October Walk Report of the Month

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Helen Webster

Walkhighlands has announced the winners for the October Walk Report competition. Each month, two winners are chosen by the team at online retailer Webtogs, from all the trip reports submitted and published on the site in the last month. Gareth Jones from Webtogs said, “It’s been another hard month deciding who wins this months vouchers and there have been some stunning reports yet again as the days get shorter. “Runner up has to be Echoes of fire, water and a visionary – Liathach’s west end which has rightly been given 17 likes on the site, and we would heartily agree…

Posted in Walkhighlands news

BBC film to feature Cononish gold mine

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Helen Webster

A documentary following a year in the life of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park will be shown on Sunday 6 November on BBC 4 at 9pm. ‘Tales from the National Park’ follows the story of the Cononish gold mine application and features all aspects of the planning story from initial discussions with the applicant and community meetings right through to the recent final decision to approve the gold mine. Film maker Richard Macer spent a year following staff from the National Park giving unique behind the scenes footage. Fiona Logan, CEO of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National…

Posted in Access issues, Nature

Ramblers Scotland boss urges Tories to address energy and wild land issues

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Helen Webster

Dennis Canavan, Convener of Ramblers Scotland, has called on the new leader of the Tory party in Scotland to press for fundamental changes in UK energy policy. Speaking on the day before Scotland finds out who is to be the next Scottish Tory Party leader, Dennis Canavan said: “I want to see the new Tory leader stand up to the Prime Minister, David Cameron, and tell him what is wrong with UK Government energy policy and persuade him to make some fundamental changes. The top priorities must be to abolish the subsidy paid to the developers of large scale onshore…

Posted in Nature

Planned wind farm demo called off

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Helen Webster

The planned demonstration against the Allt Duine windfarm on 8th November outside the Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, has been called off. The demonstration had been called to coincide with a Council meeting due to discuss the application. Today (3 Nov) the Save Monadhliath Mountains (SMM) campaign team was informed by council officers that the Allt Duine s.36 application will not come before the Highland Council’s Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey Planning Application Committee, as anticipated. A spokesman for the campaign said, “SMM believes that the postponement could enable the councillors to visit the site and spend valuable time fully…

Posted in Access issues, Nature, News

Mountain Weather forecasts updated earlier

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Helen Webster

The Mountain Weather Information Service will now be releasing its forecasts at 13:30 each day. This is done every winter as an aid to safe decision making for hillwalkers and climbers, allowing for earlier forward planning during the winter months. In the summer the new forecast is released at 16:30 each day. All forecasts will continue to be updated whenever necessary throughout the day, with the 13:30 release being a major update and all others being amendements to the major release. On most days an amendment is made at around 07:30, but it should be noted that other amendments may…

Posted in News

Gear review: Hats

Posted on October 29, 2011 by Helen Webster

Whilst the urban myth that most of our body heat is lost through our head was debunked by scientists in the winter of 2008 (don’t let your kids see this), a warm hat remains an essential item of equipment for hillwalkers in Scotland all year round. Even in the height of summer the Cairngorm plateau can be a pretty inhospitable place; when the wind picks up and from October to April I’ll generally carry a spare hat in case of loss; a balaclava is a good option for the coldest weather. As with all items of outdoor equipment there are…

Posted in Accessories, Gear reviews

No shaggy dog story as second lost pet found

Posted on October 27, 2011 by Helen Webster

The BBC have reported how Sam the Springer Spaniel was found after 4 nights out in the wilds after becoming separated from his owner, hillwalker Dave Webb last week. Regular users of Walkhighlands will know that Dave reported that Sam went missing on the Munro Am Faochagach on the forum and was helped in the search by other users of the website, with one forum member driving all the way from Lanarkshire to help find Sam. A heart-warming story of folk helping each out others they have never met, and a happy ending – but the story has a remarkable…

Posted in Walkhighlands news

Windfarm protest set for 8th November

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Helen Webster

The Save The Monadhliath campaign group are planning a protest outside the headquarters of Highland Council. The campaign was set up to specifically to oppose the planning application for the controversial Allt Duine windfarm on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park near Duncraig. The protest will be held on the 8th November – the day when the councillors on the planning committee meet to vote on the plans. This is the first stage in the process as the ultimate decision will be made by ministers. A spokesman for the Save the Monadhliath campaign said “We are not against renewable…

Posted in Uncategorized

Tyndrum gold mine plans approved

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Helen Webster

The Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority has today (25 Oct) granted planning permission to Scotgold Resources Ltd for a goldmine at Cononish near Tyndrum. The decision comes at the end of a long running planning saga dating back to early 2010. Planning officers had recommended approval after a resubmitted application addressed many of the environmental concerns relating to the production of waste and use of water on the site. Members of the Park Authority decided that the need for economic growth outweighed concerns about the environment. Conditions have been placed on Scotgold Resources to minimise the long…

Posted in Access issues, Nature

Great Glen Way diversions

Posted on October 25, 2011 by Helen Webster

Forestry Commission Scotland says that timber harvesting taking place this winter and into next year will cause two diversions on a popular section of the Great Glen Way. The long distance route, which runs between Fort William and Inverness, will have two signed diversions in place from 1 November between Altt na Criche and Invermoriston. Walkers are advised to follow the signs and to stay on the diverted route which are not suitable for horses or bikes due to steep and rough sections. The Forestry Commission expects the harvesting work to be complete by the end of March 2012. A…

Posted in Access issues, News