Contested Ground – people, place and the new Scottish planning bill

Posted on November 21, 2017 by David Lintern

Holyrood has been reviewing the current planning system since 2015, and a new Planning Bill is due to come before Parliament soon. David Lintern casts an eye over just some of the issues at stake for lovers of the Scottish outdoors. Planning is dry stuff, but it’s essential. Without proper planning, the places we live lack the infrastructure and resources we need, corporations offload impacts of new developments to communities and taxpayers, and little by little, Scotland’s green belt and wild places are encroached upon. The planning review has been largely focused on housing issues, but energy developments are cause…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature

Mend our Mountains: Make One Million campaign comes to Scotland

Posted on November 20, 2017 by Helen Webster

Mountaineering Scotland and the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland (OATS) are leading a campaign to raise £100,000 to support two essential Scottish mountain path projects – joined by Walkhighlands as offical media partner. The path restoration projects are one in each of Scotland’s two National Parks, and are part of a GB-wide initiative, Mend Our Mountains: Make One Million, coordinated by the British Mountaineering Council (BMC) in collaboration with 15 National Parks. Sponsorship is provided by Cotswold Outdoor and Snow+Rock, two of Britain’s leading outdoor retailers. In Scotland, the first target is one of the nation’s most heavily eroded mountain…

Posted in Access issues, Nature, News, Walkhighlands news

The End of an Era

Posted on November 19, 2017 by Cameron McNeish

Cameron McNeish laments the loss of our traditional mountaineering hostelries. I was initially surprised by the amount of criticism directed at the development plans for the historic Kings House hotel on the edge of the Rannoch Moor. Mountaineering Scotland, the John Muir Trust and the National Trust for Scotland have objected to the latest revisions made to the original proposals while social media has seen a fair amount of comment ranging from “why interfere with an historic droving inn” to “refurb this Scottish treasure and bring it back to its former glory, albeit the wonky fireplace and walls.” I’m not…

Posted in Features, Magazine

Meet the Pine Marten

Posted on November 12, 2017 by Ben Dolphin

“Oh wow! A pine marten visits the cottage” I exclaimed, uber-excitedly, as I turned a page in the cottage guest book. “Really?” replied my sister, not looking up from her book and therefore sounding distinctly underwhelmed. I always made, and indeed still do make a habit of perusing the pages of guest books because it’s like getting secret insider information on the place you’re visiting. In this instance, Kinlochewe in Wester Ross. We were both up there on holiday from the English Midlands and I’d never seen a pine marten before, hence my excitement. “Yeah, it says here that a…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature

Scottish Avalanche forecasts to start 15 December

Posted on November 11, 2017 by Helen Webster

The SportScotland Avalanche Information Service will start publishing its detailed forecasts for the Scottish Mountains on Friday 15 December. The six mountain areas covered are Northern Cairngorms, Southern Cairngorms, Lochaber, Creag Meagaidh, Glencoe and Torridon. Each report covers snow, avalanche, and climbing conditions. The reports are available from the website or via mobile phone. The SAIS is also asking any walkers or climbers who see an avalanche to report it to them. This can be done on line from the SAIS website. As well as the forecasts, the website also contains a wealth of information about snow and avalanches generally…

Posted in News

Winter returns to Scotland’s mountains

Posted on November 8, 2017 by Helen Webster

Hill walkers and climbers are being urged to stay safe as they prepare to enjoy what for many is the most rewarding season of the year. With winter now starting to bite, many hillwalkers and climbers will be looking out their ice axes, crampons and headtorches. But mountaineering experts have stressed that it takes much more than this to be ready for winter. Mountaineering Scotland has highlighted the high quality of online information which can be easily accessed before heading for the hills. Mountain Safety Adviser Heather Morning said: “There are some excellent resources for mountain weather information. Check out…

Posted in News

Breeding success for re-introduced red squirrels

Posted on November 6, 2017 by Helen Webster

A project by Trees for Life relocating red squirrels to their old forest homes in northwest Scotland has been boosted by evidence of breeding and natural expansion by the new populations. The conservation charity is reintroducing squirrels to suitable native woodlands in the Highlands, from which the species has been lost. Because reds travel between trees and avoid crossing large open spaces, they can’t return to these isolated forest fragments on their own. “Early indications are that this could be a real wildlife success story. The new squirrel populations are not only flourishing and breeding in their new homes, they…

Posted in Nature

A82 daytime road closures by Loch Lomond

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Helen Webster

Motorists are facing a 55-mile detour next month amid plans to close part of the A82 for nearly two weeks. The A82 between Tarbet and Crianlarich will be closed between 8am and 6pm on weekdays from Monday 6th November to 21st November. The road will be open outside those times, and at weekends. Road crews are gearing up to begin a major package of road improvements worth over £1M starting next week. Starting on Monday 6 November, works teams totalling over 90 operatives and associated plant and delivery vehicles will complete a number of schemes on the route over a…

Posted in Access issues

Rockfall reported on Cruach Ardrain

Posted on November 4, 2017 by Paul Webster

A large rockfall has been reported on Cruach Ardrain, with slope slippage and debris left on the path that descends towards Stob Garbh. Rab Anderson of the SMC has said that more unstable debris remains, and any walkers descending this route – or traversing across towards Stob Garbh from Beinn Tulaichean – would be passing through the line of fire. The Walkhighlands route on Cruach Ardrain and Beinn Tulaichean does not traverse or descend this slope.

Posted in Access issues, News

Get Ready For Winter In The Mountains: Facebook Live Q&A event

Posted on October 31, 2017 by Helen Webster

Next week Mountaineering Scotland is hosting a live Facebook Q&A session when an expert panel, led by Mountain Safety Adviser Heather Morning, will answer questions on mountaineering in winter. The panel will answer questions sent in both in advance and while they’re live ‘on air’, and offering essential advice to help people get the most out of Scotland’s mountains this winter, whether they’re venturing out into the hills under snow for the first time or could just do with a refresher or a particular piece of advice. The panel will be drawn from mountain rescue team members and experts from…

Posted in News