Cycle routes in the Cairngorms and the Borders

Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills.

Last week I met up with my friend Bernhard and we undertook a 35km cycle route in the northern Cairngorms. The route was an anti-clockwise loop starting and finishing at Loch Garten. We took advantage of the only day with a forecast of good weather that week, and we had ideal conditions for cycling, with… Read more »

ITC Certificate in Outdoor First Aid

Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, Personal.

Last weekend I went on a 2-day first aid course. The course was run by First Aid Academy and was based at the Bonaly Outdoor Centre in Edinburgh. After the 2 days of the course I gained the ITC Certificate in Outdoor First Aid.

My 200th Munro summit – but who’s counting…

Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, Personal.

I don’t like to think of myself as a Munro-bagger (see my previous blog postings, ‘I’m not a Munro-bagger, honest‘ and ‘Munro nonsense‘), but I do keep a diary of all the hills I climb, so inevitably I also have a record of how many Munro summits I’ve got to the top of.

Environmental Awareness course

Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, Science.

Last weekend I attended an Environmental Awareness course at Glenmore Lodge, as part of my preparation for the ML award. Our group was lucky enough to get Keith Miller as an instructor for the weekend, who is a real expert on the environment of the Scottish mountains (he wrote the Invertebrate Life chapter in the… Read more »

Big Black Mountains Challenge

Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, Travel.

Three weeks ago I travelled to South Wales to take part in the Big Black Mountains Challenge. This is an annual long-distance mountain walk organised by the Longtown Mountain Rescue Team. I had never been to South Wales before, so walking in this part of the Brecon Beacons National Park was a new experience for… Read more »

Skye (2)

Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, Travel.

Last week Lesley and I travelled to Skye to spend a week in a holiday cottage in Fiskavaig. The weather for the first 5 days of the trip was absolutely perfect, allowing us to have a couple of barbecues in the evening with the added bonus of there being no midgies this early in the… Read more »