Entries open for Mountain Writing Competition

Posted on May 4, 2016 by Helen Webster

The excitement and intensity of mountaineering has always inspired great writing – and now the Mountaineering Council of Scotland is looking for authors to blend their writing skills with their mountain experience for its long running literary competition. Entries are now open for the MCofS annual Mountain Writing Competition, which seeks out the best writing – prose or poetry, fact or fiction – to emerge from the climbing and walking scene. And, with more and more people taking art in outdoor activities, there should be no shortage of climbers and walkers ready to put their experiences into words and share…

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Weekend avalanche forecasts continue for Caingorms and Lochaber

Posted on May 3, 2016 by Helen Webster

Due to recent heavy snowfall, high accumulations of snow and low temperatures on the mountains, the SportScotland Avalanche Information Service (SAIS) will continue to provide a forecast for the Northern Cairngorms and Lochaber this weekend. SAIS said there was currently the potential for avalanches on steep east-facing slopes. The SAIS told the BBC “Late winter snow conditions above 1,000m (3,280ft) on north through east to south facing slopes in the Cairngorms and Ben Nevis and Aonach Mor areas may present a hazard. Additionally, isolated snow fields remain on north to east aspects above 750m (2,460ft) in most areas and will…

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Lightweight Waterproofs review

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Peter Macfarlane

I know you might not believe it as we’ll be kicking through fresh snow in the hills this weekend, but summer is coming so it’s time to lighten the load a wee bit. I like big protective hoods in the winter, I like wide cuffs I can pull over gloves and as the years are racking up I’m feeling quite happy out there with a heavier fabric to keep a little bit more of the windchill at bay. However for the past few weeks as I’ve been back in lighter shells and I’ve adjusted to all the cut corners and…

Posted in Gear reviews, Jackets, Magazine

Thrilled by an Evening of Adventure

Posted on April 28, 2016 by Cameron McNeish

Last month I had the pleasure of hosting the National Adventure Awards in Glasgow, an annual gathering that celebrates the achievements of folk who have pushed the boundaries of their particular adventurous activities. It was a great event, an evening in recognition of some truly amazing accomplishments and an antidote to the prescribed, sanitised society that most of us live in. The nominees for this year’s Awards include some extraordinary individuals, people who quietly and effectively close the door on normality and set out to push their own limits in a wide variety of settings, from the wilds of the…

Posted in Features, Magazine

Walkers warned to prepare for winter in Scotland’s mountains this May Bank Holiday

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Helen Webster

May Bank Holiday is approaching fast, but the high mountains of Scotland are still hanging onto winter after an unseasonably cold spring. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) and British Mountaineering Council (BMC) are joining forces to recommend hill walkers north and south of the Border be prepared to deal with late-lying snow conditions when they head for the Scottish hills this weekend. This spring has been unseasonably cold, with a northerly airstream and accompanying cold conditions affecting the whole of Scotland. This has resulted in some of the best skiing and winter climbing for several years. It looks like…

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Hen Harrier Sightings Wanted

Posted on April 27, 2016 by Helen Webster

The public is being asked to report any hen harrier sightings this year by the ‘Heads Up for Harriers’ project group. Run by the Partnership for Action Against Wildlife Crime (PAW Scotland), this is one part of the effort to help rare hen harriers. Hen harriers frequent many Scottish moors, where their acrobatic aerial courtship displays are a tell-tale sign of breeding activity. But their distribution and numbers are still restricted in some areas. A number of causes, including illegal persecution, land use changes and predation, have resulted in a reduction in hen harrier numbers, to the point that the…

Posted in Nature

Our pick: Glasgow’s street murals

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Paul Webster

Our latest new urban walk is an exploration of some of Glasgow’s stunning street murals. These impressive creations decorate blank end walls and vacant buildings and help to tranform otherwise less attractive corners of the city into striking public art works. The full walking route giving directions to see all these and more can be visited here: Glasgow Murals Trail. This new mural on High Street was created early in 2016 by the Australian born street artist Smug (Sam Bates) – renowned for his photo-realistic style. The Argyle Street Cafe mural is another work by Smug. It replaces an earlier…

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Celebrating the John Muir Way’s second anniversary

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Helen Webster

Celebrations for the second anniversary of the John Muir Way are running throughout this week with events across the Central Belt. The festivities, taking place from 16-24 April, honour the famous Scottish American environmentalist’s birthday and his namesake trail. Ian Ross, Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) chairman, said: “Many people have enjoyed walking and cycling the John Muir Way since it opened in 2014, with over 60,000 visitors a year. It’s a wonderful resource for people of any ability or fitness. You can walk a mile along the route near where you live – or walk the entire 134 miles. The…

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Scottish avalanche forecasts end daily service

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Helen Webster

The Scottish Avalanche Information Service has reached the official end of its daily forecasting for the winter. However due to the amount of snow still around forecasts will be issued for next weekend in Lochaber and North Cairngorm. Further details can be found at the SAIS website.

Posted in News

John of the Mountains

Posted on April 16, 2016 by Peter Pearson

As we mark John Muir Day, April 21, Peter Pearson, Chair of the John Muir Trust, invites hillwalkers and mountaineers to get involved with the organisation that honours his name. “Who wouldn’t be a mountaineer! Up here all the world’s prizes seem nothing,” noted John Muir in My First Summer in the Sierra, a collection of journal entries describing his 1869 adventures in the magical mountain wilderness of Yosemite. Muir would later rise to fame in the USA as a writer, scientist and campaigner. He is today hailed as the founding father of the modern conservation movement, and the inspiration…

Posted in Features, Magazine