Our book, The Sutherland Trail - a journey through north-west Scotland, will be published in September. We’re pretty excited about this book. Richard Else has taken the photographs and they really are a stunning collection of images. While the book can be used simply as a guide to The Sutherland Trail, I’ve added a lot of information about all the hills adjacent to the route, plus a lot oif information, anecdotes and some interviews that all go some way to show that Sutherland is a vibrant and fascinating place, with strong community, and is definitely one of Scotland’s thriving adventure destinations.

The book will be distributed through Cordee, or can be purchased through this website, or from our Mountain Media website. And Robert Macfarlane has written a marvellous foreword…

The next Adventure Show will be broadcast on Sunday June 28 at 7pm on BBC2 in Scotland or Sky Channel 990 in the rest of the country. I’ll be taking a wander up Perthshire’s Ben Lawers, the highest mountain in Scotland south of Ben Nevis. We had a cracking day when we filmed it and the views were outstanding.
Meanwhile, many thanks to all those who came along to my AV presentation in Kendal’s Brewery Arts Centre last night. I really appreciate the fact you all came out on a glorious, sunny, summer’s evening to listen to my ramblings in a dark auditorium…
Just had some glorious days on the West Highland Way. This might be the most popular long distance trail in Scotland, maybe even in the UK, but it’s certainly one of the most beautiful. I was working on a DVD that should be released later this summer. Incidentally, we’ll have another 4 or 5 DVD’s out before the autumn and our book The Sutherland Trail, a Journey Through Scotland’s North-West, will be published in September.

I’ll be popping down to one of my favourite lecture theatres this week to give a talk on wilderness.

The Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal is a great place to meet, eat and generally chill out, and there’s always somthing interesting going on. I spent a week there last Autumn during the Kendal Mountain Festival, a fantastic event, and on Wednesday (June 24) I’ll be back to give an AV presentation on The Wilderness World of Cameron McNeish.

I’ll be taking a look at various aspects of wilderness, the recreational, the cultural and the historical, and how the loss of these areas can affect all of us. The talk starts at 8pm, and the tickets cost £10. I’ll be bringing a few books and DVD’s down for sale too. Hope to see some of you there…

The following email was sent to Ramblers Scotland office - a sad response but the kind that you’d expect from some of the right-wing dinosaurs that still exist out there…

Afore Ye Go
There must be many smug smiles at the possibility of the Ramblers Scotland’s collapse through lack of funds.

If the Ramblers Association disappeared overnight it could transform the perception of walkers from jack-booted militants to welcome guests in the countryside.
Angus Macmillan

This is the kind of attitude that makes it essential that Ramblers Scotland survives.

There’s an excellent piece in today’s The Herald about Dennis Canavan - Man on a Mission to Protect the Right to Roam in Scotland. Dennis took over from me as Ramblers Scotland president and is now is now convenor of Ramblers Scotland. Check out the story - Dennis makes some good points and even suggests that if there is not a change of mind from the London board of Ramblers then Scotland might be forced to break away and go it alone.

Thanks also to the Glasgow Young Walkers who have given me permission to reproduce the following letter sent to Tom Franklin, CEO of The Ramblers

Proposed Ramblers Scotland Budget Cuts
We write on behalf of the members of Glasgow Young Walkers, a fast-growing walking group for people in their 20s and 30s, to express our concern and extreme disappointment over the proposed cuts to the budget of Ramblers Scotland.

We were astonished and disheartened to discover, through reports in the Scottish press, that the existence of Ramblers Scotland is threatened by proposals for a huge reduction in its budget for the next financial year. We understand that this might entail the closure of the Ramblers Scotland office at Milnathort, with the loss of most or all permanent full-time Ramblers Scotland staff, and with Scottish affairs being administered largely from London.

Whilst we understand that, in the present economic climate, the Ramblers is facing financial pressures due to falling donations, the proposed reduction of funding for Ramblers Scotland is both grossly unfair and short-sighted in the extreme. We would be interested to find out what strategy, if any, the Ramblers has to rebuild its base in Scotland when economic conditions improve, and how it would compensate in the longer-term for the loss of Scottish donations and subscription monies which would undoubtedly ensue should these proposals go ahead.

On what basis is it considered fair and reasonable to impose draconian budget cuts on Ramblers Scotland which appear to be grossly disproportionate to those in other areas of the UK? We would have to agree with the opinion of Dennis Canavan, convener of Ramblers Scotland, that this is a spectacular misjudgement and an insult to the people of Scotland. Further, it is an insult to the committed and hard-working employees of Ramblers Scotland, and an example of short-sighted disregard for the projects in which they are presently involved.

We have no doubt that such demise or decimation of Ramblers Scotland would be of great detriment both to the Ramblers as an organisation and to the interests of walkers and those who care about the environment in Scotland. Ramblers Scotland is held in high regard amongst the public and across the political spectrum due to its championing of walkers’ interests and campaigning work, particularly on the issue of access rights and the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003. The new access regime is at a crucial point in its evolution, and should these cuts go through, the likelihood of landowners succeeding in various legal cases challenging access rights will increase greatly. This would be greatly to the detriment of all of your members and indeed anyone who might wish to walk in Scotland, and not just those who live in Scotland. At the very least, this sends entirely the wrong signal about the fortitude and determination of the Ramblers to fight for the interests of their members and the wider public. It would also constitute a PR disaster for the Ramblers far outweighing any benefits of the recent re-branding exercise, and indeed the proposals regarding Ramblers Scotland are already attracting much negative publicity online and in the press.

These proposals cause us grave doubt as to whether it is properly appreciated by the Ramblers Executive that the organisation requires to work differently in Scotland, particularly given devolved government and the separate legal system. With all due respect to London-based Ramblers staff, there is little prospect of the Ramblers continuing to play a significant role in promoting the interests of walkers and those in Scotland who care about the environment without staff who have a detailed and nuanced understanding of both the issues affecting walkers in Scotland and the Scottish political and parliamentary landscape.

