Outdoors
Scotland’s top dogs were pointing the way ahead
So many popular activities held in Scotland are currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic. We turn the clock back to March 2016, when the 19th Scottish Gundog Association’s Spring Pointer and Setter Trials were held on the grouse moors of the Lochindorb Estate. More than 40 Irish setters, English setters, Gordon setters, Irish…
Read MoreDanny MacAskill is ‘Doing the Dubhs’
CYCLIST Danny MacAskill has released his latest video – riding down the legendary Dubh Slabs on the edge of the Cuillins on Skye. In The Slabs, MacAskill scrambles unroped to just below the summit of Sgurr Dubh Beag – or “Little Black Peak” – one of the most technical sections of the Dubh Ridge at…
Read MoreSeasonal rangers return to Cairngorms
SEASONAL rangers will once again be “on patrol” in the Cairngorms National Park this summer. The national park authority hired its first seasonal rangers last summer to cope with visitor numbers during the pandemic. Nine seasonal rangers will be hired this summer, along with five “Kickstart” youth placements. Grant Moir, chief executive of the national…
Read MoreFootpath funding to increase access
SOME of Scotland’s best-loved paths are being revamped with fresh funding to remove barriers and improve access for all. NatureScot, the Scottish Goverment agency known previously as Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), is funding almost £111,000 of improvements to the path network. The cash covers many of Scotland’s long-distance walks, such as the West Highland Way.…
Read MoreSki champs raise money for instructors’ website
A WEBSITE for booking ski instructors is poised for further expansion overseas. Maison Sport was set up in 2016 by three former British skiing champions, including Edinburgh-based chief executive Nick Robinson. Robinson founded the business alongside his brother, Olly, who is the firm’s chief operating officer, and Aaron Tipping, who serves as its chief financial…
Read MoreScots ski champ lands sponsorship deal
A SCOTTISH skiing champion has signed a sponsorship deal. Owen Vinter, the 2019 British Senior National Champion, is being sponsored by Tillicoultry Quarries as he builds towards the Europa Cup Tour and next year’s World Junior Skiing Championships. The 19 year old from Glasgow is one of ten athletes on the Europa Cup Alpine Ski…
Read MoreOnFarm podcast beats Nigella, Jamie, and Heston
THE “OnFarm” podcast is preparing to celebrate its first birthday – after beating Heston Blumenthal, Nigella Lawson, and Jamie Oliver in the streaming charts. The podcast, which covers rural life in Scotland, reached third place in the Apple food podcast charts in November, beating the brigade of celebrity chefs. Anna Davies, the podcast’s presenter, said:…
Read MoreCalls to ‘care for the countryside’ this Christmas
SCOTTISH Land & Estates (SLE) – which represents farmers, land managers and rural businesses – has called on Christmas walkers to take litter home, not disturb wildlife, and keep dogs under control near cows and sheep. The organisation’s plea follows high-profile issues of littering, anti-social behaviour, vandalism, and flytipping in rural Scotland during the pandemic.…
Read MoreCairngorm reindeer march on with Bounce Back Loan
THE Cairngorm Reindeer Herd has secured a coronavirus Bounce Back Loan from the UK Government. The herd consists of more than 150 free-range reindeer that live and roam across the Cairngorm mountains and on the nearby Glenlivet Estate. The herd were introduced to the Cairngorms in 1952 by husband and wife duo Mikel Utsi and…
Read MoreScottish countryside dominates ‘best kept secrets’ list
SCOTLAND has dominated a series of lists of the “best kept secrets of the UK countryside“. Scottish locations finished top of the tables for beaches, parks, and routes for hikes. Newburgh in Aberdeenshire topped the beach list, followed by Polin near Kinlochbervie, and Embo near Dornoch. The Berwickshire coast path was the top hiking route,…
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