Adam Watson has been continuously observing and collecting data about snow in the north-east of Scotland (and particularly in the Cairngorm mountains) since the 1930s, and this important book represents the culmination of that activity. It will have a strong claim in the future to being the standard reference work in the discipline of research… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Mountains & hills
It’s a fine day for the hill
Adam Watson can surely lay claim to being a true ‘Mountain Man’ of Scotland – perhaps the premier contemporary claimant to this auspicious title! Adam Watson’s recently published ‘It’s a fine day for the hill‘ (subtitled ‘And once in a blue sun and moon’, the meaning of which is explained in the book) is his… Read more »
Using GIS techniques to analyse and model the topographical environment and dependencies of long-lasting snowpatch locations in the Scottish mountains
One of my pet interests is the study of long-lasting (and sometimes ‘perennial’) snowpatches in the Scottish mountains. I have written many previous postings on my blog on this subject (see a list of these on my website here). The question of what factors affect the longevity of snowpatches in the Scottish mountains through the… Read more »
Wreck of a wartime Bristol Beaufort bomber in the Angus glens
Last week I went for a short walk in Glen Lethnot, one of the Angus glens north of Brechin, with my friend Katy. We walked from the farm at Auchowrie, up the west slope of Hill of Wirren, to look for two air wreck sites on the hill. However the weather was not as good… Read more »
Wreck of a postwar Viking passenger aircraft near Largs
Last week I went for a short walk on the moorlands to the east of Largs, in the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. I was looking for the wreckage of a BEA Vickers Viking, one of the first commercial passenger aircraft in the UK, that crashed in the area in 1948 on approach to Renfrew Airport… Read more »
Braeriach and the largest air wreck site in Scotland
Last week I travelled to the Cairngorms and spent the day walking in the Braeriach area. I walked from Whitewell in the Rothiemurchus Forest, into the Lairig Ghru and up along Coire Beanaidh (where I spent a night camping on a Mountain Leader training course three years ago) to the 1296m summit of Braeriach. I… Read more »
Two air wreck sites on Corserine in the Galloway Hills
Three days ago I travelled to the Galloway Hills and walked to the 814m summit of Corserine from Forrest Bridge, through a large forest plantation and steep grassy slopes. Approaching the summit via North Gairy Top, I saw the unusual sight of a herd of wild goats, although I have now seen wild goats on… Read more »
Cycle routes in the Cairngorms and the Borders
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
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…
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.