Scottish Mountaineering Press

15/11/2024

Enter the Creatives November Flash Competition!

A huge thank you to everyone who has already entered our October flash competition. We’ve been looking through responses and can’t wait to share your voices, as well as reveal the winners. Our next competition is running throughout November and ends on 14 December. The theme is TEXTURE and the genre is NONFICTION.

This competition is supported by Fort William Mountain Festival and the Highland Bookshop. The winner of each contest will receive a £50 cash prize and a weekend pass to Fort William Mountain Festival 2024, as well as have their work featured in our Creatives publication and festival events. The runners-up in each contest will be published on our website as part of a feature article. Winners will be announced in the new year.

Theme: TEXTURE
Genre: NONFICTION
Word count: 150 words
Visual artists are also invited to submit ONE image on the theme
Submission deadline: 14 December.

View our submissions guidelines here: https://scottishmountaineeringpress.com/news/creatives-november-flash-contest-nonfiction-2/

10/11/2024

Five more days to enter our October Flash Poetry Competition!

A little reminder that our Flash Competition series has returned for 2024. We're running one contest each month in the run up to Fort William Mountain Festival 2025. This month the genre is POETRY and the theme is SOUNDSCAPES. Enter before midnight on 14 Nov - our next competition will be announced on 15 Nov.

For full details of how to enter head here: https://scottishmountaineeringpress.com/news/creatives-october-flash-contest-poetry/

04/11/2024

Over the last six months, we’ve taken a tour around the 25 sections (areas) covered by the brand new sixth edition of our guidebook, , recently published by Scottish Mountaineering Press in the centenary of its predecessor’s publication. Here’s the whole journey in one post:

