‘Safe haven’ Mink project under way

BBC – The largest ever initiative to remove breeding American mink from the north of Scotland is under way. The Scottish Mink Initiative aims to create a 20,000 sq km safe haven for native wildlife in rural Tayside, Aberdeenshire, Moray, the Cairngorms and the Highlands. The £920,000 project is being undertaken by a range of [...]

Cairngorms photographer swoops on top award

BBC – A Cairngorms-based photographer has beaten more than 25,000 entries to win an international nature photography award. Peter Cairns beat off competition from 56 different countries to win the top prize run by a nature magazine. His winning entry features an adult osprey plunging onto a fish in water as its prey struggles to [...]

Dirty screen led to air near-miss

Press and Journal – The dirty windscreen of an RAF Lossiemouth warplane contributed to its near collision with a private aircraft over the Cairngorms, it was revealed yesterday. The Tornado GR4 pilot told investigators that he failed to see the small aircraft because of the state of the front cockpit screen. And he could not [...]

Legal challenge to Cairngorms national park local plan

BBC – Environmentalists have launched a legal challenge to housing developments planned for sites in the Cairngorms National Park.
The Cairngorms Campaign opposes plans for a new community at An Camas Mor, near Aviemore, and schemes proposed for Grantown-on-Spey and Kingussie.
Three conservation groups have jointly appealed to the Court of Session.

VIDEO: The Cairngorms as seen from a Sea King

Caledonian Mercury – This might look like a raw, unedited outtake from the Highland Emergency TV series, but it’s not. It’s flyby footage, posted on YouTube on 15 December by George McEwan, of a navigation exercise held in the Cairngorms earlier that day, with members of Glenmore Lodge mountain rescue team aboard a Sea King [...]

Website keeps a watchful eye on raptor movements

Birds of prey which have never been satellite tagged before in the UK, can now be followed day and night on the web.
The project, in the Cairngorms National Park, has seen satellite tags put on two peregrine falcons named Freya and Vega, a hobby called Aeshna and a merlin named Corrie. Two [...]

Skiers head to the slopes during bumper snowfalls

STV – While the snow shut schools and caused travel chaos for air passengers and drivers, hundreds of skiers took to the slopes to take advantage of the wintry weather.
Around 200 skiers were at the CairnGorm Mountain resort near Aviemore in the Highlands on Tuesday.
The resort has seen about 2,500 skiers this month – the [...]

Cairngorms National Park boundary extended

BBC – The southern boundary of the Cairngorms National Park has been extended to include parts of Perthshire. The park will now take in northern Perthshire, including Blair Atholl, Killicrankie and Glenshee. The park also incorporates parts of Highland, Moray, Aberdeenshire and Angus. The extension comes as a new study revealed that the economy of [...]

VIDEO: Soapbox racers go downhill fast

BBC – This weekend sees the Cairngorm Soapbox Extreme, where participants race their home-made carts and bogies down the Aviemore ski road.

Queen’s Scottish bodyguard awarded honour

BBC – A former top soldier has been recognised for his 10 years service as adjutant of the Queen’s bodyguard for Scotland. Maj Gen Seymour Monro has been invested as a Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO). As well as his role in the Queen’s bodyguard, he is chairman of Findhorn, Nairn and Lossie [...]

Brocken Spectre

Brocken Spectre is the title of an upcoming epic feature film production exploring one of the Highlands’ oldest mysteries. It is being filmed by the youth-run film company Carrbridge Films. Producer Fergus Thom (18) is documenting the shoot through this blog.

Snowcross is an instant hit at the Cairngorms

Press and Journal – Nearly 100 competitors from across Scotland competed at the inaugural Scottish snowcross championships at the Cairngorms. The event, organised by the Aberdeen snowsports club, was divided into 11 male and female categories with Scott McBain, 22, from Glasgow, winning the Scottish skier cross championship.

Public asked to sign up for ‘Frog Watch’

Strathspey and Badenoch Herald – THE public is being asked to spring into action to help ensure the survival of frogs and other amphibians in Badenoch and Strathspey. The Cairngorms National Park Authority wants to pinpoint the whereabouts of different species of frogs, toads and newts as well as lizards and snakes.

Aviemore pupils are nuts about red squirrels

Press and Journal – BRITAIN’S first interactive red squirrel website was launched yesterday in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park at Aviemore Primary School. The pupils were the first official visitors to the site that allows red squirrel fans to explore, read, chat and comment about all things squirrelly.

Kilted skiers set ‘world record’ on Cairngorms piste

BBC – More than 200 skiers and snowboarders set a new “world record” for the most people in kilts going down a piste. They skied in a single line from the Ptarmigan Station on CairnGorm Mountain today (Saturday, 6 March) to raise money for charity.
Other media:
BBC – Kilted skiers set ‘CairnGorm’ world record
STV – [...]

Kilted skiers in CairnGorm world record bid

BBC – More than 500 skiers and snowboarders are expected to take part in an attempt to set the world record for the most people in kilts going down a piste. CairnGorm Mountain, near Aviemore, hoped to get the participants to ski down in a line from the Ptarmigan Top Station.

Enterprise agency allowed Cairn Gorm railway costs to spiral to £26million

Press and Journal – A SCOTTISH Parliament committee has severely criticised Highlands and Islands Enterprise for its handling of the Cairn Gorm mountain railway project, saying the agency failed to take account of spiralling costs.

Ski resort uses explosives to clear avalanche risks

BBC – A Scottish ski resort has used explosives for the first time to deal with the potential risk of avalanches above its runs.
CairnGorm Mountain brought in two explosive experts after heavy snowfalls resulted in unprecedented depths of snow at the centre near Aviemore.

Leaked report damns agency over mountain railway fiasco

Herald Scotland – One of Scotland’s leading enterprise agencies will this week be accused of “unacceptable bad practice” for wasting up to £27 million of public money on the doomed Cairngorm mountain railway. The Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit Committee will launch a scathing attack on Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for failing to properly control [...]

Skiing in kilts world record bid at CairnGorm Mountain

BBC – A ski centre is to attempt to set the world record for the largest number of kilted skiers and snowboarders going down a piste at the same time.

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