On a more group-specific level, Ramblers Scotland staff have provided invaluable assistance to our group since its inception in July 2006. We presently have 67 full members of the Ramblers who have paid subscriptions in good faith and would expect to see this continue to increase should the Ramblers continue to maintain a presence in Scotland, however we have serious doubts as to whether membership of the Ramblers would continue to be worthwhile and attractive for either new or existing members should the proposed cuts take place. These cuts, taking place against the background of the large sums recently spent on re-branding of the Ramblers raises major concerns over the Ramblers Executive’s ability to prioritise and to utilise funds productively and appropriately. It appears curious to say the least that, at a time when the Ramblers are seeking to reach out to people beyond the ‘stereotype’ of its traditional membership, you would be prepared to effectively disenfranchise walkers in Scotland and create a perception of an insular and London-centric organisation.

Ultimately, we may therefore have to reluctantly consider the option of severing ties with the Ramblers, and the possibility of combining with other groups to form a new independent organisation.

We would therefore urge you to re-consider your proposals as a matter of urgency. We trust that members of your Executive intend to visit Scotland to consult directly with Scottish Ramblers groups and members, and we would welcome the opportunity of a meeting to discuss our concerns in more depth.

We look forward to hearing from you by return.

Yours faithfully
Glasgow Young Walkers

I very much appreciate the support for Ramblers Scotland from the Mountaineering Council of Scotland. Thanks guys!

This is what they said:

“The Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS) has called on The Ramblers to reverse their decision to close the Ramblers Scotland office and make staff redundant.

“MCofS President, Chris Townsend said:

‘Ramblers Scotland is a major force in access and conservation work north of the border. This move will have serious consequences in Scotland and suggests that the Ramblers Board in London have little knowledge or understanding of the role Ramblers Scotland plays.’

He added:

‘I’ve worked with Ramblers Scotland staff and know just how good and committed they are. Losing them will be a big blow to all outdoors people in Scotland.’

MCofS Chief Officer, David Gibson said:

‘Our staff and volunteers work with colleagues at Ramblers Scotland on a range of projects related to access and conservation issues, and encouraging people to enjoy activities in the outdoors. The loss of Ramblers Scotland staff, with their range of skills and experience, is potentially a serious set-back. We want to give our friends at Ramblers Scotland our full support at this difficult time, and urge our members and anyone else who enjoys Scotland’s outdoors to lobby Ramblers in London to reverse this decision, and to provide whatever support they can afford to Ramblers Scotland.’

I had a long chat today with Lady Helen Lloyd Jones, chair of the Ramblers Cymru and, like Ramblers Scotland, our friends in Wales are not taking these proposals from London lying down. This is what Helen told me:

“Like Ramblers Scotland, Ramblers Cymru has been severely affected by the needs of Ramblers to cut costs. Wales, like Scotland is a perfect holiday location for walkers with stunning scenery to enjoy and is the walking weekend break location in Britain. Thousands come from the big cities, London, Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham to walk every weekend. Should Ramblers Cymru lose the mechanism to liaise with the Welsh administrative system about access issues and rights of way, the loss would affect many ramblers across the United Kingdom, as well as our foreign visitors.

“There is tremendous goodwill within Wales towards Ramblers Cymru who have played a major role in campaigning for the Right to Roam and Coastal Access in Wales and in offering opportunities to take thousands of people walking including those least likely to do so. The groups and areas are continuing to offer their fantastic programme of walks to members of Ramblers.

“In keeping with its reputation as the Research and Development branch of Ramblers, Ramblers Cymru is being pro-active and is looking for solutions to this current difficulty. Within Wales, we are hopeful a solution will be found which will enable many of Ramblers Cymru projects, which are leading edge schemes for the walking world, to continue and that we will be able to retain an office base and key staff. It is however too early to tell what the final outcome will be but we would welcome any support offered, including financial help.”

The Ramblers crisis rumbles on. A scathing attack on the Ramblers’ London Board and their decision to get rid of the Scottish and Welsh offices was made by Ramblers Scotland convenor Denis Canavan and appeared on the Ramblers Scotland website.This has now disappeared and has been replaced by a less inflamatory statement, an appeal for £200,000 to help Ramblers Scotland get through the next year. I wonder who ordered the first statement to be removed?

I’ve also been trying to get information from the Welsh office to find out what they are doing about the proposals and as soon as I get some information I’ll post it here.

Meanwhile, while I understand The Ramblers, like many NGO’s are facing financial problems, I can’t get my head around the fact that they seem determined to get rid of their most effective asset, namely Dave Morris, Director of Ramblers Scotland. For two decades now Dave has been the most successful and effective operator in the Ramblers organisation and delivered a genuine freedom to roam in Scotland while Ramblers London rejoiced with a watered down version of freedom to roam called the CROW Act, a deeply flawed and ineffective piece of legislation when compared to the Land Reform (Scotland) Act.

Dave also spearheaded the Lurchers Gully case in the eighties, was at the sharp end of the Harris superquarry case and has fought, and won, dozens of environmental problems which threatened the rights of walkers and the general public. I once described him as the nearest thing we have to a modern day John Muir. And now the Ramblers board seem eager to get rid of him. What’s going on?

I’ve put a few images of our long walk through Skye on to my Gallery. This walk will form the route of a television documentary I’ll be working on this summer for BBC Scotland. I just hope we get similar weather when we turn up on Skye with the cameras. On the recce walk Gina and I were very lucky indeed - a week on Skye with no rain and no midges. It was a miracle, but a miracle I need to be repeated!