First, the 100-year story of the book: https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02duXJJP2XWJbTt41Xo8t6985y1apy2fjoZW3HBici5zRnfBQYJBWGMtbPqW1jQQZ1l
Section 1: Cheviot Hills https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02k2M52rAHmzTjW6j9GtjHxWPuagXTjeKKn39EkeaZnD1otdcQhYAsURTcsx853sAZl
Section 2: Central and South-West Borders https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02iTvN53Eu5zKLQJVzhSd1eDXd84xNkQ1sVWhYXPx7JmrF3veA1ZXaFS4facxiDxsCl
Section 3: Lammermuir and Moorfoot Hills https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02N7o9V1aH8GHvpDaUjs8gNcMvmdf1Q8gySuH2EN8XxthYpPHnb2eeu4p83htvTGo7l
Section 4: Pentland Hills https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02KydBEaSXa3rYN9F3e2y69VZqwds5bC1RwNrnUxCDuVRdg7i3RRjTohX2UkgXJwZVl
Section 5: Clydesdale and Lowther Hills https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid0SyT3mgJ6z2WSm7BVQDy1iDD2YEfSuB8q6mx7KPFSqVnuouw1wwaxBdoLzqrthNHDl
Section 6: Galloway and South Ayrshire https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid026vMvsH7GFmmi7up9x5qMVnvukAYTys6J2anRpkC1UqjWNoEMf4Fcjo81FBJCmFVsl
Section 7: Arran, Inverclyde and North Ayrshire https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02GfQz4eU5oT6wugQ5EQhrhEsbhacZxSHPa2d5wjgTssaBr2y6gDdufAmJ5PpGmdULl
Section 8: Argyll https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid024QTTSWnMxJCQns8ZPa9qJ9xFqJbHRYAetYxLYn8yJKzYU52CGQLyvyBbXJTK3QoCl
Section 9: Southern Highlands https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02QHiSRT9KhPvzMToMbdWsWzTimK144n6sSazLL2kxJrrsq9RCKSJVXDSgioenDsCpl
Section 10: Ochils and Lomond Hills https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid0bAd6MV9WKbu7vmt7wFbSetec8hXDtqTw5AobGTnLLGzn5UdeQrf9NN7379gqXsNUl
Section 11: Glen Coe and Appin https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02AgLxwoZRHLCkEnAxQJpz8PaeBGqMNxa6hR82kaySbkDrVvVBjszwadpbHMocxf28l
Section 12: Loch Tay to Loch Ericht https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid031zEJT4oaVd2p7xYEpocrK3KGMAE72bxxi5c7HGtpVQySRauWXMXsNr5cLtPk3Bgwl
Section 13: Loch Leven to Glen Spean https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid025iuPQP6bp77ZA7CVzc42tmaxhqtZwAU9h2K8vP8PLUgbLWtRvzqZoJPuSgHVLoxRl
Section 13: Bonus extra post https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid0qAGnnwydoRZohRFXBzUBTpJuUJwmHdcLLyW2DgjnWjjdjZKd2maPMxkZgS5egXqcl
Section 14: Ardgour, Moidart and Morvern https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid0jEb5fvBnP8HtAwTV85Ca7oqqgS9yFBqPfXVmoggcWiLuDtdUmMiSqACXVgkcydYZl
Section 15: West Mounth and Sidlaw Hills https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid0Ew3vjcmN4QjbtqfEq6aKkmD47hAjnjKqxRrM3wVWu146v73LtYRGEGtmD1kw3edzl
Section 16: East Mounth https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid0A5wkqBiaGyJZ9NFk96YWTw8fLAEpunXNuwpJeMqXTSabTq6y697bwpehjuMbMDATl
Section 17: Cairngorms https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02y3Rdk6Q4XUa17emFox4sp12dVB8ydaCc2kzNqwk4Xyf7mK9jbK9FEjxEbvjhfFXol
Section 18: North-East Cairngorms https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02dPpNk26j9iEDmnhoANDUGbhVrTtvpro7sXb5CejJNUyGpp9oCGduxXaviHARgmnZl
Section 19: Monadh Liath https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid03oHueUf6T323RxkDC4FnzAUv9HDpcNaA48Qpdp7Qsv4X7kJvN75brA4dwKPL3oMtl
Section 20: Loch Eil To Glen Shiel https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid0MyH96Rc29JdqNKiXyua55GB1ZcQkTd9Av41iyUVcG5TctqdVA31T6LrJxssX8wBKl
Section 21: Glen Affric, Kintail and Strathfarrar https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02qGSqGqcMgwQm7R2XJTkkEsLtdui3iH5L44oER8Cs9gvXG2tqG2VhuHzRMmt74bql
Section 22: Mull and Skye https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid02hGu8hicEX4Db2evnxAMkTr5CzEuD7oq64cU96PcvAsjZZsVNp1Q2uAAv7KfGdV1ml
Section 23: Wester Ross https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid03F5Kih1aanM5q7NBgWx1TbKDZC98DcN6M71dPYEZ86MMDFgASjGhbp2QdJNCq2Rfl
Section 24: Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid0327f13cV9nXENdtG8D7PMg28UDFaS27xBia5fZfCMk6ACp7wLZuJ9AGifix91DeYDl
Section 25: Harris and Lewis https://www.facebook.com/ScotWays/posts/pfbid0iXKEEn3tQuo6Sp4TDRaQ8HZQtZhNi8iCVovd9EgGdR9cFtLFHvMsNvZB8nDyJ6Vzl

Thanks for following our tour around the 25 sections of Scottish Hill Tracks. Now it’s over to you: please use the hashtag to share your experiences of using the routes!

01/11/2024

Five historic walking routes to explore Scotland this autumn 🍂

Over at the BMC, we've published a wee article with ScotWays which highlights some brilliant routes from the recently released sixth edition of Scottish Hill Tracks - including a thieves' through the Cairngorms and an old postal route near Ullapool.

Go have a read for a bit of inspiration about some brilliant low-level routes this wintery season: https://www.thebmc.co.uk/en/five-historic-walking-routes-to-explore-scotland-in-autumn-and-winter

📸 Descending from Bealach an Fhiona. © Neil Birch

30/10/2024

Creatives Workshops at Fort William Mountain Festival 🏔

We’re very excited to say we're heading back to Fort William Mountain Festival for 2025! We’ve lined up another exciting programme of events, with talks on the mountains, creativity and more, and more outdoor workshops with Creatives.

Watch this space for more info on our line up of talks soon, but for now, our workshops are now available online to book. Each of these workshops will be led by one of our published Creatives; this year we're thrilled to be working with artists Jack Spowart and Phoebe Sleath, and writer Merryn Glover.

You’ll be heading into the mountains to explore the artistic process and interpretations of nature through drawing, writing or painting. All our workshops sold out last year, so we’d recommend booking early to secure your place.

