Scotland achieves first with wild land map

In a first for the UK, a new map detailing Scotland’s wild areas has been published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). Some of the country’s wildest landscapes are already identified and protected if they fall within national parks or national scenic areas. But many other wild areas are not identified in any way. The Scottish [...]

February 3rd, 2012 09:44 AM

Win outdoor gear vouchers with Walkhighlands

Walkhighlands has teamed up with online gear retailer OutdoorKit.co.uk to give away £100 worth of vouchers to spend on outdoor equipment. The free prize draw will run for the month of February and as 2012 is a leap year there’s an extra day to get your entry in! OutdoorKit is one of the UK’s leading [...]

February 1st, 2012 09:46 AM

Ratty shows head for heights on Beinn Eighe

The enigmatic water vole may be associated with our water and river systems but scientists have revealed it is it thriving almost 700 metres up a Scottish hill. Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve in Wester Ross managed by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) is home to some of Britain’s rarest wildlife. And a recent survey of [...]

January 31st, 2012 01:06 PM

Culra Bothy fully open again

The Mountain Bothy Assocation says that the Ben Alder estate has made temporary repairs to the roof of Culra bothy which was damaged in the December storms. The room that was affected is now watertight and the bothy is once more fully functional.

January 31st, 2012 09:14 AM

JMT launches wild land management website

The John Muir Trust today launched its new Wild Land Management Standards website which illustrates the principles that guide its management of wild land. Aimed at other land managers and anyone interested in managing land with a focus on improving habitats and encouraging wildlife in a natural way, the site offers a range of resources [...]

January 30th, 2012 08:08 PM

Hunt is on to spot Glen Nevis Red Squirrels

John Muir Trust Nevis conservation officer Lewis Pate spotted a perfectly split hazelnut shell left by a red squirrel enjoying a nutty treat in Steall Gorge, Glen Nevis. This is the first recorded evidence of squirrels in this location. Lewis says, “I was walking through the birch and ash wood on the path when I [...]

January 25th, 2012 01:55 PM

Rare bugs and other species unearthed in the Highlands

Biodiversity surveys carried out on Trees for Life’s Dundreggan Estate, in Glen Moriston last year have revealed a range of rare and endangered species. The new discoveries on the 10,000-acre estate include the first Scottish record of one species of sawfly and what may be the first British record of another; the second-ever British record [...]

January 25th, 2012 12:09 PM

Rescued walker dies of injuries

A 19-year-old walker who was airlifted to Raigmore Hospital on Monday (23 January) after a fall in the Gairloch area has sadly died in hospital. Craig Cathie, 19, from Moodiesburn, near Glasgow was walking in a group of 16 in the Flowerdale Estate area of Gairloch when he fell between 20 and 30 feet and [...]

January 25th, 2012 11:17 AM

Search for missing Cairngorms walker stood down

Police have said that the search for missing Yorkshire man Grant Cunliffe has been stood down. A third day of searches failed to find any trace of the missing man and his family have been made aware there will be no further searches at the moment. Mr Cunliffe from North Yorkshire has been missing in [...]

January 25th, 2012 11:07 AM

Police appeal for lost Cairngorms walker

Police in Aviemore are appealing for information in relation to the movements of an overdue climber missing in the Cairngorms since Thursday 19th January 2012. Grant Cunliffe, aged 49, from Skipton in North Yorkshire is believed to have walked into Corrour Bothy in the Larig Ghru pass on Wednesday 18th January, intending to go hillwalking [...]

January 24th, 2012 10:55 AM