Panasonic Lumix LX5 Digital Camera and a tripod. See the SNH website for details…

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Conservation Trust responds to wind farm subsidy reduction

Posted on July 26, 2012 by Helen Webster

The John Muir Trust has responded to the announcement by the UK government of the new subsidy level for wind energy production, a reduction of only 10 per cent, by calling for legal protection for the top 10 per cent of Wild Land in the UK. Stuart Brooks, chief executive of the Trust, said: “There are two aspects of major concern for lovers of natural landscapes from current energy policies. Most of the UK’s top 10 per cent of wild land has no statutory protection and there are now a host of applications for industrial energy developments coming through in…

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Charity aims to plant a million more trees

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Helen Webster

Conservation charity Trees for Life has announced an ambitious new goal to double its current rate of restoration work in Scotland's Caledonian Forest, with the establishment of one million more trees by planting and natural regeneration within five years. The charity’s new Million More Trees campaign is a response to environmental problems including deforestation, climate change and biodiversity loss, but could also bring significant benefits to Scotland’s economy by boosting wildlife tourism. “Establishing a million new native trees in the next five years represents a significant scaling up of our work. We have set ourselves this challenge as a response…

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Nevis Partnership hopeful of Lottery grant

Posted on July 23, 2012 by Helen Webster

The Nevis Partnership, the landscape charitable company dedicated to access issues for the Ben Nevis area, has been given a new lease of life as the Lottery has taken the first steps towards granting £1.8million to the Partnership. Last year the Partnership was forced to cease its work and laid off its employees due to lack of funds. Although funding has not been formalised, the Heritage Lottery Fund has earmarked the money and it is likely the Nevis Partnership will be successful when they put in their full application next year. Development funding of £75,800 has also been awarded to…

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