Monday 1st June 2026, 1:20pm
At the end of each month, we take a look back at the work the team has been carrying out on behalf of our members. Read on to hear the latest updates from our CEO and our Access & Conservation, Mountain Safety, ClimbScotland and Member Services & Communications teams...
The start of May involved the final preparations for the Finance and Risk Advisory Group and the Board meeting both of which took place this month. The finance group considered the end of year financial report and signed off on the final budget for 26/7 and both years are showing a surplus position.
The Board agreed to provide financial support towards the refurbishment of the AMMH and considered a consultant's report reviewing the integrated delivery model which exists in Ireland where Mountain Training Ireland is a subcommittee of Mountaineering Ireland. In attendance for the discussions on that item were Steve MQuaid the consultant who led the review, which was funded by sportscotland, and Mhairi Crawford the Chair of Mountain Training Scotland (MTS). Directors agreed to the recommendations in the report and to further develop the already strong relationship we have with MTS to around the concept of a "one Scotland learner journey".
The Board also considered an approach by the Royal Scottish Geographical Society to partner on an event later this year which we are sure will be of interest to members so watch this space.
Other highlights this month for Stuart included attending an in person meeting of the CEO Forum in Stirling where a detailed analysis of the election outcome and make up of parliament was presented by 56 Degrees North who supported the "Running on Empty" campaign and the new investment into sport from that campaign was a key topic of discussion. Stuart also attended another in person event at Hampden organised by sportscotland and facilitated by Harper Macleod solicitors on governance and legal issues. He also participated in an online round table meeting to discuss the next steps in approaching Government following the commitment by both the Greens and the SNP to establish a Scottish Paths Fund and attended an uplifting event at Birnam Arts centre to celebrate the completion of the path on An Teallach and set out the next steps for the "It's Up to Us" campaign.
This month we submitted an objection to the proposed Watchman Energy Park, an application for 13 wind turbines of 240m blade tip height in the Lowther Hills in the Southern Uplands. At first glance this may seem strange as there are no Munros, Corbetts or climbing crags in the vicinity but we are concerned about the landscape and visual impact of this and other similar proposals in the area filling in the ‘gap’ between the Clyde Wind Farm to the northeast and Harestanes and Minnygap Wind Farms to the southeast. We think it’s important to preserve this 'Daer gap' to maintain a balance between an area of open undeveloped character and the developed wind farm character to the north and south. You can read our full response here.
Catriona also responded to a consultation on a proposal to create a fenced enclosure in Gleann Còsaidh, on the Barrisdale Estate, following the exciting discovery of a tiny remnant of Caledonian Pine Forest in this remote location.
Finally, Forestry and Land Scotland are in the process of renewing the Land Management Plan for Glen Urquhart, and Catriona responded to the initial scoping to highlight the importance of routes through the forest onto the open hill, as well as recreational routes within the forest.
For the Mountain Safety Advisor team, May was a month of trialling lots of new courses for our members. We have been working hard to develop new courses so that there is something for all our members to get excited about and develop their skills and safety. At one end we had our ‘Try your first summit’ course for those that are new to hill walking and just wanted a friendly helping hand to show them the way and talk through the how’s and what’s.
At the other end of the scale, we delivered ‘self-rescue for climbers’ courses which were based at Poll Dubh, Glen Nevis and were very popular and perfectly timed for the warm dry weather and no midge! These courses concentrated on giving the skills and confidence to climbers to be able to solve common problems climbers may face while climbing outdoors.
The final courses in May managed to catch the last of the dry weather for the Intro and Improvers scrambling courses with the improvers being a new course for this year.
Check out our courses page for all the other courses, including our new Under 18’s hill skills course as well as all our usual navigation and mountain skills courses.
With bird breeding season in full swing, our nesting bird alerts were updated and a new reporting system put in place to raise awareness with climbers and avoid disturbance of protected bird species on or near climbing crags. You can find out more about this and view the latest alerts on our website.
We met with mountain safety team to discuss mountain skills courses for winter 2026-27 and summer 2027, including a few changes to existing courses and some new ideas! Winter skills courses will aim to open for booking in early autumn 2026, but in the meantime, why not brush up on your summer rock and hill skills – view all our courses here.
Sofa 2 Summit, our free online course for hikers, has been getting a make-over and is nearly ready to relaunch in June, with updated videos, guides and top tips. Although it’s aimed at beginners, the feedback has been great from people of all experience levels, so there is clearly something for everyone, whether you’re just starting out or have been hill walking for many years. Sign up for notifications here to find out when the new improved version goes live.
The An Teallach path project, part of our joint It’s Up to Us campaign with the Outdoor Access Trust for Scotland, was completed after 3 years of fundraising and hard graft on the ground. We held event to celebrate where we were joined by staff, volunteers and contractors who worked on the path itself, along with some key partners and supporters who contributed to the success of the project.
Lesley McKenna, who is working with the ClimbScotland team to develop our Performance Climbing Pathway, hosted the first ‘Coach Check-in’ meeting. The aim of the first meeting was to help Lesley understand what is currently happening in our sport around coaching support for athletes in Scotland as well as an opportunity for coaches to ask questions about the project she is supporting us with. Lesley greatly appreciated the engagement in the call and we thank those who were able to attend. If you want to know more about this work and project, check out ‘page 5’ of the most recent addition of our Scottish Mountaineer magazine.
Heather has been busy organising the Scottish Youth Climbing Championship (SYCC), which will be on the 13th June at EICA, following the successful weekend of the Scottish Boulder Championships. We will be looking for volunteer support to help the day run smoothly, find out more here.
The team promoted and supported ‘Clean Sports Week’ on the week of 11-17 May. Clean Sport Week is UK Anti-Doping's (UKAD) annual campaign bringing together sporting organisations, athletes, coaches and communities across the UK to celebrate fair play and champion drug-free sport. This year's theme was ’Built not bought’ and ‘100% me’. This is a straightforward message to every athlete at every level to emphasis that lasting success comes from hard work, talent and dedication. It cannot be bought, and it should not be risked.’
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Mountaineering Scotland is a registered trademark of the Mountaineering Council of Scotland Limited
