WALKHIGHLANDS NEW LETTER http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/
Last month's early sunshine and hot temperatures meant the end to daily
Scottish avalanche forecasts and talk of sunburn and midges amongst the
flurry of fantastic walk reports published on Walkhighlands. For a brief
moment Walkhighlands HQ in Cromdale was officially the warmest place ever
recorded in March in Scotland at 23.5 degrees, and it was hard to believe
that snow on the hills was to rapidly follow.
1,500 route milestone reached
March also saw the number of route descriptions on Walkhighlands pip the
1,500 marker. A quick trip to Lewis in glorious sunshine resulted in another
9 routes on the site and more for the Outer Hebrides will follow very
shortly.
Webtogs Walk
Reports of the Month
Chosen by Gareth from Webtogs who writes:
"So what happened to Winter eh? While we mention it, did someone
decide to bypass Spring as well going straight to summer? It's been nigh on
two weeks of beautiful weather and it seems incredible that just 6 weeks ago
we were sledging on our local hills. The weather might be inconsistent, but
one thing that has been steady is the quality of reports coming from you
folks.
At the risk of trotting out a cliche that is nonetheless accurate, it's been
a tough month to choose from yet again. In particular there have been some
total stunners, Beinn Eighe - when fortune favours the brave,
Canada
- Rawson Lake - Beautiful & lethal in equal measure, Quinag
- the stuff my dreams are made of all stood out for me.
A winner and a runner up there has to be though so here we go. Runner up was
a cracker, the trip of a lifetime - Nepal by cliverif. As an end to end report of what
you can expect from a trip out to Nepal, this is one of the best I've read.
Each section of the trip got a warm narration with some amazing photos, but
it's clivegrif's positivity that shines through. He was determined to have a
good time and as a result the focus was on the moments that made his trip. A
great report and if you haven't read it yet, off you pop and come back for the second half of my post refreshed.
All finished? See I told you it was good! Top of the pops though has to go to
the Inaccessible Pinnacle is accessed by Ranger. No prizes for what this is
about, it's the In Pinn and Mhic Choinnich. I really liked Rangers honesty,
doubts about his skills and his beautiful comparison of starting to climb the
In Pin with the Godfather! As a trip report, that told me we were in for
something bit different. Some stunning photos and no-nonsense narrative of
climbing the pinnacle has me thinking that even I can do it, and that's what
I love about this report, it's encouraged me to think a little bigger on my
plans for my next adventure.
So do you think these folks are worthy winners? Who would you have picked if
you had the chance?
PS we've still got a few rather tasty bargains with North Face fleeces at £20, and if you are still short of gear for Easter, we're offering FREE express delivery to get your goodies in time."
April
Events
Various dates April - Millionth Tree Talks - Trees for Life UK lecture tour. Details
13 - 15 April - Scottish Bike Show, SECC, Glasgow - includes mass bike rides. Details
14 - 20 April - Walk Islay - varied island walking festival. Details
21 - 22 April - Outdoor Pursuits Scotland, Edinburgh - outdoor show at Ingliston. Details
27 April - Simon Yates, Inverness - The Wild Within book tour, Eden Court Theatre. Details
and coming up ...
3 - 7 May - Spirit of Speyside - Whisky themed walks and plenty of drams. Details
11- 17 May - WalkFest, Newton Stewart - 10th year for this popular Galloway festival. Details
16 - 20 May - Keswick Mountain Festival - always loads on, top speakers and great walking.
18 - 21 May - Isle of Arran Mountain Festival - promises to be a good one. Details
19 - 25 May - Ballater Royal Deeside Walking Festival - now in its 15th year. Details
26 May - 5 June - Tweedlove Bike Festival - if you fancy a change from the walking boots. Details
31 May - 3 June - Angus Glens Walking Festival - 28 walks plus food and ceilidh nights. Details
Speyside Way and West Highland Way restrictions Ballindalloch footbridge on the Speyside Way will be closed for repair until at least June - a free taxi service is in place, details
here. There will also be restrictions for walkers with dogs on a section of the West Highland Way near Conic Hill for a month from 15 April to protect lambing ewes - details here
Glen Strathfarr access for cars
The summer arrangements for taking cars into Glen Strathfarrar started on 31 March and are found here.
Last chance to fill in the Walkhighlands survey
We're currently running a user survey to assist us in improving Walkhighlands. It only takes a couple of minutes to complete - we'd really appreciate your help. Complete the survey now.
Planning your Scottish holiday?
Some special locations are telling us they are already full for the peak
summer months so book your holiday cottage now. We also list thousands of walker-friendly B&Bs, hotels, campsites, campervans for hire, and hostels. Please support our
advertisers - they enable us to keep Walkhighlands free for everyone.
Walk of the Month - Great Bernera, Isle of Lewis
This walk has it all; wonderful coastal scenery, white sandy beaches, hairy coos, inland lochans and a reconstructed iron age house. A fantastic half day ramble leaving plenty of time to visit the standing stones at Callanish or plan epic days in the mountains just to the south. For a full
route description including maps, photos and GPS download see Walkhighlands.
Order Walkhighlands badges/stickers Identify yourself to fellow Walkhighlands users with
these enamel badges and car stickers. Order here.
Keep in Touch Why not follow Walkhighlands on Twitter and Facebook
No comments:
Post a Comment