Find out more about what’s in store here:
https://scottishmountaineeringpress.com/news/creatives-workshops-at-fort-william-mountain-festival-2025/

25/10/2024

Scottish Hill Tracks on BBC Out of Doors 🏔

Tim Simons from ScotWays recently appeared on BBC Radio Scotland, interviewed for Out of Doors, to tell us more about what Scottish Hill Tracks is all about and how it came to be. He was joined for a walk on one of the guide's historic routes by the presenters.

In case you missed it, it's available for another couple of days on BBC Sounds - an ideal soundtrack for your drive to the hills this weekend: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0023fg

📸 Camping near Culra Bothy. © Dave MacWilliam

22/10/2024

Scottish Hill Tracks out in the wild! With all this stormy weather, it’s currently our favourite volume to pull off the shelves for a bit of inspiration, seeking lesser-known paths in sheltered glens over battling upland gales on the tops.

21/10/2024

Stunning scenes from a new section in Scottish Hill Tracks

15/10/2024

It’s back… Announcing the 2024 Creatives Flash Contest series! Enter our October Flash Competition.

We’re delighted to be bringing back our Flash Contest series in the run up to the Fort William Mountain Festival 2025 and this time we have added prizes, generously supported by The Highland Bookshop and the Festival itself.

Winners each in category – poetry, nonfiction, fiction and visual art – will receive £50 plus a free pass to all ticketed festival events (not including workshops). Winners will have their work featured in our exhibition and winners and runners up will have their work published online. The next theme will be announced in November.

The theme for October is SOUNDSCAPES.

Theme: SOUNDSCAPES
Genre: POETRY
Word count: 60 words
Submit to: [email protected]

Submission deadline: 14 November

Visual artists are also invited to submit ONE image per theme, there will be one visual artist winner for the complete contest series.

View our submissions guidelines here: https://scottishmountaineeringpress.com/news/creatives-october-flash-contest-poetry/

09/10/2024

A tribute to John Cleare.

Ever supportive of Press projects since we began working together on The Fox of Glencoe, and having contributed wonderful images to some of our other publications, we finally got to meet John Cleare at the Fort William Mountain Festival in 2023 at a launch event for One Man’s Legacy. He arrived, along with his daughter, Jos, as one of the kindest, encouraging and most generous gentleman we’ve had the pleasure to meet. A wonderful storyteller, he had the audience captivated with stories of adventure (and misadventure) in the company of Tom Patey and other legendary figures from the so-called Golden Age of mountaineering, his pictures bringing light to the stories as he spoke.

While other climbers rightly receive recognition for tackling unclimbed test-pieces of the day, John was right there in the thick of the action – all while carrying heavy, cumbersome equipment. His coverage of significant events and expeditions on some of the world’s highest peaks produced some of our most iconic mountain images, paving the way for a new era of adventure photography and filmmaking.

We shared much, one of which being the production values we each held dear when presenting narratives and illustration. And so began our work with him on his autobiography. Over time, our collaboration with him developed into friendships, and Rob Lovell had the privilege of sharing a few days with John at his home in April to pore over photos and stories; he was always interested in what we’d been up to – a rare breed, particularly given the magnitude of his life’s achievements.

We will sorely miss John, his friendly emails and generosity. We’re honoured that he chose to work with us, and we’re committed to producing a fitting tribute to him. His upcoming book, Cleare Perspectives, will at once be a thing of beauty, an insight into the history of photography and mountaineering and the story of a life lived to the very fullest.

06/10/2024

Scottish Hill Tracks is out now! ✨

Pre-orders have been landing on doorsteps for the new Scottish Hill Tracks and we can't wait to hear what you think. With Autumn colours in full swing in the Highlands, it's the perfect time to get out exploring the ancient paths and stunning lower level landscapes this revised guide reveals.

"The wealth of information it contains is astonishing...the layout is clear and it’s easy to find the information you want." - review extract from Chris Townsend

Order direct from the Press here: https://scottishmountaineeringpress.com/product/scottish-hill-tracks-sixth-edition/

All profits from Scottish Mountaineering Press books go to the Scottish Mountaineering Trust. This Scottish-registered charity provides grants to projects and organisations that promote public recreation, knowledge and safe enjoyment of the mountains, especially in the mountains of Scotland.

01/10/2024

First review in for the new edition of Scottish Hill Tracks – thanks Chris!

