Outdoor News

Hutchison Hut | Renovation work is under way on the Hutchison Memorial Hut in the Cairngorms. The Mountaineering Council of Scotland reported that the hut will be temporarily closed from August 31, 2012, and is not expected to re-open until September 16, although that date may depend on how the project progresses. For a report and photos on progress to date, visit Neil Reid’s excellent Cairngorm Wanderer blog.

Sandwood Bay | Another phase of repair work to the Sandwood Bay access path has just been completed by contractors working for landowner the John Muir Trust. The latest upgrade concentrated on a 450 metre stretch of trail which runs along the edge of Loch a’ Mhuilin. For a full report and photos visit the John Muir Trust site.

 

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Scottish Bothy Gallery

Staoineag

Added a few photographs of Scottish mountain bothies. Hope to grow the gallery as I visit more on my travels this summer. Read more…

Highland Hermit reviews

Couple of cracking reviews for my book Highland Hermit from Amazon Kindle readers (and I didn’t write either of them!). Makes all the hard work worthwhile.

‘This was recommended to my father who in turn recommended it to me and although I was a little skeptical about the price and would it be worth it, I am pleasantly surprised and enjoying it as a good read. Anyone with a fondness for all things Scottish would enjoy this.’

‘I loved this book so much that a few months after I went on a bothy tour in the North-Western part of Scotland. We did 13 in total including Sandy’s beloved Strathailleach. Each one had it’s own character and they were all fantastic, Sandy’s bothy has a very remote feel to it, snug, small, not as polished as the other but that adds to the experience. It’s in a bit of a dip so you don’t see it for quite a while and its quite a way in so your glad when you spot it. Marrying the words of James Carron to the actual place you understand how well the places and the atmosphere are described. You understand the hardships he must have gone through and why he most likely chose Strathailleach to be his home. It must have taken a lot of hard work and research to create a detailed book like this, so thank you James for your time and effort.’

Find out more about Highland Hermit and buy the Kindle version at Amazon.

Surviving Strathchailleach

James McRory Smith was a remarkable character. For over 30 years he lived in a remote bothy in the far north of Scotland. He cut himself off from society and clung to the wild periphery. But was he a truly reclusive individual seeking sanctuary in the great outdoors or simply an opportunistic bothy thief? Read more…