Tonight (Tues 22 November) BBC Scotland will be showing a programme that aims to show that rock climbing started in the Northwest of Scotland rather than the English Lake District as is usually claimed. On The First Great Climb three of Scotland’s best climbers embark on a challenging mission to scale the Great Stac of Handa, an isolated pillar of rock on the north-west coast. Dave MacLeod, Dave Cuthbertson and Donald King hope to replicate an ascent first made by a trio of climbers from Lewis nearly 140 years ago, using only equipment and clothing that would have been available…

Cameron McNeish will give an illustrated talk, sponsored by Tiso, in Inverness on 25 November. Over the past twenty years writer and broadcaster Cameron McNeish has made a number of television programmes for the BBC including the highly successful series The Edge: 100 Years of Scottish Mountaineering and Wilderness Walks. More recently he has appeared as a regular presenter on the acclaimed BBC Scotland series The Adventure Show and he has made a number of programmes about long distance trails in Scotland, including the Sutherland Trail, the Skye Trail and the Hebridean Trail. Last year he led the commentary team…