Back in 1977 I bought two little booklets by D.G.Moir called Scottish Hill Tracks Southern Scotland and Scottish Hill Tracks Northern Scotla...

27/09/2024

Scottish Hill Tracks will be on the radio tomorrow! 📻

Tim Simons, part of the team from ScotWays who authored the book, will be featured on BBC Radio Scotland – Out of Doors tomorrow morning from 6.30-8am. So if you're off adventuring early doors this weekend, stick on the radio to find out more about our upcoming release and how it'll get you into Scotland's forgotten corners. It'll be available after as a podcast too, with more info about ScotWays' work to uphold public access to nature and the outdoors.

13/09/2024

Scottish Hill Tracks - what's it all about?

With the revised edition of this unique guide set for release, we're sharing extracts from our recent interview with the author, ScotWays, to tell you more about why we're so excited for it's release.

"The concept of Scottish Hill Tracks was born 100 years ago, when Walter Smith published his Hill Paths in Scotland. This was probably the first comprehensive guide book describing a Scotland-wide selection of routes through the hills. Smith was well-positioned to take on the task – he had been a long-serving Director of the Scottish Rights of Way Society in its early years, and had been involved erecting many of the first signposts in 1885. He was also an original member of the Scottish Mountaineering Club when it was established in 1889, so by 1924 he had over three decades of experience of rights of way and the Scottish hills and mountains.

We’re now publishing the sixth edition of Scottish Hill Tracks, and whilst some routes have been added and some deleted in that time, the concept remains the same: a varied collection of the best 350 routes for walkers and adventurous cyclists and equestrians, through the hills and mountains of Scotland." - Neil Birch

Pre-order closes soon - get your copy here: https://scottishmountaineeringpress.com/product/scottish-hill-tracks-sixth-edition/

28/08/2024

A big thank you to everyone who has already ordered a copy of the new edition of Scottish Hill Tracks!

We really can't wait to see what adventures everyone gets up to with this guide, which will help its readers get well and truly away from honeypot areas and into Scotland's lesser-known wilds. You'll discover an incredible network of ancient drove roads, medieval routes, heritage paths and more, offering information and inspiration to create unique journeys to suit all abilities. Each area is brought to life in rich detail by these wonderful watercolour maps.

Pre-order your copy now to get planning for Autumn! Link in comments.

19/08/2024

Scottish Hill Tracks is now available for pre-order! ✨

Scottish Hill Tracks is an essential companion for anyone with a keen interest in Scotland’s cultural heritage and for whom wide horizons, wild places and adventure beckon.

The revised sixth edition includes:

🥾350 hill routes and 175 variants across Scotland’s landscapes
🥾Over 7600km of ancient tracks tallying to 194,000m of ascent
🥾All routes pictured on stunning watercolour area maps
🥾Many of these routes are Heritage Paths — historic routes which follow in the footsteps of Roman legionaries, mediaeval pilgrims and traders, cattle drovers and more.

Scottish Hill Tracks is authored by ScotWays, is an independent charity which upholds and promotes public access rights in Scotland.

All profits from Scottish Mountaineering Press books go to the Scottish Mountaineering Trust. This Scottish-registered charity provides grants to projects and organisations that promote public recreation, knowledge and safe enjoyment of the mountains, especially in the mountains of Scotland.

This guide is available for pre-order with delivery to the warehouse expected mid September. Shipping will begin as soon as it arrives!

Get your copy here: https://scottishmountaineeringpress.com/product/scottish-hill-tracks-sixth-edition/

13/08/2024

We’re thrilled to announce a brand new guidebook is just around the corner!

The fully revised and revamped Scottish Hill Tracks is at the printers and pre-order will open soon. This detailed guide is your companion to discover Scotland’s ancient network of paths and trails, rich heritage and wild places. We’ve been working hard with to bring their new edition to life and we can’t wait to see what you think.

Watch this space!

08/08/2024

A summer update from the Press ☀

We've been beavering away behind the scenes this year, so we thought it was about time for a few words from Rob Lovell with some exciting news for the Press this year. Read on for updates about our forthcoming books, including children’s fiction, guidebooks, genre-spanning narratives, world-class photography and more, as well as news from our Creative projects.

Link in comments to have a read 🏔

📸 Sgurr an Fidhleir, featured in the forthcoming Northern Horizons. © Stefan Bramwell