It’s my son’s birthday in a few days time and he tends to want to do something a bit different as a birthday treat. Last year, Alfie invited a couple of friends along to the Adventure Rope Course for an afternoon. That seemed to go down well, so he fancied a visit to an indoor [...]

There aren’t many places that you can realistically take in 6 Munros in one day, but Glenshee is one of the few locations that gives you the chance to do just that. Unfortunately, it was another day spent in the cloud with little or no visibility, making navigation difficult, progress slow and no real opportunity [...]

I’ve spent quite a lot of time in the Northern Cairngorms recently, so thought it was about time I tried somewhere else. I had hoped to head across to the west coast and the Ben Nevis area but, with the lack of snow that way, decided to travel down the A9 instead. After a warm [...]

With a sled dog race meeting taking place in Aviemore this weekend, all accommodation was booked, so it seemed appropriate to take the opportunity to go on an expedition. This gave the chance to practice some snow hole skills and allow me to get deeper into the Cairngorms than is realistic on a day trip. [...]

In contrast to my last winter walking venture, today was picture perfect. I’m not sure if it would be right to say I didn’t see a cloud all day, but it certainly felt like it. With clear skies, little wind and temperatures hovering around zero it can’t have been far off the perfect day. Once [...]

Today was one of those rare days when it’s just not fun any more! This was my first day walking over on the west coast this winter, and I was keen to make a great day of it. The plan was to head up the impressive Coire na Tulaich, along the top of Buachaille Etive [...]

Knowing that I had a 7 to 8 hour journey home ahead of me today, there was no realistic way in which I was going to get a full mountain day in first. However, it also seemed a shame to miss the opportunity to use a couple of hours to practice some other skills. With [...]

I’ve been into the Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve twice before on walking ventures. The first involved a trek up Creag Mhor before descending into Coire Ardair in order to make an ascent of Easy Gully – one of my first grade 1 gullies. The second was intended to be a complete circuit of the [...]

Ben Macdui is the highest mountain in the Cairngorm National Park and the second highest in the UK (after Ben Nevis on the west coast). At an altitude of 1309m, it offers stunning views across the Cairngorms and well beyond. It is therefore slightly surprising that I haven’t been lured there before. Starting from Coire [...]

After the recent cold spell and reports of lots of snow in the Highlands, it was hard to resist a trip north of the boarder. So, with a mixture of excitement and boredom, I faced the seven and a half hour drive up to Aviemore yesterday. Thankfully, I was just in time to grab the [...]