Common Ground: Joshua Adeyemi

Posted on February 17, 2024 by Paul Webster

In our new series, we aim to find out what makes our fellow outdoor enthusiasts tick. Joshua Adeyemi is the man behind the hugely popular talesbyjosh instagram account, through which he shares videos of his adventures in Scotland’s mountains. Josh describes himself first and foremost as a human. He was Ramblers Scotland’s ‘Walking Champion’ in 2023, and is a co-founder of Black Scottish Adventurers, a community-interest company that aims to: introduce more ethnic minorities to the Scottish outdoors, help benefit their physical and mental wellbeing, and educate people about how their daily activities impact their environment and, ultimately, the climate…

Posted in Common Ground interviews, Features, Magazine

Gear Review: Best winter walking trousers

Posted on February 15, 2024 by Helen Webster

Keela: Scuffer Trousers RRP: £84.95Weight: 440g (Women’s 10S) Just about the stretchiest fabric on test, these trousers have proved to have a high level of wind resistance and good water repellency, whilst not being too hot when working hard. I’ve found them to been fairly quick drying too. The decent sized zipped side vents with mesh are easy to use while wearing. The women’s fit is on the slim side, but these trousers come in 6 sizes and 3 lengths so you should find something that suits. The design is well thought out with good knee shaping and velcro-adjustable ankles…

Posted in Gear reviews, Magazine, Trousers

Common Ground: Kirsty Pallas

Posted on February 8, 2024 by Paul Webster

In our Common Ground series, we hear from the some of the incredible variety of people who enjoy Scotland’s great outdoors. Can you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your background? I’m a mountaineering instructor based near Oban, and I work part time for Mountaineering Scotland as a Mountain Safety Advisor, and the rest of the time freelance. This means I do a whole range of work from navigation courses, guiding on the Cuillin Ridge, teaching rock climbing, training up new Mountain Leaders, and delivering winter skills courses. We moved here as a family over 20 years…

Posted in Common Ground interviews, Features, Magazine, News

Epic US hike and wonderous Assynt win monthly prizes

Posted on February 5, 2024 by Helen Webster

2024 got off to a great start with loads of people posting their trip reports and walk experiences on the Walkhighlands forum. Each month two winners share £150 Highlander vouchers to spend on outdoor gear. January’s winning report, by Eduardo, takes us back to 2008 to tackle one of the great US trails – the heat of life in the handful of dust – John Muir Trail – a fantastic write up and a great read on a driech Scottish day. The £50 runner up prize goes to Anne C for The Wonder of Ben Mor Coigach, the stunning scenery of the north…

Posted in Magazine, News

Tawny Twits and Tawny Twoos

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Ben Dolphin

Winter nights are rather quiet affairs, but I’d forgotten just how quiet they were until a familiar sound pierced one of them last week while I was out for a torchlit stroll. Huuuuu……..Huh….Huhuhuhuuuuuu. It sailed through the chill night air, clear and sharp, from somewhere within the dark recesses of a granny pine. I stopped in my tracks and waited for a repeat, which duly came after 10 seconds or so. Huuuuu….. I waited, listening for the familiar response. A short moment later a fainter, more distant sound, high pitched and squawky, called out. Kewick!…….Kewick! Tawny owls. The walls of…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature

Common Ground: Glenn Campbell

Posted on January 31, 2024 by Paul Webster

In this new series of short interviews, we aim to find out what makes our fellow outdoor enthusiasts tick, the experiences they share and their hopes for the future. Glenn Campbell will be a familiar face to many from his role as Political Editor at BBC Scotland. Following his diagnosis last year, he is currently raising funds for Brain Tumour Research; you can support via his Brain Power JustGiving page. Can you begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your background? I was born and brought up on the beautiful whisky-making island of Islay where my parents ran…

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Our pick: Scotland’s best coastal clifftop walks

Posted on January 24, 2024 by Paul Webster

If you asked someone to think of archetypal Scottish landscapes, mountains and lochs tend to be at the forefront. Yet Scotland’s convoluted coastline – not just on the mainland but on the many islands too – is no less glorious. Here we pick out a selection of 21 of the finest clifftop walks to be found all around the country. Duirinish peninsula, Isle of Skye Skye’s grandest sea cliffs are on the distant Duirinish peninsula. The highest of all are at Biod an Athair, but it is the coastal walk from Ramasaig to Orbost – around Idrigill Point – that…

Posted in Features, Magazine, Our picks

Bid for Affric & Loch Ness National Park launched

Posted on January 13, 2024 by Paul Webster

A bid to nominate Affric and Loch Ness as Scotland’s third national park has been launched, with organisers saying the area’s globally important natural and cultural heritage deserves protection and celebration. The latest nomination joins previous expressions of interest for National Park status including for the Tay Forest, Galloway, the Isle of Skye, and Lochaber. The partnership behind the proposal says the Affric and Loch Ness area is one of the world’s most beautiful places, and national park status would benefit current and future generations. It would empower local communities, and open up economic opportunities including nature-based jobs, allowing people of…

Posted in Magazine, Nature, News

Frozen summit camp wins December prize

Posted on January 3, 2024 by Helen Webster

Happy New Year everyone! It’s also time to look back at the end of 2023 and pick the winning walk reports for the Highlander monthly competition. Loads of great reports were posted on the Walkhighlands forum in December, some from wonderful hot sunny summer days and others shorter winter rambles as well as a few epic winter high level camps. One of those awesome summit camps wins the £100 Highlander prize voucher. Congratulations to Jaxter for The incredible power of awe – Sgor Gaoith winter summit camp – that dip must have been beyond chilly! The £50 runner up is Milo12 for Neist…

Posted in Magazine, News

Lee Craigie wins top mountain award

Posted on December 22, 2023 by Paul Webster

Organisers of The Fort William Mountain Festival have announced that Lee Craigie, the mountain bike adventurer and cross country mountain bike racer, nomadic storyteller, author, outdoor therapist, award winning film maker, campaigner for active travel, and champion for women in the outdoors, is the 17th recipient of the Scottish Award for Excellence in Mountain Culture, sponsored by JAHAMA Highland Estates. Born in Glasgow to a sporting family, Lee Craigie has always had a passion for exploration and adventure in the outdoors and for promoting its physical and mental health benefits. It was the driving force behind her outdoor education degree and a three year Post Graduate Training in…

Posted in Magazine, News